Diluc seemed somewhat emotional. After speaking, he withdrew into the distance, standing alone, lost in thought.
His sudden mood shift left Ryen a bit confused.
Lowering his voice in curiosity, he looked at Jean and asked quietly:
"What's wrong with him?"
Jean sighed, her emotions conflicted.
"Senior Diluc... he must have thought of the Doctor..."
Ryen suddenly understood.
The Doctor had killed Diluc's father—his reaction wasn't surprising.
"It's not just about vengeance for his father…"
Lisa sighed softly, her tone tinged with sorrow.
"To Diluc, the Doctor is someone who absolutely must die… Sixteen hundred and seventy-two..."
"What?"
Jean looked at Lisa, puzzled.
Lisa shook her head slightly and looked up.
The night vision effect had worn off, leaving only the dim flicker of torchlight.
Under the shadows and glow, Lisa's expression shifted between light and dark.
"Back then, the number of children the Doctor took from Mondstadt was 1,672..."
"Despite efforts from many sides, only 347 were rescued. Jean, you should remember — Collei was one of those we saved from the Doctor's base."
Jean nodded in realization.
Back then, she wasn't yet the Acting Grand Master, but she had seen Collei.
A shy, quiet girl who avoided interacting with others.
Amber, however, had gotten along well with her.
She'd heard that Collei was now serving as a Forest Ranger trainee in Sumeru.
Lisa looked at Jean, unsure whether she should continue.
But Jean had already sensed something was wrong. She looked at Lisa seriously.
"Lisa, I'm the Acting Grand Master of the Knights — you can't keep these things from me!"
Hearing this, Lisa pressed her lips together.
"It happened after the attack by Durin, the venomous dragon..."
"The Doctor ordered Durin to attack Mondstadt. Diluc's father fought to the death to repel it… And just then, the Doctor arrived and casually killed the dragon."
"After that... you know what happened — the Fatui, or rather the Doctor, made a deal with the Knights of Favonius' upper ranks, and the Fatui were allowed to station themselves in Mondstadt."
"That's just the official story, the version passed around on paper. The real reason..."
Lisa paused, her gaze turning cold.
"The Doctor came to Mondstadt... to gather experimental subjects."
"Experimental subjects… those children!"
Jean suddenly understood, clenching her teeth tightly.
"Lisa..."
"That's right."
Lisa closed her eyes, her demeanor drooping.
"The Doctor ordered his men to take those children and soldiers to his lab, but they were intercepted by Diluc."
"Still, they only managed to rescue a portion. The Doctor had already arranged for many of the children to be taken away in groups..."
"Those children…"
Lisa didn't continue, but everyone already had a bad feeling in their hearts.
Jean nearly lost her footing, but Lumine quickly supported her.
After a long silence, Jean looked at Lisa with desperate hope.
"Tell me, Lisa... those children... they're still alive, right? They're waiting for us to bring them home!"
Lisa turned her head away, unable to meet Jean's gaze.
"The Hexenzirkel sent word... those children… are all dead…"
"And the ones still alive… have already been modified by the Doctor into Fatui soldiers… no different from being dead."
It was like a bolt from the blue — Jean immediately fainted.
Even Venti, who had seemed distracted all along, froze where he stood.
Those once lively lives, people who should've enjoyed freedom, were now just cold numbers echoing in his ears.
Venti staggered and leaned against the wall for support.
"Why… the Doctor… how dare he!"
"I'm sorry… it's all my fault…"
"I'm sorry…"
Venti clutched his head in agony, murderous intent erupting from him.
He could ignore many things. Even if Mondstadt's people died while exploring the world — that was their choice, their freedom.
But…
Those children were innocent.
1,672… and only 347 were saved...
Such young, tender lives, reduced to nothing more than lab material by the Doctor's cold experiments.
How much suffering had they endured?
They could've had bright, beautiful futures.
"The Doctor… the Doctor!"
The usually playful and carefree Venti now burned with killing intent toward the Doctor.
He wanted to rush out immediately and return all the pain those children had endured back to that man.
"How could the Cryo Archon allow the Doctor to do such things?! And how could the Knights let him take those children?!"
Venti glared coldly at Lisa, fury boiling in his eyes.
He had been severely wounded and couldn't wake up.
But did people of Teyvat really think that just because of that, he — Venti — could no longer wield a bow?
Back then, he could sweep away ice and snow with a single arrow.
And now? Was he truly so feeble?
His wear and tear wasn't nearly as bad as Zhongli's!
"Heh..."
From not far away, Diluc sneered and said quietly:
"For someone like you who's always ignored Mondstadt… how would you know how rotten the Knights have become?"
Venti fell silent.
Indeed, he hadn't shown up 500 years ago, not during the dragon's attack, not when the Doctor took the children.
Even if he had his reasons, in the end — it was his negligence.
What right did he have to blame the Knights?
Venti slumped to the ground in desolation.
Thinking of the innocent lives lost, the usually cheerful bard wept like rain.
"I'm sorry… I'm always too late…"
Seeing him like this, even Diluc sighed with complicated feelings.
