"Damn it! What are these Mondstadt people up to?"
Rosalyne yanked the curtains open, her face filled with irritation as she glared at the two women standing below.
The younger of the two glanced upward, meeting Rosalyne's gaze fearlessly.
"Don't do anything reckless."
Tartaglia entered the room, closing the door behind him before firmly drawing the curtains shut once again.
"I took a look just now. Those armored men and women appear to be members of the Church of Favonius."
His tone grew more serious. "And according to my subordinates, a good number of them are young people who usually perform minor duties at the church."
Rosalyne sneered. "With soldiers of that caliber, they dare posture in front of us? It seems the Church of Favonius, untested by war for so long, has forgotten how the world works."
"I don't know why you hold such a grudge against Mondstadt," Tartaglia replied with a rare solemnity. "But I'd advise you not to underestimate them."
"These soldiers from the Church—or as they call themselves, the Windward Watch—are all elite warriors capable of wielding wind elemental power!"
Rosalyne froze, her expression turning to shock as she stared at Tartaglia. "Are you certain? How do you know?"
"I'm certain." Tartaglia nodded. "Whether it's through faith or techniques similar to those practiced in Liyue, they can wield wind elemental energy. There's no mistaking it."
He recalled a past expedition. Under the leadership of Mondstadt's Acting Grand Master, even those without Visions, or with Visions unrelated to the Anemo element, had unleashed formidable wind elemental power to disperse water-based restrictions. That memory left a deep impression.
Just now, he had noticed a similar aura emanating from the Windward Watch members. Their faces radiated unwavering determination.
Even if they believed the elder nun's claim that "young people haven't seen bloodshed," soldiers with this level of fundamental skill and unshakable faith were the hardest to deal with.
As long as their faith held, it didn't matter how high their casualties were—if only one soldier remained, that soldier would charge forward in a final, desperate assault.
Tartaglia shook his head. "Think about it—elite warriors capable of forming coordinated battle formations with wind elemental power. That's not something our current forces can handle."
"Moreover, have you noticed? There's a massive alchemical formation activated in Mondstadt. Elemental energy is flowing all around us—above and below."
Rosalyne gritted her teeth. "Indeed. A vast alchemical array, and thunderclouds gathering overhead. It's all to prevent anyone from causing trouble."
"That must be one of the emergency protocols of the Knights of Favonius. As for the thunderclouds, that's purely an individual's power."
Tartaglia sighed. "Honestly, I didn't know Mondstadt had such a figure. They've been hiding this too well."
---
"Yaaawn…"
In the library of the Knights of Favonius, the aforementioned "hidden figure" lay slouched over a desk, lazily covering their mouth as they yawned.
"Hehe, it's been ages since I've worked this hard. My dear Acting Grand Master, I hope you return safely. Otherwise, I won't know who to demand overtime pay and vacation time from~."
---
Outside Mondstadt, aboard the airship, Albedo conjured a hemispherical barrier to shield the group from the increasingly frigid air.
The assembled group consisted of individuals with diverse specialties, and aside from Amber—who was accustomed to aerial maneuvers—none of them were used to traveling this way.
"We have two options," Albedo said calmly.
"Option one: We land on the outskirts of Dragonspine, use our small team to infiltrate, and adapt as the situation develops."
"Option two: We force the elemental engine to overload, charging straight into Wyrmrest Valley. Once there, we detonate the airship to destroy a portion of the monsters and their altars, reducing the pressure on us."
"As for safety, there's no need to worry. With my barrier and Sanqiu's support, none of you will get hurt."
"Hey, hey," Gu Sanqiu raised a hand, "I'm just here to babysit and watch the show. Why am I being dragged into such a hassle?"
Still, he grinned. "But it does sound fun. If we load a few hundred kilograms of high explosives on this ship and blow it all at once, that'd be efficient."
He understood Albedo's point. As an assault team, unconventional methods were fair game. Clearly, Albedo had also considered the most efficient approach.
"That… seems a bit extreme."
Even fearlessly daring individuals like Kaeya and Eula looked uneasy.
"We might escape in time, but the blast's shockwaves are another story. Wouldn't it be safer to go with the first plan?"
Diluc sat upright, arms crossed. "The second option is better. We don't know if there are similar altars elsewhere, but the enemy is undoubtedly on guard now. If we follow the conventional approach and they unleash a full monster horde against us, we'll be in serious trouble."
"Remember our objective: destroy the altars and stop the monsters from spawning. If the monsters swarm us, we won't be able to hold them back."
"If that happens, chaos will spread through Mondstadt, and there'll be no way to ensure the safety of everyone."
Diluc's explanation left the group in deep thought. He was right. A standard assault wouldn't cut it against a massive, coordinated wave of monsters.
The creatures Kaeya described would wreak havoc among the civilian population if left unchecked—a disastrous failure of their mission.
"Alright, the second option it is," Eula said, gritting her teeth.
"I'm in."
"Agreed."
Paimon, however, clutched Gu Sanqiu's sleeve in panic. "S-S-Sanqiu! Are we really going with such a dangerous plan? Can't we try something… safer? Or maybe just, I don't know, leave the ship?"
Gu Sanqiu gave her a kind smile.
"Dream on. The doors are welded shut, and this ship doesn't have enough fuel for a return trip. Honestly, I'm not even sure the ship will survive this operation."
"Don't worry. I brought you here; I'll make sure you're safe."
Everyone knew that seeing battle firsthand could instill confidence in those who had faced only minor threats before. The Traveler, after participating in this high-stakes mission, would likely be far more composed when dealing with petty Treasure Hoarders.
After witnessing the scale of such combat, the Traveler would no longer flinch before mere ruffians.
Gu Sanqiu smirked to himself. Let's just hope the big shots don't screw this up.