While I was in Mondstadt, I never imagined becoming a god.

Xu Chuan stopped in his tracks.

Yura always talks about "holding grudges," but he knows she's not the kind of person who would resort to underhanded revenge.

What could possibly make her do that?

With his doubts in mind, Xu Chuan followed Yura at a leisurely pace.

He decided to find out for himself.

The three of them maintained a delicate distance as they crossed two streets and turned into a quieter alley.

The buildings along the roadside gradually became taller, and the streetlights became brighter.

Finally, the middle-aged man stopped in front of a building.

Goethe Hotel.

The most luxurious hotel in Mondstadt, and also the residence of the Fatui mission in Mondstadt.

The building, in the style of Mondstadt, was much taller than the surrounding houses, and its pointed tower cast long shadows in the moonlight.

Two Fools soldiers stood on either side of the gate, standing straight and scanning their surroundings warily.

Two bright lanterns hung at the entrance, illuminating the surroundings.

The middle-aged man stepped forward and whispered a few words to the Fools soldiers at the door.

The soldier nodded, stepped aside, and the man pushed open the door and went inside.

The door closed behind him, completely isolating the world inside from the night outside.

Yura stood in the shadows at the street corner, watching the door close.

She didn't go any further.

She seemed to have gotten the result she wanted and had no intention of continuing the investigation.

Xu Chuan stood in the shadows further away, watching Yura's back.

She stood there for a while, as if confirming something, or perhaps digesting something.

The moonlight shone on her, her slender figure standing out on the empty street.

Xu Chuan keenly noticed some changes in Yura.

It's not anger or resentment.

It is... loneliness.

A sense of desolation that had been suppressed for a long time and finally revealed itself at this moment.

Yura always talks about "holding grudges" and faces everyone's prejudice and cold looks with pride.

But at this moment, her disguise seemed to have been torn open by something.

Xu Chuan suddenly remembered something and understood why she had been following that person.

That person must be from the Lawrence family.

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Sinner's Rebellion

The Lawrence family.

One of the great noble families that founded Mondstadt, a symbol of past glory and honor, but that was a long time ago.

The Lawrence family later made the wrong choice, going against the decisions of their ancestors, and attempted to establish a dictatorship in Mondstadt.

After being overthrown, this surname became a synonym for shame in the hearts of the Mondstadt people, and was hated, rejected, and even despised by the public.

Yura has carried the burden of everything that comes with this surname since birth.

She tried to make changes and prove herself through her actions, but with little success. The strange looks and deliberate distancing never disappeared.

Ironically, in Xu Chuan's memory, the Lawrence family seemed to have completely failed to learn from their past mistakes.

Even now, they are still having unrealistic dreams.

They also attempted to complete the "grand undertaking" that their ancestors had failed to accomplish by cooperating with the Fools.

"For Yura, Lawrence was also an abyss."

Xu Chuan silently watched Yura's departing figure and sighed softly.

She didn't turn around, and her tall, slender figure quickly disappeared around the street corner.

The moonlight shone on the empty streets, as if nothing had ever happened.

He didn't choose to chase after them at that time.

It wasn't because she was afraid of being held a grudge; Yura always said, "I'll remember this grudge."

He simply knew that Yura's proud nature made her unwilling to show her vulnerable side in front of others.

Saying comforting words to her at this moment will only make her feel overwhelmed and confused.

But to be frank, while Falgar led the Knights on an expedition...

Now that Dvalin has gone mad and everything in Mondstadt is in chaos, with the help of the Fools, this is indeed the best time to seize power.

It could even be said that this was the only opportunity the Lawrence family had in all these years to gain access to power in Mondstadt.

Xu Chuan glanced at the closed door of the Goethe Hotel, then turned and left.

Goethe Hotel, penthouse suite.

The woman sat on the sofa, her long legs crossed, gently swirling a wine glass in her hand.

The deep red wine clung to the glass in beautiful arcs, gleaming with a dark luster under the candlelight.

A man stood before her, impeccably dressed, with a reserved demeanor and an arrogance ingrained in the bones of the old aristocracy.

His face was filled with nostalgia for past glories and a fervent anticipation for the future.

“Mr. Schubert,” the woman’s voice was unhurried, “I have already seen the sincerity of your family.”

