"Just as Liyue is protected by the Qixing, Mondstadt has its Four Winds."
"The Four Winds…"
"That's right — the Wolf of the North, the Lion of the South, the FFalcon of the West, and Dvalin, the Stormterror Dragon, who has always been regarded as one of the Four Winds of Mondstadt. After Vanessa liberated Mondstadt, established the Knights of Favonius, the tradition of the Four Winds took root here, with Dvalin being even older than the rest."
Amber explained all this while leading everyone to a massive building.
Of course, she didn't notice that when she mentioned Dvalin's name, Xia Lin's small body tensed up ever so slightly, as if a bit frightened.
Xia Zhi gently squeezed her hand in reassurance.
"This is the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius!"
Everyone looked up at the place before them. It was a solid fortress-like building, its walls adorned with the banners and special crests of the Knights of Favonius. Several armored knights stood guard at the gate with weapons in hand, scanning passersby with sharp eyes.
Not far from the left of the fortress, a giant windmill slowly turned with the breeze, letting out a soft whooshing sound, its outer walls covered in green vines and brown mushrooms.
Amber stepped forward and greeted her colleagues. "Good morning, everyone!"
The gate guards nodded slightly, their voices warm and polite through their helmets. "Greetings, Knight Amber."
Amber stepped aside, showing them the group behind her. "These are special guests from Liyue. I need to take them to see Jean."
The guards' gazes swept across the group, silently confirming whether they posed any threat to the Knights of Favonius.
Finally, they nodded and stepped aside, giving a formal salute. "Welcome to the Knights of Favonius."
Everyone returned the courtesy with a polite bow.
Then Xia Zhi, Ganyu, and Xia Ci followed Amber inside.
Though Xia Lin didn't want to let go of Xia Zhi's hand, she obediently released it and stayed outside to play with Klee and Yaoyao.
Klee took her two little friends to the side of the building, pointing up to a certain spot. "Let me tell you — that's the scariest place here."
Yaoyao asked curiously, "Why?"
Klee lowered her voice. "Because that's the confinement room… Master Jean always orders me to stay in there if I make trouble. I can't come out for a whole day… it's so dark and boring…"
Yaoyao blinked, then giggled. "That does sound pretty scary."
Xia Lin lifted her head, following Klee's pointing finger, her eyes going blank.
The confinement room was scary…
Klee only had to stay in there for a day, alone in the dark, bored out of her mind…
But that place on the snowy mountain — equally dark, equally cold, equally lonely — she'd stayed there for five hundred years…
Klee waved her hand in front of her. "Xia Lin, what's wrong?"
Xia Lin snapped out of it and answered softly, "Nothing…"
Klee tilted her head. "Missing your dad already?"
Xia Lin paused, then nodded. "Mm…"
"It hasn't even been that long! I haven't seen my mom in three years!"
"Then… do you miss your mom?"
"Sometimes!"
"Oh…"
"I wonder when she'll come back, and what kind of gifts she'll bring me?"
The little girls chattered in soft voices, sharing their secret worries like only little girls could.
Inside the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius, the space was wide and bright.
The floor gleamed, covered in vivid, soft rugs that felt comfortable underfoot.
As Amber led Xia Zhi and the others through the corridors, people passing by all greeted her with warm smiles and soft voices.
Clearly, Amber was very well-liked here.
As they passed through a hallway, Xia Zhi noticed a small closed room to the side, with a plaque marked [Confinement Room] — probably used to punish wrongdoers.
"This way is the administrative office," Amber explained in a low voice, pointing to another door.
"And over there is the library."
Xia Zhi nodded. "I've heard your library has an impressive collection. Our main purpose this time is to borrow books."
"If it was just a few books you wanted, I could help directly," Amber replied, "but the number you need is way too large for me to authorize, so I have to take you to see Captain Jean."
"No problem, Miss Amber, just introducing us is already a huge help."
Having a familiar face to assist was a timesaver anywhere.
If Xia Zhi had come here by himself to go through all the formalities, he had no idea how long it might have dragged on.
Amber smiled sheepishly and stopped before a door, speaking quietly. "This is the Captain's office."
She reached out and knocked lightly.
A young but commanding voice came from inside. "Come in."
Amber pushed open the door and smiled. "Captain Jean, it's me!"
Inside, a blonde woman in uniform sat behind a desk, with several bookshelves lined up around her. She looked up at the doorway.
"Amber, you're back. What about Klee? I asked you to look for her yesterday — did you find her?"
"I've already brought her back."
"Did she sneak off to blow up fish again?"
"Yep."
"That troublemaker… as usual, have her confined for a day so she can calm down. The Windblume Festival is coming up, and I'm worried she'll cause another disaster… Hm? Who are these guests?"
Amber stepped inside, and only then did Jean notice there were others standing at the door.
She stood up at once, her tone polite.
Xia Zhi took in her appearance from his vantage point.
She had long blond hair with curled tips, tied into a single ponytail at the back with a butterfly-shaped ribbon, and two golden strands hanging beside her face.
Her outfit was mainly white, detailed with gold trim, layered with a black-and-blue cloak and a high Gothic collar. A gold-decorated belt was slung diagonally at her waist. She wore white sleeves, black leather gloves, tight white trousers, and white boots trimmed with gold. A pair of black leather tails hung from her waist to her calves, and pinned to the left side of her cloak was an Anemo Vision.
In Xia Zhi's vision, there was even a golden progress bar on her: [0%].
Amber helped introduce them. "This is Mr. Xia Zhi from Liyue, and this is Miss Ganyu, also from Liyue, and this is Miss Xia Ci, Mr. Xia's cousin."
