In truth, the elders of the Lawrence Family also knew that with their family's strength, they couldn't possibly overcome the Knights of Favonius, so they had to seek external help.
Compared to the Snezhnaya Delegation, the people of the Lawrence Family were actually more willing to cooperate with the Inazuma Delegation.
Although the Fatui's combat prowess was evident to all, their reputation on the continent of Teyvat was quite poor. Most importantly, Snezhnaya and Mondstadt were not too far apart; cooperating with them was akin to playing with fire.
On the other hand, the Inazuma Delegation had a significant advantage in terms of both reputation and Inazuma's geographical location. Inazuma was too far from Mondstadt, so even if the Lawrence Family regained control of Mondstadt with the Inazuma Delegation's help, the cost would be smaller and safer.
They also understood the principle of befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones.
Unfortunately, Schubert's repeated attempts to invite the Inazuma Regent or the Inazuma Guuji were unsuccessful. They either made excuses or simply refused to see him, as if deliberately avoiding them.
There was no other way. Since the Inazuma Delegation was unwilling to help, they could only rely on the Snezhnaya Delegation.
Sergei sat casually in the main seat of the council hall, crossing his legs. This posture made the etiquette-conscious Lawrence Family elders frown.
Hmph! As expected of barbarian outsiders, they have strength but lack refinement.
It was a pity that they were now seeking help from others, so they could only turn a blind eye.
Schubert: "Lord Sergei, I have just explained the specific situation to you. Grand Master Varka of the Knights of Favonius has taken ninety percent of the Knights of Favonius on an expedition, leaving Mondstadt City extremely vulnerable. This is a prime opportunity for our Lawrence Family to restore its glory.
Facing the tempting prize of Mondstadt City, I wonder if Lord Sergei would like a share?"
Sergei seemed not to hear Schubert's words. He sat in the main seat, picked up a teacup, took a sip, and immediately spat it out.
"Is this the Lawrence Family's hospitality? Don't you know how to cater to your guests' preferences? Why tea? Get me some wine, wine from Snezhnaya. Mondstadt's wine is weak and boring, not something a man should drink!"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the elders became extremely ugly, especially the foul-mouthed Schubert, who was already on the verge of cursing. However, he was reprimanded by the glares of several elders.
Juniors obeying elders was also one of the Lawrence Family's rules. Schubert could boss Eula around, but he could only act like a dutiful grandson towards the elders, who were a generation above him.
Schubert reluctantly replaced the tea with strong Snezhnaya wine for Sergei. Watching Sergei gulp it down in a crude manner, the disdain in his eyes was almost impossible to hide.
Sergei: "Your Grand Master's expedition is indeed good news. However, our Lady Harbinger of the Fatui has already taken what she wanted during this time. As for the rest, we in Snezhnaya are not interested. Farewell!"
"Lord Sergei, don't be in such a hurry to leave. In my opinion, there's no deal in this world that can't be made. The only reason it can't be made is that not enough is offered.
If the Snezhnaya Delegation can help the Lawrence Family regain control of Mondstadt, we are willing to pay Snezhnaya forty percent of our annual tax revenue. What do you think?"
Sergei: "Only forty percent?"
"Of course, it's not just that. To prevent the commoners in the city from resisting our rule, we are also willing to hire a Snezhnaya army. All their food, clothing, and expenses will be reimbursed by Mondstadt at the highest standards."
Sergei: "That's more like it, but we have one more condition."
"What condition?"
Sergei: "The Tsaritsa has ordered us to collect divine artifacts. As one of the The Seven Nations of Teyvat, Mondstadt must surely still retain some divine traces..."
Unexpectedly, before Sergei could finish speaking, the elders of the Lawrence Family indignantly declared, "Divine traces? Take them, take them! As long as it's something related to Lord Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, our Lawrence Family will not keep a single item!"
...Sergei was utterly speechless by their outrageous actions. Were they really Mondstadters?
If anyone in Snezhnaya dared to openly speak ill of the Tsaritsa, they would at best receive a beating, and at worst be thrown into prison.
But in Mondstadt, this was something else. The Lawrence Family was also an oddity, showing such disrespect to Lord Barbatos, the Anemo Archon.
"Lord Barbatos, the Anemo Archon? He has been gone for over a thousand years. He is just a god who doesn't care about anything, what is there to worship?
Moreover, a thousand years ago, if he hadn't forged the 'Leeward Pact,' causing our entire army to betray us, how would the Lawrence Family have fallen to such a state? Such a god, why should the Lawrence Family worship him?"
It seemed that the people of the Lawrence Family were not entirely ignorant of history. They had summarized the reasons for their defeat a thousand years ago, believing that the most important reason for their failure was not their tyranny, nor the emergence of a great hero like Vennessa, but rather Lord Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, holding them back.
Now, having heard that Lord Morax, the Geo Archon of Liyue, had fallen, and having secured the Snezhnaya army to garrison Mondstadt, even if that Anemo Archon were to reappear, what could he do to him?
Since the terms were agreed upon, the next step was to discuss the specifics of the uprising.
The Lawrence Family naturally couldn't just reap the benefits. To ensure the Fatui soldiers could quickly occupy Mondstadt, they needed to provide the Fatui with accurate defense maps of Mondstadt City.
Originally, this would have been a simple matter if they could have persuaded Eula, the Knights of Favonius's Reconnaissance Captain, to act as an insider.
However, Eula had now completely broken ties with the Lawrence Family and sided with the Knights of Favonius, so this method was clearly no longer viable.
Thinking of this, the elders were all seething with anger.
Hmph! Once the Lawrence Family regains control of Mondstadt, they would definitely show that junior, Eula, the consequences of betraying her family!
Schubert pointed out, "Lord Sherman, I must remind you that although Grand Master Varka took ninety percent of the manpower, the remaining Knights of Favonius are all elites, and their strength should not be underestimated. Of course, I don't doubt the strength of your Fatui, but are the forces you brought truly sufficient?"
At this, Sherman couldn't help but burst into laughter: "You don't need to worry about that. The individual training and teamwork of my Snezhnaya soldiers are incomparable to those ordinary Knights of Mondstadt.
Furthermore, Lord Dottore had long anticipated such an event in Mondstadt and specifically entrusted me with a treasure.
With this treasure, let alone the Knights of Favonius, who are now less than a tenth of their former strength, even the Knights of Favonius at their peak, I can ensure they never return!"
The Dottore!
The Second of the Fatui Harbingers. Even the Lawrence Family, far away in Mondstadt, had heard of his formidable reputation.
With the treasure he left as a backup, the Lawrence Family felt as if they had swallowed a calming pill, and couldn't help but toast with tea, celebrating their victory in advance.
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