What If the Skyward Harp Was a Fake from the Start?

If there are any extra chapters, up to 37 by midnight. The exact calculation will be explained in the comments section of tomorrow's final chapter.

Even excluding the chapters updated on the day before the bounty was posted, 30 chapters have already been published.

At least four chapters a day, 16,000 words, who can keep up?

Thankfully I had some drafts saved up... otherwise I wouldn't even have time to move house.

Having drafts saved up is a good thing, but it's gone...

Chapter 176 Is it possible that the Lyre of Winds was fake from the beginning?

"Well, I won't go in." Venti stopped at the entrance of Mondstadt Cathedral.

"Bar... Venti, why don't you go in?" Jean asked.

"Why should I go in? It's not like I'm the one fixing the Lyre of Winds. Besides, I reckon Chen Luo is going to disappoint my followers again, only to draw hope from them once more. I can't bear to see that," Venti said, shaking her head.

On the way here, Venti overheard Jean saying that Chen Luo was going to use some kind of Faith Power to repair the Lyre of Winds, and immediately judged that Chen Luo was talking nonsense.

Even I, an Anemo Archon, don't know what the Faith Power can do. How could you possibly know?

No, or rather, what Faith Power exists in this world? Chen Luo is clearly making this up.

As for why Chen Luo did this...

Venti, who has been fleeced for more than half a month, has something to say.

What else could it be for? Of course, it's to take on two tasks for the same purpose.

Venti believes Chen Luo can repair the Lyre of Winds, but how, when, and how to repair it are the questions.

As for how to take on two jobs at once... that's up to Chen Luo himself.

Venti had no objection to this matter. After all, it was normal for Chen Luo to want to maximize his profits. Anyway, Jean and the priest who retrieved the Lyre of Winds didn't suffer any losses, so Chen Luo could take on as many commissions as he wanted.

Venti still felt a little guilty about the disappointment her followers had caused her.

"Although I don't understand what you're saying, you can stay here if you don't want to go in," Qin said quite politely.

As the acting leader of the group, Qin did not want to go against the Anemo Archon's wishes on such a trivial matter. After all, the Anemo Archon was free to do whatever he wanted.

Then Qin led Chen Luo, Lisa, Paimon, the Herrscher of Knowledge, and Eula into the Cathedral of Favonius.

Normally, Diluc would have been rewarded for such a meritorious deed, but Diluc said he didn't want to get involved with the Knights of Favonius, so he didn't bother to return the Lyre of Winds and left on his own.

As soon as Chen Luo and his group entered, the church guards immediately closed the door tightly.

After all, this is a major event like returning the Lyre of Winds. If the Fatui were to come and steal the Lyre of Winds that was just returned, the Church would really be doomed.

Therefore, it is very important to take strict precautions and absolutely prevent others from forcibly entering the site where the Lyre of Winds was returned.

The Church of Mondstadt is now well-defended, and even if someone were to forcefully attack the church gates, they would not be able to break through the defenses in a short time.

Even if the Anemo Archon came today, he would have to wait until the Lyre of Winds was returned to the Church of Mondstadt before he could enter!

Inside the church, a young girl was already waiting.

"This is the church's specialist in charge of recovering the Lyre of Winds, Reverend Barbara," Qin, who walked forward with Chen Luo and the others, introduced to Chen Luo, standing next to Barbara.

Although Qin was a little hesitant to face her younger sister in this situation, it was a formal occasion, so she suppressed any unnecessary excitement or unease.

"May the Anemo Archon protect you." Barbara placed her right hand on her left chest in a priestly gesture.

"Although I may not be qualified to say this compared to the acting leader, I still want to thank everyone for their efforts on behalf of Mondstadt. Just now, Sister... the acting leader has informed the church about the matter through a special communication talisman."

"Fortunately, it was resolved peacefully. If we had actually mobilized military forces to fight the dragon, it's hard to imagine how it would have ended." Barbara Herrscher of the Heart in front of her.

Yes, especially my own older sister.

"Moreover, not only did the Fatui fail to defeat Stormterror this time, but we will also hold them accountable for stealing the Lyre of Winds. A masked Electro Cicin Mage stole the Lyre of Winds from the church, and many citizens, church guards, and priests witnessed this." Thinking of this, Jean couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The envoys of the Fatui were known for their tough stance in diplomacy, but this time they couldn't bring themselves to be tough, given the irrefutable evidence before them.

This can be considered a diplomatic victory in a sense, and the follow-up matters need to be handled by professionals.

