He changed Tiwat

Upon hearing this, Han Fulai finally nodded.

By the way, the Grand Master is going on an expedition, so someone needs to stay behind in Mondstadt. He is currently the "acting Grand Master" of Mondstadt.

Chapter 311: Revealing Ancient Events (4)

Outside Mondstadt, Han Fulai saw the real Knights of Favonius for the first time.

The first thing he saw was smoke and dust.

The horses were merely standing still, yet the dust they kicked up already covered the sky outside Mondstadt.

Four-colored military flags were displayed beneath the sky obscured by smoke and dust.

Red eagle flags, blue dragon flags, purple lion flags, and green wolf flags—the banners bearing the inscription "Guardians of the Four Winds" fluttered in the air amidst the army formation.

Each military flag represented a cavalry square and 150 armored cavalrymen.

The four square formations comprised six hundred heavily armored cavalrymen.

Yes, armored cavalry.

The term "armored cavalry" refers to both riders and horses being clad in armor. The knights wore helmets with hoods and plate armor, completely covering their bodies; the horses were also covered in fine iron horse armor, with only their eyes, ears, noses, tails, and hooves exposed.

The weight of this set of plate armor and horse armor alone exceeded fifty pounds, not even including the weight of the knights themselves and the weapons they carried.

Only the northern steeds raised in the "Pastoral Lands" possess such endurance to bear such weight, and only Mondstadt, with its abundant pastures and water, can support such a cavalry legion.

The fully equipped Zephyr is no longer just a soldier, but can be considered a light armored vehicle.

Six hundred magnificent warhorses, six hundred sets of such heavy iron armor, and six hundred men capable of wearing such armor to fight the enemy.

They simply stood there in formation, yet the aura they exuded was as majestic and imposing as a mountain, causing the earth to tremble.

Once they launch their charge, the Knights of Favonius's iron torrent will tear apart all obstacles like a storm.

In this era before the Fools, who wield muskets and evil eyes, existed, the Knights of Favonius's cavalry legions were undoubtedly the strongest army on the continent of Teyvat.

Behind them were thousands of grooms and over two thousand packhorses. Each knight was equipped with at least three horses to rotate, ensuring sufficient horsepower and mobility for long-distance raids. In addition, there were various support squads primarily engaged in infantry combat, bringing the total number of expeditionary forces to two thousand, nearly a thousand of whom were truly elite Knights of Favonius.

This was the most majestic and imposing military display in Mondstadt's history since its founding, and even the expeditionary force led by Grand Master Falgar five hundred years later could not compare to it.

Looking at this army, Han Fulai felt a surge of passion and excitement welling up in his chest. He wished he could mount a warhorse and join the ranks, galloping all the way to the horizon.

The people of Mondstadt who came to see him off, both on the city walls and at the city gates, were just as moved as he was.

Among the ranks below the city were their relatives, friends, and lovers... They had embarked on an expedition to protect the continent of Teyvat and to save their homeland from the ravages of disaster.

Everyone stood tall, genuinely proud of their knightly order.

Upon seeing Han Fulai emerge from the city gate, a rider leaped out from under the banner of the "Lion of the South Wind."

A fiery red horse charged towards him, its front hooves raised high.

The knight dismounted, leaving deep footprints on the ground as he landed—a man nine feet tall, with a longsword hanging at his waist and a giant greatsword on his back—a man who could wield both a greatsword and a longsword in a two-handed sword dance on the battlefield; in the history of the Knights of Favonius, there has only been one such man.

The knight walked up to him, lifted his mask to reveal emerald green eyes, lion-mane curly hair, and a hearty smile.

—Erendelyn, the current Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, Commander of the Expeditionary Force, and the Lion of Light.

He punched Han Fulai hard on the shoulder.

"Brother, you've finally arrived. I've been waiting for you."

Even with the well-trained physique of "Young Wolf" Rustan, he had to take a step back to regain his balance after being punched by Erendrin, which made Erendrin laugh out loud: "I told you not to always lie behind your desk. Look at you, you're weaker than before."

Han Fulai smiled bitterly to himself, thinking that the "young wolf" in front of him was fake, and the person inside was just an office secretary.

