He changed Tiwat

On the way back to the Church of the West Wind, Kaiya explained his arrangements to the two in great detail.

As Mondstadt's "Minister of Intelligence," Kaeya's informants are spread throughout all walks of life in Mondstadt, including several large treasure-hunting groups located outside Mondstadt. They are either bribed by him or have incriminating evidence against him. In short, it is not difficult to find the hiding place of Sgorucci and his group.

If he wanted, he could take those guys under control tonight—of course, this would also protect the gang of thieves from being silenced.

But simply controlling the members of those treasure-hunting groups is not enough.

On the one hand, the testimony of the "tainted witnesses" from the heisting group wasn't very reliable; their identifications alone weren't enough to make their claims credible. On the other hand, they might not actually know the core information, since the one who truly conspired with Cardinal Calvin was his son, Illock, and the heist group was merely a conduit...

"The most direct evidence to bring down Calvin lies with his son, Irok... Actually, I've been secretly investigating Irok for a long time, starting with the treasure-hunting group in the snowy mountains collecting artifacts, including tracking Uncle Schubert... It was all ultimately to find Irok... And I almost succeeded..."

At this point, Kaiya gave Han Fulai a resentful look.

Han Fulai silently turned his gaze away.

Who told him to take down Ilrock with a single shot inside the "Eagle Gate"...

If we're talking about silencing Calvin, he went the furthest, even though Calvin wouldn't be grateful...

"The situation was urgent at the time, and it's normal that he couldn't stop himself. You can't blame him."

Yura kindly offered a defense for Han Fulai.

Kaiya whistled softly.

"But even if Ilock is dead, it doesn't matter. We still have other ways to break through."

"What?" Han Fulai asked hurriedly.

"Well, as you know, as a cavalry captain, I've also participated in some diplomatic meetings with the Fatui, and I've met those Fatui executives who call themselves 'diplomats'..."

Han Fulai nodded. He knew what Kaia was talking about, including that Kaia had also done reception work when the "lady" came to Mondstadt.

In fact, the first person to "receive" him, the Liyue Moonsea Pavilion's Permanent Vice Minister, on behalf of the Knights Order was this cavalry captain, known for his skillful diplomacy.

"Stop talking nonsense and get to the point." Seeing that Kaiya was being mysterious, Yura interrupted him.

Kaiya blinked his left eye, which wasn't covered by the eyepatch, and didn't dare to complain about Yura's "double standards."

"...This goes back to the theft of the 'Sky Harp' a few months ago."

"Although the Knights claimed that an unidentified blond thief stole the 'Sky Harp,' according to the Knights' subsequent investigation, the thief who actually stole the 'Sky Harp' was... the Fatui. Thanks to the help of Honor Knight Ying, we were able to successfully retrieve the relic."

He raised his hand and pointed at Han Fulai.

"Deputy Minister Han, the breakthrough lies in the 'Sky Harp'."

Chapter 353 The Door of Convenience

"Ah, could it be that there are elemental markings on the 'Sky Harp' that could provide evidence?" Yura excitedly offered her conjecture.

While Teyvat hasn't developed modern forensic techniques like DNA testing, they do possess detection methods such as elemental marking. For example, Lisa uses elemental marking to track the whereabouts of books when managing them.

For example, the "Sky Harp" has elemental anti-theft measures, and anyone who touches the harp will be covered in indelible elemental marks, which sounds quite normal.

I don't think so...

Han Fulai touched his blank Eye of God, the sacred relic that had been stolen and was now lying in his storage space.

This instrument does indeed possess extraordinary wind elemental power, and it is also very beautiful... but that's for now.

When Han Fulai took the harp from the church a day ago, it was a broken harp with no strings left. Even if it was protected by elemental power, it was just an illusion to prevent people from discovering that Wendy had ruined it...

In fact, even if there were any clues on the harp originally, they are probably gone now—Wendy got the Wind Dragon Tear from Dvalin last night to repair the "Sky Harp," so it's practically brand new now.

However, what Kaeya wanted to talk about was not the "Sky Harp" itself.

He shook his head and said, "Even if there really is an elemental mark, it is normal for the church's administrators to touch the sacred object. He has every reason to deny it, and that cannot be used as a breakthrough. The breakthrough I am referring to is the fact that this harp was 'stolen' in the past."

