While Lumine was still learning flight skills from Amber, Jean sat in the Knights of Favonius headquarters, frowning at two letters on her desk.
The letters were from Snezhnaya and Liyue, respectively, but their contents were surprisingly similar—both requested that the Knights arrange a meeting with Shen Qin.
Given the commotion Shen Qin had stirred up in Mondstadt and the Knights' cooperation with him, anyone with eyes could see his close ties to the organization. Moreover, a little investigation would quickly reveal their collaborations on the flying skateboard, bionic prosthetics, and healing spray.
Realizing that secretly contacting Shen Qin behind the Knights' backs was unrealistic, the two nations opted to send official letters instead, asking the Knights to facilitate the meetings.
Liyue wasn't much of a concern. As neighboring nations, Mondstadt and Liyue had always maintained good relations. The only worry was that Liyue might use Shen Qin's heritage to lure him back.
As for Snezhnaya… With the establishment of the Fatui and the Tsaritsa's increasingly ambiguous stance, relations between Mondstadt and Snezhnaya had grown strained. Especially after the Fatui began scheming against Mondstadt, diplomatic ties had plummeted to an all-time low.
Currently, the Fatui handled all of Snezhnaya's foreign affairs, and they were notorious for their ruthless methods. Yet now, they were politely requesting a meeting with a seemingly unofficial figure in Mondstadt through formal channels. It was hard not to suspect they were plotting something.
"Jean, there's no need to worry too much. If this is about normal business cooperation, let Diluc handle it. Shen Qin probably has no interest in these matters, and the Knights only need to act as witnesses," Kaeya reassured her.
"But what if they try to manipulate him? He's still young, and those people are cunning old foxes. I'm afraid he won't be able to handle them."
Jean remained uneasy. "Shen Qin is from Liyue. If Liyue's officials want to meet him, we have no grounds to refuse. As for the Fatui… I'm worried that if we reject their request, they'll resort to more extreme measures. It's entirely possible they might target him directly."
"True. No matter how hard we try, we can't stop them from contacting Shen Qin—unless we confine him in the Knights' headquarters under round-the-clock protection."
Kaeya made a lighthearted joke, but when he saw Jean deep in thought, his smile faltered. "Hey, you're not actually considering locking him up, are you?"
"No. I'm just wondering if we should collaborate with Liyue to counter the Fatui."
Kaeya shook his head. "That's too extreme. Taking direct action against the Fatui would be tantamount to declaring war on Snezhnaya. Mondstadt… can't afford that. Liyue might be able to stand up to Snezhnaya, but would they really sour relations with them just for Shen Qin?"
Jean sighed, feeling the weight of helplessness.
Years ago, Grand Master Varka had led most of the Knights' elite forces on an expedition, drastically weakening Mondstadt's strength. Otherwise, why would they be struggling against Stormterror and bending to the Fatui's whims? (T/N: Dude, where the hell are you!)
"The Knights can't openly interfere. At most, we can step in if they try to harm Shen Qin. He's fighting alone against overwhelming odds, but you're forgetting one person. With him around, the Liyue and Snezhnaya delegations will likely leave empty-handed." Kaeya grinned confidently.
"Who?"
"Diluc. Whether Shen Qin stays or goes determines how much money he can keep making. As Shen Qin's financial backer, he's the most invested in this. Plus, he's not part of Mondstadt's official forces, so he can act more freely."
Meanwhile, Shen Qin remained unaware that Liyue and Snezhnaya had set their sights on him. His only concern was completing the large protective barrier as soon as possible.
Dvalin was like the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, capable of bringing disaster to Mondstadt at any moment. They had to finish the barrier before that happened.
Fortunately, progress was swift. After Lumine help-tests the Luminescent Spine and confirmed it could serve as a conduit for ley line energy, they immediately used Albedo's recorded structure—supplemented with ley line branches, Luminescent Spines, and Crystal Chunks—to assemble a small Waypoint. Ying successfully teleported to another Waypoint using it.
Now, they were reverse-engineering the structure of the Statues of The Seven, with half the work already done. Meanwhile, Shen Qin redesigned a larger energy converter based on the small one inside the smart wristbands.
But that night, as they worked, Haro and Ms. Butterfly suddenly sounded an alarm!
"Warning! Warning! Unknown high-energy entity approaching the alchemy workshop. Scanned as humanoid. Distance: 450 meters!"
"400 meters!"
The three exchanged glances and quickly stashed their research, activating their wristbands' defensive functions.
"300 meters!"
"Haro, switch to emergency alert mode. If the target makes a move, open fire immediately!"
"200 meters!"
"Ms. Butterfly, discreetly inform Diluc and Jean!"
"100 meters!"
Albedo and Sucrose shielded Shen Qin from front and back.
Haro's eyes dimmed, and it fell silent, hovering in a hidden corner of the ceiling in stealth mode.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The door rattled, but no one answered.
Albedo and Sucrose tensed, their Visions glowing.
A layer of frost spread across the door lock, shattering it with a crack. The fragments scattered to the ground as the door swung open.
A woman stepped inside, wearing a mourning mask and Snezhnaya's "distinctive" attire. Shen Qin's pupils contracted—this was the arrogant, domineering 8th Fatui Harbinger, La Signora, who had famously been slain by the Raiden Shogun with a single strike.
"Oh? There are people here. Why didn't you open the door?" She scanned the workshop, her gaze lingering briefly on Haro in the corner before she dismissively took a seat, crossing her legs and lighting a cigarette.
"Uninvited guests don't deserve the courtesy of an open door," Shen Qin retorted, unafraid. With the Kreideprinz (Albedo) standing between them, he felt no panic.
"Uninvited? Snezhnaya sent a formal letter to your Acting Grand Master. Did she not inform you? How inefficient—it's been days."
Shen Qin frowned. Jean hadn't mentioned it, likely to buy him time and spare him trouble. But La Signora's tone was infuriating.
A mere Harbinger, yet she shows no respect to Mondstadt's leader? No wonder the Raiden Shogun obliterated you.
"Oh? You seem upset. Is it because I disrespected your beloved Acting Grand Master? Hmph, she's unworthy. If your useless Anemo Archon were here, I might grant him the privilege of speaking to me as an equal." La Signora lifted her chin like a haughty black swan.
Shen Qin: Wow. Cool. I hope you can say the same when you face the Raiden Shogun.