He changed Tiwat

Kaiya looked at his eager subordinates and smiled, "Guys, your chance to make a name for yourselves has arrived. According to my informants, the gang of thugs who kidnapped tourists are gathered inside the 'Eagle Gate.' This time, we'll wipe them all out—remember, we're going to rescue the kidnapped tourists! No matter what the kidnappers claim to be—winter envoys or diplomats—arrest them first, understand?"

“Understood!” the knights replied in unison.

“Very good.” Kaia nodded in satisfaction. “Harry and Mike, you two are the best swordsmen in this team. You’ll be in charge of leading the team to clear out any monsters that may appear in the ruins. Joyce and Adler, you two are the most senior. You’ll be in charge of leading the team to suppress the remaining bandits. Remember, I want them alive. Guy, this is your first time participating in a mission like this, right? Stay by my side and be ready to provide support at any time.”

"Yes!"

Following in Kaeya's footsteps, the knights marched toward the "Gate of the Eagle".

Han Fulai and Youla pushed open the iron door of the interrogation room.

A strange, unpleasant smell hit you right in the face.

The mixture of pepper spray, vomit, and the ammonia smell of urine made one want to vomit.

Fortunately, the interrogation room in this ruin had ventilation holes in the walls, so it wasn't completely sealed off; otherwise, it would have been suffocating.

Yura immediately saw Schubert lying in a pool of filth, barely alive from the torment.

"Uncle!" Ignoring the filthy environment, Yura ran towards Schubert.

Hearing his niece's voice, Schubert struggled to sit up.

Yura's anxious face came into his blurred vision.

The elegant long dress she wore today, completely out of place in this run-down place, made Schubert feel as if he had been transported back in time to the little girl who had begged her uncle to hire a dance teacher for her.

At that time, the uncle and nephew were living a very harmonious life...

"Don't touch me!" These were the first words Schubert said to Yura.

Chapter 217 Han Fulai's Win-Win Solution [4k]

"Get out... Yura."

Schubert turned his head away, unable to look at his niece.

That phrase, "Don't touch me," was less a warning and more a plea... a plea for his niece not to see him in this shameful state.

For Schubert, an old aristocrat who had lived most of his life in a vain mind, this miserable state of being a prisoner was tantamount to shattering his self-esteem and authority—especially in front of Yura.

During his torture, Schubert prayed countless times in his heart that someone would rescue him. He even secretly prayed to the wind god who had overthrown the Lawrence family's rule and his despicable Knights of Favonius... Anyone would do, as long as they could save him...

Now, the Knights of Favonius have indeed arrived to rescue him.

However, that knight was Yura.

He watched Yura grow up from a young age.

Yura stood frozen in place, stunned.

Just two days ago, her Uncle Schubert was so arrogant, forcing her to marry the nobleman of Winter, and every move he made was so repulsive... If someone had told her then that her Uncle Schubert would soon suffer, Yura might have felt quite pleased.

But now, seeing Schubert's tragic state, all she felt was sorrow.

Yura had heard Amber mention the so-called "disabled elderly" before. There were some lonely elderly people in Mondstadt who couldn't take care of themselves and relied entirely on the Knights of Favonius for relief. Amber would occasionally go to such families to help out.

Those elderly people need help with eating, drinking, and relieving themselves; they can do almost nothing but lie in bed waiting to die.

Yura once thought that such a life was more terrifying than death—a life of mere existence, like a walking corpse, with almost no meaning, and dignity being out of the question.

In Yura's eyes, Schubert at this moment completely overlapped with the image of those disabled elderly people.

“Noble lineage,” “long history,” “aristocratic restraint”… these things are so illusory and fragile, so fragile that they can be shattered at the slightest touch.

She had a feeling—that just now, she had witnessed the death of Schubert Lawrence.

Han Fulai had somehow walked up to her, blocking her view.

He was holding a new towel in his hand.

In the past, when accompanying Ke Qing on business trips, Han Fulai, as her personal secretary, would always carry an extra set of travel toiletries, which came in handy now.

"Yura, let's go out first. Your uncle needs to tidy up a bit, and it might not be convenient for you to stay here since you're a girl."

He thought for a moment and then said, "By the way, the Fools might have left some documents or intelligence at this base. I think you could search for them while you're at it, Yura."

Yura nodded slightly.

She knew Han Fulai meant to get rid of her, but she didn't object. She really didn't want to see her Uncle Schubert like that.

"Search slowly, be careful of the Fools, there might be traps and mechanisms. Safety first," Han Fulai added.

Although he knew that the strongest member of the Fatui stronghold was dead, and the remaining minions posed no threat with Xiao Shangxian present, theoretically nothing should be able to harm Yura. However, adhering to the principle of "better safe than sorry," he still cast a Jade Shield on Yura.

In addition, he also had some things he didn't want Yura to hear and wanted to talk to this "uncle" about.

Yura silently accepted his kindness and left the interrogation room.

After confirming that Yura had left, Han Fulai closed the iron door of the interrogation room and released Schubert from his restraints. He then tossed a towel and a Mondstadt suit to Schubert, telling him to change into them himself.

