"You think it's hard?"
"Just like before, when the Fatui were pressuring you step by step—you actually had ways to solve it yourselves."
"Just go tell Liyue. Pull Liyue into it."
"Let Liyue and Snezhnaya keep each other in check, and Mondstadt can sit back and reap the benefits."
Rowan went on and on, laying out his points so smoothly that Lumine, Paimon, and Jean could only stare at him, dumbfounded.
Especially that last suggestion—Paimon couldn't help muttering, "Isn't that the kind of thing a treacherous villain would do?"
Lumine instinctively nodded. Honestly, it really did feel a bit villain-like.
Instead of shouldering the pressure yourself, you drag another strong party in to take it head-on while you sit back and profit—wasn't that a little too shameless?
But Jean could see the reasoning behind it. She looked at Rowan with a hint of surprise—and even delight.
If she'd thought of that back then, maybe she wouldn't have needed Rowan to come rescue Mondstadt in the first place.
From a personal, moral standpoint, it looked sinister.
But from a national perspective, both Liyue and Mondstadt would benefit.
Liyue would never allow an extra enemy to suddenly appear right on its doorstep.
If Mondstadt became Snezhnaya's backyard, the situation would inevitably affect Liyue too.
That was a certainty. With the Fatui's methods, they would absolutely set their sights on Liyue sooner or later.
Not to mention "Pantalone," who had a blood feud with Liyue.
So Liyue would never permit the Fatui to station troops in Mondstadt.
Even if some so-called "non-aggression pact" was signed, it wouldn't matter.
Didn't Tartaglia sign a contract with Liyue too?
And yet for the sake of the Gnoses, he still tore through it. That kind of thing only restrained gentlemen—not villains.
In the end, contracts only truly mattered when they were signed with a god, or in Morax's name.
Ordinary contracts didn't really carry any consequence. Zhongli's "Those who break contracts shall suffer the Wrath of the Rock" was basically just a line meant to scare people.
But because Morax was so powerful, everyone subconsciously respected contracts and would keep them.
That was the value of the God of Contracts.
As for Mondstadt, it was even simpler. With Liyue restraining Snezhnaya, Mondstadt could develop steadily.
And it could gradually break free of the Fatui's control—maybe even resolve the Stormterror problem.
As for whether the person who proposed such a plan would be condemned by the masses?
That wasn't something to worry about.
Anyone who could make that kind of decision would be a pillar of the nation.
A little bit of "face" meant nothing in front of national survival.
"Tch. There's no point talking to you two idiots."
"Boring. I'm leaving."
Rowan rolled his eyes at Paimon's complaint, then turned and left without looking back.
Foolish.
Lumine stuck her tongue out, like she'd finally caught on.
She didn't understand politics, but she wasn't stupid.
If you thought from Mondstadt's perspective, Rowan's plan really would have saved the weak Mondstadt of that time.
The weak had no right to make rules—only the strong did.
Back then, the strong were the Fatui. So if you wanted to restrain them, you needed another force.
And Liyue was the best choice—not only because it was close, but because Barbatos and Morax had a good private relationship. Asking Liyue for help had a high chance of success.
If it were Sumeru instead, those arrogant Akademiya sages probably wouldn't even spare Mondstadt a glance.
Lumine laid out her reasoning, and Jean nodded in approval.
Only Paimon still pouted unwillingly.
"Fine, I admit he's right… but I still think what he's doing isn't very decent."
"It isn't. But Mondstadt had no other choice."
Jean nodded. She agreed with Paimon's feelings.
But Mondstadt, as the weakest nation on Teyvat, truly didn't have the luxury of choices.
A weak nation had no diplomacy.
And the weight of that saying only grew heavier with time.
At the same time—
Liyue Harbor.
The Jade Chamber, which had been silent ever since it last left Liyue Harbor, slowly began to move once again.
"Ningguang-sama, a message came in from Verr Goldet."
"She reports that a gigantic golden vessel has entered from Mondstadt's direction and is heading toward Liyue—suspected to be the Knight King's transport."
Baishi placed the information from Verr Goldet in front of Ningguang.
Ningguang picked up the paper, glanced at it, and nodded.
"Mm. Understood."
"Tell Verr Goldet to properly host the Knight King-dono. We must not fail in Liyue's duty as hosts."
"If they wish to stay overnight, give them the best suite. All costs waived—put it on my account."
Ningguang set the report down and spoke calmly.
"Yes, Ningguang-sama."
Baishi turned and left the room to pass on the instructions.
But Baixiao, who had been silent until now, looked puzzled.
"Ningguang-sama… isn't this a bit excessive?"
"In the end, he's only Mondstadt's Knight King. Inviting him here at all is already giving him plenty of face."
"Do we really need to treat him so grandly?"
Baixiao didn't understand what Rowan's strength represented. In her eyes, he was just an ordinary person—
At most, someone on the same level as Ningguang. There was no need to take him so seriously.
Throughout history, even the successive Grand Masters of the Knights of Favonius didn't receive such lavish hospitality when visiting Liyue.
Wasn't this making a mountain out of a molehill?
Ningguang glanced at Baixiao, then withdrew her gaze and returned her attention to the report on the desk, speaking coldly.
"That is not something for you to concern yourself with."
"I have my reasons for what I do."
"This is the first time—and the last."
"If there is a next time, don't follow me anymore."
Baixiao instantly turned pale and dropped to her knees, begging.
"Ningguang-sama, I was wrong! I shouldn't have questioned your decision."
"I just thought it was a little too—"
Ningguang frowned and slammed her palm on the desk.
"Enough."
"I don't want to hear your excuses. Leave."
"Crying and whining—what kind of conduct is that?"
"Yes… Ningguang-sama."
Baixiao left Ningguang's office with a miserable expression.
Only after the room was empty did Ningguang recall the intelligence Yelan had brought back.
The shockwave from Rowan and the Tsaritsa's clash had directly reshaped the terrain for a full hundred kilometers outside Snezhnaya's capital.
If that strike had landed in Liyue… even with the Geo Archon's protection, could Liyue have blocked it?
The answer was no.
That was the era of gods.
A nation with a god and a nation without one—those were two completely different worlds.
Liyue and Mondstadt were the perfect example.
One was the richest, most prosperous, and most powerful nation in Teyvat.
The other was the poorest, with the weakest economy and the most fragile strength.
Ningguang stared at the photo Yelan had taken with a Kamera, staying silent for a long time.
In that picture, a ravine stretching for over a hundred kilometers carved itself across the land—so obvious, so glaring.
"A god… is not something human power can contend with."
(End of Chapter)
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