Mondstadt's geographical setting was quite unique.
It was like a giant island, shaped almost like a club, situated in the middle of Cider Lake. The only place connecting it to the outside world was the stone bridge at the south gate — the same one Xia Zhi and his group had used to enter the city. That bridge was the main passage in and out of Mondstadt.
Aside from that, there were docks built outside the east and west gates to accommodate merchant and passenger ships. These made up the secondary points of access to Mondstadt.
The Church of Favonius occupied the entire northern section-shaped landmass, sitting proudly at its tip.
It was also the highest elevation in Mondstadt, perfectly symbolizing the lofty status of the Church of Favonius.
Perhaps to show her sincerity, Jean put aside the paperwork she'd been handling and personally led Xia Zhi and the others toward the church.
Xia Zhi tried to decline the trouble, but could only express his thanks in the end.
Stepping outside, he called over the rest of the group who'd been wandering nearby so they could set out together.
Klee came running over happily — only to spot Jean among them, and immediately froze, ducking behind Madame Ping in fright.
Jean caught sight of Klee peeking out from behind Madame Ping and sighed inwardly.
In front of so many guests, she couldn't very well scold Klee, so she just pretended not to see her.
Amber chuckled and slipped over to quietly lead Klee away.
As the Outrider, and especially during such a lively festival, she needed to stay alert for any issues and couldn't just wander around with Xiangling and the others.
The Church of Favonius wasn't far from the Knights' headquarters. Following the road for a while, they soon reached a fork, where white stone steps rose in wide platforms to either side.
These stairs weren't straight but wound gracefully upward.
No matter whether one took the left or right set of stairs, they would eventually arrive at the spacious square in front of the church.
At the top of the steps lay a plaza of truly enormous scale.
It was almost as big as the one in front of Yiyan Hall in Liyue, probably able to hold well over a hundred thousand people at once.
At the very center of the square stood a massive stone statue of a girl with wings on her back, wearing a hooded robe.
Her toes pointed delicately forward, hands extended, palms up, as if offering something, or perhaps praying to the gods.
On either side of the square, long stone colonnades offered shelter and rest for pilgrims visiting the church, shielding them from wind and rain.
Faced with such an awe-inspiring scene, Charlotte couldn't help but gasp, immediately taking out her Kamera to snap photos.
Jean heard the shutter sounds and glanced over in curiosity.
Amber quickly explained, "This is Miss Charlotte, chief editor of the Liyue Newspaper Agency. She came along with Mr. Xia on this trip — she's in charge of their travel column, so she's very interested in anything related to tourism."
"Travel column?" Jean blinked. "So Miss Charlotte, you'll be writing about the Windblume Festival for your paper?"
Charlotte nodded with a smile. "Of course!"
Jean thought for a moment, then asked, "If you don't mind me asking — how's your newspaper's circulation these days?"
Charlotte had overseen the paper herself before, so she answered without hesitation. "Pretty good — we sell around a hundred thousand copies a day."
A hundred thousand copies?
That was an incredible promotional opportunity!
If Charlotte enjoyed her time at the Windblume Festival, she'd surely write a glowing report. Readers would naturally be drawn to Mondstadt, and might even spread the word among friends who hadn't read the paper.
Even if just a tenth of those people ended up wanting to visit Mondstadt, that would be a huge boon.
After all, Liyue's citizens were different from people in other nations — most were merchants, wealthy and well-off. If they came to Mondstadt, they might even invest here… which could be immensely helpful for the city's various industries.
Not to mention, this kind of advertising wouldn't cost Mondstadt's government a single Mora.
Mondstadt's finances were currently decent, but far too reliant on the wine industry, which was hardly stable. They only enjoyed a good harvest year after year thanks to Barbatos' divine protection.
But Barbatos had gone missing without warning before, and if there ever came a year with poor weather and the grapes didn't grow, Mondstadt's economy could easily collapse.
So it was absolutely necessary to cultivate other sectors — like tourism.
Jean quietly made a note to call Kaeya over later, so he could discreetly keep an eye on Miss Charlotte for the next few days and make sure she had a wonderful experience.