"Alright, speaking of the Lyre of Winds, I have to thank Mr. Mr. Chen Luo for snatching it back from the Lyre of Winds Fatui. If the Fatui had really taken the Lyre of Winds, I would never have known peace of mind. If I had left a little later..." Barbara looked at Chen Luo gratefully.

After all, if he had left a little later, perhaps he and Miss Rosaria wouldn't have been taken away from the Sky Group.

Barbara was thinking to herself at that moment.

"You're welcome," Chen Luo said with a slightly ambiguous tone.

You might not believe it, Lyre of Winds will only be stolen after you and Rosaria leave, no matter when you leave.

"Alright, so you guys brought the Lyre of Winds?" Barbara asked the group with delight.

Barbara believed that since everyone had successfully resolved the incident peacefully and returned, they must have brought back the Lyre of Winds as well.

"I did bring it, but... well, this... is a little..." Paimon said somewhat awkwardly, his hands behind his back.

"Don't worry, since you all worked so hard to snatch it back from the Fatui, in addition to the rewards and honors from the Knights of Favonius, the Church will also provide rewards. The Church has always had a special fund for offerings, so the rewards are quite substantial." Barbara thought that everyone didn't really want to return the Lyre of Winds for nothing, so she explained.

"Then you'd better be prepared," Paimon whispered.

Paimon said that because the Lyre of Winds was Paimon behind his small body.

Originally, the Lyre of Winds should have been held by Jean, but Jean felt that it would be difficult to face Barbara if she held it, so she wanted Lisa to hold it.

Lisa was also quite opposed to this, but she couldn't let Eula take it, as that would have a bad influence. So Lisa used some gourmet food to Chen Luo Paimon.

"Ahhhhhhh! The Lyre of Winds —!!!"

Looking at the broken Lyre of Winds in Paimon's hands, Barbara was speechless for a moment.

"Lord Barbatos, even if Barbara spends the rest of her life atoning for your sins... it still won't be enough!!" Barbara knelt on the ground with her hands clasped together in despair.

The theft of the Sky Cluster was already a painful thing for Barbara, but what was even more painful was that the Lyre of Winds was stolen within two minutes of her leaving the church.

Given Barbara's level of piety, she has now taken all the blame upon herself.

"Don't worry about that, Barbatos, the master will definitely forgive you," Chen Luo whispered from the side.

"You're not Lord Barbatos, how would you know!" Barbara sobbed sadly.

"Young lady, do you wish to repair the Lyre of Winds?" Chen Luo's deep voice rang in Barbara's ear.

"Of course I hope so! I'm willing to pay any price to repair the Lyre of Winds!" Barbara said confidently.

[Ding! You have a new request!]

[Barbara's Redemption]: Restoring the Lyre of Winds to its original state.

Rewards: 300 Primogem + random rewards + 30 Barbara Affinity

Difficulty: 3 stars

Hmm, it seems Barbara's level of guilt is indeed quite high.

The fact that Barbara received so many more rewards than Qin does not necessarily mean that Barbara was far more devout than Qin.

The key point is that Qin knows the Lyre of Winds was actually damaged in the hands of Lord Barbatos himself.

So even though the Lyre of Winds was somewhat damaged, Harp didn't feel much guilt, since as long as Lord Barbatos himself was alright, that was all that mattered.

But these words cannot be explained to Barbara; Venti's identity needs to be kept secret.

Barbara was already feeling guilty and remorseful for losing the Lyre of Winds in her possession, and now her guilt was overwhelming.

"Be delighted, young lady! Lord Anemo Archon Barbatos, admires our bravery in rescuing the Dragon of the East Wind and has granted us permission to make one wish. Our acting captain, Jean, wishes only for the restoration of the Lyre of Winds to its original state."

"Therefore, Anemo Archon Barbatos, the Wind God, specially bestowed upon us the method to repair the Lyre of Winds, but this method can only be used within the church," Chen Luo said to Barbara, who was kneeling on the ground begging for forgiveness from the Anemo Archon Barbatos.

"You agree, right, Acting Grand Master Jean?" Chen Luo then looked at Qin.

"Huh?" Qin was taken aback.

After all, Chen Luo didn't mention this when she came.

"..." Lisa, who was standing next to Qin, poked Qin's lower back very alertly, and then pointed to Barbara kneeling on the ground.

At this moment, Barbara was looking at Jyn with hopeful eyes, as if hoping that Jyn would affirm this matter.

"You're welcome." Chen Luo mouthed as he sensed Qin looking at him somewhat bewildered.

