<h4>Chapter 62: Viin Simtor, Ch 62</h4>


    "Oh?" Lucas sized Barbatos up and down, somewhat disappointed. "Too bad you''re a guy."


    If Barbatos had been a girl, maybe he could have triggered the effect of The First Cup of Red Wine.


    Wait, maybe boys could work too?


    Barbatos didn''t know what was going through the man''s mind, but the look in his eyes made the god feel a bit uneasy.


    "Please, don''t get any strange ideas," Barbatos said awkwardly. "This is just a straightforward deal."


    "That lyre of yours looks pretty good," Lucas stroked his chin. "How about you trade it for their lives?"


    "No can do, that''s something very important to me." Barbatos raised his hand, and a small object shaped like a chess piece appeared in his palm. "But I am willing to offer... this Gnosis in exchange."


    Apparently, Barbatos valued his lyre more than the Gnosis.


    No wonder when the Fatui''s Harbinger, La Signora, stole his Gnosis, Barbatos didn''t seem too upset about it.


    "If I''m not mistaken, this is the symbol of a god," Lucas sneered. "You''re really fine giving something like this to a viin like me?"


    "If Mondstadt''s people are wiped out, then who would be left to worship me?" Barbatos shook his head. "A king isn''t a king because he wears a crown, but because he has subjects, right?"


    "Honestly, I''m not too interested in the Gnosis, but I''ll do you this favor." Lucas extended his hand, and the Gnosis slowly floated into his palm, dissolving into a radiant light that was absorbed into his body.


    At that moment, a system message unexpectedly appeared in Lucas''s mind:


    [Detected acquisition of a Gnosis. Hidden mission activated.]


    [Hidden mission objective: Collect all seven Gnosis.]


    [Reward: The host may make any one wish.]


    A hidden mission?


    Lucas was momentarily stunned.


    But the reward was indeed tempting...


    This wasn''t just about collecting seven Gnosis—this was practically collecting Dragon Balls!


    "It seems you''ve epted the terms," Barbatos sighed in relief. "I hope you''ll keep your word. If that''s all, I should be going now."


    "Wait a minute..." Lucas seemed to recall something. He spoke calmly, "You once gave me three prophecies. Two have alreadye true, but the third... will it really happen?"


    It wasn''t surprising that Lucas had his doubts.


    Not to mention whether his two children would ever attempt to assassinate him again—given the current power gap between them, even if they hacked at him for three days and nights while he stood still, they probably couldn''t harm him.


    "Prophecies never fail," Barbatos shook his head. "As I said, fate is unchangeable. Even gods are but a part of it. You will inevitably follow your father''s path."


    "But..."


    Lucas wanted to ask more, but before he could, Barbatos had already dissipated into the wind, vanishing before his eyes.


    Kreuzlied , who had been in shock, finally snapped out of it. After all, he had just seen the Anemo God in person!


    "Kreuzlied, you saw what happened just now," Lucas said calmly. "It seems I have no choice but to spare them. However, you must agree to one condition."


    "Please tell me, Father!"


    Kreuzlied''s attitude toward his father had taken aplete 180-degree turn. After all, his father was a man who could negotiate with the Anemo God!


    "Carry on the Lawrence family name," Lucas said as he patted Kreuzlied''s shoulder. "Since you dislike noble rule so much, why not try it yourself?"


    Naturally, Lucas couldn''t kill Kreuzlied. The reason was simple: if he killed him, the Lawrence bloodline would end. The [Eternal Bloodline] ability could only reincarnate him into one of his descendants. If there were no descendants, what would be the point of reincarnating?


    "I... I fear I''m not capable," Kreuzlied replied, his face filled with frustration. "I can''t make them believe in me."


    "I''m not a great teacher, but there''s one thing I can teach you." Lucas smiled. "Do you know what the most important thing a ruler needs from their people is?"


    "Respect?" Kreuzlied guessed hesitantly.


    "Wrong. It''s fear."


    Lucas walked past Kreuzlied to the doors of the Favonius Cathedral. With a wave of his hand, the heavy doors turned to ashes.


    The fierce night wind rushed in, and inside the cathedral, Mondstadt''sst remaining citizens huddled together in fear. Their eyes were wide with terror as they stared at the shadow looming at the entrance.


