The next day.
The Knights of Favonius returned to their regular duties, each department resuming its work.
Inside the Grand Master's office.
Varka, Gu Chen, Diluc, and Jean were all present.
As usual, when Varka was thinking, his fingers tapped rhythmically against the tabletop. After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"Dottore lost seven times and didn't get angry. That alone might mean nothing—but the more he notices how powerful knights become through body-refinement, the more excited he gets. He's clearly here for the technique. We have to be on guard."
"Where will he start?"
Diluc frowned.
Dottore left him with an instinctively unpleasant impression.
Privately, Crepus had once told Diluc that the Fatui wanted to offer him some kind of secret weapon to boost his strength.
But at that time, Crepus had already begun cultivating body-refinement and ignored the offer entirely.
Diluc relayed everything without holding back.
Gu Chen pondered briefly.
"They probably wanted to give Lord Crepus a Delusion. Unfortunately for them—he's no longer interested."
The room broke into laughter.
Varka sighed.
"We all know Lord Crepus' dream—to become strong. That's understandable."
"If body-refinement hadn't existed, he might not have resisted that temptation. The real issue is that whatever the Fatui produce… their Delusions are definitely not clean tools. Diluc, remind him again. Don't let him fall for it."
Diluc nodded solemnly.
"I already warned my father. I'll explain it to him again. No matter how strong a Delusion is, he won't be tempted."
With a cultivation method that carried no side effects, why would anyone want a Delusion?
Just from what they'd seen in the duels, only lunatics or extreme opportunists would trade their lifespan for power.
Crepus was a smart man. The matter was quickly set aside.
"Dottore will most likely target you directly," Varka said, looking at Gu Chen—though without much worry.
Varka knew Gu Chen's strength better than anyone.
Unfathomable.
Even if Dottore's strength was also unclear, there was no way he could easily subdue Gu Chen.
The only true concern was—
"I'm worried they'll lose all restraint and threaten civilians."
"That's despicable!"
Diluc exploded in anger.
A knight's duty was to protect Mondstadt.
Jean's expression darkened as well.
The Gunnhildr family had only one creed: Protect Mondstadt, always.
Using civilians as leverage crossed a line she would never accept.
"That's probably exactly what they'll do," Gu Chen shrugged.
"So I've had people monitoring the Fatui delegation—and those Snezhnayan merchants who arrived earlier."
"Very thorough," Varka nodded, then sighed.
"You can't guard against thieves forever. Keeping Lord Crepus inside the city indefinitely isn't a solution either…"
Varka rubbed his temples.
Crepus had begun cultivation late. His progress was slow.
Even with wealth and decent health, he was nowhere near elite knights.
If the Fatui targeted him specifically, it would be troublesome.
"You're right," Gu Chen nodded, then said calmly:
"If that's the case, we might as well strike first. They've already shown ill intent—why wait for them to move?"
"…Huh?"
Varka raised an eyebrow.
"Is that… appropriate?"
Gu Chen pointed at the floor beneath them.
"Where are we standing?"
"My office?" Varka replied.
"Bigger."
"The Knights of Favonius?"
"Still not enough."
"Mondstadt City?"
"And what is Mondstadt?" Gu Chen pressed.
"The City of Freedom. The City of Wind and Song," Jean answered.
Gu Chen nodded slightly, eyes narrowing.
"If it's the City of Freedom, then we should fully uphold the Anemo Archon's will."
"I do what I want."
"I find Dottore unpleasant—so why can't I kill him?"
Silence.
It was hard to believe those words came from the Vice Captain of the Knights.
Varka's expression turned strange.
Diluc looked conflicted—but had to admit—
The proposal was extremely tempting.
As they'd said before:
You can't guard forever.
If the Fatui came with ill intent, why bother playing by their rules?
"…Ah…"
Jean didn't know what to say.
In the end, she decided:
If her idol said so, then so be it.
She sat quietly.
"What do you think?" Gu Chen asked Varka.
Varka replied solemnly,
"I didn't hear anything you said just now."
"Also—if a Fatui Harbinger were to die or disappear in Mondstadt, that would be a major diplomatic incident."
"But if they were to disappear… reasonably—that would be ideal."
Gu Chen met Varka's gaze.
They instantly understood each other.
No public execution.
A reasonable death.
Even if Snezhnaya pursued the matter later, it would at most be a case of "insufficient protection."
After all—
Wasn't Snezhnaya powerful enough to protect its own people?
"I'll plan it carefully," Gu Chen said, setting down his teacup.
"If there's nothing else, I'll head out. I'll patrol Mondstadt—and find a suitable burial site for Dottore."
[Kaeya]: Wow, wow, wow—Church Master really said "no rules," huh? (Hu Tao smug grin)
[Azhdaha]: If your opponent is about to disgust you, why swallow it? (laughing)
[Heizou]: Brutal, but efficient. Eliminates Dottore while minimizing civilian risk.
[Collei]: Full support, Mr. Gu!!!
[Osial]: Lure him to Liyue, I'll handle it! (grin)
[Keqing]: That would be an even bigger diplomatic disaster… (Qiqi collapse)
[Paimon]: Aren't the top Fatui Harbingers said to rival gods? Can Boss Gu handle this?!
[Tartaglia]: "God-level" depends on which god. Definitely not Archon-tier. As for Mr. Gu… I've honestly never thought about it.
[Alhaitham]: Understandable. We've only ever seen him as overwhelmingly strong—this arc shows gradual growth. Even Varka might not know his limits.
