At ten o'clock in the evening, members of the Fatui delivered a huge list into Su Han's hands and said respectfully, "Everything you asked for is here. Sir, we will be withdrawing tonight. If you plan to make a move, you can do it early."
"Mm, I understand."
Su Han picked up the list and began to read. His expression gradually turned grave. He had expected Mondstadt to be infiltrated, but he had not expected the enemy to have penetrated even the upper ranks. On this list were business tycoons, members of the Knights of Favonius, and noble lords.
Large and small, there were probably several thousand people in total. Su Han even saw a large number of members from the Lawrence family. Not only Eula's uncle, but many other members were included as well. Altogether, nearly seventy percent of the family had been involved.
Moreover, these people were preparing to rebel, and the time had been set for three days later.
"If they really take action, all of Eula's hard work will be for nothing. How foolish."
Su Han did not dare delay and headed straight to the office overnight.
When Jean saw the list, her entire body began to tremble. She said in shock, "How could this be? Where did you get this list?"
"There is no time. Hurry and arrest them. The evidence is in the other bag."
Su Han's deal with Rosalyne was not limited to this list. It also included solid evidence of these traitors. It could be said that even executing them on the spot would raise no doubts.
Jean wanted to ask further, but recalling the closeness between that witch and Su Han, she more or less guessed the truth. However, official business came first, and she had no choice but to get busy immediately.
Half an hour later, the Knights of Favonius received an emergency summons.
Kaeya, Eula, Diluc, and Jean led the teams for the arrests. This time, the Knights mobilized their full force. Jean addressed everyone and said, "Do you all remember this order? Eliminate all internal traitors. Anyone marked is to be executed on the spot."
"Yes."
The reason this operation was so bloody was because Jean had seen far too much filth. For example, a senior official who had always opposed reforms within the Knights had secretly been selling orphans to the Fatui.
There was even a well-known noble who indulged in abusing young girls and had already ruined no fewer than twenty of them.
Countless such crimes existed. That was why Jean resolved to carry out a thorough purge.
As the Knights took action, raindrops fell from the heavy sky. This night was destined to be sleepless, but the thunder and lightning overhead drowned out all screams.
...
Outside the city.
A luxurious carriage was slowly heading toward the harbor.
Inside the carriage, an elderly adviser spoke unwillingly. "My lady, why did we withdraw so suddenly? If we had just pushed a little harder, we could have taken Mondstadt. What you have done has burned all our years of effort to the ground."
Rosalyne, who had been resting with her eyes closed, slowly opened them and looked at him as she spoke softly, "Do I need to report my actions to you?"
Pfft.
An icy spike burst out from his heart. Until his death, he never expected her to be so ruthless.
The Electro Mages beside them hurriedly threw the corpse out.
Looking at the now quiet carriage, Rosalyne muttered, "I was already in a bad mood, and you still dared to shout here."
Her Majesty's order was only one thing, to seize the Gnosis. For that goal, even withdrawing was nothing. Even wiping out all the Fatui stationed here would have been acceptable. A mere adviser daring to question her decision was simply courting death.
...
The next morning.
When the people of Mondstadt walked onto the streets, they gradually noticed something was wrong. The Fatui members who were usually seen everywhere had vanished without a trace, and some shops that were normally open were now closed.
"Hey, what is going on?"
"Shh, do not talk. There seemed to be some movement last night, like people were being hunted."
"Hunted? Could it have been the Fatui? When I went out today, I did not see a single one of them."
"Really?"
Just as the citizens were guessing among themselves, a large group of prisoners appeared before them. They were all familiar faces, but today they were shackled by the Knights. What shocked people the most was that these prisoners were not just commoners, but also included a large number of nobles.
Something huge had happened.
Half an hour later, at the plaza.
Countless citizens gathered here. Looking at the prisoners kneeling on the ground, they whispered among themselves. At first, everyone thought the Knights had fought the Fatui last night. Only now did they realize that criminals had been arrested.
But what crimes could warrant arresting so many people?
Just as everyone was puzzled, Jean and Kaeya and the others stepped forward.
"Everyone, please be quiet for a moment. You may be suspicious, and you may feel confused about why we have arrested so many people. It is because they betrayed the land of the Wind God, betrayed our city of Mondstadt, and betrayed their own families."
"Now, allow me to recount the crimes you have committed."
"First, a senior member of the Church of Favonius, Mr. Konrad, aged sixty-eight. He harmed one hundred and thirty-seven orphans in Mondstadt and obtained stolen funds worth as much as 1.8 billion Mora from the enemy. For the sake of promotion, this gentleman even begged the enemy to eliminate his own competitors."
"The second is an ancient noble of Mondstadt and one of its decision-makers, Mr. Mike, aged fifty-seven. He favored very young girls and abused them over a long period of time. Not only that, he also repeatedly provided intelligence to the enemy for as long as twelve years."
One bloody case after another thundered out. The people of Mondstadt covered their mouths one after another. They had thought this might be slander, but when the Knights opened the underground cellar of the second noble, they found four girls inside. Two of them had already been tortured beyond recognition.
This day was unbearably long. The trial reportedly lasted a full eighteen hours, and the executed stained the entire plaza red with blood.
As for Su Han, he did not participate, because he had already returned to Liyue.
In the sky.
Su Han, Hu Tao, Shenhe, and Venti rode on Dvalin as they flew toward home.
Along the way, Venti said with a smile, "You really have some skills. Mondstadt is finally quiet now."
"That is thanks to your Gnosis. Otherwise, the Fatui would not have withdrawn completely. Of course, do not forget the conditions you promised me."
"Mm, mm. Actually, I already had the valley tidied up yesterday. Rest assured, when the Knights go over, they will thank me. But if you are not planning to travel recently, should the comic not be updated as well?"
With nothing to do, Venti naturally wanted to urge an update, since the comic had not been updated for a long time.
Su Han nodded and said, "Do not worry. I will update it in the next few days. And if nothing unexpected happens, a new comic is coming soon as well."
"Hmm? Really? What type is it this time?"
Hearing news of a new comic, Venti immediately perked up.
Hu Tao beside him was also intrigued and asked, "So soon there is already a new comic?"
As for why Paimon and Lumine were not there, it was because they were staying in Mondstadt for a while longer. According to Lumine, she wanted to walk around and explore this nation more, and only go to Liyue after she got tired of it.
Looking at the system panel, Su Han smiled and said, "Yes. The comics are just too popular right now."
With Rosalyne's strong support that time, the system quota had increased by a large margin. Now it was not far from the next system upgrade.
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