Within the limits of what is permissible, Chen Luo is willing to offer assistance to the sisters Qin and Barbara.

"That's right, Anemo Archon Barbatos, the Wind God, did appear before us and said he would repair the Lyre of Winds." Qin didn't want to lie, so she presented the facts.

Because Venti did say that he wanted to help Jean repair the Lyre of Winds, but for some reason, he later gave up on it.

Moreover, since Chen Luo is so confident in repairing the Lyre of Winds, he must have a certain degree of certainty.

"How do we fix it?" Barbara stood up from the floor.

"Paimon, give me the Lyre of Winds." Chen Luo held out his hand to Paimon.

"Oh, okay." Seeing that Chen Luo wanted it, Paimon handed over the hot potato of the Lyre of Winds to Chen Luo without saying a word.

I just knelt on the ground, feeling so guilty in front of the Lyre of Winds. Barbara is just too irresistible; anyone who sees this would feel guilty.

Everyone was watching Chen Luo intently, and before Chen Luo took the shattered sky, he took out a cyan seed from his backpack.

The blue seed, surrounded by a gentle breeze, looked exceptionally sacred.

Chen Luo gently placed the sealed seed on the Lyre of Winds, and the Lyre of Winds shone brightly the moment it touched the Anemogranum.

An endless breeze gathered above the Lyre of Winds. Even inside Mondstadt Cathedral, with the windows and entrances closed, the wind still blew, growing stronger and stronger until everyone had to shield their eyes with their hands.

"Whoosh!" Everyone suddenly felt a gentle breeze brush against their faces, and then the wind stopped instantly.

When everyone opened their eyes, they saw a complete Lyre of Winds radiating light appear in Chen Luo's hand. Wisps of breeze surrounded the Lyre of Winds, allowing it to bloom in its best form.

"It's actually repaired? And the Wind Element on the Lyre of Winds is so abundant!" Upon seeing the Lyre of Winds that Chen Luo handed her, Barbara immediately hugged Lyre of Winds to her arms.

Although Barbara is not a holder of the Wind-type Vision, the Wind Element Power she possesses is so abundant that it's almost blinding.

"Lord Barbatos! Everyone, please excuse me for a moment. I need to place the Lyre of Winds in the secret chamber first." Barbara was overjoyed when she saw the Lyre of Winds. After saying a few words to everyone, she ran directly into the secret door that had already been opened.

[Ding! Mission complete]

[Ding! Mission complete]

"Alo, how exactly did you repair the Lyre of Winds?" the Herrscher of Knowledge asked, quite puzzled.

The Herrscher of Knowledge believed that after spending so much time with Chen Luo, Herrscher of Knowledge understood Chen Luo's basic abilities, but Herrscher of Knowledge ability was.

"Ah, is this what you mean?" Chen Luo scratched his head and took a broken zither out of his backpack.

"Hey, how come there's a Lyre of Winds here!" Paimon's little eyes widened in surprise.

"Keep your voice down. Actually, what I have in my hand isn't the Lyre of Winds, but a piece of equipment called Void Archive." Chen Luo snapped his fingers, and the broken harp in his hand instantly transformed into a golden hexahedron.

"Huh? When did you change it?" This question shocked me Herrscher of Knowledge for a whole year.

"Ever since Venti drank 10 glasses of wine at my place and slept straight through until the next day, even forgetting to give me the Lyre of Winds, I've felt deeply that he's unreliable. So when I took it out this morning, it was a fake," Chen Luo said with a shrug.

"So, in other words, the repair just now was just an illusion? The real Lyre of Winds was perfectly intact from the beginning? But why did you do this? Wouldn't it have been better to bring it out sooner?" Qin was also quite shocked.

"Well, naturally I want to give you a chance to show off in front of your sister," Chen Luo said, explaining the 5% reason.

That's right, it's 5%.

"Oh, thank you."

"But what about that Anemogranum from earlier? It looked really powerful." The Herrscher of Knowledge asked again.

"This is the coin, of course. But the Divine Power on it seems to have disappeared. Let Venti recharge it later," Chen Luo said, taking out the Mora blessed by the Anemo Archon.

The wool comes from the sheep.

Anyway, since I can get Venti for free with this thing, I might as well use it.

"However, has Barbara forgotten something?" Chen Luo suddenly asked.

"What is it?" Qin asked.

"Where's my reward? Didn't you say there would be a reward?" Chen Luo asked, glancing at the church where Barbara was no longer in sight.