Two days later, the Furina Foundation and Mondstadt successfully signed a trade treaty.
That afternoon, Schubert, who had been missing for a long time, suddenly reappeared, re-entering the public eye.
He confessed he had been used by the Fatui, incited by them to instigate protests and demonstrations, which led to unnecessary unrest.
Kaeya became aware of this, and that night, took him to the Dawn Winery's underground warehouse for interrogation.
Afterwards, the Fatui intervened secretly, abducting Schubert from the underground warehouse and imprisoning him.
During his imprisonment, Schubert underwent profound reflection and realization.
After being rescued, he resolutely decided to reveal the whole truth and atone for his previous wrongdoings.
With Schubert's confession, Kaeya was proven innocent and was released.
Meanwhile, with the assistance of the West Factory, the Knights of Favonius apprehended a few minor Fatui members and attributed all the blame to them.
All the disturbances subsided, and the city of Mondstadt seemed to return to its former tranquility and harmony.
But Mondstadt's citizens soon noticed new changes in their lives.
On the shelves of stores, a wide variety of goods from Fontaine, offered at affordable prices and of excellent quality, quickly captured the market.
Everything from daily necessities to fashionable shoes and bags was available, and upon stocking, they were met with enthusiastic public demand and quickly sold out.
But meanwhile, in stark contrast, local Mondstadt goods were neglected, left in corners, receiving almost no attention.
Jean strolled along the ancient streets of Mondstadt, witnessing this phenomenon of stark market contrast, her heart filled with concern.
If this trend continues, the onset of widespread unemployment in Mondstadt might come faster than she anticipated.
Then, how should Mondstadt cope with all this?
Her mind couldn't help but recall the loan plan proposed by Lin Yide yesterday.
That plan, although it offered interest-free loans, came with extremely stringent conditions: all of Mondstadt's national industries must be open to Fontaine and must not be open to any other country.
This meant that if Mondstadt accepted this interest-free loan, while it could temporarily relieve pressure, in the long run, the nation's economic lifeline would be completely controlled by Fontaine.
She had therefore refused it without hesitation at that time.
But the current situation forced her to reconsider whether she should accept this loan.
Just as Jean was lost in thought, Kaeya calmly walked up to her.
He said with a relaxed tone: "Acting Grand Master Jean, looking at you like this, are you worried about the future livelihoods of Mondstadt's people?"
Jean sighed softly, "Indeed, in the near future, many people might lose their livelihood."
Kaeya smiled slightly: "Didn't Master Yide already propose a solution? Utilizing the interest-free loans offered by Fontaine to promote infrastructure development, thereby solving Mondstadt's unemployment issue."
Jean furrowed her brow, "But the attached conditions of that interest-free loan mean that Fontaine will completely control Mondstadt's economic sovereignty."
Having heard this, Kaeya appeared quite unconcerned, "Acting Grand Master Jean, I spent over half a month in prison, and during that time, I suddenly realized something."
He paused briefly and asked Jean in return, "Guess what it is?"
"What is it?" Jean asked, perplexed.
Kaeya replied with a serious expression: "Acting Grand Master Jean, we must face the reality – Mondstadt is actually a relatively weak nation.
As the weaker party, we ought to follow the law of survival for the weak, which is to some extent to obey and accept the dominance of the strong.
Under the current circumstances, Fontaine is undoubtedly the stronger power we must obey."
Jean looked at Kaeya in astonishment and said in disbelief, "Kaeya, do you understand what you're saying?
Mondstadt's people are inherently freedom-loving; if we yield to the strong, then Mondstadt will lose its spirit of freedom."
Hearing this, Kaeya suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahaha, that sounds truly ridiculous.
For so many years, Snezhnaya's oppression of Mondstadt has been relentless, yet we, the Knights of Favonius, don't even dare to issue a public statement of condemnation.
Isn't this already submitting to the Fatui?"
Jean fell silent. Kaeya's words were sharp and grating, but she had to admit that when facing the powerful Fatui, the Knights of Favonius indeed lacked the courage to resist.
Kaeya continued in a cold voice: "The West Factory is far more benevolent than the Fatui; their arrival will only help Mondstadt's people live better lives.
Moreover, most importantly, they are strong enough to protect Mondstadt from Snezhnaya's bullying."
Jean was not swayed by his point of view; she firmly expressed her stance: "The people of Mondstadt should control their own destiny.
As long as the winds of Mondstadt still blow, our yearning and pursuit of freedom will never be extinguished."
Kaeya scoffed dismissively and mocked: "Those are all words Varka once said, aren't they?
He went off to pursue freedom himself, but left the heavy responsibility of guarding freedom to you.
When Mondstadt needed him the most, he chose not to return, claiming ostensibly to have confidence in you, but in reality, he just wanted to measure himself against the powerful Fatui Harbinger, Capitano."
Jean wanted to retort, but was momentarily speechless, unable to find a suitable defense for Varka.
Kaeya continued to rant angrily about Varka: "My adoptive father, Crepus, contributed so much to the Knights of Favonius, donating tens of millions of Mora, yet until his death, he never received the knight title he deserved.
And yet Bruce by the gate of Mondstadt, that lazy, idle good-for-nothing who loafs around all day, was deemed more qualified to be a knight than my adoptive father! What a huge irony!"
His voice gradually rose and his emotions grew more intense, venting his long-held resentment: "Bruce's fat body, that exaggerated beer belly, is like a mockery of my adoptive father's pursuit of his dream.
Every time I pass by and see him, I feel utterly disgusted and repulsed."
Faced with Kaeya's accusations, Jean felt deeply apologetic: "I'm sorry, Kaeya. I didn't handle these matters well.
I'll go now and officially acknowledge Crepus's knighthood, to rectify past errors."
However, Kaeya waved his hand dismissively, indicating it no longer mattered: "It's unnecessary, Acting Grand Master Jean. Diluc and I have already moved past this.
Furthermore, I formally request to withdraw from the Knights of Favonius.
Yesterday, Master Yide again invited me to join the West Factory, and offered very generous terms."
Upon hearing this news, Jean felt a mix of complex emotions; although she wanted to persuade Kaeya to stay, she ultimately couldn't bring herself to say it.
"Goodbye!" Kaeya waved goodbye to her, turned and walked away with a firm stride.
Jean watched Kaeya's figure as he walked away, feeling wistful and forlorn.
"I am truly foolish and incompetent," she muttered to herself self-mockingly.
"No, Acting Grand Master Jean, I don't think so," a clear and firm voice sounded from behind her.
She turned around and saw Lin Yide standing behind her, wearing a warm and friendly smile that unconsciously inspired goodwill.
"In my view, your steadfastness is not without meaning. It at least proves that there are still people striving for the ideal of Mondstadt's freedom."
Jean was just about to speak to thank him for his words of comfort.
But unexpectedly, he immediately followed up by saying, "Of course, that is all it is; it changes nothing."