Jiang Chen thought about the team composition.
Only he and Lumine could purify the crystals.
Lumine teaming up with Diluc was actually the better option. Otherwise, pairing Jean with Lumine would mean two Anemo users together, which wasn't ideal.
The real issue was that Diluc clearly didn't want to team up with Jiang Chen.
There was nothing Jiang Chen could do about that.
But after their last expedition in Stormbearer Mountains, Diluc had already leveled up from Lv18 to Lv19, while Lumine had jumped directly to Lv20.
Sending the two of them together…
felt like a waste of experience points.
Bringing Amber
"Does Amber have any important missions recently?" Jiang Chen asked.
Jean didn't answer.
Jiang Chen glanced at her.
She seemed slightly distracted.
"Jean?"
He raised his voice slightly.
"Oh!"
Jean snapped back to reality and brushed a strand of hair beside her cheek.
"I was thinking about the Knights' arrangements and didn't hear you clearly. Could you repeat that?"
Her cheeks warmed faintly, though it was hard to notice under the warm yellow lights of the restaurant.
"Does Amber have any major missions lately?" Jiang Chen asked again.
"She's currently doing routine city patrols," Jean replied.
"Then let Diluc bring her along."
Diluc immediately understood Jiang Chen's intention.
He clicked his tongue.
"You're adding more trouble for me."
Jiang Chen smiled.
"I figured an outrider scout and a hunter would probably get along well."
"They could help each other quite a bit."
Diluc thought about it for a moment.
"Fine."
"I suppose that makes sense."
Jiang Chen nodded.
"Amber is probably the only candidate anyway."
Jean agreed.
"If I'm not present, Kaeya and Lisa must remain at headquarters."
"And Klee needs to stay as a deterrent force."
"We can't spare anyone else."
If Amber heard this conversation, she would probably feel a little depressed.
Only side characters could move freely.
Because they weren't crucial to the overall strategy.
A Gift for Amber
"That settles it," Jiang Chen said.
"Jean, send Amber over tomorrow morning."
"I'll give her a gift."
"Alright," Jean replied.
Her curiosity was piqued.
She planned to come along tomorrow morning to see what the gift was.
Tonight she still had to arrange the Knights' response to the Fatui and continue the search for Dvalin's tear crystals.
The expedition itself would have to wait until tomorrow.
Secrecy
"To prevent the Fatui from interfering," Jean continued,
"this operation will remain confidential."
"Some Knights will continue searching for the Holy Lyre der Himmel to mislead the Fatui."
"The rest will search the wilderness for the tear crystals."
This was essentially a private operation.
The Fatui must not learn that they were trying to save Dvalin.
After all, Dvalin was the dragon currently attacking Mondstadt.
If the Fatui found out, they could pressure the Knights politically.
If the Knights couldn't justify their position morally, the Fatui might simply kill the dragon.
And if they claimed to be eliminating a threat for Mondstadt, who could stop them?
After the Meeting
After finishing their cream stew with vegetables and meat, everyone left one by one.
Walking through the streets, Diluc thought about everything.
Originally, he had supported killing the dragon.
It would eliminate Mondstadt's threat quickly and remove the Fatui's leverage.
The Knights' approach—especially Jean's—seemed naive and inefficient.
But now…
after realizing Venti's identity and intentions…
Diluc reconsidered.
Jean truly deserved her position as Acting Grand Master.
She was walking the path guided by Barbatos.
And as for himself…
He had his own path to follow.
On that path—
perhaps only Jiang Chen could walk beside him.
In the Alley
Behind the restaurant, in a quiet back alley—
"Jean, wait."
Jiang Chen stepped out from the back door and called her.
Jean turned around.
"Did you forget something?"
Her beautiful face looked especially striking under the streetlights.
"Yes."
"And this."
Jiang Chen pulled a map from his system inventory and handed it to her.
"You should give this to Kaeya."
Jean looked down at it.
Her eyes widened.
"This is…?"
"Jiang Chen… did you break into the Goth Grand Hotel?"
"Something like that," he replied casually.
"The timing just worked out."
Jean frowned slightly.
"Please try not to take such dangerous actions."
Her expression dimmed slightly.
She felt frustrated with her own inability.
Jiang Chen wasn't even a Knight—
yet he risked himself to reduce the Fatui pressure on Mondstadt.
On the Knights.
On her.
It felt like a heavy stone pressing on her chest.
"Just picked it up along the way," Jiang Chen said vaguely.
He couldn't exactly explain that he had nearly stripped La Signora unconscious before tossing her back.
"Picked it up…?"
Jean frowned.
"That's not quite what I imagined."
Jiang Chen sighed and explained.
"The Fatui planned to steal the Holy Lyre tonight."
"Their base was nearly empty."
"I went there to check things out."
"Besides this map, I also found their operation plan for stealing the Lyre—though that one's useless now."
"My real target was the Lyre."
Jean finally understood.
"So you intercepted the Lyre from the Fatui?"
"Yes."
Jean exhaled.
"At first I thought the Fatui joined the search because we were investigating the Lyre's disappearance."
"But actually…"
"They lost the Lyre they themselves stole."
An Interrupted Moment
Jean looked at him seriously.
"Jiang Chen…"
Something complicated filled her chest.
She felt the urge to step closer.
Just then—
"Acting Grand Master! Boss Jiang Chen!"
A patrol of Knights appeared from the alley.
Jean jumped slightly but quickly regained her composure.
She saluted calmly.
The patrol left to continue their search.
Jiang Chen looked at her.
"What were you going to say?"
Jean hesitated.
"Nothing."
"Just… thank you."
She turned and left.
But inside her heart—
she had already made a decision.
Jiang Chen watched her leave, slightly confused.
Then he returned to the restaurant.
Paimon's Demand
Suddenly—
Paimon floated in front of him.
"Gift!"
She crossed her arms.
"If someone hears about a gift, they deserve one too!"
Jiang Chen thought for a moment before realizing.
"You mean Amber's surprise?"
"Of course!"
Paimon said proudly.
"I waited this long to ask!"
Jiang Chen laughed and picked her up.
"Honestly impressive you held it in this long."
She was surprisingly soft when squeezed.
"Hmph!"
"There were too many people earlier."
"What if I had to share it?"
Paimon said smugly.
"Well, it's a Favonius Warbow for Amber."
"You can't even use it."
"And besides," Jiang Chen added,
"if Amber comes tomorrow, you can remind her about the meal she owes you."
Paimon froze.
"Oh… right."
Just thinking about Honey Roast with carrot sauce tomorrow morning made her excited.
She immediately flew upstairs to sleep.
The faster she slept—
the faster morning would arrive.
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