Night settled over Mondstadt.
After dinner, Lumine and Paimon returned first to the inn.
They had traveled all day, and tonight they could finally rest—
so they could head to the Adventurers' Guild tomorrow to take on commissions and earn money.
As for the Anemo Archon's request…
With his authority, it wouldn't be hard for Barbatos to find them again.
Whether Lumine would accept helping him—
that depended on whether his attitude was sincere enough.
After parting with the two, Su Xuan returned to Lisa's laboratory.
The moment he stepped in, a different fragrance than usual drifted past him.
Before he could react, two figures appeared in front of him.
Upon seeing Su Xuan, Jean's breath hitched.
The real person before her was even more striking than the diary's images—
handsome, steady, unmistakably powerful.
Exactly the kind of male lead described in romantic novels.
Lisa smiled lightly, breaking the silence:
"Su Xuan, this is Acting Grand Master of the Knights, Jean Gunnhildr."
Even though everyone already knew of each other through the diary,
Lisa still made the introduction for the sake of form.
Then she continued calmly:
"And Jean—this is the man I mentioned to you earlier.
My man.
Su Xuan."
…
Jean's face went completely red.
Seeing her reaction, Su Xuan immediately understood what must have happened in the library earlier that day.
Just as he expected—
Once Lisa confirmed her hypothesis, she naturally would have "persuaded" Jean.
Not forcibly—
but with sharp reasoning and emotional leverage.
In truth, Lisa's intentions were to fight for Mondstadt's benefit,
and Su Xuan had no reason to reject that.
With Lisa acting as the bridge, he didn't need to waste any effort guiding Jean.
"I've heard a great deal about you, Acting Grand Master Jean."
Su Xuan nodded politely.
Jean blinked—
not expecting a man who could defeat Raiden Shogun so casually
to speak with such courteous restraint.
She opened her mouth but couldn't form a response—
only turning her eyes toward Lisa, seeking help.
Lisa giggled softly:
"Jean came because she hopes you can help her.
Right now, Mondstadt is under too much pressure—
the corrupted Dragon of the East, reconstruction issues,
and the Fatui diplomatic threat."
She paused, expression darkening:
"Not to mention what you recently revealed—
the Abyss Order preparing to march on Mondstadt."
Actually, both Jean and Lisa had already heard scouts report
the sudden formation of Hilichurl camps near Mondstadt.
Normally, Hilichurls avoided staying near settled cities.
But with the city still shaken from the dragon's rampage,
no one connected the signs—
Until Su Xuan spelled out the Abyss Order's plan.
Jean clenched her hand.
Lisa's voice fell quiet:
"So yes—Jean is hoping to borrow your strength to get through this crisis."
Su Xuan leaned back, expression neutral.
"I see."
Jean inhaled sharply—
"I am prepared.
As long as you are willing to help us—just once—
I am willing to pay any price."
But Su Xuan's voice shifted:
"The problem is—Mondstadt has too many problems.
Which one is it you want me to solve?"
Jean froze.
But Su Xuan didn't press her—
instead, he casually poured tea for the three of them.
She exhaled—relief and tension mixed.
She had already resolved which request to make.
The Fatui diplomatic pressure? That was between nations.
Reconstruction? Mondstadt could do that themselves.
The Abyss-led Hilichurl forces? Su Xuan said they were not a real threat.
The core, the single critical point, was—
"I hope… you can help save Dvalin."
The diary glowed.
[Mondstadt Soul #2 — Jean Gunnhildr]
[She chose to ask me to rescue Dvalin.]
[Smart choice. If Dvalin returns as a guardian, every threat to Mondstadt collapses.]
[But I am curious… why not wait for Lumine?]
[Perhaps Barbatos could still persuade her.]
Jean and Lisa both fell into silence.
"…Are you kidding?"
Lisa sighed.
"You already exposed Barbatos for manipulating Lumine.
How do we have the face to ask her now?"
Jean nodded, voice heavy:
"Even if Lumine is kind, we can't… pretend nothing happened.
And time is running out.
Dvalin loses more strength every day.
If we wait too long, we will lose him forever.
So… please."
Su Xuan tapped his fingers twice on the table.
Then his gaze met Lisa's.
They held eye contact for two seconds.
And then—
Su Xuan stood up
and walked toward the back room.
Advance Chapters available on P@treon
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