Genshin Impact: I, the Winter Prince, reign supreme.

The captain took out his musket, preparing to charge out and defend against the enemy.

Su Yu put down his teacup with a sense of helplessness.

During these three years, because he never made a public move, the people of Zhidong all thought that his greatest strength was invention and creation, and that he was probably weak in terms of martial arts.

"No need, you all stay put. This guy wants to challenge me again..."

The next second, Su Yu teleported onto the deck.

The captain and crew were all dumbfounded; it turned out that His Highness the Prince was ridiculously strong.

Su Yu stretched out his right hand and gently shook it.

The terrifying ice roar, like a tornado, froze the charging enemies into ice sculptures.

The frozen man wore a straw hat and a purple cloak, and his purple eyes were particularly striking.

"He is Lord [Skirmisher]!"

The tense crew members finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As they spoke, the ice sculpture melted, and [Scattered Soldier] brushed off the ice shards from his body, flew down to Yu, and bowed deeply.

"Greetings to His Highness the Prince. His Highness's strength seems to have increased even further than before."

Of the eleven executives of the Fools, only the "Scattered Soldier" truly enjoys challenging Su Yu. It's unclear whether he has masochistic tendencies or, as he himself claims, finds that each fight with the Prince allows him to rapidly improve his strength.

In short, I want to fight whenever I see Su Yu.

Su Yu prefers to interpret it as a kind of rebellious personality.

Unwilling to exist as a puppet, with a distorted sense of self-identity, and harboring a competitive spirit towards anyone stronger than oneself.

But since he has joined the Fools, Su Yu will give him the care he deserves. After all, although the eleven executives of the Fools each have their own ulterior motives, they are one big family when they are together.

“Scaramridge, I have obtained the Heart of God from Inazuma. There is no point in you staying in Inazuma any longer. Come with me to Mondstadt. The situation in Mondstadt is somewhat complicated, and I need a strong subordinate to help me clear some obstacles.”

Mondstadt, the so-called free city-state, appears to be militarily weak among the Seven Kingdoms, but Su Yu is well aware of the complex situation behind it.

Obtaining the Heart of the Wind God in Mondstadt might not be easier than getting it in Inazuma.

"Has Your Highness obtained it yet...?"

[Scattered Soldier] looked up at Su Yu, his tone slightly surprised.

He had been planning and managing in Inazuma for many years, but he could never win God's heart.

It's hard to believe that the prince obtained what he had been dreaming of in just a few days after arriving in Inazuma.

"It is said that the Heart of God is in the hands of the Yae no Miko, but without the Thunder General's permission, the Yae no Miko wouldn't dare to hand over the Heart of God. The Thunder General is aloof and domineering; how did Your Highness persuade her?"

"Winning hearts and minds."

"It sounds familiar."

[The stragglers] pondered.

"An elective course for the children at the Fireplace House."

Su Yu said calmly.

[Scattered soldier] Suddenly realized.

Three years ago, the Prince of Winter proposed to teach the children of the Hearth House.

One of the lessons was called "The Art of Winning Hearts and Minds."

This matter sparked considerable controversy at the time, with opponents arguing that taking such courses was a waste of time, while supporters believed it would be helpful to children.

Finally, after Su Yu uttered his famous saying, "In the art of war, winning hearts and minds is the best strategy, while conquering cities is the worst. Psychological warfare is superior to physical warfare," Her Majesty the Empress immediately agreed to his proposal.

"I really wanted to see His Highness in person, but unfortunately I was away from Inazuma for the past few days."

[The stragglers] looked regretful.

“Some people were trapped at Yuanxia Palace, and I went to rescue them. Today, I received a message from Her Majesty the Empress by carrier pigeon, ordering me to go to the Dark Sea to monitor the situation there. I happened to run into Your Highness here.”

The Dark Outer Sea...

Su Yu stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance towards the southeastern sea area of ​​Inazuma.

That shadowy region, shrouded in thick dark clouds and perpetually shrouded in darkness, a place where even the radiance of the Seven Gods cannot reach, is the Dark Outer Sea.

It is said that many defeated demons were unwilling to live under the new order of the seven gods, so they fled to the dark outer sea and transformed into evil gods.

That is a place where evil gods gather, and also their lair, mysterious and terrifying.

Even the most powerful of the seven kingdoms, Winter, maintained due respect for it.

“Scaramridge, I know you painstakingly plotted to obtain Inazuma’s Heart of God, hoping to merge with its power to surpass General Raiden, in order to prove to Raiden that you are the most powerful of the two dolls. You want to prove that you are not a piece of junk, and you want to use this to prove that Raiden’s decision to abandon you was a mistake.”

[Scattered Soldiers] were surprised again.

His secret was only told to the Ice Queen.

The Ice Queen had promised him that she wouldn't mention it to anyone.

"It has nothing to do with Her Majesty the Queen."

Su Yu could tell what he was thinking from his expression.

“None of you have any secrets in my eyes. Because I am Prince Zhidong.”

To outsiders, the title "Prince Zhidong" sounds like nothing more than a title for a nobleman.

