He changed Tiwat

The Goethe family's business principle is "to do business with anyone." Even if the other party is the infamous Fools, as long as they pay enough Mora, they don't mind letting the Fools book the "Goethe Grand Hotel" indefinitely.

Even the Goethe family, which did business with the Fools, did not give the Lawrence family a house.

Four years ago, fifteen-year-old Yura passed the family trial and was awarded the "Mark of Solid Ice," after which she ran away from the Lawrence family. At that time, she came to the Goethe family to ask them to rent her a room, but was sternly refused.

Of course, it wasn't just the Goethe family; in fact, almost all the general stores in Mondstadt, including the Deer Hunter's Restaurant and the Cat's Tail Tavern, refused to sell anything to her, a descendant of the Lawrence family. As a result, Yura even spent some time hunting and sleeping in the wild.

Fortunately, this experience also led her to meet an elderly scout knight who patrolled the wilderness, as well as her close friend Amber.

Later, she used her exquisite Favonius swordsmanship to "spar" with the elite of the Knights Order, defeating many active knights. As a result, she received an invitation from the Knights Order to become a Knight of Favonius and also gained her own dormitory.

Although she, a descendant of the Lawrence family, was still a rejected "outsider" to the Mondstadt people, their attitudes changed somewhat after they heard that she was now a full-fledged Knight of Favonius, and with Amber tirelessly promoting Yura's contributions to the Knights. At least their hostility was no longer outwardly expressed—they were at least willing to sell her things.

...As for the occasional minor conflicts, they are much better than before, and Yura knows how to be content.

As soon as Yura stepped into the hotel lobby, she immediately felt prying eyes and whispers.

“That person is… Yura Lawrence…”

Why are the Lawrence family members here...?

Yura looked in the direction of the sound and saw two diplomats from the Fools, Mikhail and Lyudmila.

These two were subordinates of the Fatui Executor "Rich Man," who had originally come to Mondstadt with the Executor "Lady" to assist her in diplomatic operations. At that time, the Fatui were dissatisfied with the location allocated to them by the Knights of Fatalis, so "Rich Man" paid for the "Goethe Hotel," which then became the Fatui's temporary embassy.

After the "Dragon Plague" ended, the "Lady" left Mondstadt, taking her subordinates with her. Only a few cats and dogs sent by the "Rich Man" remained in the hotel, renting a suite as Winter's office. The "Goethe Hotel" then reopened to the public.

Yura merely glared coldly at the two Fool's diplomats, who immediately fell silent and shrank back involuntarily.

Normally, Yura wouldn't mind teaching these two sneaky guys a lesson, but today she had more important things to do.

She went to the hotel front desk, claimed to be on official business for the Knights, and asked the receptionist for the address of a certain traveler before going up to the second floor of the hotel.

Yura stopped in front of the door of the innermost room on the second floor of the hotel and tidied her appearance in front of the full-length mirror at the end of the corridor.

Starting with the black headband, Yura adjusted the positions of her accessories, tie, and shawl one by one, ensuring they were all in the most suitable positions.

Yes, the elegance of nobility and the demeanor of a knight are both impeccable.

Yura nodded slightly to herself.

The guard duty she accepted was very important; it was a major mission that could influence the future development of Mondstadt.

Last night, Kaiya made a rare exception and invited her to "Angel's Gift".

He even thoughtfully ordered her a glass of aged dandelion wine.

—Served in a silver glass, the wine is decanted for twelve minutes, then ice is added until the wine level is about 60% above the ice. One glass costs over 100,000 Mora.

Given Kaiya's personality of never visiting unless there's a reason, the fact that he invited her for drinks and spent so much money on it means he must have something important to discuss.

According to Kaeya, the "Deputy Minister Han" living there is equivalent to "the leader of the Liyue Harp," and his influence in Liyue is so great that "everyone who moves here has a significant impact." He came to Mondstadt to discuss a major business deal with the Knights of Favonius, the outcome of which could potentially have a significant impact on the economic development of Mondstadt and even the entire Teyvat region. He is an important figure who absolutely cannot be allowed to make a mistake in Mondstadt.