The man called Schubert bowed slightly: "The Lawrence family will do everything in its power."

The woman smiled but did not reply.

After the man left, the Thunderfire mage finally couldn't help but speak up: "My lord, given the reputation of the Lawrence family in Mondstadt..."

"Can they really get what we want?"

In Lei Ying's opinion, it was beneath a lady of her status to receive a member of the fallen Lawrence family.

The woman took a sip of her drink, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

“Mondstadt prides itself on being a free city-state,” she said, “and presumably it also has the freedom to tolerate sinners’ betrayal again.”

In her eyes, the Lawrence family was insignificant. She didn't value the so-called cooperation much either.

If her plan succeeds, more "Lawrences" will naturally emerge.

However, it is astonishing that a family of sinners still has the courage to rebel again.

This surprised her somewhat.

"grown ups."

A debt collector appeared at the door at some point, bowing respectfully.

"The source of the aura of the wind god that appeared that night has not yet been found," he said. "But the identities of the people who stole the Sky Harp from the base have been confirmed."

"The gift of the angels, the boss Diluc, one is a traveler of unknown origin, and the last is a bard from Mondstadt."

"A bard?" The woman raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.” The debt collector paused. “This bard’s past seems to be a blank.”

"blank?"

The lady put down her wine glass, her fingers lightly tapping the armrest. The candlelight cast interplay of light and shadow on her face, and a hint of amusement flashed in her eyes.

blank.

In Teyvat, a person's past can be erased, either by someone deliberately wiping out all traces.

Alternatively, that person may not belong to any record at all.

interesting.

“Continue the investigation,” she said.

"Yes."

It's another morning.

The weather in Mondstadt was rather gloomy, with low-hanging clouds and sunlight filtering through the gaps, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Abedo and Sugar were already waiting for him.

Since returning from the snow mountain, the daily routine checks have been ongoing.

Xu Chuan had become accustomed to being surrounded by people, and could even judge the general situation of today's data based on Sugar's expression.

"Incredible."

Aberdo looked at the latest test report and, unusually, repeated the word.

The adaptability of the wind element is ridiculously high.

It's not just the element of wind.

His body's tolerance to various forces is increasing at an astonishing rate.

Like a sponge, it constantly absorbs everything around it, yet it is never saturated.

Sugar whispered from the side, "If I didn't know that Mr. Xu Chuan was a normal person, I would really suspect... that he could be used directly as alchemical material."

Xu Chuan: "..."

“I’m listening,” he said.

Sugar's face flushed red instantly: "I'm so sorry!"

Aberdo didn't react much; he simply put the report away and said, "Keep it up."

After the routine inspection, Xu Chuan went straight to Qin's office.

With the recommendation of Abedo and Ying, he successfully joined the mission to awaken Tvalin.

Qin didn't hesitate much. Abedo's letter of recommendation carried enough weight, Ying's testimony was also strong enough, and coupled with his previous performance in the snow mountain, no one would question whether he was qualified.

Xu Chuan looked around the room and his gaze met Yura's.

She stood by the window, arms crossed, her expression unchanged. When she saw him come in, she simply nodded slightly as a greeting.

She looked nothing like the forlorn woman she had been the night before.

Xu Chuan nodded, without saying anything more.

There were fewer people in the office than Xu Chuan had expected.

Yura, Abedo, Wendy, Luminous, Diluc, Jean, and himself make a total of seven people.

They were all holders of the Eye of God.

Although the one Wendy has is fake, it's more real than the real thing.

Given the current state of the Knights of Favonius, it is already quite remarkable that they were able to mobilize so many combat forces at once.

Falgar took most of the manpower with him, leaving the rest to maintain city defenses and clear out monsters in the wild, leaving them short-handed.

Qin stood up from behind her desk, her gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"I'll make a long story short." Her voice was clear and serious. "There's a temporary solution to the Stormterror's problem. We'll use the Sky Harp to awaken it and restore its sanity."

She paused.

"But there's always a chance of something going wrong. If the awakening fails, we must do everything we can to stop its subsequent actions."

She phrased it very tactfully.

But everyone present understood the underlying meaning.

If the awakening fails, Dvalin will be nothing more than a dragon controlled by the abyss.