According to rumors, Liyue had a National Treasure.
Of course, this treasure was not an actual object, but a powerful expert enfeoffed by Rex Lapis.
At first, this person was not conspicuous. Some people even guessed that he had done a great favor for Liyue, or was perhaps the descendant of a certain adeptus, and that this was just an honorary position.
But as time went on, Ellin began to hear more and more legends about him.
Just because the Treasure Hoarders and the Fatui had kidnapped his secretary, he had directly purged the entire nation's worth of them.
The first to suffer, naturally, were the Treasure Hoarders. Because of this, the number of them in Mondstadt had multiplied in the span of half a month.
Then, it was the Fatui's turn.
After the train was built, the Fatui began to cause frequent trouble. As a result, they suffered a devastating blow. Not only did the Northland Bank go bankrupt, but they no longer even had a foothold in Liyue.
Suppressing The Chasm.
Fighting Stormterror head-on.
These rumors, one after another, seemed to witness the birth of an epic figure.
What caught Ellin's attention the most was that this lord named Su Han did not have a Vision!
And the Black Blade unit he trained also had no Visions, yet their combat power was incredibly formidable.
Seeing the overjoyed young woman, Su Han finally understood that he had probably become a household name in Mondstadt.
In that case, poaching a few people shouldn't be too out of line, right? After all, the Anemo Archon and I are brothers!
"Of course. I'm the real deal," Su Han said with a faint smile.
His calm and composed expression made Ellin incredibly excited.
"It really is my idol! I'm so surprised! Um… can I… can I become a strong expert, even without a Vision?"
"Oh? You want to join my Black Blade unit?"
"Yes! It's just… my father says I have no talent." Ellin's expression dimmed as she recalled her previous training.
Just then, Ningguang walked over and said, "If you want to become Su Han's subordinate, you must have an unswerving heart. If you don't even have that confidence, then don't even talk about cultivating. Just be an ordinary person. A true expert never doubts themselves. My name is Ningguang, the Tianquan of Liyue."
Watching these great figures appear one after another, Ellin's small heart could barely take it. However, Ningguang's words had shaken her to the core.
That's right. If I don't even have a firm belief in myself, then what right do I have to become Lord Su Han's subordinate?
In that instant, Ellin cast aside all her fears. She knelt before Su Han, her tone incomparably firm. "I, Ellin, am willing to use my life to defend your dignity! Please, accept me, Lord Su Han!"
"Mm. You are very good. This is the conviction you need. Even if everyone else looks down on you, you must look up to yourself. Baiwen, bring that thing over and give it to her to consume."
"Yes, my lord."
A crimson medicinal pill appeared before Ellin. She looked at it, at a loss for what to do.
But Beidou said, "Go on, eat it. This is a precious medicine that can improve your constitution. It's worth a fortune. Don't let Su Han's good intentions go to waste."
Although she had her answer, Ellin still turned to look at Su Han. Only after he nodded did she obediently swallow it.
Soon, the power of the medicinal pill spread throughout Ellin's body. Countless impurities gushed out from within her, being forced out by the marrow-washing.
About five minutes later, Ellin opened her eyes. She found that the world seemed to have become clearer. Every blade of grass, every tree, and every sound had become incomparably distinct.
"This is amazing! Huh? My body, it stinks!" Ellin was shocked, but she was soon distracted by the strange state of her body. Her once-fair arms were now covered in filth, a disgusting sight.
Fortunately, there was a lake nearby. She jumped in directly to wash herself.
Hu Tao, watching Su Han's actions, asked, "Why are you being so kind as to accept a subordinate? And one who doesn't even know how to fight?"
"Her? She's here to help recruit other people from Mondstadt City," Ningguang explained on Su Han's behalf. She had been enjoying this "poaching" spree. Anyway, as long as she offered more Mora than Mondstadt, it was fine. And with the story of Su Han defeating the demon dragon spreading, she had a lot less pressure on her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come to Mondstadt to play for a day.
"Uhh… but won't Mondstadt get angry?"
"Angry about what? I'm the Anemo Archon's brother!" Su Han said, patting his chest with a brilliant smile.
The others all giggled. It must be so hard to be your brother. You're going to swindle him to death.
Soon, Ellin returned. Hu Tao used her flames to dry her clothes. However, as a subordinate, Ellin was very dedicated and immediately joined the front lines of the Black Blade unit, starting from scratch to learn how to be a proper soldier.
After this little interlude, Su Han and the others continued towards Mondstadt City and soon arrived in the main city.
The streets were filled with shouting merchants and small vendors peddling their wares. It was very prosperous.
Although it was already afternoon, there were still many people leisurely strolling the streets.
"The Cat's Tail is having a discount today!"