"When you went to the church to take this violin, you must have seen Captain Nimf and the others guarding the church's basement closely, right?"

Han Fulai nodded.

"That's the problem. When this harp was stolen during the 'Dragon Disaster,' the Knights also had a guard unit closely protecting the church's sacred objects... Even the 'blonde thief' who was wanted by the Knights later admitted that even with her skills, it would have been impossible for her to take the 'Sky Harp' without alerting anyone..."

After Kaiya mentioned it, Han Fulai also recalled that when he was doing the main storyline in the game, when Yingmei went to the church basement to steal the "Sky Harp", he also saw many knights guarding the area, with guards every three steps and sentries every five steps.

Even in the game, there are almost no routes that won't alert any guards at all—the game has an alert level system. When the Knights' NPCs see a player, their alert level will only increase to a certain extent until it's full before the NPCs will give chase. Players can actually speed past some sentry posts while slightly alerting the NPCs.

In reality, being caught by a guard or hearing a sound means your mission has failed. There's no "alert level" or any kind of buffer, and you're not given a second chance.

Moreover, after actually visiting the church's basement, Han Fulai also felt that it was a maze for first-time visitors, filled with tall display cases and storage boxes that divided the path into various winding sections. Without the nuns leading the way, it would be very difficult to reach the secret room where the "Sky Harp" was stored smoothly.

So, what about the Fools? And how did they manage to sneak into the secret chamber and steal the artifacts without alerting any guards?

"According to our subsequent investigation, on the day the relic was stolen, a Fatui Thunderfire sorcerer suddenly appeared in the secret room where the 'Sky Harp' was kept, took the harp, and then disappeared on the spot."

"And as far as I know, this infiltration method is very similar to some kind of technique used by the 'Abyss Order'..."

While Kaeya was still figuring out how to explain this method to the two, Yura and Han Fulai, who had dealt with the "Abyss Order" before, simultaneously realized what was happening—

"Earth vein network?"

"A portal?"

Having witnessed how those "Apostles of the Abyss" could appear and disappear out of thin air, the two instantly understood how the theft had happened.

If we could utilize the ubiquitous leyline network across Teyvat, we could simply open a portal to teleport into the church's basement, grab the loot, and run, without having to worry about the Knights of Favonius.

From a strategic perspective, this technology that can instantly teleport people thousands of miles away is terrifying.

Assuming the Fatui's intentions weren't to steal, but something else entirely... they could easily deploy several elite squads to any location on Teyvat instantly. For example, to the Jade Pavilion, or perhaps to the Grand Master's office.

Upon thinking of Qunyu Pavilion, Han Fulai immediately understood what Kaiya wanted to express.

"You mean... someone set up something like a 'teleportation anchor' in the church's basement?"

The time when the Fatui appeared on the Jade Pavilion was essentially a deal Ningguang made with the Fatui for her "Empress's coronation." She specially set up a teleportation node for the Fatui to cooperate with her "performance." Otherwise, where would the "ley lines" on the Jade Pavilion flying in the sky come from?

This teleportation technology is a lost technology of an ancient civilization on the present-day Teyvat continent. Basically, only the "Abyss Order" and the Fools, who inherited the technology of Kanriar, still possess a portion of it.

After that trip to the Layered Rock Abyss, Han Fulai also learned from Daines Reeb that the ley line teleportation network actually has certain limitations. The teleportation portal must be opened on a "node" of the ley line network, which is called a "teleportation anchor point" in the game's terminology.

This "node" isn't everywhere. If players want to use the teleportation function in places where there is no teleportation anchor, they must set a new anchor themselves, which is called a "pocket anchor".

Furthermore, even convenient items like "pocket anchors" have quantity and time limitations in the game, seemingly nonexistent in the real world. At least in reality, Yingmei (a character in the game) obediently travels by car or on foot, instead of spreading rumors all over the continent—speaking of which, if Yingmei could actually teleport, she'd probably be the most famous "phantom thief" in Teyvat by now…

Kaiya was genuinely surprised by Han Fulai's knowledge of the ley line teleportation network—he claimed that the Knights of the Order learned about it afterward, but in reality, among the knights responsible for the investigation, only he, the "Kanria spy," truly deduced from the few words provided by Yingmei that the Fatui had used the ley line network that time.

