"Keqing, there's no need to be nervous. To be honest, I envy you a little," Jean said with a smile. "But this time, are you two in Mondstadt on official business?"
"Ryou and I just came here to look around," Keqing explained. The way Jean was looking at her felt a little strange.
"So you're here to sightsee. Mondstadt has plenty of beautiful places. Would you like me to show you around?" Jean asked with a smile.
"That won't be necessary. I'll take Keqing around myself. Right... this is a small gift."
Ryou set a packet of tea on the table.
"If you brew a cup now and then, it'll help refresh your mind. Just don't drink too much of it. The alertness lasts a long time, and if you overdo it, you'll end up so wide awake that you won't even need sleep."
"Adepti tea? That's far too valuable." Jean looked startled.
She had heard of Adepti tea before. It was said to come from Yilong Wharf in Chenyu Vale, and it was famously expensive.
"Go ahead and keep it. I'm sure it'll be useful to you." Ryou smiled.
"...Alright, then I'll accept it." Since he put it that way, Jean finally took it.
Ryou glanced at the window, then rose to his feet. "Then we won't disturb you any longer. I still need to go to a meeting. See you."
"I'll walk you out." Jean stood up as well.
She escorted Ryou and Keqing to the door. After returning to her office, she looked at the packet of tea again, then took some out and brewed a cup.
Knock, knock, knock!
There was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Jean said.
"These are the reports." A tall woman in purple stepped inside.
Seeing that Jean wasn't at her desk but sitting at the tea table instead, she also noticed the teapot there.
"Lisa, if you want some tea, sit down and have a cup," Jean said as she took the reports and began looking through them.
After a while, she set the papers down and saw Lisa still slowly sipping the tea.
"Is it really that good?" Jean asked.
"As far as I know, the best tea on the market right now comes from Yilong Wharf." Lisa set the cup down and smiled faintly. "But tea with an 'Adepti' label isn't necessarily real Adepti tea."
"This one is. I'd say there's a very good chance it came from the adepti themselves."
She savored it for a while longer before saying, "This tea is extraordinary."
"Ryou and Keqing brought it as a gift," Jean said.
"I've heard about him marrying Keqing. It caused quite a stir not long ago. I didn't expect him to be this generous."
Lisa looked at the teacup and smiled. "It's rich, mellow, and just bitter enough without going too far. Very pleasant to drink. If you brew a few cups while working, the effect should be excellent."
"I had no idea it was that good." Jean sounded a little surprised. Looking out the window, she said softly, "Now I don't even know how I'm supposed to return the favor."
Knock, knock, knock!
Another knock sounded at the door. This time, one of the Knights of Favonius stepped in.
"Jean, several bodies have been found in Wolvendom."
"What happened? Were they attacked by monsters?" Jean immediately set down her teacup.
"I'm... not sure." The knight shook his head.
Jean brought several knights with her and rushed straight to Wolvendom. Along the way, she heard people talking everywhere.
She saw an old man leaning against a cart, angrily pointing at a knight. "What exactly are the Knights of Favonius doing? Those people died because of the lottery!"
"How can they let that thing run wild in Mondstadt? If this keeps up, it'll only get worse."
On the other side, she saw a middle-aged man with his arms folded, saying, "Exactly. It's gambling, plain and simple. They'll do anything for Mora now."
"Weren't those families destroyed by that same lottery? And the Knights are just standing by? Or did the lottery shops pay them off?"
Hearing those voices, Jean felt awful.
When she made her way inside, she saw knights already bringing bodies out. There were several of them, and two were so badly damaged they were barely recognizable. The ground around them showed obvious signs of an explosion.
"Tabibito? When did you get back?" Jean looked surprised when she saw Lumine and Paimon there.
"We got word and came to investigate," Lumine said, glancing inside. "I heard a lot of people died here, and... it sounds like they chose to end their lives because they had no Mora left."
"..." Jean did not know how to answer that.
"Jean!"
"Jean!"
She turned and saw several more people coming out, among them Eula, Amber, and three unfamiliar faces.
Two of them were dressed rather strangely, but Jean could tell at a glance they were from Inazuma.
"How is it?" Jean asked.
"The situation isn't looking good." Eula gave a brief explanation. "They all lost everything because of the lottery and came here to end their lives."
