Chapter 87: Kujo Tsumugi is angry

　[The reason Grandma Ping called you here is very simple: you have graduated.]

　　[At this point, you have been studying under Grandma Ping for three years, and the Witch of the Spear has been training for five years. Both of you have mastered the spear technique to a certain degree. Therefore, Grandma Ping believes that what you need now is not more practice, but to venture out on your own and consolidate your skills through real-world experience.]

　　[The Spear Witch is thrilled about this. Ever since you informed her about the Lawrence family's actions a year ago, she has been eager to go to Mondstadt to seek justice. However, you are somewhat hesitant, as you have a house and a job in Liyue Harbor. You don't feel the need to embark on an adventure; you just want a peaceful life in Liyue Harbor.]

　　[But then you think about your parents. You haven't seen them for several years and don't know how they are faring. After careful consideration, you decide to resign from your job and return to Mondstadt to see your parents.]

　　[A week later, you and the Witch of the Spear, having packed up your belongings, leave Liyue Harbor and set out on your journey back to Mondstadt.]

　　"Tsumi? Tsumugi! Snap out of it!"

　　At this moment, Paimon's voice drew Kujo Tsumugi's attention from the simulation system back to reality.

　　"What's wrong?"

　　Since the people traveling with her often addressed her as "Miss Kujo," Kujo Tsumugi had grown accustomed to others calling her by her first name on the road.

　　"It's time for dinner." Paimon said with a smile.

　　As she stepped out of the carriage, Lumine had already started a fire, roasting poultry, fish, and some sunset fruits over it.

　　"Come and try Lumine's cooking. Lumine is very good at roasting poultry." Paimon said, drooling, as Kujo Tsumugi had treated him to a lavish meal at the Deer Hunter Restaurant before. Paimon's affection for Kujo Tsumugi was likely the highest among the group.

　　"Paimon, stop talking..."

　　Lumine rubbed her head slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed. Why was she so skilled at roasting poultry? It was because she had been wandering in the wild for so long that she had naturally picked up the skill. Lumine didn't think it was something to boast about.

　　"Lumine's cooking skills are indeed impressive." Jean tasted the poultry.

　　"But speaking of poultry, Lumine accidentally killed a pigeon on the stone bridge when she was in Mondstadt, which made the little boy named Timmy very upset." Paimon recounted some interesting stories from their travels.

　　"Timmy? I won't be sleepy if you talk about him." Hearing the name of Free Poultry Zhenjun, Kujo Tsumugi immediately perked up.

　　"In the end, Lumine even cooked Timmy's favorite dish and said many nice things to make Timmy forgive her."

　　"Timmy...he's a poor kid too..." Jean shook her head.

　　"If I ever meet Timmy, I'll throw him off the bridge."

　　Kujo Tsumugi's comment drew everyone's attention.

　　"Tsumugi, you may not know, but Timmy..." Jean began to explain.

　　"I know, it's just that a father died." Kujo Tsumugi interrupted Jean. "Teyvat is so vast. There are many people who have lost both parents. I sympathize with these orphans, but that doesn't excuse Timmy standing on the stone bridge every day, causing trouble for others."

　　There are two roads leading into Mondstadt. One is the main gate where Timmy is located, which is frequented by most people. The other is a side gate with a small port. It was through this side gate that Tsumugi Kujo first entered Mondstadt.

　　"Due to Timmy's behavior, everyone passing by the stone bridge has to be very cautious. They even avoid speaking loudly for fear of disturbing Timmy's pigeons. Timmy is so selfish."

　　Upon hearing this, everyone except Kujo Tsumugi frowned subconsciously, though no one spoke up to refute her, as what she said was undeniably true. There were indeed people in Mondstadt who harbored disdain for Timmy due to this, but they felt so much pity for him that they resisted telling him the harsh truth about his father's death.

　　"We can't do anything about this..." Jean sighed.

　　"Of course, there is a way. All we need to do is tell Timmy that his father died a long time ago. It might devastate him at first, but eventually, he can live a normal life instead of standing on the stone bridge day and night, waiting for his father."

　　"Isn't that... too cruel for a child?" Venti said, gently stroking his strings.

　　"Cruel?" Venti's words made Kujo Tsumugi laugh. She put down the poultry in her hand, wiped the corner of her mouth, and said lightly, "Come with me."

　　Tsumugi Kujo led the group for about two kilometers and stopped in front of a boulder measuring four or five meters. Tsumugi Kujo carefully searched the boulder and soon found a switch. After pressing it, a passage leading underground appeared in front of the boulder.

