Diluc's mood was agitated. After speaking, he retreated to a distance to ponder alone.
His behavior left Jiang Xuan somewhat bewildered.
He lowered his voice and curiously asked Jean,
"What's wrong with him?"
Jean sighed, her mood somewhat complex.
"Lord Diluc is likely thinking of Dottore..."
Jiang Xuan suddenly understood.
Given Dottore was responsible for his father's death, such a reaction was not surprising.
"It's not just about his father's death..."
Lisa sighed softly, her mood also somewhat low.
"Dottore is an absolute must-kill for Diluc... one thousand six hundred seventy-two..."
"What?"
Jean looked at Lisa, bewildered.
Lisa shook her head, her gaze drifting upwards.
The night vision effect had worn off, leaving only the dim torchlight.
Lisa's face was cast in shifting shadows.
"That year, the number of children Dottore took from Mondstadt was one thousand six hundred seventy-two..."
"After much effort, three hundred forty-seven were rescued. Jean, you must know Collei, she was one of the children we rescued from Dottore's base."
Jean nodded in understanding.
She wasn't the Acting Grand Master back then, but she had met Collei.
She was a very introverted child, didn't like to talk much, and avoided interacting with others.
Amber, however, had a very good relationship with her.
Now, she heard, Collei was an apprentice Forest Ranger in Sumeru.
Lisa looked at Jean, unsure whether she should tell her these things.
But Jean already knew something was wrong and looked at Lisa sternly.
"Lisa, I am the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius. You cannot keep these things from me!"
Hearing this, Lisa pursed her lips.
"That was... after the Dragon Ursa's attack..."
"Dottore ordered the Dragon Ursa to attack Mondstadt. Diluc's father fought desperately to repel Ursa... Then, Dottore just happened to arrive and casually killed the dragon."
"And then, you know what happened: the Fatui, or rather, Dottore, signed an agreement with the Knights of Favonius's high-ranking officials, allowing the Fatui to be stationed in Mondstadt."
"All of this is just the official information circulated on paper. The actual reason..."
Lisa paused, her eyes growing cold.
"Dottore came to Mondstadt to search for experimental subjects..."
"Experimental subjects... those children!"
Jean understood something, gritting her teeth.
"Lisa..."
"That's right."
Lisa closed her eyes, her entire demeanor growing despondent.
"Dottore ordered his subordinates to take those children and soldiers from Mondstadt to his experimental base, but Diluc intercepted them."
"However, that only rescued a portion; Dottore had already arranged for many children to be taken away in batches much earlier..."
"Those children..."
Lisa said no more, but everyone already had a bad feeling.
Jean swayed unsteadily, but Lumine caught her.
After a long silence, Jean looked at Lisa with hopeful eyes.
"Tell me, Lisa, those children are still alive... they're still waiting for us to bring them home!"
Looking at Jean's gaze, Lisa averted her eyes.
"Word from the Hexenzirkel is that those children... they all died..."
"The ones who are still alive have been transformed into modified Fatui soldiers by Dottore, which is no different from death..."
Like a bolt from the blue, Jean instantly fainted.
Venti, who had been absent-minded, also froze in place.
Those vibrant lives, citizens who should have enjoyed freedom, became cold numbers in his ears.
Venti staggered, steadying himself against the wall.
"Why... Dottore... how dare he!"
"I'm sorry... it's all my fault..."
"I'm sorry..."
Venti clutched his head in anguish, his killing intent surging.
He could ignore everything else. Even if Mondstadters died exploring the world, that was their free choice.
But...
Those children were innocent.
One thousand six hundred seventy-two... only three hundred forty-seven rescued...
Such young flowers, yet Dottore, cold-blooded and inhumane, viewed them as experimental subjects for human experimentation.
How much suffering did they endure?
They could have had much brighter futures.
"Dottore... Dottore!"
Venti, usually so cheerful and carefree, was now filled with an overwhelming killing intent towards Dottore.
He wanted to go out immediately and return all the suffering those children endured to Dottore.
"How dare the Cryo Archon condone Dottore doing such things! How dare the Knights of Favonius allow Dottore to take them away!"
Venti looked at Lisa with raging anger and icy eyes.
He had been severely injured and couldn't awaken.
But did the people of Teyvat truly believe that he, Venti, couldn't wield his bow anymore?
Could he, who once blew away ice and snow with an arrow, truly be so weak now?
His Erosion was not yet comparable to Zhongli's!
"Heh..."
Diluc, not far away, sneered and said faintly,
"For someone who never pays attention to Mondstadt, how would you know how rotten the Knights of Favonius have become?"
Venti fell silent.
Indeed, he hadn't appeared five hundred years ago, nor when the Dragon Ursa attacked and Dottore took the children.
Even if he had unspoken difficulties, ultimately, it was his dereliction of duty.
What right did he have to criticize the Knights of Favonius then?
Venti slumped to the ground, looking forlorn.
Thinking of the innocent children who died, Venti, usually so cheerful, burst into tears.
"I'm sorry... I'm always too late..."
Seeing his state, Diluc sighed with a complex expression.