After all, this was the biggest secret hidden under his blindfold.

Fortunately, he and this Vice Minister Han are not enemies, at least not for now.

He nodded calmly and said, "That's right. This amazing teleportation technology seems to have limitations. Otherwise, the Fools and the apostles of the Order could appear in our Grand Master's office at any time... And the only person at the time who was qualified to access the knowledge of the ley lines network in the Church's secret scriptures and could also enter the secret room where the holy relics were kept, thus opening this 'convenient door' for the Fools, was Cardinal Calvin."

Chapter 354 A Three-Pronged Approach

“Originally, such a major incident as the theft of Lord Barbatos's holy relic should have required a thorough investigation of all those involved… However, for certain reasons, Director Qin handled the investigation in a ‘low-key’ manner, only adding more personnel to strengthen the church's security…”

The "certain reasons" that Kaeya mentioned were naturally because the Traveler and the Wind God Barbatos himself were also involved in the theft—the "blonde thief" that the Knights had wanted throughout the city was none other than the Knights' "Honorary Knight," Yingmei herself. If this got out, the Knights would lose all face...

Kaeya, who had already been on guard, specifically suggested that Captain Jean send the "Magic Squad" and Captain Nimf to guard the church's relic storage room. He deliberately assigned an excellent mage to this "overkill" task to prevent anyone from using the leyline network to teleport into the church's basement again.

If the Fatui open the portal again, the magical fluctuations from it will definitely not escape the protective barrier set up by Captain Nimf.

on the other hand……

A smile returned to Kaiya's face.

"The good news is that because the Knights of the Order promptly dispatched personnel to garrison the area, I think Cardinal Calvin has yet to have the opportunity to destroy the 'teleportation anchor' he set up."

Although various reasons prevented Kaiya from advancing the investigation, he did everything he could to "protect the scene." In other words, he had been plotting against the acting archbishop for at least several months.

Upon hearing Kaiya's words, Han Fulai also smiled: "As expected of Captain Kaiya, you had already planned this all along, just waiting to lure us into the trap..."

"Not at all, it's just being cautious. Vice Minister Han, your ability to see the whole picture from a small part is truly admirable..."

After a round of mutual flattery, Yura, unable to bear it any longer, interrupted again: "Alright, you two, enough with the compliments, let's talk about what we should do."

Kaiya said seriously, "I propose a three-pronged approach. I will secure the testimonies of those treasure-hunting groups; Yura will return to the Knights and try to pry any clues out of the newly captured Fools; as for Deputy Minister Han, you are the most crucial person in our reopening of the investigation."

"You are not only a distinguished guest from Liyue, but also a renowned 'Poet Laureate' and 'Knight of Honor.' I believe the higher-ups of the Knights cannot ignore your opinion. Therefore, before the end of the celebration, please find a pretext to launch an investigation into Lord Calvin."

Han Fulai smiled and nodded.

A few days ago, Kaia made a point of pointing out to him that Cardinal Calvin had a blood feud with him for killing his son, which was to lay the groundwork for today. Kaia had long wanted to bring him into the camp against Cardinal Calvin.

Judging from what Kaia said today, he has been holding onto the chips that could strike at Secretary Calvin, just waiting for a "tailwind" to come his way. And clearly, he is the "tailwind" that Kaia has borrowed.

Having served as a civil servant for so long, Han Fulai understands all too well that very few people in this world can withstand scrutiny, whether they are civil servants at Yuehaiting or those on Sky Island...

Even he himself couldn't withstand being investigated by others.

Putting aside the fact that he was a time traveler and his background was kept secret, if Yue Haiting were to check his expense records, he would probably find that he had claimed Shen He's food expenses and his own daily expenses as public funds... In addition, there were the accounts he helped balance for the Cengyan Exploration Team, and the "Outstanding Civil Servant of the General Affairs Department" award he gave to Cengyan Mu Ning, the general manager. If they really investigated, they could find problems...

As the famous saying of Bishop Richelieu on Earth goes, “Give me six lines of writing from the most honest man in the world, and I will find enough reason to hang him.”

The key issue is that someone needs to investigate.