This important figure now has business to discuss with Abedo, the leader of the investigation team, at Dragonspine Mountain. Therefore, the escort mission during his journey will be entirely handled by the Knights' elite. In terms of elite status, few in the Knights' Order can rival the "Wave Knights."

According to Kaia, Deputy Minister Han is gentle, intelligent, and approachable. He is easy to get along with and has a helpful nature.

...In other words, if they could gain his goodwill, this Vice Minister Han from Liyue might be able to help them and Amber find "that person"—Yura's master and benefactor, the previous leader of the reconnaissance squad, a bodyguard from the Liyue Guhua faction—and also Amber's grandfather.

Even for Amber's sake, Yura had to remind herself to be extremely vigilant in this mission.

This time, she needed someone's help, so she had to make sure she left a good first impression.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Chapter 74 Han Fulai: Rising Too Fast

As a secretary, Han Fulai had long been accustomed to a life of going to bed late and waking up early—his biological clock had been adjusted by Gan Yu and Ke Qing to the point where it was difficult for him to sleep in even if he wanted to…

Hearing the knock on the door, Han Fulai, who was half-lying on the bed reading "The Night Tales of Princess Fischl", stood up.

He figured breakfast must have arrived.

As a five-star hotel in Monde, the Goethe Hotel offers excellent room service and naturally provides guests with a "star-rated breakfast".

He had been spending a lot of time with Mona and Yingmei recently and hadn't had a chance to enjoy the hotel's room service, so last night he specifically asked the hotel staff to bring him breakfast tomorrow morning.

However, when he opened the door, what appeared before him was not a hot breakfast, but a cold and aloof beauty.

The cold beauty bowed to him the moment he opened the door, her sea-blue hair swaying like waves, and a faint fragrance instantly wafted into his nostrils.

"I greet you with the morning dew, esteemed Vice Minister Han. I am Yura Lawrence, the 'Sweet Wave Knight' of the Knights of Favonius, here on a mission to protect you. During your stay in Mondstadt, I swear in my name, Yura Lawrence, that my honor and loyalty will be with you."

Yura had no prior experience as a guard, and this was a speech she had come up with after much thought, combining the etiquette of the Lawrence family with the oath of the knights. It was a speech that was both noble and emphasized knightly loyalty, and it could be said to be the most sincere she could offer.

After finishing her speech, Yura raised her head and looked at the person she was protecting this time.

Then she froze. This person... looks familiar.

Han Fulai was also a little stunned. He blinked, and then...

Then he closed the door.

Yura heard him mutter, "He got too excited, he's hallucinating..."

Through the door, Han Fulai rubbed his eyes, shook his head, and pinched his cheek with his fingers.

Yes, confirmed, I wasn't living in a dream.

So he clearly saw Yura bow to him and heard her say something like, "My honor and loyalty will be with you."

When we met in the wild before, she seemed to have said something like, "I'm not interested in getting to know you, and I don't have time to chat with you."

The Knights of Favonius assigned Yura as their bodyguard? That Yura, who's practically a walking embodiment of arrogance, would actually condescend to be someone else's bodyguard? There's definitely something fishy going on here!

He remembered the smile on Kaiya's face when she saw him off yesterday.

Although he didn't know that Kaiya was responsible, his intuition told him that Kaiya was definitely involved.

Yes, because Kaiya's smile makes him look like a bad guy; that's just Han Fulai judging people by their appearance.

Han Fulai looked up at the sky and thought about it carefully.

...It seems like sending Yura to be his bodyguard is indeed the right thing to do? Yura is the captain of the Knights of Faith, an elite knight with a title. In Liyue, this would be equivalent to having the Thousand Rocks Army instructor, Fengyan, as his bodyguard—that's a very high-level appointment.

Moreover, Yura is a rare holder of the Eye of God and one of the top swordsmen in the Knights Order, making her a formidable force in any nation's army. The fact that they assigned Yura to him despite their manpower shortage demonstrates their high regard for him and shows the Knights Order's sincerity.

Uh... so logically he has no reason to "return" the Knights, right?

If I were to yell "refund!" at Yura, would that create an irreconcilable feud?

At the same time, Yura was also recalling the scene of her first meeting with Han Fulai.

She remembered saying something to this person a few days ago—

She said, "Our guerrilla squad is always responsible for the most dangerous missions. Meeting me means danger. I believe you don't want us to meet again, do you? So, goodbye."