"The Dawn Winery has released a new product!"
Just then, someone noticed Ellin walking with a group of strangers and gathered around to ask.
"Ellin, who are they? Why do they look so heroic?"
"That's right! Do we have new knights in Mondstadt?"
Faced with her friends' questions, Ellin cleared her throat and said, "I have already joined Liyue's Black Blade unit. These are my colleagues."
"What? The Black Blade unit!"
"No way! If these are the Black Blade unit, then the ones behind them are…"
The crowd looked behind Ellin and found that the group of people was truly extraordinary. Not only were they exuding an air of nobility, but a single glance from them made the people's hearts tremble.
Ellin turned to look at Su Han, and seeing him give her a signal, she began to introduce them formally.
"This is a diplomatic mission from Liyue, here in Mondstadt for a friendly visit."
Ningguang, in the crowd, couldn't help but nod. This girl isn't stupid. She handles things with reason and evidence. Not bad.
Soon, someone in the crowd recognized Ningguang and Beidou.
"Heavens! The Tianquan, Lady Ningguang, has actually come to Mondstadt City!"
"Who is that samurai?"
"I heard that there is an instructor in the Black Blade unit who is a samurai. He seems to be called Kaedehara Kazuha, a subordinate of that hero."
"No, wait, that man with the silver hair… he's… he's…"
Gasps of recognition began to rise from the crowd. Although Ellin had not revealed Su Han's identity, there were many merchants who had seen his true face.
Soon, the Knights of Favonius came over to maintain order.
Jean glanced at Ellin, who was standing at the front of the Black Blade unit, and then smiled at Su Han and the others. "Welcome, friends from Liyue, to our city. However, you are all simply too famous, and it's a bit noisy outside. How about you come to the Knights of Favonius headquarters to rest for a bit?"
"Of course," Su Han said with a nod and a smile. A lot of people had already gathered, and it was clear they could no longer wander around. It was better to sit down and talk.
Following Jean and the others, they soon arrived at the Knights of Favonius headquarters. Fruits and coffee had already been prepared, a clear sign that they had been expecting them.
After everyone was seated, Jean smiled. "I didn't expect our friends from Liyue to be so free as to take a day to come and visit Mondstadt."
"We've been in Liyue for a long time and haven't had a chance to visit Mondstadt. We just happened to be free today and came over to take a look. It's as beautiful as they say."
Everyone knew how to exchange pleasantries.
After chatting for a while, Ningguang and Jean began their negotiations about the train. Having tested the convenience of this mode of transport, Jean was naturally eager to arrange for it to be installed in various parts of Mondstadt.
And Ningguang, naturally, did not want to just sell it to her for free. She had to exchange it for an equivalent amount of ore and materials.
The two of them were deep in a heated discussion, while the masked Kaeya had taken an interest in Kaedehara Kazuha.
"I've heard that you are the instructor of the Black Blade unit. I wonder if you'd be interested in a couple of rounds? My name is Kaeya, the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius. I'm not usually free, so how about a little spar?"
Faced with his enthusiastic invitation, Kaedehara Kazuha merely glanced at him and shook his head. "The gap in our strength is too large. You are no match for me."
"Oh? You mean to say that I'm very weak?" Kaeya couldn't help but laugh, annoyed.
Although he had heard that the Black Blade unit was strong, for the other party to look down on him so directly only fueled his fighting spirit.
The nearby Knights of Favonius also glared at Kaedehara Kazuha. How could this guy from Liyue be so arrogant? This was their Cavalry Captain! The Acting Grand Master's right-hand man!
However, Kaedehara Kazuha just said calmly, "Our strengths are truly not on the same level. If you want to spar, you can just pick anyone from the Black Blade unit."
If they could have endured it before, his blunt words now made it impossible for Kaeya to hold back.
He stood up and said, "I am challenging you to a duel, a spar in the name of the Knights of Favonius."
"Go on, Kazuha. It's good to exchange pointers with other masters," Su Han said.
"Yes, Master." The samurai, who had been about to refuse, immediately agreed after hearing Su Han's words.
Jean, seeing the dispute that had arisen, frowned and was about to ask what was going on, when she heard Ningguang say from the side, "It's nothing, Acting Grand Master Jean. When a few men get together, what else can they do but get into fights? With Su Han here, nothing will go wrong."
Hearing her say this, Jean couldn't help but smile. "I had always heard that Miss Ningguang was a powerful career woman. Now it seems you are different from the legends."
"People change. With a man like him around, I can relax about many things," Ningguang said, looking at the silver-haired man in the distance, a blissful expression on her face.
Read ahead with 70+ chapters now with daily updates!
@patreon.com/Zefyrus