Though he resented Venti, he had never truly blamed him.
After all, Diluc understood — as a god, Venti might seem all-powerful, but there were still orders he could not disobey.
About Khaenri'ah… Kaeya, as Diluc's sworn brother, had spoken with him.
Diluc had his own guesses about how badly Venti had been injured.
He had indeed been asleep for 500 years, only recently waking.
"It has nothing to do with the Cryo Archon..."
Diluc looked up and said gloomily:
"The Doctor is a very mysterious person. As a Harbinger, his relationship with the Cryo Archon is one of mutual exploitation."
"He never cared about the Cryo Archon..."
"The Fatui have never been united — even the Cryo Archon's control over them is limited..."
"From what I've learned… everything back then was orchestrated by the Doctor alone."
"But… isn't that also proof of how decayed the Knights had become?"
This was the first time Ryen and the others had heard something so shocking.
For a while, everyone furrowed their brows in silence.
Zhongli felt somewhat conflicted.
He had already tried his best to deduce the relationship between the Cryo Archon and the Fatui Harbingers.
But now, thinking about it again… he had clearly underestimated them.
No matter what, even if the Cryo Archon no longer loved humanity, she would never allow something so monstrous to happen.
Especially when the ones the Doctor laid his hands on… were all children.
Human experimentation, with children as experimental material—no matter the justification, it was something that had to be eradicated.
"Over the years, I joined an underground intelligence organization and have been using its power to track down the Doctor," Diluc spoke slowly.
"The Doctor is a complete madman, devoid of humanity, almost inhuman."
"He sliced himself into many parts—each part a full version of himself. I've always wanted to kill him."
"But the Doctor is far too powerful. His strength may not even be inferior to that of the Seven Archons."
"I've always been looking for an opportunity."
"And now, I see hope. So for me, everything in this world is important."
"I will make him pay. He will atone with his life—for those innocent children and soldiers!"
"I will do it!"
Diluc's voice was filled with an unprecedented firmness and seriousness.
Jean slowly woke up as well.
The usually gentle acting Grand Master now transformed into a lion roaring in silence.
Her killing intent retracted, and she was uncharacteristically quiet.
After a long pause, Jean asked softly:
"Senior Diluc, tell me—besides the Doctor, who else participated in signing that agreement back then?"
"I want a full list. Including all the senior members of the Knights."
Diluc curled his lip and replied, "I'll give you a copy once we're back. As for the Knights… that's your own mess to deal with."
Jean nodded in silence.
She didn't like killing, nor did she favor internal strife.
But these people had crossed her bottom line.
This was no longer just about treason or seeking personal gain—this was about the principles all humans should uphold.
Mondstadt would no longer be the Mondstadt of the old aristocracy.
Nor could it continue to be the Knights' Mondstadt.
Not a single person involved in the tragedy of that year… would be allowed to escape.
Jean said nothing, but Lisa and the others could already feel the determination radiating from her.
The slumbering Lion of the South Wind had awakened today—transformed into a true protector of the Four Winds of Mondstadt.
Lisa, too, felt conflicted.
They hadn't told Jean about these things before because she had been too weak, hadn't yet undergone her transformation.
But now, it was different.
With the main forces of the Knights on an expedition, this situation had been prepared for Jean by the Grand Master himself.
The arrival of Ryen's world had given Jean the courage to overturn everything.
The time had come for Jean to truly take charge of Mondstadt and lead it back to greatness.
After a long silence, everyone tacitly moved past this heavy topic.
Ryen said softly,
"There are still four Wither Skeletons left. Once we deal with them, it'll be time to head back."
"As for the beacon, tomorrow we'll build one here in this world, test its effects, and then decide if we should bring it over to Teyvat."
Everyone nodded, smoothed out the mine cave, and returned to their original positions to wait for the Wither Storms.
With prior experience, dealing with the Wither Storms was much easier this time.
Still, maybe because they had just learned about Mondstadt's tragic past—or maybe because they were projecting all that pain onto the Withers—Jean and the others fought with increasing ferocity.
It was almost as if they were venting their anger. Their elemental energy became more and more intense.
This Wither Storm was soon wiped out.
Ryen didn't strike the final blow.
The news had been too shocking for Jean—better to let her unleash all that emotion.
Otherwise, if she bottled it up, she might break.
Ningguang and the others didn't stop her either.
They, too, were furious at the Doctor after hearing about the massacre in Mondstadt.
But it was Mondstadt's grudge—it could only be resolved by Mondstadt itself.
Liyue could take action and suppress the Doctor now.
But if they did, Jean and her people might carry a mental burden.
That wouldn't be good for future cooperation.
That said, the Wither Storm really was a perfect punching bag.
Sturdy and durable.
With the team growing increasingly coordinated, each Wither Storm was dealt with faster than the last.
When the sky had finally gone completely dark, the group left the mine cave.
The atmosphere gradually returned to normal.
Only, at this moment… Jean seemed a little more composed than before.
~~----------------------
To read 30 future chapters head over to patreon:
patreon.com/Dreamer20