At the gates of the Knights of Favonius headquarters, Arundolyn, who had just returned, smelled the strong scent of alcohol and looked at the completely drunk Rostam before him. He was deeply puzzled. In his memory, Rostam was not a drunkard, nor would he drink while on duty or with unfinished work. Yet now, the usually gentle and gentlemanly Rostam was completely unconscious, mumbling nonsense in his sleep.
"Rosalyne—"
"Great Anemo Archon, bear witness to our love—"
Seeing this, Arundolyn's expression darkened. "What is the meaning of this? As Deputy Grand Master, he openly violates the Knights' regulations by drinking during work hours?"
The knight quickly explained, "Deputy Grand Master Rostam was diligently handling his duties—but then he heard a song—and he went outside—"
Under Arundolyn's questioning, the knight recounted everything that had happened.
But when Arundolyn heard it all, he did not become angry. Instead, he sighed.
"Find a place for Rostam to rest properly. When he wakes up, tell him to come see me immediately."
The knight quickly replied, "Yes, sir."
Arundolyn then walked into the Knights' headquarters, looking troubled. Strangely, he did not check the work Rostam had done, nor did he attend to the unfinished paperwork. Instead, he summoned the Knights' captains and issued a series of orders.
Prepare a large supply of weapons.
Prepare a large supply of warhorses.
Prepare a large supply of provisions.
It was like wartime preparations—meticulous and thorough under Arundolyn's command.
Hearing these orders, the captains exchanged bewildered glances. Were they going to war? Against Liyue? Against Snezhnaya? Against Inazuma across the sea? But Teyvat was at peace, and Mondstadt's citizens were enjoying that peace. There was no reason to go to war.
One captain asked, "Grand Master, with all these preparations, who are we preparing to fight?"
Another asked, "Is it Snezhnaya?"
Others voiced their doubts. "Snezhnaya has been arrogant lately, but that's no reason to go to war with them. The Tsaritsa is still alive, while our Anemo Archon is missing. We cannot afford war with Snezhnaya."
"Indeed. For Mondstadt right now, war with anyone would be detrimental. What Mondstadt needs is peace."
Clearly, all the captains opposed going to war with another nation. But they could only voice their opinions, not make the decision.
Hearing their debate, Arundolyn knew it was time to tell them. "You may not yet know—the ancient nation of Khaenri'ah is undergoing a great upheaval and could fall at any moment. I think you know what that means."
For ordinary people, Khaenri'ah's fall might seem irrelevant to Mondstadt. But Arundolyn and some of the captains knew that Khaenri'ah, as the oldest remaining ancient nation, held countless earth-shattering technologies. If Khaenri'ah faced a crisis, it would use its last strength to take revenge upon all of Teyvat. The monsters it had accumulated over the years and the countless mechanisms it had created would threaten every nation.
The other six nations each had a god to protect them. They would not fear the fallout from Khaenri'ah's fall. But for Mondstadt, it would be a fatal disaster—because the Anemo Archon, Barbatos, had been missing for centuries. No one knew where he was, or even if he was alive. Who could guarantee that he would appear when disaster struck to protect Mondstadt?
As Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, Arundolyn could not gamble Mondstadt's future on the hope that a missing god would return. He had to be fully prepared. He had to make the worst-case assumptions and be ready for anything to protect every citizen of Mondstadt with all his might.
And indeed, when the captains heard that Khaenri'ah was in turmoil and could fall at any moment, they grew restless.
"Grand Master Arundolyn, where did you hear this news? How could Khaenri'ah suddenly fall?"
"With its current power, Khaenri'ah surpasses any of the Seven Nations. What could bring about its destruction?"
"In my opinion, before we can confirm the news, we should not act rashly."
"But with our Anemo Archon absent, we must prepare in advance."
"Grand Master, we should try to find the Anemo Archon."
"Impossible. Many have searched for him before, but no one has found him—unless he chooses to reveal himself."
After learning of Khaenri'ah's situation, the captains understood the gravity of the matter. Without a god to protect their nation, the Knights of Favonius had to take responsibility for defending Mondstadt. Before the other nations acted, Mondstadt had to act first, making thorough preparations for every possibility.
Under these circumstances, the captains no longer questioned Arundolyn's orders. Instead, they praised his foresight.
So, even before Khaenri'ah fell, before monsters overran Teyvat, before the other nations were ready, the Knights of Favonius had already mobilized. They quickly gathered provisions, selected the most elite knights, equipped them with the sharpest weapons and the sturdiest shields, and prepared for war.
After a full night of preparations, morning came.
The next day, when Rostam woke up and saw that daylight had already broken, he knew he had slept through the night. Just then, a knight rushed in.
"Deputy Grand Master, Grand Master Arundolyn has been waiting for you."
Rostam was taken aback. "That Arundolyn has finally returned? Take me to him at once."
The knight replied, "Yes, sir."
Ten minutes later, after nearly half a month apart, the two leaders of the Knights of Favonius finally met again.