"Nice to meet you… Miss Ganyu…"
Jean paused, the name sounding familiar.
Some information about key figures in Liyue flashed through her mind.
Jean looked at Ganyu, then froze slightly.
"Could it be…?"
Ganyu met her gaze and stepped forward.
Her gentle, mild aura shifted into a calm and steady presence, polite but carrying the poised distance of someone long used to power.
"I am Ganyu, General Secretary of the Liyue Qixing. It's an honor to meet you."
Jean's face grew serious. She placed a hand on her chest and offered a formal greeting.
"Acting Grand Master Jean of the Knights of Favonius, Mondstadt. Welcome… please, have a seat! Amber, could you brew some black tea for our guests?"
"Of course!"
Amber responded cheerfully and left.
Ganyu looked at Jean. "Captain Jean, there's no need to be so formal."
"It's only proper."
Once everyone had sat down and had their tea, Jean finally spoke.
"I wonder, Secretary Ganyu, what brings you to Mondstadt today?"
Ganyu set down her teacup and said softly, "You might not believe this, but I'm actually here for a vacation."
"Vacation?"
"I've been busy with work for years, and finally had a little free time this year, so I decided to travel. Since the Windblume Festival is about to start, and Mondstadt is quite close to Liyue, I thought I'd come enjoy the festivities."
"That's all?"
"That's all."
Jean let out a faint breath of relief. So it was just a personal trip.
Although she was a superb swordswoman, handling daily administrative work was still far harder than facing down enemies.
The aftermath of last year's Stormterror crisis still hadn't been fully cleaned up; plenty of damaged buildings were waiting on budget and manpower to be repaired.
Then there was the Fatui's Blackfire incident, leaving relations between Mondstadt and Snezhnaya strained to this day.
And with the Windblume Festival coming up — it might look festive, but the workload was enormous. She'd been running on coffee to keep her energy up and was still barely managing to keep pace.
If Liyue had come to cause her more headaches right now, she would have been at her limit.
Then Ganyu added, "However…"
"However?"
At that word, Jean's just-relaxed face tensed again.
"What is it?"
Ganyu smiled gently. "Captain Jean, don't worry, it's nothing major. Let me introduce you — Mr. Xia Zhi here is the principal of a newly founded school in Liyue, and Miss Xia Ci is one of the three vice principals."
Jean turned her gaze to Xia Zhi and Xia Ci. "A newly founded school in Liyue… I've heard something about that. Isn't it open to all children of proper age in Liyue, free of charge if they're willing to study?"
Xia Zhi nodded with a warm smile. "Captain Jean, that's correct."
Jean looked at him, curious. "Since your school is brand new and still developing, you haven't come to Mondstadt just for a vacation, have you?"
Actually, that's exactly what they came for.
Xia Ci put on a serious face. "Captain Jean is right. We came to Mondstadt to help advance the school's future, hoping to borrow some books from your library."
Jean was a bit surprised. "Borrow books…"
Xia Ci explained, "Although our school has opened its doors smoothly, our library collection is still far too small to meet the students' growing hunger for knowledge."
Jean raised an eyebrow. "But I heard Tianquan Star Ningguang is also a vice principal. With her resources, wouldn't you have gathered all the books you needed?"
Xia Zhi nodded. "In fact, Vice Principal Ningguang has already brought most of Liyue's collections to the school."
Jean was puzzled. "And that's still not enough?"
Xia Ci shook her head. "Nowhere near enough. Our school's goal is to be the best in all of Teyvat."
Jean was left speechless. "…"
Xia Zhi continued, "I heard Mondstadt's library has a great many books, so we wanted to visit and discuss borrowing some. Of course, we wouldn't take them for free — we'd exchange copies of our own books in return. That way Mondstadt's library would enrich its collection as well — a win-win for both sides."
Jean nodded thoughtfully. "I understand what you're proposing… if this works out, it could benefit both our cities."
Xia Zhi asked, "Then may I know Captain Jean's decision?"
Jean considered for a moment. "The Mondstadt Library is under the Knights of Favonius' administration, but I can't approve something like this alone. I'll need to speak with the current librarian and get back to you as soon as I can — is that all right?"
Xia Zhi stood up and smiled. "Of course. Captain Jean's willingness to help is already a huge favor. We'll be staying in the city for a few days, and we'd love to experience the Windblume Festival."
Jean rose to see them out. "Then I wish you a wonderful time at the festival. If you run into any trouble, come find me at the Knights of Favonius. Oh, by the way — did you all just arrive in Mondstadt today?"
"Yes."
"Do you have other companions with you?"
"Around a dozen, altogether."
"With that many people, I'm afraid the inns in town are probably full at this time of year. It may be hard to find enough accommodations. Would you like me to arrange something for you?"
Xia Zhi hadn't expected Jean to be so thoughtful, even about something this small.
"Captain Jean, you mean…?"
"There's no way to clear space at the inns, but you could stay at the Church of Favonius for a few days. It's a quiet place with good security."
"The Church of Favonius… would that really be all right? After all, we worship the Geo Archon, not the Anemo Archon…"
"You are honored guests from Liyue, coming in goodwill. It benefits Mondstadt as well. Friends like that will always be welcome in Barbatos' city."
"Then we will gladly accept."
Xia Zhi smiled and nodded.
The place they stayed didn't matter much. Even if every inn in Mondstadt was full, they could always stay comfortably in the Serenitea Pot.
But since they'd come all this way to travel, it was better to experience the local atmosphere.
Spending a few nights in a new setting sounded perfect.
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