He certainly wasn't kind enough to serve Schubert by bathing and dressing him. Even if Schubert were a real uncle, let alone a fake one, he wouldn't deserve such treatment—only Keqing and Ningguang had ever received this level of service; it was a requirement from their superiors.

While Schubert was changing, Han Fulai casually used his Salt God powers to make some minor modifications to the interrogation room, basically just ventilating it and covering up the filth. Although as a corporate slave he had a high tolerance for the environment, he didn't want to talk to anyone in a stinking place.

After Schubert changed his clothes, Han Fulai used his powers to make two marble chairs, and sat comfortably in one of them, crossing his legs. He even deliberately showed the soles of his shoes.

As the saying goes, "When people are well-fed and clothed, they know honor and shame," and Schubert, after changing his clothes, finally looked somewhat like a human again.

"...Thank you, no, thank you for your help, Sir Humphrey."

Schubert rarely used honorifics in his life, but at this moment he had to bow his head to this young man who was nearly thirty years younger than him.

Putting aside the fact that he was saved, the fact that this person could use his powers to create things was enough for even the slow-witted Schubert to realize that this person was extraordinary.

In reality, Han Fulai could have changed rooms, but he deliberately displayed his power in front of Schubert to show Schubert who held the initiative.

Having just endured the brutal treatment of the Fools, Schubert knew perfectly well that he couldn't afford to put on airs with his "nephew-in-law." He had already experienced firsthand that nobility was utterly worthless in the face of violence.

Sir Humphrey before us is clearly more powerful than those fools.

"Please sit down, Mr. Schubert. There are some things I'd like to discuss with you here."

Han Fulai casually pointed to the seat in front of him.

Schubert looked uneasy and sat down somewhat awkwardly.

Even if this old nobleman was hard-headed, he now had to be a little more flexible and try to figure out the purpose of his "nephew-in-law's" conversation with him in the secret room.

Sir Humphrey had previously been considerate of his feelings and preserved some of his dignity, which had earned him much favor; but just now, he addressed him by his first name, showing no regard for him as an elder, and acting as if he wanted to have a talk with him as a superior…

Thinking about how obedient even the rebellious Yura was to him, could it be that Yura has already...

Schubert's train of thought instantly shifted to the image of the elderly father whose son had thrown the ultrasound report in his face, even conjuring up a dialogue like, "Old Deng, your Yura is mine now..."

Clearly, thinking is not something he excels at.

Thinking in such a state of shock and disorientation was far too difficult for Schubert.

Han Fulai's lips curled slightly. His earlier combination of kindness and severity had worked well. Schubert's expression had already betrayed his inner unease.

"What secret is it that the Fools are willing to kidnap you to find out?" he asked bluntly.

"...Now that we're on your side, the Lawrence family's secrets are naturally open to you as well."

Schubert finally decided that instead of clinging to the past, he might as well latch onto this seemingly powerful figure right in front of him. As long as Han Fulai was the Lawrence family's son-in-law, he wouldn't be considered to be leaking family secrets to outsiders.

"They want the address of the 'Thousand Winds Temple'."

Upon hearing this, Han Fulai basically understood, but he still asked knowingly, "Isn't the ruins of the Thousand Winds Temple on the Star-Picking Cliff?"

Schubert, however, gave the precise answer: "The one on Starcliff is a temple built for the 'Master of the Wind.' In our time, it had been transformed into an arena, merely a theater for the amusement of nobles. The 'rituals' passed down through our royal lineage are actually for the worship of the 'Master of Time.' What the Fools want to know is the location of that true temple."

He then proceeded to tell Han Fu a long list of the Lawrence family’s “glorious history” during the royal era, as well as family secrets such as the rituals and the inheritance of the “Ice Seal.”

As expected, Han Fulai sighed inwardly.

The Lawrence family had once worshipped the Time Ruler, and even the power of their ancestral "Ice Seal" was likely related to that Time Ruler.

Of course, he learned most of these things from Mona this morning.

According to Mona's interpretation of the "Ritual Fragments," the object of their sacrifice was called "the wind of time," which is the same as Schubert's "master of time." The place where they worshiped this deity was on the high cliff overlooking the sea east of Mondstadt, also known as Starcliff.

Two thousand years ago, the ancestors of Mondstadt probably worshipped the "Master of Time" and the "Master of Wind" together, so they built two temples for the sacrifice, one dedicated to the wind god Barbatos and the other to the ruler of time.

As Barbatos fell into slumber and the era of nobility and royalty arrived, Barbatos's statues were all overthrown, and his temple was transformed into a gladiatorial arena. Incidentally, Vanessa, who founded the Knights of Favonius, was originally a gladiator providing gladiator performances for the nobility in that arena… Perhaps this is a kind of cause and effect.

As the saying goes, fortunes change every thirty years, let alone a thousand years.

A thousand years later, Barbatos awoke, only to find that the ruler of time had vanished.

After Vanessa overthrew the aristocratic rule, the historical records about the Time Ruler were buried, including the sacrifices offered to the Time Ruler and the temple dedicated to them.