After snapping a few photos, Charlotte suddenly realized Jean was a busy woman, and quickly apologized. "Sorry, I got carried away and took up your time."
Jean smiled kindly instead. "No problem — did you get everything you wanted?"
"I got plenty! There's still time in the coming days, I can take more later!"
"Good."
Seeing how understanding Jean was, Charlotte couldn't help but feel a bit emotional. Compared to Ningguang back in Liyue, Acting Grand Master Jean really was much more approachable.
Not that Lady Ningguang was difficult to deal with — just that being around her carried a lot more pressure.
Under Jean's guidance, they crossed the huge square and climbed a few dozen more steps before finally arriving at the entrance of the Church of Favonius.
Here, Knights of Favonius stood on guard as well.
At the sight of Jean, they straightened, showing respectful expressions and bowing slightly. "Captain, good day!"
Jean nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."
Unlike the guards posted at the Knights' headquarters, Xia Zhi noticed these knights displayed Black Iron Progress Bars.
That meant the knights protecting the church were even stronger.
In other words, this institution responsible for rites and worship seemed to carry greater weight than even the highest administrative body of Mondstadt.
Xia Zhi found that… rather interesting.
There might be hidden secrets within this Church of Favonius.
Pushing open the door, they stepped into a grand and solemn interior. Rows of benches stood in perfect order. Faithful worshippers sat with hands folded on their chests, heads bowed in prayer or confession.
Nuns in uniform stood quietly along the aisles, their expressions serene.
Bright sunlight streamed through stained-glass windows, splashing across the fresh flowers with a kaleidoscope of color.
Unlike the Yiyan Hall in Liyue, there was no statue of the Anemo Archon inside the church, nor any burning incense.
Only a gentle breeze stirred the air, carrying a faint floral fragrance.
Yet Xia Zhi also noticed that upon stepping into the church, a calming power seemed to settle into his heart, bringing a peaceful stillness.
It felt rather like the soothing sense one got from striking a Pure Wooden Fish.
Truly, this cathedral held something special.
That must be why so many believers came here to worship.
As Jean entered, a nun stepped forward.
Jean spoke with her quietly off to the side, explaining the situation.
The nun glanced over at the group, noting that apart from Xia Zhi, who was male (and blind, according to Jean), they were all women. After a brief hesitation, she nodded and agreed.
Jean then came over with the nun. "Mr. Xia, Miss Ganyu, I've spoken with Sister Grace, and she'll handle your accommodations."
Sister Grace smiled warmly. "Honored guests from Liyue, please follow me."
Xia Zhi inclined his head politely. "Forgive us for disturbing the peace of your church these next few days."
Jean stood in place, watching everyone follow Sister Grace deeper into the church, then turned her gaze to another part of the building.
Over there stood a young girl, much more petite than Jean, with bluish-gray eyes and long, naturally wavy, pale-gold hair tied into twin ponytails. She wore a white cleric's hat, a white dress trimmed in dark blue lace, white tights patterned with flower petals, and round-toed leather shoes.
At her chest was a large white-and-blue bow, and at her waist hung a blue-and-gold book with a Hydro Vision set in its center.
This was the church's Deaconess and also Jean's younger sister — Barbara.
They shared the same mother and father.
But when they were young, their parents had separated, and the sisters had been split up.
Jean had stayed with her mother, Frederica, in the Gunnhildr family and become its pride.
Barbara, meanwhile, had followed their father, Seamus Pegg, and joined the Church of Favonius as a deaconess.
Though Jean was now Acting Grand Master, she still carried a personal secret.
She had always wanted to grow closer to this sister connected by blood. But whenever she saw Barbara's hesitant eyes, she could never quite find the words, and could only watch her from afar.
A few seconds later, Jean withdrew her gaze from Barbara and turned to leave the church.
Jean didn't notice that after she turned away, the girl who had been praying quietly finally opened her eyes, lifting them with a complicated look to watch her sister's departing back.
Barbara had always longed to be close to the sister she'd admired since childhood, but Jean was so outstanding that she, too, didn't know how to bridge that gap.
Perhaps… this clumsy distance was actually proof that their hearts were still connected.
----
Join my Patreon for early access to chapters: Patreon.com/rivyura