Although he resented Venti, he never truly blamed him.
After all, Diluc knew that Venti, as an Archon, seemingly supreme, still had commands he could not defy.
Kaeya, as Diluc's adopted brother, had told him about Khaenri'ah.
Diluc had a suspicion about how severe Venti's injuries were.
He had indeed been in a deep sleep for five hundred years and had only recently awakened.
"It has nothing to do with the Cryo Archon..."
Diluc looked up, his voice heavy with sadness.
"Dottore is a very mysterious individual. As an Executive, his relationship with the Cryo Archon is one of mutual exploitation."
"He never cared about the Cryo Archon..."
"The Fatui are never truly united, and the Cryo Archon's control over them is limited..."
"According to the information I've gathered, everything that happened back then was orchestrated by Dottore alone."
"But... wasn't it also the Knights of Favonius's own corruption?"
Jiang Xuan and the others were hearing such shocking news for the first time.
For a moment, everyone frowned deeply.
Zhongli's mood was complicated.
He had tried his best to deduce the relationship between the Cryo Archon and the Executives.
However...
Now, it seemed he had underestimated them.
Regardless, even if the Cryo Archon no longer loved humanity, she would absolutely not permit such heinous acts.
Especially, Dottore's victims were all children.
Human experimentation, with children as experimental subjects—regardless of the reason, this had to be eradicated.
"These past few years, I joined the Underground Intelligence Organization and have been using its power to investigate Dottore."
Diluc slowly spoke.
"Dottore is a complete madman, devoid of humanity, not even seeming like a human."
"He sliced himself into many pieces, each a clone of his original self, and I've always wanted to kill him."
"But Dottore is too strong. His power might not be weaker than the Seven Archons."
"I've always... been looking for an opportunity."
"And now, I've seen hope, so for me, everything in this world is very important."
"I will make him pay the price! He will atone for those innocent children and soldiers!"
"I will definitely do it!"
Diluc's voice was filled with unprecedented determination and seriousness.
Jean slowly woke up.
The usually gentle Grand Master Jean had now transformed into a roaring lion in silence.
Her killing intent receded, becoming eerily quiet.
After a long pause, Jean softly said:
"Lord Diluc, tell me the names of those who participated in signing that agreement, besides Dottore."
"I want all the names, including the Knights of Favonius's high-ranking officials..."
Diluc pursed his lips and said,
"I'll give you a list later. As for the Knights of Favonius, you handle it yourself."
Jean nodded in silence.
She disliked killing, and she disliked internal conflict.
But these people had touched her bottom line.
This was no longer a matter of selling out the Nation for personal gain, but a matter of the principles one should uphold as a human.
Mondstadt was no longer the Mondstadt of the old aristocracy.
Nor could it be the Mondstadt of merely the Knights of Favonius.
Jean would not let any of those who participated in that incident escape.
Jean remained silent, but Lisa and the others already sensed her resolve.
The sleeping Lion of the South had awakened today, transforming into the true Four Winds of Mondstadt.
Lisa's mood was also complex.
She hadn't told Jean these things before.
Because Jean's power was too weak, and she hadn't undergone her own transformation.
But now, things were different.
The main force of the Knights of Favonius was on an expedition; this was the condition the Grand Master had prepared for Jean.
Jiang Xuan's world gave Jean the confidence to overthrow everything.
The time was right for Jean to truly take control of Mondstadt and lead it to greatness once more.
After a long moment of silence, everyone implicitly moved past the heavy topic.
Jiang Xuan softly said,
"There are still four Wither Skeletons. Once we've dealt with them, it'll be time to head back."
"As for the Beacon, tomorrow we'll build one in this world first, check its specific buff effects, and then consider moving it to Teyvat."
Everyone nodded, leveled the mine shaft, and returned to their original positions to wait for the Wither Storm.
Having had one experience, dealing with the Wither Storm this time was much simpler.
However, perhaps it was due to learning about Mondstadt's past tragedy, or perhaps it was treating the Wither Storm as Dottore.
Jean and the others became increasingly brutal in their attacks.
As if venting their anger, their Elemental Power grew more violent.
This Wither Storm was quickly dealt with.
Jiang Xuan did not deliver the final blow.
This news was too shocking for Jean, so it was better to let her vent her feelings thoroughly.
Otherwise, if she kept it bottled up, Jean might suffer ill effects.
Ningguang and the others did not stop her either.
They too were furious about Mondstadt's tragedy and harbored intense killing intent towards Dottore.
But Mondstadt and Dottore shared a mortal enmity, a hatred that could only end in death.
It was best to let Mondstadt resolve it themselves.
If Liyue intervened, they could indeed suppress Dottore now.
However, Jean and her companions might harbor resentment.
This would not be conducive to future cooperation.
But then again, the Wither Storm was indeed a good target for venting.
It could take a beating.
With everyone's increasingly skilled cooperation, the Wither Storms were defeated faster and faster.
By the time night completely fell,
everyone left the mine.
The atmosphere returned to its original state.
However, Jean now carried a newfound composure.
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