    "Don''t... don''t hurt them!"


    At that moment, a slender figure emerged from the crowd, gripping a massive greatsword. Though her body trembled, her expression was firm as she stood between Lucas and the people. "I will... huh? Uncle, why... why is it you?"


    Indeed, the red-haired girl standing in front of him was none other than Eberhart''s daughter. She seemed utterly shocked that the man who had destroyed Mondstadt was the same friendly uncle she had shared drinks with in the tavern.


    "There are always surprises in this world," Lucas was taken aback for a moment, but then he smiled. "Tell me, why are you protecting them?"


    "Because my grandpa told me that protecting the weak is a knight''s duty!" the girl answered seriously. "Even though I''m not an official knight yet..."


    "No, you are now," Lucas replied with a solemn expression. "As the head of the Lawrence family, I officially knight you as the Dawn Knight."


    "I... I''ve been knighted?" The red-haired girl was momentarily stunned, then muttered, "But how do you know my surname?"


    Lucas didn''t answer her question. Instead, he scanned the remaining survivors of Mondstadt and said loudly, "By rights, I should burn every one of you traitors. However... my kind-hearted son Kreuzlied has pleaded for your lives."


    Hearing this, the surviving citizens'' eyes lit up with hope.


    "From this day forth, Kreuzlied will inherit the title of head of the Lawrence family, and you must all pledge allegiance to him as your new ruler." Lucas''s face turned cruel as he added, "Each year on this day, I will return on the back of the dragon. If I do not see the Lawrence banner flying high, well... you can imagine the consequences."


    Even without him exining, they understood the grim implications—Lucas wouldn''t hesitate to roast the city again if they defied him.


    With that, Lucas left the cathedral, leaping onto Ursa''s back.


    "Is everything done?" Ursa askedzily.


    "It''s done. Now I''ll fulfill my promise to you," Lucas said as he patted Ursa''s massive head. "Where would you like to eat?"


    "Just somewhere that''s not people—I''m sick of eating them." Ursa stuck out her purple tongue in distaste. "Let''s go to Liyue. I want to try that ''hot pot'' thing."


    "Father!" Kreuzlied suddenly called out. "Where are you going?"


    "To a new life," Lucas waved goodbye, smiling. "Goodbye, my son."


    With a powerful p of its wings, the dragon rose into the night sky, gradually bing a mere speck in the distance.


    "Goodbye..." Kreuzlied whispered, watching the sky. "My beloved and hated father."


    ---


    [Entering text mode...]


    [Age 43: The burning of Mondstadt in one night attracted widespread attention. Many nations provided aid for its reconstruction.]


    [Age 44: You left Mondstadt and traveled across Teyvat with Ursa. To avoid drawing attention, you often asked her to remain in human form.]


    [Age 45: Mondstadt''s reconstruction was nearlyplete. As promised, you rode Ursa over the city and saw the Lawrence family banner proudly waving.]


    [Age 46: You visited Fontaine and tried the local delicacy, escargot. At first, Ursa disliked it, but after a few bites, she became addicted.]


    [Age 47: You learned that after you severely injured Vanessa, she became paralyzed and was cared for by the Church of Favonius. She passed away recently, but her body mysteriously disappeared.]


    [Age 48: You and Ursa went to Inazuma to eat sushi.]


    [Age 49: In Snezhnaya, Ursa won the local drinking contest and earned a lifetime supply of free alcohol.]


    [Age 50: Ursa started feeling homesick, so you returned to herir. You discovered she loved roasted chicken, so you raised livestock for her.]


    [Age 51: Ursa ate chicken.]


    [Age 52: Ursa ate chicken.]


    [Age 53: Ursa ate many chickens.]


    [Age 54: You noticed that your body was starting to feel weak...]


    [Age 55: The dragon Ursa ate more chicken.]


    [Age 56: Ursained that your roast chicken wasn''t as good anymore. Well, you were getting older, and sometimes it was hard to keep up.]


    [Age 57: You suggested that you and Ursa go on another trip. You arrived at Liyue Harbor, where you noticed an old man pouring wine into the sea. Curious, you approached and realized that the old man looked somewhat familiar.]