Then he hesitated. "Jean, maybe we should—"
"Jean, my name is Yanfei. I'm a lawyer." Yanfei stepped forward. "The lottery is already doing real damage. In my opinion, the lottery shops need to be shut down."
"If we don't cut off the source, this kind of thing will just keep happening."
"Yanfei, if you want us to close the lottery shops, then you'll need enough evidence," Jean replied, her gaze sharp. "Otherwise, we can't do it."
"I know you have issues with Ryou, Yanfei, but in my eyes, these people brought this on themselves," Shenhe said coldly.
"What did you just say?" Yanfei stared at her in disbelief.
"I'm telling the truth."
"No one forced them to buy tickets. One ticket is only a hundred Mora. Even if you buy a few for fun, or even a few hundred, that's still only tens of thousands of Mora."
"But they spent millions and millions until they lost everything. If that's not their own fault, then whose fault is it? Everything has two sides."
"I agree with Shenhe," Lumine said.
"Tabibito..." Amber called out, frowning. "Didn't you see what happened to them? They gambled everything away because of these tickets."
"Exactly," Eula added.
"No. A single ticket costs a hundred Mora. Buying a few is just trying your luck. Even buying a few hundred would only cost tens of thousands." Lumine turned toward Yanfei. "They spent millions and lost everything. If that isn't their own doing, then who else are we supposed to blame?"
Amber opened her mouth, but no words came out.
"No. This is Ryou's fault." Yanfei glared at them. "He ruined all those people. Shouldn't something like this be investigated thoroughly?"
"You're helping him get away with it. I'll gather the evidence. I'll make sure Ryou gets what he deserves."
With that, Yanfei turned and stormed off.
"Yanfei!" Eula hurried after her.
Watching them leave, Lumine turned to Jean. "Jean, who do you think is right and who's wrong?"
Jean let out a helpless breath. "...I don't think what you said was wrong. But it's also true that the lottery has led a lot of people to ruin."
"No matter whose fault it is, there should at least be a warning posted."
"I'll remind them after I get back. But as for Yanfei... I can't stop her."
...
At that same time, Ryou and Keqing were about to leave the city when Xingqiu called them back.
As soon as Ryou returned, he saw a warning sign posted outside the shop.
When they got upstairs, he asked, "What happened?"
"Cousin, I had someone keeping an eye out, and they noticed Yanfei has started investigating us. I'm worried..." Xingqiu explained everything.
"Just be careful," Ryou said. "Yanfei may be a lawyer, but as long as our conscience is clear, she can't do anything to us."
"Remember this—everything about the prizes has to be open and fair. Did you really put in the five-hundred-thousand and one-million-Mora winners?"
"I did," Xingqiu said.
"Good." Ryou reassured him and was just about to continue when he saw someone rushing upstairs.
"What is it?" Xingqiu asked.
"Young Master, someone's won second prize," the servant said.
"Oh? Then of course we pay out." Ryou smiled.
"We are paying out, but... the winner is a little girl. How are we supposed to handle that?" the servant asked.
"A little girl?" Ryou immediately got up. "Take me there."
By the time he reached the stairs, the noise below had already grown extremely loud.
A fat man was shouting himself hoarse. "How is that even possible? A little girl won the five-hundred-thousand-Mora prize just like that?"
"This isn't staged, is it?" another man muttered.
"Watch your mouth. She may be little, but she's one of the Knights of Favonius. She's no ordinary kid," a woman beside him warned.
The moment Ryou heard that, he understood.
Then, from below, a bright voice called out, "Ryou-nii! Keqing-nee!"
"So Klee won the five-hundred-thousand prize?" Keqing was genuinely surprised when she saw her.
"Ehehe." Klee scratched her head and turned to Keqing. "I was just here with Bennett-nii to have some fun. He gave me the Mora, so I bought one ticket... and then I won."
Ryou could clearly hear the atmosphere around them shift. The crowd's reaction had changed completely.
He looked toward the boy standing nearby.
It was Bennett, white-haired, with his goggles perched on his head.
Bennett scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I... I didn't expect Klee to hit the five-hundred-thousand prize either. It's unbelievable."
"No," Klee shook her head seriously. "You gave me the Mora to buy the ticket, so I have to give you half."
Ryou heard a middle-aged woman nearby gasp.
"Half? Seriously? That's incredibly generous."
[End of chapter]
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