　　"Grandpa Diluk, please walk in front and provide us with some light." Tsumugi Kujo said, not pleased.

　　"Um."

　　Diluk nodded in understanding. He roughly guessed the original purpose of this hidden underground facility.

　　The group descended the stairs slowly and arrived in a futuristic room made entirely of metal. The room was covered in dust and had clearly been abandoned for a long time. There were only some unidentified operating tables and leftover glass instruments.

　　"Here it is..."

　　Everyone looked at the laboratory with puzzled and curious expressions.

　　"This is one of the Fatui's secret bases." Tsumugi Kujo explained. "Jean, if I remember correctly, the Fatui's executive officer 'Doctor' once recruited soldiers in Mondstadt a few years ago, gathering a group of children."

　　"That's right. Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?" Jean, with her straightforward personality, seemed momentarily confused.

　　"This is the Doctor's laboratory, used specifically for conducting unspeakable human experiments. Those children have already..." Kujo Tsumugi shrugged and did not continue.

　　Except for Diluk, who was mentally prepared, the faces of the others turned pale in an instant.

　　Kujo Tsumugi turned around and addressed the group.

　　"Where the sun doesn't shine, there must be darkness, but most people simply remain unaware."

"If the Fatui stayed in Inazuma obediently, why would I form a Hunter Corps to hunt them? Why does Tianquan Ningguang have a group of special forces under his command? The original intention of forming them was to protect the people of Liyue."

"Venti, you just said that telling the truth to Timmy is too cruel. Then let me ask you, is my current behavior considered 'cruel'?"

"Venti, you keep saying that you will protect Mondstadt, but have you really fulfilled your duty as a god? Thousands of years ago, you were indeed behind the downfall of the Lawrence family, but I believe that even without your power, the angry people of Mondstadt would have united to overthrow the Lawrence family. You just brought this process forward."

"Five hundred years ago, you and the other six gods destroyed the Kingdom of Khaenri'ah. Then what happened? You disappeared without a trace, leaving the people of Mondstadt to bear the revenge of the remnants of Khaenri'ah alone, which directly led to Rustam's death. If Teyvat hadn't killed the dragon Durin, I'm afraid you wouldn't know how it would end."

"Except for the overthrow of the Lone King of the Tower, which you directly resolved, what did you do in the other two events? Throughout the entire history of Mondstadt, only these three events have your presence. Who knows where on the continent you were wandering the rest of the time?"

"Two thousand years ago, the Lawrence family began to become corrupt, but their family continued for a thousand years before being overthrown. Where were you during this thousand years?"

"Dvalin has been tainted with poisonous blood since he killed Durin five hundred years ago. What have you done in the past five hundred years? If you had seen Dvalin once in the past five hundred years, you should have been able to detect that Dvalin was corroded by the Abyss... instead of waiting until Dvalin began to attack Mondstadt."

"Mondstadt's national strength has weakened to such an extent that you, a god who doesn't care about anything, should bear the main responsibility. You call it freedom, but in fact it is just a fig leaf for your own laziness and inaction."

Tsumugi Kujo's tone was very calm, but every word she said was so profound that Venti couldn't find any reason to refute it.

"Venti, you should have been in Mondstadt when Dvalin attacked. Even though I had Captain Jean prepare for Dvalin's attack in advance, Dvalin still caused a lot of casualties. This was all because of your inaction. And now, you actually say that I am cruel?"

"Okay, Tsumugi, stop talking."

Seeing that Kujo Tsumugi's words were becoming more and more tough, Jean couldn't help but take the initiative to interrupt.

"Don't stop me, Jean. Is it because I didn't say anything just now that you have the illusion that you are doing a good job?" However, the angry Kujo Tsumugi didn't care about this and began to divert her firepower to attack Jean.

"I know you've tried very hard to improve the current situation in Mondstadt, but I want to tell you that helping people catch cats and dogs is not going to make Mondstadt any better even if you do it for your whole life!"

"To be honest, I look down on the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt. Look at what kind of people are in your Knights Order. There are self-destructing androids, traitors from Khaenri'ah, and naughty kids. And a girl as strong and responsible as Noelle can't even join the Knights Order?! There should be a limit to outrageous things!"

After Kujo Tsumugi finished speaking, everyone else remained silent. Paimon wanted to say something but was stopped by Lumine.

"Forget it, let's go back. I haven't finished my dinner yet."

Kujo Tsumugi knew that her words had been a bit harsh, so she pouted slightly and left the laboratory.

The atmosphere during dinner was somber. Lumine and Diluc seemed unaffected, but Jean and Venti—who had borne the brunt of Kujo Tsumugi's criticism—now found the once-delicious barbecue tasting like ash in their mouths.