In this dream world, Han Fulai's immortal power and equipment are all gone; apart from his "wolf skin" appearance, he's really just a clerical secretary...

The knight and disciple Roland standing next to him coughed, reminding the Grand Master that this was not the time for the brothers to fool around.

Eren Delin was always at a loss when faced with this "pure white knight" who was just as serious and rigid as his teacher. He habitually scratched the back of his head before remembering that he was wearing a helmet...

Then he banged his helmet twice like a bell, looked up and shouted to the crowd on the city wall: "Everyone, look me in the eye! I have an announcement: starting today, Rustam is the acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius! — Actually, you can drop the word 'acting,' since he's been managing things for me all these years..."

Laughter erupted from the crowd and his knightly order, with some responding sarcastically, "We knew even if you didn't say it!"

Looking at the jubilant scene, Han Fulai frowned slightly—he realized that this "departure ceremony" was not so simple.

Heavy cavalrymen typically donned their full armor only before a charge; otherwise, their gear was transported by packhorses and carts, as the weight of the armor would place a heavy burden on their precious warhorses.

Erendlin's decision to have his cavalry fully armed at his doorstep was more symbolic than practically significant as a "ceremonial guard."

Furthermore, the announcement of an "acting captain" can actually be done by discussing it internally within the Knights Order and then writing a document to announce it. Five hundred years later, the equally rough and bold Falgar promoted Qin to acting captain with a single appointment letter before going to war.

Being the acting captain depends on ability and popularity, not on charisma... Moreover, judging from the public's reaction, Rustan's relationship with Erendel is actually quite similar to that of Jean and Falgar. Everyone is used to the persona of "the free-spirited Grand Master" and "the diligent Vice-Captain". Rustan has long been the acting captain in people's minds.

Erendel mobilized the entire elite of the Knights as a "ceremonial guard," and then publicly appointed himself... to be precise, Rustan as the "acting commander." His intention was the same as when Han Fulai asked Gan Yu to shoot that arrow at Osel in the Qunyu Pavilion.

—This is a publicity stunt.

Before setting off on the campaign, the Grand Commander publicly rallied support for his acting deputy, so that if anything were to happen to him, this declaration at the city gate today would serve as the legal basis for Rustan's succession...

Eren Delin, does he have some kind of premonition?

Alan Delin turned to his good brother and this time slapped him on the shoulders with both hands, almost breaking them.

A rare seriousness shone in those emerald eyes: "Mondstadt... is in your hands now, my brother."

Neither Rustan nor Han Fulai would respond to those eyes.

"Don't worry, leave it to me."

Alan Delin nodded, turned around, took a metal flask from his horse, and unscrewed the lid.

"Before I set off on my campaign, shall we not have a drink to cheer me on?"

Han Fulai then pulled out an identical old metal flask from his person. Mondstadt people, what one doesn't love a drink? Especially on an occasion like today, it's essential to carry a flask.

The two metal wine jugs clattered together.

Alan Delin tilted his head back and drank the strong liquor in the flask. Han Fulai followed suit and drank the liquid in the flask as well. Rustan's flask never contained a trace of alcohol; it was always filled with bland, tasteless boiled water.

This serious and meticulous vice-captain would not allow himself to get drunk; between the captain and the vice-captain, one of them must remain sober for the sake of Mondstadt.

Erendrin remounted his horse and began to sing an ancient war song:

"Wander the battlefield like a lion"

Weaving swords into poetry.

Dedicated to the boys and girls of the future!

……

If you do not return in triumph,

I will not cry for you.

I want to be like today,

Let me drink another cup to you!

As the powerful songs resounded, the expeditionary force slowly disappeared into the distance.

Han Fulai and the people watched them go from the city gate to the horizon.

He kept thinking... these lyrics weren't a good omen.

Historically, this "iron torrent" composed of men and horses encountered a true iron torrent composed of alchemical monsters and "plowing machines" from Kanria.

The Mondstadt Expeditionary Force was completely annihilated.

Grand Master Erendrin narrowly escaped with his life.

Chapter 312 Revealing Ancient Events (5)

After seeing off the Knights' expeditionary force, Han Fulai returned to the Grand Master's office.

Although he was moved by the scene of bidding farewell to the expedition team, he did not forget why he had come to "enter the dream".