The Fools, having somehow learned of this secret, sought to use the Lawrence family to search for the remnants of the Time Ruler.

If that ruler of time really left behind some powerful legacy, the already powerful Fatui would be even more formidable, and might even use it to bring Mondstadt under their control.

Han Fulai then asked, "Did you tell them the location of the real temple?"

Schubert shook his head: "I have no idea... It happened a thousand years ago, and my ancestors didn't leave any specific location information. The terrain of Mondstadt has changed a lot since then. I just drew a map from a thousand years ago for them based on my memory... But those bastards from the Fools didn't believe me and used those despicable methods to try to force me to reveal the secret."

At this point, he quickly emphasized, "Ah, I swear on the name of the Lawrence family, I'm telling the truth!"

Han Fulai nodded, indicating that he believed Schubert's words.

Schubert certainly couldn't know the location of that nameless island—even a gamer like him might not know this, let alone the Lawrence family, who had been away from Mondstadt for a thousand years.

It must have been Barbatos who did it.

He can blow "Pointed Peak" into the sea and turn it into "Musk Reef," and of course he can also blow the temple of time's rule to other places.

Han Fulai, as a time traveler who had completed the "Time and Wind" mission, happened to know that there was an uninhabited island in the sea east of Zhaixing Cliff that was not marked on any map.

That is the site of the temple ruins left by the belief in the rule of time, the secret that the Fools were willing to kidnap Schubert to learn.

The Fatui's ambitions in Mondstadt seem to extend far beyond mere remnants of demons; they even covet the ruling power of the Sky Isles...

Of course, this seems to be in line with the usual behavior of the Fools.

The Lawrence family, relying on their relationship with the Time Ruler from a thousand years ago, attempted to use it as leverage to negotiate cooperation with the Fools. However, the Fools taught the Lawrence family a lesson in what "cooperation" truly meant with their fists.

Schubert's confession has completed the final piece of the puzzle for him.

By this point, he had basically figured out the purpose of the Fools and the Lawrence family's actions.

If nothing unexpected happens, his next stop will probably be that nameless island.

The secrets Wendy seeks to uncover from Mondstadt's history lie on that nameless island. Many of Mondstadt's hidden secrets are buried within that ancient temple, awaiting his discovery. It seems that this will be the end of his Mondstadt journey.

Right now, there are still two things to take care of – first, Jean wants to protect Yola while expelling the Fools; second, Yola wants to protect her family.

Diluc's appearance has already told Han Fulai that Kaeya is also involved.

From the Knights' perspective, Yura and the Lawrence family are mutually exclusive.

Han Fulai pondered for a moment, then adopted a more formal sitting posture and smiled at Schubert, saying, "Thank you, Uncle, for being willing to reveal such family secrets to me. Since you have treated me with such sincerity, I must reciprocate. My words just now were somewhat disrespectful because I am at odds with the Winter Fools and have some concerns..."

"But judging from what my uncle just said, the Lawrence family has no real connection with the Fools. So my nephew can rest assured and boldly arrange a marriage with the Lawrence family."

Schubert was somewhat flattered by this sudden change in address, especially the information revealed in his words—it sounded as if he possessed a powerful force opposing the Fools, to the point that he almost had to sever his marriage alliance with the Lawrence family because of his stance.

Schubert asked cautiously, "Well...may I ask where you hold a position in the Moman Palace? I don't recall ever hearing of any enmity between Fontaine and the Fools...?"

"So that my uncle may know, although I hold the title of Lord of Fontaine, I actually work at Moonlit Pavilion in Liyue. My real name is Han Fulai, and my position in Liyue is roughly equivalent to 'Acting Grand Master of the Knights' Order'."

Although his tone was ordinary, Han Fulai's eyes had turned a pale gold, and Schubert once again felt the same oppressive aura he had experienced at the circus the night before.

“I also have a title in Liyue, called ‘Successor of the Geo Archon’.”

Chapter 218 Continuing the Lawrence Family Bloodline

"The successor of the Rock King Emperor!"

Schubert's pupils dilated violently.

The chair he was sitting on and the overwhelming pressure of the immortal power he was experiencing both told him that the young man opposite him was absolutely telling the truth.

Or rather, he very much hopes and is willing to believe that what the other person is saying is the truth.

Even though the Lawrence family is now just a small, rural noble family with limited access to information, they had still heard about the death of the Rock God at the "Invocation Ceremony" earlier this year.

Ordinary people might not witness the fall of a god even in several lifetimes. In this world where gods exist, nothing is more newsworthy than the passing of the Rock King.

The profound impact of the death of the Rock King Emperor even truly affected the Lawrence family.

After being expelled by Vanessa, most of the Lawrence family moved to Winter and a small portion to Fontaine, barely making ends meet with the wealth they had accumulated during their royal days. Although the descendants of the Lawrence family still consider themselves nobles, they know in reality that the Lawrence family is no longer what it used to be.

The decline of the manor, the shrinking of the business, the reduction of servants, the thinning of the family... all these things undeniably told Schubert that the Lawrence family had fallen into decline, even if he was unwilling to admit it.