Only those at the core of the Winter Solstice leadership knew that Her Majesty the Empress's exceptional creation of this position was entirely due to Su Yu's unfathomable personal strength and unparalleled governing talent.

The name "Prince Zhidong" signifies omniscience and omnipotence.

"Your Highness, please give your orders."

The soldiers were even more respectful now, as if they had seen Her Majesty the Empress herself.

"Scaramchi, from this day forward, sever your obsession and delusion with the Heart of Inazuma. Even Rai knew that you cannot rely on the Heart of God, so you entrusted it to Yae no Miko for safekeeping. If you want to surpass Raiden General, you can only rely on your own strength; external forces are ultimately just aids."

"The Heart of God, something from Sky Island, is the shackles of the gods."

Su Yu's words came to an abrupt end.

The stragglers were deeply moved and greatly inspired.

He had been feeling lost and unable to find his way.

At this moment, it was as if I had been enlightened, and my Ren and Du meridians were opened.

"Your Highness is wise. I know what to do in the future."

[Scattered soldiers] bowed their heads in respect.

After saying that, he returned to his fishing boat and continued his surveillance mission to the outer seas.

Chapter 20 Mondstadt's Passion

Amidst the vast plains and mountains, the free wind, carrying the scent of dandelions, blows across the clear Fruit Wine Lake.

This free city, located in the northeastern part of the Teyvat continent, is known as the city-state of Wind and Pastoral.

Today, the Knights of Favonius donned their new armor and stood proudly on either side of the bridge spanning the river at the city gate. As part of the honor guard, they awaited the inspection of the Winter Mission, which was visiting Inazuma today.

Three years ago, the Kingdom of Winter was only ranked in the middle to upper range among the seven kingdoms, but now it has become a recognized leading power. Its development in the last three years can be described as a miracle.

The legendary figure who orchestrated this miracle, the unassuming Prince Winter, will lead his delegation to Mondstadt today.

Mondstadt believes in the ideal of freedom, and as a civilized nation of etiquette, it naturally cannot lag behind in terms of hospitality—after all, even Inazuma, a country that is closed off from the world and extremely xenophobic, received the Winter Mission with the highest level of courtesy.

Therefore, how to make the Winter's End delegation feel at home while also witnessing Mondstadt's spirit of not fearing power naturally became a matter that Jyn Gunnhildr, the acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, had to rack her brains to consider.

First and foremost, the highest level of courtesy is essential.

The Winter Mission rarely sends delegations to other countries on official visits. The Fools' influence is widespread throughout Teyvat, and most of the time, countries deal with the Fools.

Moreover, Prince Zhidong, who was leading the delegation, was considered Zhidong's second most important figure, so he naturally could not be neglected.

Secondly, Jean summoned the main members of the Knights of Favonius and personally greeted them outside the city.

The librarian Lisa, the cavalry captain Kaeya, the maid Noelle, and the captains of the various squads under the Knights of Favonius were all present.

Originally, it wouldn't have been appropriate for Noelle to attend such an official occasion, since she wasn't yet a formal member of the Knights of Favonius. However, Jean believed that such a grand event would better temper Noelle's character, so she insisted on including her on the welcoming list.

Finally, Jean ordered numerous welcome plaques to be set up throughout Mondstadt, and flowers and balloons were placed in many places, creating a lively atmosphere as if a grand festival was about to begin.

Such meticulous arrangements for the reception naturally involved a considerable amount of manpower and financial resources.

Therefore, some members of the Knights of Favonius, as well as some members of the public, came to Qin to object to this matter.

Their argument was that the Fools were causing chaos throughout Mondstadt and should not be treated with courtesy by the Winterborn delegation.

When Qin produced a compensation agreement, their resentment subsided.

Behind the warm welcome, Jean had prepared a generous gift for the Winter's Mission: a compensation agreement for the financial losses caused to Mondstadt by the Fools over the past decade, amounting to billions of Mora.

If this compensation arrives, it will be enough to renovate the entire city of Mondstadt.

As the golden sun rises, its rays shine through the sunset fruits on the treetops onto the earth. Flocks of white doves land on the bridge in the lake to forage for food, and the delegation from the Kingdom of Winter arrives in a grand procession.

Hundreds of horse-drawn carriages carrying five or six hundred people were seen from a great distance, raising clouds of dust that could be seen from the forest.

"Knights of Favonius, heed my command! Prepare your horns!"

The captain of the honor guard raised the command flag high.

Qin, Lisa, and Kaiya stood at the head of the bridge, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their newfound companion.

However, the situation was completely different from what they had expected.

When the delegation arrived at Zhidong, the person who jumped down from the lead carriage was not Prince Zhidong, but his personal maid.

"Where is Prince Zhidong?" Qin asked in surprise.

"I'm so sorry, His Highness said that since it's his first time in Mondstadt, he wants to wander around and enjoy the natural scenery. He will return to meet you after he has finished sightseeing."

The lady with the hidden mirror explained.

"Of course, if you have something urgent, you can discuss it with me first. I will report to the Prince in detail when he returns."

Lisa retorted without any politeness, "Discuss with you? You're just a personal maid."