[Kaveh]: I don't care—I believe Mr. Gu will beat Dottore senseless!
[Nahida]: Former Great Sage, charge! (Klee cheer)
Gu Chen left the city.
The news was easy to obtain.
Dottore, of course, learned of it—but he wasn't foolish enough to ambush Gu Chen outright.
He still had plans to execute.
Gu Chen moved swiftly.
With powerful qi and blood surging through him, he crossed vast distances in the blink of an eye.
This trip had two purposes:
One—to patrol Mondstadt's lands.
Two—to find Dottore's grave.
Unfortunately, Mondstadt had far too many beautiful landscapes.
"Such scenery would be wasted on Dottore," Gu Chen sighed.
He stood at the edge of a cliff.
Below lay a vast basin—the ruins of Decarabian's ancient capital, now shattered spires piercing the sky.
Clouds rolled endlessly.
Something seemed to breathe within them.
Gu Chen's senses were sharp—
He could hear faint breathing from within the clouds.
[Dvalin]: Wait—why is he at my place?! (Paimon shock)
[Azhdaha]: What's wrong, little bro? Sweating already?
[Tartaglia]: At Gu Chen's current level, Dvalin wouldn't be a problem. Especially if he's already corrupted.
[Osial]: Beat him up, let the East Wind return early—no Traveler needed!
[Lumine]: Might not even be our story anymore.
[Venti]: You understand surprisingly well~ (laugh)
"Stormterror… the East Wind Dragon?"
As a high-ranking knight, Gu Chen had access to ancient records.
He knew the Four Winds well.
He didn't disturb Dvalin—and turned away.
Several days later, Gu Chen returned to headquarters.
"Well?" Varka asked eagerly.
"Unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to use any of those beautiful places as Dottore's grave."
After some thought, Gu Chen pointed to a spot on the map.
"Throwing him into the sea to feed the fish is a decent option."
"Brilliant," Varka nodded.
"When do we move?"
Gu Chen hesitated.
"Without a scapegoat, it's hard."
"How about Eroch?" Varka smiled.
"Eroch?" Gu Chen raised an eyebrow.
Varka nodded seriously.
"After your warning, I looked into him. Had Kaeya investigate quietly."
"There's an eighty percent chance he's already betrayed the Knights."
"Oh?"
Gu Chen smiled faintly.
"Didn't expect a traitor among the upper ranks."
"Neither did I."
Varka continued,
"The official story: The Knights uncover Eroch's betrayal—collusion with Fatui Harbinger Dottore to steal classified cultivation techniques."
"Vice Captain Gu Chen executes Dottore."
"Reasonable," Gu Chen nodded.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Varka asked.
"So urgent? Not letting him enjoy life a few more days?" Gu Chen laughed as he headed for the door.
"Why waste good days on a beast?"
Varka rose as well.
He didn't feel safe letting Gu Chen face Dottore alone.
Gu Chen stopped suddenly.
"One concern—what if Dottore drags civilians down with him?"
"Lure him out of the city," Varka said immediately.
"Bring Diluc."
Diluc was summoned.
Once the door closed, Gu Chen asked:
"We're preparing to deal with Dottore. How about using Dawn Winery?"
"Agreed," Diluc replied without hesitation.
"There may be significant losses."
Diluc shook his head.
"Property can be replaced. Removing a major threat is worth it."
"The Knights will compensate later."
Gu Chen nodded.
"Then it's settled. On Diluc's coming-of-age ceremony—Dottore is highly likely to attend."
"The Knights will be understaffed. I suspect he'll go personally, while his people infiltrate the city for secrets."
"Dottore is smart," Varka warned.
"Don't let him realize."
"He probably already knows," Gu Chen smiled lightly.
"But arrogant as he is—even if he knows, he'll still come."
"Then it's decided."
Only four people knew the plan.
Time passed.
Diluc's coming-of-age day arrived.
Dawn Winery bustled with nobles, knights, friends.
Diluc stood in noble attire—dignified and radiant.
Yet many noticed something strange—
Neither Grand Master Varka nor Vice Captain Gu Chen were present.
On a wide road in the wilderness.
Gu Chen wiped his Favonius sword.
Varka planted his greatsword into the ground.
"He's here," Varka said.
A driverless carriage approached.
It stopped a hundred meters away.
Dottore stood atop it, hands behind his back.
"So you chose today," he said calmly.
"And you came anyway," Gu Chen smiled.
Dottore chuckled.
"Without evidence, intercepting a Fatui Harbinger—this violates diplomatic rules, doesn't it?"
"You're right," Gu Chen replied, stepping forward, sword in hand.
"But rules are made to be broken."
"By the time we have evidence, the Knights may already have suffered unacceptable losses."
"I'm not willing to swallow that."
He vanished.
In an instant, Gu Chen was upon him.
—SHRK!
The blade screamed through the air.
Dottore leaned back narrowly avoiding it, then sneered.
"I admit your talent—but to draw your sword against a top-ranking Fatui Harbinger…"
"Isn't that… arrogance?"
He reached out—
His hand transformed into a claw and grasped the blade.
Crack—
The Favonius sword shattered inch by inch.
"Arrogance?"
Gu Chen grinned.
"Maybe."
"I just know that if you don't die—"
"I can't sleep."
His right hand clenched into a fist.
Qi and blood roared.
Heat surged like blazing flames.
He threw a punch—
Like a rising sun, dazzling and unstoppable.
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