Chapter 19: How About a Bet?

Jean's emotions were complicated. Indeed, she had some thoughts along those lines. After all, Yun Fan was from Liyue.

The two who drove off Stormterror—one was a merchant from Liyue, and the other was an outlander. If this got out, the reputation of the Knights of Favonius would undoubtedly take a significant hit.

If the Fatui used this to pressure the Knights, the diplomatic strain would only increase.

"Mr. Yun Fan..." Jean tried to persuade him.

"Ah, this little cutie is so clueless~" Lisa, who had been quietly observing, broke the awkward atmosphere with her lazy yet seductive voice.

"Little cutie, Jean's actions aren't entirely her own will. If she didn't do this, the old guard within the Knights would surely raise objections. Those old fossils really get on my nerves sometimes~" As Lisa spoke, her eyes grew dangerous, and the Electro energy in the air seemed to grow restless.

"Just a bunch of freeloaders. If Jean weren't here, the entire Mondstadt would fall apart," Yun Fan sneered, showing no fondness for the overgrown babies of Mondstadt or the self-important old-timers in the Knights of Favonius.

Especially those old fools. If it weren't for Varka's expedition, they wouldn't dare to act so boldly.

Amber, standing nearby, felt awkward and wanted to say something, but no words came out when she opened her mouth.

"Mr. Yun Fan, you can't say that," Jean shook her head. "Mondstadt is protected by everyone in the Knights of Favonius. Each person is an indispensable part of it."

Seeing Jean's earnest expression, Lisa shrugged helplessly at Yun Fan, as if to say, See? This is how she is.

"Acting Grand Master Jean, how about this? Let's make a bet. After we resolve the Stormterror issue, we'll conduct a little test. If I pass, I'll accept the title of Honorary Knight," Yun Fan felt there was no need to argue further. Actions speak louder than words. Jean wouldn't understand unless she saw it for herself.

"What kind of test?"

"You'll find out when the time comes. For now, let's focus on solving the Stormterror problem," Yun Fan shook his head, keeping it a mystery.

"By the way, regarding Stormterror, we discovered something on our way to Mondstadt..." Paimon recounted their encounter with the green-clad figure and mentioned the red teardrop crystal.

"Traveler, take it out," Lumine nodded and pulled out a red gem emitting an ominous aura from her storage space.

Yun Fan glanced at it and recognized it as a crystal formed from a mix of elemental energy and another force. That force seemed highly corrosive, but in terms of quality and versatility, it was far inferior to Honkai energy.

After obtaining Kalpas' mask and Eden's Star, Yun Fan had come into contact with Honkai energy, as both were powered by it.

Honkai energy was a versatile energy source. In the Honkai world, whenever you encountered something inexplicable or miraculous, you could always attribute it to Honkai energy.

Of course, Teyvat didn't have true Honkai energy. What Yun Fan used was energy converted from his own internal power.

His internal power originated from the Primordial Code, so he called it "Primordial Force." It was a high-quality energy that could be converted into any known form of energy.

"Hiss~ Such turbid energy. This crystal's energy actually conflicts with Vision energy," Lisa curiously reached out to touch the crystal, but before her fingers could make contact, her Vision emitted a faint purple light, followed by a sharp pain.

"In that case, let's leave this crystal in the care of our little cutie for now~" Lisa tilted her head slightly, smiling sweetly at Lumine.

Little cutie... Lumine's eye twitched. This big sister Lisa was quite friendly. So big... but... it wasn't entirely unwelcome, hehe.

Thinking this, Lumine couldn't help but show a silly grin.

Yun Fan inwardly panicked. Was this Lumine also into girls? He thought that as long as it wasn't Aether, no one would compete with him for the girls. But now, it seemed the threat hadn't been eliminated!

"Alright, let's talk about our next steps. The reason Stormterror can summon a hurricane that envelops all of Mondstadt..."

Lisa then explained the source of Stormterror's power and the method to break the barrier.

As in the original story, the Knights decided to split into three groups to dismantle the barriers at the three temples.

During the division of tasks, Kaeya proactively invited Lumine. "Traveler, how about joining me at the Temple of the Wolf?" Kaeya extended his hand, making what he thought was a gentlemanly gesture.

To his surprise, Lumine took a few steps back, crossed her arms, and looked at him warily. "No, I feel like you have ulterior motives."

"Pfft—" Amber and Lisa, who had been watching, couldn't help but laugh. Despite being colleagues, seeing Kaeya get shot down was oddly satisfying.

"Haha, no problem. I'll head out first," Kaeya laughed heartily and left the Knights' headquarters as if nothing had happened.

"Such thick skin," Yun Fan muttered to himself.

"I'll take my leave too," Yun Fan bid farewell to the group. He had no obligation to participate in this unless Jean or Lisa offered him some other... rewards.

"Huh? You're not coming with us?" Paimon pouted, clearly displeased.

Yun Fan's face darkened. The Knights hadn't said anything, so why was this flying cabbage meddling?

Come to think of it, if it weren't for this chatterbox, Lumine's journey would have been much smoother. This little mouth often caused more trouble than it solved.

"No need. I believe the Traveler and her best companion can handle this task perfectly. I'll treat you to a meal at the Good Hunter tonight," Yun Fan waved as he walked away.

"Hehe, you have good taste!" Paimon laughed smugly, while Lumine facepalmed. This little Paimon was so easily swayed by a few words.

"See you tonight."

After leaving the Knights of Favonius headquarters, Yun Fan didn't head straight back to the Good Hunter.

"Mr. Yun Fan, long time no see!"

"Ah, Mr. Yun Fan! Would you like to see my new products?"

"Mr. Yun Fan..."

It had to be said, the people of Mondstadt were truly optimistic. Less than half a day after Stormterror's attack, the merchants had already set up their stalls and resumed business.

Along the way, many people greeted Yun Fan, and he politely responded to each one.

As he walked down the street, Yun Fan occasionally glanced behind him before turning into a secluded alley.

After making sure no one was around, Yun Fan turned around.

"You've been following me for a while. Come out."