And she said "never to see you again"... It's only been a few days! She's already come to pay her respects and even asked them to help her find her!

Yura's face flushed red instantly.

She also recalled the ambiguous smile on Kaia's face when he was drinking last night; she should have known that Kaia had no good intentions.

Amber had complained to her about Kaeya's pranks, like how he wilted the dandelions in the Knights' flowerbed with ice. This guy was the kind of person who would openly resort to underhanded tricks... She shouldn't have believed him and accepted the mission.

This glib-tongued fellow must have already inquired with the guerrilla squad members about his conflict with this Deputy Minister Han, right?

And right now, he must be sitting in the Knights' office, legs crossed, waiting to see me make a fool of myself, right?

"Damn it, I'll remember this grudge!"

Yura barely suppressed the urge to draw her sword and return to the Knights to settle scores with Kaeya.

As a knight, once a mission is accepted, one must do one's utmost to complete it; this is a knight's dignity. To simply slink back and tell Kaya and Jean that they've switched people would be worse than being a mediocre person who just coasts along. Even a "sinner" shouldn't be so disgraced.

Yura took another deep breath, recalling the movements of the "Festival Dance" in her mind, forcing herself to regain her composure.

At that moment, the door opened again.

Han Fulai had changed into a Mondstadt-style suit and had even combed his hair again.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Miss Yura. I just got up and haven't had time to tidy myself up yet. I don't want to be impolite when facing a lady."

He gave a warm smile and extended his hand to Yura.

"Let's get to know each other again. My name is Han Fulai, and I am currently the Deputy Director of the Moonlit Pavilion in Liyue. During my time in Mondstadt, I asked Miss Yura to take good care of me."

Although she didn't know how Han Fulai had changed his appearance in just two minutes, Yura could still understand what he meant.

He wanted to tell her that the past was the past, and that they should pretend it never happened, and that this was their first meeting.

Well, although I don't know what kind of person this is, he certainly has the demeanor of an important person.

At least Yura doesn't find him annoying anymore.

She also demurely extended her hand and shook hands with Han Fulai.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Deputy Minister Han. I will be in charge of your security during your stay in Mondstadt. As a knight, I will not fail in my duty.”

Han Fulai straightened his clothes and smiled, "I have already booked breakfast at the hotel. I wonder if Miss Yura would be willing to have breakfast with me? Consider it a celebration of our meeting."

Chapter 75 Yura, Yanfei, and Amber [4k]

Han Fulai spent the next two days traveling.

In addition to sending Yura as his bodyguard, the Knights of Favonius also provided him with a special carriage. Besides making his journey easier, the carriage bearing the insignia of the Knights of Favonius would also effectively deter bandits along the way. Even the most clueless robber like Taylor wouldn't be foolish enough to rob the Knights of Favonius.

The driver was a young knight from the Order named Risser.

Risser had been assigned by the leader of the Qin Troupe to patrol the "Sleeping Dragon Valley" area at the foot of the Dragon Ridge Snow Mountain. He was quite familiar with the terrain around the snow mountain, so he was specially assigned to be the coachman this time.

Perhaps because the journey was so boring, the young man was quite talkative, sharing many of his experiences and observations about Longji Snow Mountain with them along the way.

For example, "The environment of the snow mountain is extremely harsh, with low temperatures, monsters, and rugged terrain... Everything here is far more dangerous than ordinary people can imagine. Many of the Knights have been here once and never dared to come back again."

For example, "You ask me why I'm not afraid of the cold? Because I have an iron will and a strong physique that is not afraid of the cold wind... and I also wear three or four layers of clothes under my armor, so I'm absolutely warm."

For example, “'Sleeping Dragon Valley' is the final resting place of the pitch-black dragon. The life force pouring out from the dragon’s core dyes the silver-white snow-covered valley crimson, and sometimes you can see special chalcedony that looks like congealed blood while walking in the valley.”

He even went so far as to complain quite a bit: "The residents of Mondstadt are so lacking in vigilance. The other day, during my patrol, I stopped a family of three who wanted to go camping in the mountains, and a few kids who wanted to have a snowball fight at the summit. Life in Mondstadt is so comfortable these days that most people can't even imagine how dangerous the world can be..."

