Jean was unaware that even their deity of Mondstadt had his Gnosis taken right in front of the Grand Cathedral.
Otherwise, she might have taken even more matters into her own hands.
The Knights of Favonius were short-handed and had no choice but to lower their recruitment standards.
The newly recruited knights, lacking proper training, were easily tricked away from their posts by the Fatui.
While Jean was busy reflecting on her own shortcomings, Eula had a different perspective.
The security around the restricted area was indeed lacking, but wouldn't everything have been fine if the Fatui hadn't caused trouble in the first place?
"I believe, in this matter, we need to apply diplomatic pressure on the Fatui," Eula said.
The others nodded in agreement—the Fatui had grown far too arrogant.
Even if the Grand Master had taken away many of their elites, the Knights of Favonius of Mondstadt were not some pushovers to be bullied.
After weighing the pros and cons, Jean finally nodded.
For something like this that hadn't technically happened yet, the Fatui would undoubtedly try to brush it off.
The Knights weren't actually expecting the Fatui to make any concessions—this was about making a statement!
If you didn't assert your stance, the Fatui would assume you were easy to bully—and they would dare to do so.
But if you stood firm, they'd have to think twice before acting.
Their previous soft stance was exactly why the Fatui had grown so bold.
Now that the Anemo Archon had returned, what was there to fear from being assertive?
As for the theft of the Holy Lyre der Himmel, no one was more furious than Barbara and the others.
"The Fatui have gone too far! To think they'd desecrate a sacred relic!"
"Exactly! The Knights must punish them severely!"
Barbara and Gotelinde discussed heatedly.
Rosaria, however, remained silent. Unlike these two sisters, she knew political games weren't so simple.
Meanwhile, Diluc was already scheming new ways to mess with the Fatui.
The Knights, bound by their official status, couldn't openly clash with the Fatui.
But Diluc? He was just an ordinary citizen of Mondstadt.
And the Darknight Hero? Merely a masked figure of unknown identity.
No matter what these two identities did, the Fatui couldn't escalate it into an international issue.
Venti, on the other hand, felt no particular emotion about the matter.
There was no way the Holy Lyre could've been stolen right under his nose—he had allowed it to happen.
Since it was already stolen, why not let the Traveler teach the Fatui a lesson while they were at it?
Though the Traveler was an Honorary Knight of the Knights of Favonius, the key part of that title was "Honorary."
They shared the honor of knighthood but weren't actually a member of the Knights.
The story in the book wasn't over yet—the Traveler and Venti fled into Angel's Share.
The book's storyline differed from reality.
In the book, Venti was constantly running around, with far less time for drinking and lazing about compared to reality.
On the rare occasions he did sneak off for a drink, it was always when Diluc wasn't around.
Thus, the Diluc in the book didn't recognize Venti, only finding him a bit odd.
The Knights soon arrived, asking Master Diluc if he'd seen a golden-haired thief.
Only then did Diluc learn that someone had stolen the Holy Lyre.
"How curious," Diluc mused.
"Right? The Holy Lyre der Himmel is a cultural treasure personally played by the Anemo Archon himself! Such a precious—" the Favonius Knight began to ramble.
But Diluc had no interest in listening and cut him off.
"Who'd be foolish enough to steal something that can't even be sold? They'd have been better off robbing my wine cellar."
Diluc wasn't wrong.
Precisely because the Holy Lyre was Mondstadt's greatest treasure, no one would dare buy it even if it were stolen.
If any Mondstadter found out who'd purchased it, they'd hunt them down wherever they were to reclaim it.
That was why the guards protecting the treasure were so few—while it was a priceless relic, no one would ever think to steal it.
Those who worshipped the Anemo Archon wouldn't desecrate a holy artifact, and foreigners who didn't believe in him wouldn't care for it.
Only the Fatui, those oddballs, would steal it not for money but for the residual power of the Anemo Archon.
Regardless, the theft of the Holy Lyre was undeniably a blow to the Knights' reputation and had to be addressed.
"Enough digressing. That pair—one blond, one green—seemed to head that way."
Diluc casually pointed in a random direction to send the Knights on their way.
"Understood! Thank you, Master Diluc!"
The Knights didn't dare argue with him and quickly left after a bow.
As soon as they were gone, Venti was already behind the counter, trying to sneak some wine.
Unfortunately, Diluc caught him red-handed—no drinks for him.
Diluc outright asked if the two had stolen the Holy Lyre. Paimon hurriedly denied it, while Venti took the chance to introduce the Traveler's identity.
"I see. A traveler who's willing to lend a hand to Mondstadt in its time of need..."
"It'd be a shame for someone like you to join the Knights of Favonius."
"The Knights have been hesitant and inefficient in handling the Stormterror crisis."
"And their diplomacy toward the Fatui? Weak and passive."
Diluc mercilessly criticized the Knights of Favonius, clearly holding a deep grudge against them.
The real-life Knights reading this passage felt a twinge of embarrassment.
They wanted to refute it but couldn't—the Stormterror issue had plagued Mondstadt for so long without resolution.
And the Fatui's overbearing diplomacy? Mondstadt had been prioritizing stability.
While there were reasons for their actions, Diluc's words were the truth.
Kaeya, as Diluc's sworn brother, understood his resentment all too well.
If it were just the Stormterror problem, Diluc could tolerate it—even if it hurt his business.
But the Knights' weak diplomacy toward the Fatui was what truly fueled his disdain.
This only strengthened Jean's resolve to pressure the Fatui in their upcoming negotiations.
Diluc, meanwhile, read on without reaction.
The book's words were exactly what he wanted to say—he wasn't afraid to voice them to the Knights directly.
No, in fact, it was better this way. If the Knights took his criticism to heart and improved because of it...
Diluc continued reading.
Venti played "The Ballad of the Wind and the Dragon" for Diluc, helping him understand why they'd stolen the Holy Lyre.
By now, Diluc had begun to suspect Venti's true identity and was willing to assist.
He asked for some time to help arrange a meeting.
Then came the unexpected twist—neither the characters in the book nor the real-life readers saw it coming.
The person Diluc brought to meet them... was Jean!
Despite his relentless criticism of the Knights, despite his apparent disdain for them...
The ally he sought out was none other than the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius—Jean.
"This one is just [Jean], not [Acting Grand Master] Jean," Diluc introduced.
In reality, the Knights in the office all turned to look at Jean.
Her face flushed slightly—why did this make it seem like she'd defected?
But the book soon explained why Jean had come to help.
"Among the Four Winds, the Dragon of the East, Dvalin... I could never understand why it would betray us."
"But if it was poisoned by Durin's tainted blood in the war to protect Mondstadt years ago, then corrupted by the Abyss Order upon awakening... it truly would've had no choice."
"But the [Acting Grand Master] could never say such things openly."
"It would be seen as tolerance and inaction. That's why I'm acting privately."
The Jean in the book elaborated on her thoughts, while the real Jean nodded along.
If not for this book, she'd have had to act in secret just like her written counterpart.
Fortunately, thanks to the book, she could now address Dvalin's situation openly as the Knights' leader—without fear of public backlash.
It was almost ironic—that the author of this book had more freedom to speak than the Acting Grand Master herself.
Ever since taking the position, there were so many things she could no longer say.