    Upon seeing this line, Lucas seemed to realize something and softly said, "Activate immersive mode."


    [Immersive mode activated sessfully.]


    The sea breeze carried a faint salty scent, and near the harbor, an elderly man stood. He appeared to be in his seventies or eighties, his face deeply wrinkled, and his back slightly hunched. In his hand was a half-full bottle of wine, which he was pouring into the sea as if in mourning for someone.


    "Sir..." Lucas calmly stood beside the old man and asked politely, "May I ask what you are doing?"


    As he got closer, Lucas noticed that the man''s eyes were clouded and blind.


    "Can''t you tell?" the old man said, his eyes vacant. "I''m mourning my son. He was a first mate, like many, lost to the sea."


    "Oh?" Lucas frowned slightly. "How did he die?"


    "Who knows? A storm, sea beasts, a massive wave... Every time he sailed, it was as if he was courting death," the old man chuckled slightly. "Perhaps, for him, death was a kind of release."


    "May I ask..." Lucas hesitated before continuing, "How many sons do you have?"


    "Two," the old man replied, lowering his head. "But I don''t remember the other one anymore."


    "I see..." Lucas paused for a moment. "Sir, may I offer a drink in honor of your son?"


    "Of course. He loved to drink. Every day he was drunk," the old man said as he pulled out a cup from his coat. It was finely crafted, though it had faded with time. "You know, his greatest wish was to have onest drink with his brother. But he missed out on so much in his life."


    Lucas looked closely at the cup. Along its rim were signs of wear, but faintly, he could still see the crest of the Lawrence family.


    "This was his favorite cup," the old man said, despite his blindness. He poured wine for Lucas and then raised his bottle, downing thest of the wine in one go. "To my son!"


    Lucas also drank his cup of wine in one gulp. He was used to fine noble wines, but this strong liquor burned his throat. In a voice only he could hear, he murmured, "To my brother."


    Then, Lucas pulled out a blue crystal from his pocket, the same one that Parsifal had given to the Spear Witch long ago. Even after all these years, traces of blood could still be seen on it.


    "For your son, so that he may rest without regrets."


    Lucas gently tossed the valuable blue crystal into the sea, where its brilliance was quickly swallowed by the depths.


    It felt somewhat like the scene in Titanic where Rose throws the Heart of the Ocean into the water.


    "Though I don''t know what you just gave, I''m sure he would have liked it," the old man smiled faintly. "In return, take this cup as a gift."


    [Item received: Golden Goblet of the Pristine Sea.]


    [Golden Goblet of the Pristine Sea.]


    [Category: Set item]


    [Effect (1/4): Increases water elemental damage by 7%.]


    Lucas seemed like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he remained silent, only whispering, "Goodbye, sir."


    "Wait a moment. You seem like a traveler who''s seen manynds," the old man said, slightly turning his face and offering Lucas a weathered smile. "If by chance, you meet my other son, tell him this—his father and brother have forgiven him."


    "He may not need forgiveness," Lucas nodded. "But I will tell him."


    Lucas turned and walked away. After a few hundred meters, he ran into Ursa, who was carrying arge bundle of food.


    "Sniff, sniff..." Ursa sniffed at Lucas and asked with a puzzled expression, "Strange, why do you smell like Ingobert?"


    Lucas realized something and quickly asked, "How do you know his scent?"


    "It must have been about thirty years ago. I got to know there was something delicious in Dragonspine," Ursa began to recall.


    "When I got there, I didn''t find anything tasty, but I did smell humans. I found a lot of corpses and followed the scent to a crumbling ruin. Inside, I found him. He was barely alive. Since he was a Lawrence, I saved him. But his injuries were too severe. Though I managed to keep him alive, both his eyes were already gone..."


    At that moment, everything clicked for Lucas.


    So that''s what the third prophecy meant.


    His father had been betrayed by his children, but he hadn''t died—he had simply left Mondstadt forever.


    And now, just like him, Lucas had been betrayed by his own children and left Mondstadt behind.


    ---


    Author''s Note: Well soon interactions with diluc and no! He is not getting gender bended ??


    Lucas needs bros aswell not just hoes!