"Some people always say that our Knights Order is unreliable... But if you ask me, the Mondstadt people live such a peaceful life entirely because of our Knights Order. If it weren't for our Commander Jean and the Knights of Favonius, heaven knows how terrible a lesson those naive fellows would have learned!"

Of course, from a foreigner's perspective, Han Fulai could only listen to this kind of topic and think to himself how the Mondstadt people, even when they weren't drunk, loved to discuss politics...

However, thanks to the talkative Rither, the atmosphere along the way wasn't too dull.

Traveling with a beautiful woman should be a delightful experience, but this woman is Yura.

Although Han Fulai and Youla put aside their past grievances after that breakfast, their relationship was clearly not at the level of "friends".

In order to demonstrate her professionalism as a "Wave Knight", Yura has maintained a state of high alert since the beginning of the journey, paying close attention to the slightest movement of her surroundings. Even when sitting in the carriage, her whole body is like a taut bow, as if she would suddenly jump up if you spoke to her.

In this atmosphere, it was naturally not appropriate for Han Fulai to chat with Youla. Moreover, Youla was very sensitive to eye contact. She would notice as soon as Han Fulai's gaze fell on her, and then look at him with an expression that said, "Do you need something?"

There was nothing to talk about, and nothing to look at... Luckily, Han Fu had borrowed a set of novels from the library beforehand, which helped him pass the time.

Only when they camped and ate at night did Han Fulai have a chance to have a proper conversation with Yura. Although the investigation into the Lawrence family's ancestors had been handed over to Mona, Han Fulai wanted to ask Yura about her family since there was a descendant of the Lawrence family by his side.

Unfortunately, Yura was clearly very reserved, and the conversation was mostly about work, especially when it came to matters concerning the Lawrence family, she was unwilling to say a word more.

Han Fulai knew that Yura had some psychological trauma in this regard, and it was normal that she was unwilling to talk about it with outsiders; there was no point in rushing it. So most of the conversation consisted of him casually talking about his experiences in Liyue, and he tried to choose interesting topics, such as anecdotes from the streets and alleys, local customs, and the like.

Yura didn't respond much; most of the time, he did the talking and Yura listened.

As he spoke, Han Fulai mentioned a Mondstadt merchant he had known before.

A few months ago, during the counterfeit money incident in Liyue Harbor, a Mondstadt merchant named Pharah was buying fish in Liyue Harbor when he was ripped off by fishmongers Lao Gao and Lao Sun. It was Pharah who stepped in to help him out at that time, which is quite an amusing story now.

He vividly imitated Farah's heavily accented "Master Smoky" and "May the wind god deceive you, Mr. Humphrey" for Yura.

When "Master Yanfei" was mentioned, Yura was somewhat surprised—

"So you know Miss Yanfei too?"

More than just knowing each other, Yan Fei is also his landlady, okay? Han Fulai smiled and nodded, "Yes, Miss Yan Fei is my friend. I even stayed at Miss Yan Fei's office before."

Yura was even more surprised, forgetting even to use honorifics: "So you're the person Yanfei mentioned in the letter!"

During the Lantern Festival, Yanfei sent letters to her family and friends, including her pen pal, Yura. In the letter, Yanfei mentioned a tenant who had stayed at her house, and judging from the wording, she seemed to have a good impression of that tenant.

Upon hearing Yura's words, Han Fulai became interested: "Oh, so Miss Yura also knows Yan Fei?"

According to Yura, their guerrilla squad once took on a mission to track a shipment of dangerous goods belonging to the Abyss Order. At the time, the Order's dangerous goods were disguised as ordinary cargo and were to be transshipped from Jingfu Port to Liyue Port. Yanfei was a legal consultant traveling on the merchant ship. She discovered something suspicious about the cargo and began investigating without authorization, which resulted in her getting herself into trouble.

"If we had arrived a few minutes later, she would have been in big trouble."

Recalling that experience, Yura remembered the scene. At that time, the "Abyss Apostle," disguised as a member of the merchant caravan, suddenly transformed and attacked Yanfei from behind while she was secretly searching for goods. The knife had already torn Yanfei's clothes.