Especially Jean. As she thought about the children who had been conscripted in the past, subjected to the Doctor's cruel human experiments, she felt a knot tightening in her stomach, a wave of nausea threatening to overwhelm her.

Kujo Tsumugi was well aware that her blunt words had likely made the others dislike her, so after dinner, she spread her wings and flew to a tree a short distance away from the carriage, deciding to sleep there for the night.

After settling down on the tree branch, she opened her system interface and continued her life simulation. In the simulation, she and the Gun Witch headed north after leaving Liyue Harbor. Along the way, they were attacked by a group of Treasure Hoarders, which they swiftly eliminated. They also conducted free health checks for the villagers in the mountain towns they passed. After many shared experiences, Tsumugi and the Gun Witch had grown closer, becoming like sisters.

Just as Kujo Tsumugi was about to continue her simulation, she heard footsteps approaching.

Well, here they come.

Kujo Tsumugi raised an eyebrow slightly, shutting off her simulation system and pretending to be resting. She had ruined the team's atmosphere today, and she figured someone would come to talk to her privately. It certainly wouldn't be Jean or Venti, and Diluc wasn't the type to strike up a conversation, so it was most likely Lumine...

However, Kujo Tsumugi's guess was wrong. The person who came to speak to her was none other than Jean, the one she had just harshly criticized.

"Tsumugi... I have some questions for you."

Tsumugi opened her eyes, flew down from the tree, and stood opposite Jean, meeting her gaze.

"Tsumugi... do you think I'm a failure as the Acting Grandmaster?" Jean asked, her voice heavy with doubt. It was clear that Tsumugi's earlier words had struck a painful chord.

"Captain Jean, social governance isn't a matter of success or failure, good or bad. The real question is whether the governance is effective and whether social unrest is kept at bay." Seeing Jean's expression, Kujo Tsumugi softened her tone. "If I were to comment on Mondstadt, I would say... I pity its misfortune, but I'm angry at its lack of struggle."

"Mondstadt's national strength is weak, second only to Sumeru. This is something known among the seven nations. But Sumeru's situation is unique. It functions more like a giant school than a country, so military power isn't as important there."

"But Mondstadt is a nation... And even though they are acutely aware of their weakness, they show no desire to strive for improvement. It's one thing for the common people to ignore it, but even the upper ranks of Mondstadt act this way."

"In times of peace, that might be acceptable. But look at recent years—the Blackfire Incident, the dragon Ursa's attack, the Fatui's infiltration, the crisis with Dvalin. These things happened one after another. Yet all Mondstadt does is solve the immediate crisis and go back to peaceful living. They don't realize that the root of these problems is Mondstadt's weakness. Anyone who sees this would be furious."

"Look at me. After realizing the Fatui's threat, I organized the Hunter Corps. I couldn't completely wipe them out, but I limited their operations enough to ensure that Inazuma's people could live peacefully without fearing the Fatui's attacks... even if most of Inazuma's citizens are unaware of my efforts."

"Tsumugi, can you tell me more about what you did in Inazuma? I'd like to learn from your experience," Jean asked, her eyes reflecting both admiration and curiosity.

"Of course, I can. But most wouldn't use me as a model for governance..."

Kujo Tsumugi then recounted everything she had done in Inazuma: forming the Hunter Corps, implementing new policies, and even putting the Shogun's close advisor under house arrest. Jean, astute as ever, quickly picked up on a crucial detail.

"Tsumugi, aren't your methods and attitude a bit too heavy-handed? Is it really sustainable to make so many enemies in Inazuma?"

"You've got the cause and effect backward. It's not my tough attitude that creates enemies. I already had too many enemies, so I had to be tough." Kujo Tsumugi sighed. "The Hiiragi family, the minor nobles whose interests were hurt by my policies, the Fatui, and the rebels of Watatsumi Island—they're like venomous snakes, lying in wait. If I show even the slightest weakness, they'll strike and tear me apart. That's why I must appear tough. Only then will they fear me and hesitate to attack."

"Of course, I only dare to act this way because I have the support of the Hunter Corps and the backing of the Tenryou Commission. Strength is the foundation of everything. Without it, all the talk in the world is meaningless."

Hearing this, Jean closed her eyes, contemplating Tsumugi's words for a long moment. When she opened them again, there was a new resolve in her gaze.

"I understand now. Thank you for your guidance, Tsumugi."

"You're welcome."

Tsumugi waved her hand and was about to take off to return to her tree. But just as she spread her wings, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her in a sudden embrace.

"Tsumugi... would you stay with me tonight?"