As the second-in-command of the Church, Calvin was not someone who would risk instigating unrest by conducting such a thankless investigation, especially given the current state of Mondstadt's internal strife and desperate need for stability and unity. Jean, as the acting leader, also chose to turn a blind eye to the Church's actions, even though she knew there might be collusion between the Church and the Fatui.

Many things are like this: they don't weigh much on the scale, but once they are, they weigh a ton.

What Kaia wanted him to do, to put it bluntly, was to put Calvin on the scales.

Coincidentally, he did indeed have the ability and motivation to put Calvin on the "weighing" scale—as the Permanent Vice-Minister of the Moonlit Pavilion in Liyue, and a "Knight of Honor" of the Knights of Favonius, and an "old friend of the people of Mondstadt," it was not unreasonable for him to cause "surprise among friendly nations."

Yura returned to the Knights halfway there. She has always been the type to act on her impulses, and once she has set a goal, she will seize every second.

Meanwhile, Kaiya "escorted" Han Fulai back and forth to the Church of the West Wind, since Han Fulai was still carrying Lord Barbatos's artifact.

Kaiya stopped in front of the statue of the wind god to say goodbye to Han Fulai, but Han Fulai turned around and called out to Kaiya.

"Captain Kaeya, everyone will be busy from now on, so there are some things I'd like to clarify here."

Upon hearing Han Fulai's words, Kaiya was taken aback: "Does Deputy Minister Han have any further questions about this plan?"

Han Fulai shook his head slightly.

"The plan itself is not the problem; what interests me is the person who made the plan."

He looked directly into Kaiya's single eye and asked softly, "I want to know, what benefit would you, Captain Kaiya, gain from taking down Lord Calvin?"

For Yura, what Calvin did was the reason to bring him down; she had never thought about things like power struggles or personal gain.

For Han Fulai, not only did Lord Calvin have a grudge against him, but given his position, he was also likely to become a stumbling block for Yola, the "Saintess of Mondstadt." More importantly, leaving such an enemy with considerable influence in Mondstadt in power would also affect his plan to bring Mondstadt into the "Teyvat Community of Fate."

Therefore, Calvin's downfall was actually only beneficial to him and Yura.

So even though Kaiya is clearly using his influence, he won't resent this kind of "exploitation" that benefits him.

But this is not the case for Kaiya.

From Kaiya's perspective, since he had already written to his superiors to inquire, the safest approach would be to wait for the Grand Master and Lord Simon to make a decision during the expedition, and he would simply carry it out.

Now he's acting on his own behind the band leader's back, and if he causes problems, he'll have to take the blame.

Someone as shrewd as Kaiya couldn't possibly be unaware of what the optimal choice is.

With Calvin's downfall, Kaia won't get a promotion or a raise; instead, he'll have to deal with a lot more troublesome things. It seems he has no personal interest in this matter at all.

Although he believed that Kaiya was "loyal and devoted to the country," he didn't think he was as saintly as Commander Qin. Moreover, the fact that Kaiya would spend so much time planning to deal with someone made him feel that there was more to the story.

Faced with Han Fulai's questions, Kaiya did not mince words this time.

"If you really need to know... I've been waiting for four years."

"Four years ago, my adoptive father, Kripps, the former owner of Dawn Winery, was attacked and killed by the demonic dragon Usa, and the Calvin family, who cooperated with 'The Doctor,' was one of the culprits. Is the reason of revenge for my father's murder satisfactory?"

Han Fulai paused for a moment, then extended a fist toward him.

"My friends' business is my business."

Kaiya grinned and bumped fists with him.

Chapter 355 Fortune Lies in Peril

Kaiya left the high ground square and walked towards the shopping street, tossing the Mora in her hand.

The commercial street remained bustling during the celebration, with smiles on everyone's faces, unaware that a new storm was brewing within the Church of the West Wind above them.

Kaiya spotted a familiar figure in the crowd and gently patted the person on the shoulder.

The man turned around, carrying several bags, and when he saw it was Kaiya, his smile immediately froze. He looked exactly like a corporate slave who had been woken up by his boss's WeChat message to work overtime during his vacation...

"Hey, Ning Lu, it's been a while! Are you free today?"

The person Kaiya stopped was Ning Lu, the drunkard who had made a bet with Han Fulai at the "Poetry Recitation" competition.