The hatred of the past—neither Jean nor the Knights of Favonius had ever forgotten it.
If anything, as time passed, that hatred only grew stronger.
Why hadn't they taken revenge before?
First, because after that incident, the Doctor left Mondstadt.
Second, because most of Mondstadt's strongest, led by the Grand Master, were away on an expedition.
But now, things were different.
Though the Grand Master still had not returned, Mondstadt was no longer the weak Mondstadt of the past.
Barbara, Lisa, Eula, Kaeya, and Jean herself— all of them had gained tremendous strength thanks to Boss Han's manga shop.
Now they finally had the confidence to resolve this blood feud.
And yet, the Doctor dared to come to Mondstadt himself?
Did he really think this was still the same Mondstadt?
This time—
they would make sure he never returned alive!
"Still… we have to be cautious of whatever reward he gets."
Jean's expression hardened.
He had vanished for years, only to suddenly reappear now.
Surely it was because of this manga shop.
Back then, the Doctor had been strong enough to suppress Ursa the Drake.
If he gained another powerful reward here… things could get troublesome.
If circumstances allowed, Jean would have struck already.
But she knew Boss Han's rules.
She would not break them.
"I just hope his luck is poor."
Jean sighed inwardly.
Amber and Eula felt the same.
As Knights of Favonius, they knew the history well.
Their hatred of the Doctor was just as deep.
The Doctor, however, only sneered at the burning glares cast his way.
He ignored them.
Did they really think they dared to touch him?
To clash with Snezhnaya was a price Mondstadt could never afford.
But what he didn't know was that Jean had already clashed once with the Fatui before.
At the time, Signora had been furious, ready to retaliate.
But when she realized the source of the conflict was this mysterious manga shop,
she decided to let it go— and never mentioned it to the Doctor afterward.
Or perhaps she simply thought, given his personality, he wouldn't care about such a "trivial matter."
Meanwhile—
Though Ningguang was immersed in her manga, she too noticed the tense atmosphere.
"It seems we have some unusual guests today."
Her expression grew serious.
As Liyue's Tianquan, she naturally had intelligence on the Fatui Harbingers.
Both the Doctor and Signora she had studied.
Especially the Doctor— he was tied to an incident in Mondstadt years ago.
Who would have thought they'd both turn up here?
"When we finish reading, don't leave just yet."
Keqing spoke quietly.
She could already sense that something was about to happen.
"I understand."
Ningguang nodded.
It was clear now: Mondstadt and the Fatui were bound to clash.
They needed to stay and observe.
After all, the Fatui had influence in Liyue as well.
The outcome of this conflict would be a valuable reference.
Especially with the Rite of Descension fast approaching…
—
By contrast, Dainsleif and Aether were far calmer.
In their eyes, whether Mondstadt or the Fatui prevailed, it was ultimately just a matter between nations.
What did the struggles of the Seven Nations have to do with the exiled remnants of Khaenri'ah?
If anything, they would be glad to see the two sides tear each other apart.
For Dainsleif, his only goal was stopping the Abyss Order.
Everything else was irrelevant.
Better to enjoy some quiet manga reading.
Aether thought the same.
According to Paimon, his soon-to-be brother-in-law—Boss Han— hated anyone making trouble in his shop.
Even Mondstadt's leaders had only acted after the Abyss had left the store.
So Aether believed nothing would happen for now.
The real conflict would begin after everyone finished reading.
When that time came, they could simply sit back and watch.
"Tsk, tsk. With so many factions here, we could start a mahjong table.
The only question is—who will be the tiles?"
Watching the store's atmosphere grow tenser, Han Feng chuckled.
Life could get dull—
a little excitement now and then wasn't so bad.
—
In this strange, silent tension, time passed.
Amber finally finished her manga.
At that moment, the system refreshed:
[Customer Amber has finished reading Tom and Jerry. Reward granted: Jerry's Agility.]
[Jerry's Agility: Exceptional speed, allowing Jerry to repeatedly escape Tom's pursuit.]
[Note: In times of danger, instinct will trigger, pushing this speed to its absolute limit.]
"A speed-boosting skill?"
Han Feng was mildly surprised.
This was the first time he'd seen a reward like this.
But it was indeed a powerful ability.
As the saying went:
If you want to learn how to fight, you must first learn how to run.
Only by running could you survive.
Countless people would kill for this ability— especially the Treasure Hoarders.
With this, their success rate on jobs would skyrocket.
And if triggered in true danger, the speed would surge even higher.
It was practically a survival cheat.
Buzz—
A radiant golden light enveloped Amber.
"What's this glow? Is this the 'reward' Signora mentioned?"
The Doctor raised an eyebrow curiously.
But when the light faded, nothing tangible appeared.
He frowned.
Where was the reward?
As he wondered, the girl in red blurred— and in the blink of an eye, she was standing by the counter.
"That speed—impossible!"
The Doctor's face twisted in shock.
He hadn't expected her to possess such an ability.
"It must be a speed-type reward."
Signora cast the Doctor a sideways glance.
In her intelligence, Amber was merely an Outrider.
She had never had such an ability.
Clearly, this was something she had just obtained.
"So… the rewards are real?"
The Doctor's brows furrowed deeply.
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