While the Fatui soldiers recuperated outside the city, within Mondstadt, shrouded in night, things were not as tranquil as they seemed.
Just moments ago, several Knights of Favonius squads raided various hotels and clubs within the city, capturing all Lawrence Family members who had been lurking in Mondstadt, waiting for the fruits of victory.
The sole purpose of these Lawrence Family members remaining in the city was to act as traitors for the Fatui outside; if an emergency arose, they would fire signal flares to inform the Fatui outside.
Unfortunately, due to the Knights of Favonius' astonishing accuracy and suddenness, all Lawrence Family members were still drinking and singing, not yet understanding the situation, when they were bound hand and foot by the Knights of Favonius; some were even dragged from their beds naked.
When they were all thrown before the statue in Windrise, seeing that heroic, blue and white figure holding the Song of Broken Pines greatsword, all Lawrence Family members were filled with righteous indignation and began to struggle desperately.
Even with rags stuffed in their mouths, just looking at their hysterical expressions, it was clear that no good words would come from them, so it was better to gag them beforehand.
At this moment, Eula was no longer the weak and helpless person she had been a few days prior; looking at so many compatriots sharing her blood, some of whom were even her childhood playmates, thrown below the platform, her heart was calm and undisturbed, especially upon seeing their hysterical faces. Eula's mood, instead, became incredibly peaceful.
Because their clumsy performance perfectly confirmed what the Inazuma Regent had said: the Lawrence Family had indeed reached the point where they had to cut off their tails to survive, and everything she did was for the Lawrence Family to cleanse its sins as quickly as possible without these cancerous elements holding it back.
It is easy to commit sins, but difficult to cleanse them; Eula, as a Knight of Favonius, had experienced this firsthand.
Shops refused to sell her goods, restaurants botched her orders, and citizens in her patrol area refused to cooperate. All of this was not because of Eula herself, but the negative consequences brought by the name Lawrence, which had not been erased over a thousand years.
And today, the time had finally come to clear out the Lawrence Family's cancerous elements!
Two hours were very tight for the Knights of Favonius members actively preparing for battle within Mondstadt, but for the Fatui soldiers outside, eager to earn military merits, it felt exceptionally long, especially after Sergei had just energized them, making them even more excited.
Many new recruits from the Fatui vanguard actively requested to launch an attack early, but each time their commanding officer rejected them, often with a kick.
As those new recruits pondered, a Fatui wearing a non-commissioned officer's insignia beside them answered the question,
"Idiots, the first step of this operation is for us to secretly infiltrate Mondstadt. If we can't do that, and the city gate guards close the gates in time, then those Knights of Favonius can not only use the tall city walls and advantageous terrain to resist our attack, but they will also alert and attract more Knights.
How many lives do you think we would have to sacrifice to breach Mondstadt's city gates, and among those many lives, would you, you idiot, be one of them?
We have all left our homes, wanting to achieve glory for the Fatui, but the prerequisite is that you must be alive to achieve glory; if you're dead, there's nothing left!"
Upon hearing this explanation, the beaten soldiers lowered their heads and dejectedly returned, no longer speaking, quietly waiting for the moment the Mondstadt city guards would change shifts.
Cuckoo, cuckoo, Immernachtreich time, exactly twelve o'clock. If Paimon were here, he might have announced the time like this.
The Debt Collectors observing from the forward shadows saw that the Mondstadt city gate guards were indeed performing their shift change as previously arranged.
To become a Pyro Debt Collector for the Fatui, in addition to mastering exquisite swordplay, one also needs to master a special ability: the art of concealment. This is a skill every Debt Collector possesses, though the level of concealment varies.
The Debt Collectors tasked with clearing out the city gate Knights were naturally among the most skilled, being Inspector-level Debt Collectors. As the direct subordinates of 'The Lady,' they had participated in the battle to capture the Traveler, and one of them had even achieved the feat of knocking out the Traveler, showcasing their formidable strength.
The two Debt Collectors nodded at each other, then concealed themselves and slowly crept towards Mondstadt's main gate, attempting to seize the Mondstadt city gate without alerting anyone, to allow the subsequent main force to enter the city smoothly.
At the same time, several Cryo Cicin Mages on the side gate of Mondstadt were brandishing their Cryo weapons, spraying freezing Frost over Cider Lake. It looked like they intended to lay a bridge of ice across Cider Lake that everyone could cross.
Just as the two Debt Collectors were about to close in on the city's defending Knights, suddenly, a sharp arrow imbued with the power of fire shot from the observation post on the city wall towards one of the Debt Collectors.
The opponent was clearly a top-tier assassin, seasoned in battle; seeing this, she quickly used the sacrificial knife in her hand to slash at the incoming arrow, precisely splitting it in two.
However, it was precisely because of this strike that the Debt Collector's stealth status failed, exposing her to the eyes of the city's defending Knights.
The Debt Collector, seeing this, thought to herself, 'This is bad,' but more so, she was confused. With her level of concealment, how could someone see through it?
She subconsciously looked towards the observation post on the city wall, where a beautiful red figure maintained a drawn bow and arrow posture, and the fletched arrow on her bow continuously gathered scorching Pyro element, shining like a beacon in the dark night.
"Hmph! Don't underestimate an Outrider's eyesight!"
Ann, standing high up, had barely finished speaking when another flaming arrow accurately flew towards the other hidden Debt Collector.
"Enemy attack!!!"
Even the most foolish city guards would have noticed the two Fatui who had appeared out of thin air by now. They immediately shouted, "Enemy attack!" but they did not directly confront the enemy. Instead, they quickly ran back into the city, wanting to close the Mondstadt city gate at the first opportunity.
This is bad!!!
The two Debt Collectors immediately thought, 'This is bad,' if those Knights successfully closed the city gates, it would be troublesome.
Hmph! So what if we're discovered? I'm an Inspector-level Debt Collector. Do those few Knights at the city gate really think they can stop me? Let's finish this quickly!
One of them took the lead, thrusting towards the city gate at lightning speed, while the other fired a signal flare to the main force behind, indicating an attack, and then he also quickly joined the battle.
However, the moment they truly stepped into Mondstadt, they noticed something was wrong.
Behind the city gate... there were so many people!
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