In the bathroom, Jean was flustered and at a loss.
She, who would blush even when reading romance novels, simply couldn't imagine what kind of grand scene she would face next.
During the day, Lisa would occasionally mention her experience from last night in her ear.
Sometimes she would even tease her.
Just lie down, close your eyes.
Mondstadt's problems would be solved, the Shitou in her heart would drop, not only would her mental pressure disappear, but her physical pressure would also vanish completely.
"Hmm?"
The light from the Diary Copy interrupted Jean's thoughts.
"Eh? At this point, Su Xuan still has the mood to update his diary?"
[Jean Gunnhildr, the Dandelion Knight, and also the Lionfang Knight, inheriting Vennessa's legacy.]
[Compared to Barbatos, who advocates freedom, in Jean's heart, Vennessa is the person she Yearns for and respects the most.]
[Precisely because of this, Jean Gunnhildr's actions lack any symbol of freedom.]
[Jean's upbringing and training have deeply instilled the spirit of chivalry into her soul. The Gunnhildr family motto is to forever protect Mondstadt and never allow anyone to harm Mondstadt.]
[She is the sword and shield guarding Mondstadt.]
[Aside from clearing monsters from the wilderness, guarding the city and road safety, her most important job is to maintain order in Mondstadt.]
[Although Mondstadt is the City of freedom, Jean knows that boundless laxity will only lead to chaos and confusion.]
[That's why she adheres to a rigorous and diligent style, treating herself with the strictest demands.]
[Hmm... sounds like Jean is great...]
[Of course, she is indeed great.]
Lisa, lying in the next room, also got up.
The person just went in and it's already over? It shouldn't be that fast, right?
She didn't hear a single sound.
[It's a pity, however, that in today's Mondstadt, which pursues freedom, Jean's behavior of treating herself with the strictest demands is truly putting the cart before the horse.]
[She can never single-handedly maintain the functioning of the entire nation.]
[The more she adheres to the creed of eternally protecting Mondstadt and demands strictly of herself, the more she will fall into an endless cycle of being exploited.]
[Just like even if she gets sick, people will still come to her for help, and she will carry her illness to help the Citizens of Mondstadt.]
[They call it the trust and reliance of the Citizens of Mondstadt on her, but in reality, it's just the citizens' inherent laziness.]
[Speaking of which, they proudly wave the banner that Mondstadt is the freest nation on the continent of Teyvat.]
[Yet, Jean Gunnhildr is the least free person, only able to secretly relieve stress by reading romance novels late at night.]
Jean's eyes widened.
Undoubtedly, Su Xuan had directly exposed her last secret.
Not many people knew about this, as Jean always maintained a meticulous, upright, and strict image in front of the public.
If the other Ladies of Mondstadt found out that their Acting Grand Master Jean secretly read romance novels, how would she face them afterward?
[However, speaking of which, the matter of Mondstadt's abandoned Four Winds Temple shows the Citizens of Mondstadt's disregard for tradition.]
[I really want to ask Jean Gunnhildr what Mondstadt's freedom is, and what Barbatos's cherished freedom is.]
[But, when I remember that she treats herself with the strictest demands because of Mondstadt's freedom, I think there's no need to ask anymore.]
[The freedom Jean can understand is literally freedom, which means laxity.]
This is also the freedom that the Citizens of Mondstadt now recognize.
However, the freedom Lord Barbatos advocated was not like this.
Perhaps no one knows why Lord Barbatos wanders the human world as the bard Venti.
This bard named Venti was the first friend Lord Barbatos made when he was just born as a wind spirit.
At that time, there was no Mondstadt, only the tower under the wind pressure.
All the citizens were forced to live bent over under the rule of The Tyrant King of the Tower.
The King did not understand, thinking that the bent-over citizens were showing him great respect.
The citizens did not understand, taking the wind wall that protected them from wind and snow as a cage that restricted their freedom.
In this situation of mutual misunderstanding, the wind spirit Lord Barbatos met the bard, Venti, who longed to go beyond the wind wall.
Thus, a war of citizens resisting the king was on the verge of breaking out.
The citizens launched a war of resistance against The Tyrant King of the Tower for freedom.
It was not until the very end that The Tyrant King of the Tower understood that the truth behind the citizens bending over was the oppression of the wind pressure.
He finally willingly died at the hands of the citizens, and all the remnant thoughts of the God at his death were absorbed by the wind spirit.
Although the war of resistance was victorious, the bard Venti, who pursued freedom, died in this resistance.
Since then, Lord Barbatos has lived in the mortal world using the identity of his friend, replacing him, to see all the sights beyond the wind wall.
As time passed, the old Mondstadt ruled by Lawrence officially came online.
Eula: "?"
This was a period referred to as the "Dark Age" by the Mondstadters.
Under the corruption of privilege and wealth, the noble aristocrats gradually degenerated.
They gradually abandoned the benevolent aspirations of their ancestors. The aristocrats, led by the Lawrence family, overthrew the Anemo God statue and instead erected a tall tower in its place, proclaiming their authority.
The Citizens of Mondstadt were oppressed by the aristocrats.
Lord Barbatos felt the oppression suffered by his citizens and awakened from his slumber.
He met another key friend in his life.
That was the Lionfang Knight, Vennessa, whom Xiao Qin admired the most.
"It's Vennessa."
Xiao Qin's mood instantly became excited when she saw Su Xuan talking about Vennessa.
Vennessa was initially a captured slave, fighting beasts all day for the entertainment of the aristocrats.
But her personal yearning for freedom and the future attracted Lord Barbatos's attention.
So, with the help of Lord Barbatos, a great banner of resistance against aristocratic tyranny was raised.
Finally, Vennessa's victory ended the aristocratic rule of the Old Mondstadt period. Mondstadt finally ushered in a new era, which is the Mondstadt era that has continued to this day.
So, what exactly is the freedom Lord Barbatos advocates?
The current Mondstadters don't understand what freedom is at all.
Yet they constantly cheer and shout: freedom, freedom...
I want freedom, so my life can be leisurely, I don't have to be busy.
They really have no shame.
So I say, Xiao Qin, if it really doesn't work out, just give up.
Perhaps if you give up, Mondstadt's future will be better.
The diary entry ends here.
Xiao Qin, who had finished observing, had a flushed face.
Just as Su Xuan said, the freedom she could understand was leisurely.
Because Mondstadt advocated freedom, she felt that it was not wrong for the citizens to pursue freedom, and it was not wrong to be a little leisurely.
But because the citizens were leisurely, she had to be strict with herself and strengthen herself to help the leisurely citizens.
After reading about Lord Barbatos's past and Vennessa's past, and combining the two, Xiao Qin suddenly realized.
The freedom promoted by Mondstadt has always been resistance to oppression, and a hard struggle to pursue a new future.
The freedom currently pursued by the Citizens of Mondstadt is exactly contrary to the freedom understood and advocated by Lord Barbatos and Vennessa.
"Although I feel like I've been severely criticized."
"But I can't find a single reason to refute it, what Su Xuan said really makes sense," Xiao Qin murmured to herself.
Her smooth body trembled, and only then did she remember that Su Xuan was still waiting for her in the room.
Xiao Qin quickly wiped herself dry, put on a bath towel, and walked out.