Finding Yura is the right thing to do.

Earlier at the city gate, Han Fulai had already carefully examined all the civilians and the knights left behind, but he did not find Yura.

This result is quite normal—Yura wasn't even born five hundred years ago.

He also wondered if this dream was made up of historical fragments unrelated to Yura, and whether the scene would change again like before.

However, it does not.

The black vortex did not appear, and the dream continued.

This dream seems a bit long... Does he dream about working overtime? Is he going to be the acting commander in his dream until he gloriously dies in the line of duty? Signing documents in a dream... doesn't that seem meaningless?

Or he should try knocking himself unconscious, or even slit his throat and jump off a building, to see if the dream changes.

Honestly, this option is quite tempting; the files piled up on the troupe leader's desk are no less than those on the troupe leader's desk...

However, he did not do so.

Because there is another possibility: Yura, like him, is playing someone else in this dream.

According to Wendy, this trial in the dream is very dangerous for Yura: "Her consciousness is now lost in the dream of history, and if she cannot regain her self-awareness, she may never wake up again."

In other words, the current Yura lacks self-awareness; she is likely playing another person faithfully in this dream, drifting along in the illusion of history. And this dream is actually the memory of the ancient person from five hundred years ago, whom Yura is portraying.

—Then Yura could appear in the form of anyone.

It's even possible that... the person who holds the memory will die...

The worst-case scenario Han Fulai envisioned was that Yura was also sharing the identity of Rustan with him.

After all, in his eyes, the perspective of this dream all came from Rustan's experience, and Yura's consciousness might also be dormant in this body in a subconscious way. If he committed suicide or something, Yura might never wake up again.

He tried calling Yura's name to himself in the mirror, or closing his eyes and imagining talking to Yura in his mind... but it was all in vain.

In short, he should cherish the life in his dream and then use that as a basis to find Yura.

Besides Rustan himself, who is the biggest suspect, Han Fulai actually has several other suspects in mind, such as Yura, one of the parties involved in this history, "Lion of Light" Yura; or Rustan's disciple, "Pure White Knight" Yura, who witnessed everything at the closest distance?

Eren Delin has already left, and the only person he can verify with now is Roland, the guerrilla knight who is still in Mondstadt.

Moreover, there was something about that guerrilla knight Roland that bothered him.

Wendy said to him at that time: "This is my hint to you, and also my trial for you: Go into her dream and find the 'Wind Flower'."

He remembered that Roland had a small, pure white flower pinned to his collar.

In Rustan's memory, his disciple Roland always wore a small flower pinned to his collar, but it wasn't a white flower; it was a pink rose.

The pink rose is a flower that has become extinct in Mondstadt and is also the family crest passed down by Roland, who was of noble birth.

Roland's family crest is actually a dried flower preserved as a specimen; it is the only one of its kind in all of Mondstadt, making it exceptionally precious.

Roland cherished that flower and would never lose it.

But now, that pink rose has disappeared, replaced by an ordinary little white flower...

This indicates that Roland underwent a change that Rustan was unaware of.

...Is it possible that this is related to Yura's "time travel"?

Also, could that little white flower be the so-called "flower of the wind"?

The young knight, who had been summoned to his master's office, was rather uneasy.

Because his master is looking at him very strangely now.

The scrutinizing gaze, looking him up and down, made him feel like a criminal—no knight could remain relaxed under such scrutiny from the Inspector General, especially since this Inspector General had just been promoted to Acting Commander.

Moreover... Roland did indeed have a secret he was keeping from his master not long ago...

"Roland, answer me a question."

The pair of sharp eyes behind the desk seemed to see through all the secrets hidden deep within his heart, making the young knight even more flustered.

He tried his best to keep his voice calm: "...Please ask your question."

The master opposite him looked at his collar and slowly asked, "Could you let me see that flower of yours?"

Roland's face flushed bright red.

As expected... nothing can escape Master's eyes.

He hesitated for a moment before taking the small white flower off his collar and handing it to his master.

Han Fulai took the flower and examined it carefully in his hand—a very common, nameless wildflower, found everywhere on the plains of Mondstadt, and even holding it in his hand did not cause any change in the dream…