"The universe is the upside-down sky, and the earth is a dream that time has forgotten. This is ashes, the simplest state of the complex structure of life."
As if to prove this magical statement, Albedo's teacher, Reindot, held up a handful of ashes from burned flowers. A few seconds later, a Cecilia flower bloomed from the ashes in his hand: "This It’s a new student.”
At that time, the young Abedo just nodded in confusion. He could not fully understand what the teacher meant by the new students.
"It's okay, Abedo, we still have a lot of time, but if he wakes up, there will be no time."
In Abedo's life, the teacher has the most special status. For him, his teacher was his only relative, a cold, strict woman who raised him and taught him the secrets of alchemy.
However, one day, the master and apprentice found a sacred relic called the "Heart of Naberish" in the depths of the world. Since then, the teacher has disappeared. Only a note, a letter of recommendation, a classic and a picture album were left behind.
The note said that Albedo should go to Mondstadt to find the teacher's old friend Alice, hand over a letter of recommendation, and complete the final project. The classics are fragments of the "Secret Book of Great Etiquette" collected by the teacher, and there is also a special gift. The teacher gave written approval to Abedo's departure as a teacher and awarded him the title "Son of Chalk".
The picture album was carefully drawn by Albedo's teacher. It contains pictures of various plants and creatures known to the continent of Teyvat, as well as some textual research scenes from the Demon God War period. There are even images of several demon gods in the album. .
These pictures either come from Dan Feng's photo camera, or are murals found deep in the ruins, or some are drawn based on the oral accounts of people who have been there.
The first picture in the Demon God's picture album is the man in red in front of him.
Abedo still remembers the teacher's silence.
She stood next to the boy with chalky hair and handed the album to him.
On the paper is a bust, with red and white hair, red eyes, and handsome appearance. The person in the painting is smiling wildly, and the lifelike face seems to come alive from the paper. The man in red is holding a bloody sword and staring at something. Compared to the painter who is painting for him, the man seems to care more about something behind the painter.
"who is he?"
Abedo's habit of painting was developed while traveling with his teacher. In the beginning, it was just pictures to accompany the study notes. Later, he discovered that drawing details helped to understand the structure and laws of objects, which was of great benefit to learning alchemy. Moreover, when painting, the mind will enter a certain state of clarity, without thinking about anything except observation and writing, which is very comfortable.
But like the paintings his teacher painted, which were so lifelike that they seemed to come to life, Albedo couldn't do it at all.
"He was the former lord of the Gumunata Kingdom. He was cruel, insensitive, and desecrated corpses, but he was also the only one who rose up against the False Sky and almost succeeded."
Abedo's teacher touched the face in the portrait.
"He must still be alive... Abedo, if he appears, you must stay far away..."
The young Abedo has never seen such a solemn expression on his teacher's face. No matter how he treats anything, even when he mentions the seven gods who now rule the world, the teacher always has a disdainful expression.
At this point, Albedo also deeply remembered the man in red in this portrait.
"Who are you? Why are you disturbing these Qiuqiu people?"
Returning to the present, Abedo quickly suppressed the shock on his face and returned to his usual cold expression.
He had already recognized the blond girl in front of him and a small mascot floating next to him, which was the honorary knight that Mondstadt had been talking about recently.
Moreover, judging from the attitude of the girl and the man in red, the two seemed to be quite familiar with each other, which made Albedo a little strange. The teacher clearly said... the man in red in front of him is a very cold person... and the rumored honorary knight is willing to help others. A person who is warm-hearted and hard-working has no chance of being associated with a tyrant.
"Fortunately, my painting is finished. It would be a pity if I couldn't finish it for the special Qiuqiu people."
Abedo shook the snow from his hair and changed his face so fast that even Famas was amazed.
"I'm sorry, we... didn't know you were drawing these Qiuqiu people."
In their innocence, Ying and Paimon thought that their apology had worked. They said guiltily again. Pamon flew to Famas' side and pulled the handle of his gun.
"Guarantee...Famas, it's obviously you who did it, but you actually asked Ying to apologize for you. Come over here and admit your mistake!"
Paimon pulled hard on Famas's spear, but there was almost no strength in his small body. He was so tired that he was sweating profusely, but Famas still didn't move at all.
"Hello, Mr. Albedo, I am the adventurer from Mondstadt, Famas."
Famas tugged with his left hand and pulled Paimon, who was holding the handle of the gun, to his chest. He reached out and pinched her fleshy cheeks. He lifted Paimon and greeted Albedo.
"Hello, Alchemist of Mondstadt, Albedo."
Hearing Famas's self-introduction, Albedo reacted immediately, but the doubts in his eyes became more and more. The teacher told him that this flaming tyrant was extremely difficult to communicate with. Apart from war and carnival, there was almost nothing he could do. arouse his interest.
But the young man in front of him, although he looked exactly like the portrait, the firmness and confidence in his eyes seemed inconsistent with Munata's brutal war lord.
"So you're painting Qiuqiu people, but what's so interesting about Qiuqiu people? Don't they all look similar?"
The atmosphere gradually calmed down, and Paimon returned to his familiar personality, curiously staring at the drawing board that was well protected by Albedo.
"Well...this question is a bit complicated to explain. Why don't you just take a look at my painting?"
Abedo glanced at Famas worriedly, then raised his drawing board.
On the drawing paper is a short, blue-haired man, dancing around a large piece of ice, with his mouth slightly raised, probably reciting some prayer.
"Wow, it looks like that Qiuqiu man!"
Paimon excitedly put his face close to Albedo's temple and carefully observed the Qiuqiu people in the painting.
"Some Qiuqiu people that can be seen everywhere are boring and not worth wasting time, but if you look at this one, its physique, its hair, its posture, you can see its unique life tension."
When it comes to alchemy and painting, Abedo starts to talk more.
"In the repeated life of primitive groups, this particularity represents evolution. Evolution means starting from nothing, from the known to the unknown..."
When the three of them gathered together and listened to Abedo's explanation of the painting, Famas stood at the edge of the path, stretched out his hand, and with his divine power, the painting that had just been blown away was lifted clean and flat from the white sky and the earth. It flew back into Famas's hands, and even the damaged drawing paper gradually returned to its original state.
Abedo and Ying, who were looking at the paintings together, were very close to each other. Famas held a stack of drawing papers in his right hand, spread his arms, squeezed his head through the gap between the two of them, put his arms around Abedo's shoulders, and shook his head. Shake the painting on your hand.
"Chalk, here is your painting."
Being hugged and hearing Famas calling him, Albedo trembled subconsciously.
Turning his head, Famas blinked his fiery red eyes and looked at him with a half-smile.
"We have to find a way to find out...whether it is..."
Abedo's heart sank. His painting had obviously flown down the valley, but the man still found a way to get it up.
