Jean, the Acting Grand Master, whose face had been calm and composed while gently patting Klee's little head, was utterly shocked.
Bang!
Under the shock surging in her heart, Jean involuntarily stood up from her stool.
This was tough luck for little Klee, who had been snuggling on Jean's lap.
Free fall.
Her bottom bloomed.
"Acting Grand Master Jean~~"
Klee's resentful voice caught Jean's attention.
She quickly apologized to Klee, then continued to press for information regarding the elemental weapon:
"Klee, I'm sorry, it was my fault."
"Be good!"
"Go play with Dodoco for a bit; I have something very important to deal with right now."
"I'll apologize to you after I get off work."
Klee: "..."
Noelle looked at Klee's stunned, cute little expression and couldn't help but laugh.
She stepped forward to comfort Klee.
Klee rubbed her little bottom, looked at Acting Grand Master Jean who was intensely talking with Sister Barbara, and finally decided to forgive her.
Klee sighed, imitating Jean's manner:
"Sigh! When will Acting Grand Master Jean ever be a bit more sensible? She always makes Klee worry."
Seeing Klee acting so much like Jean, Noelle couldn't help but steal a glance at Acting Grand Master Jean.
"Sigh! They really look alike!"
However, Jean's attention was entirely captured by the elemental weapon Barbara was talking about, and she didn't notice the situation over here. Otherwise, she might have been at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
"Barbara, are you sure these can be mass-produced?"
Jean examined the defensive ring and charging pistol Barbara handed her, unable to help but ask.
This wasn't due to distrusting Barbara, but rather worrying that she might have misheard some crucial information due to carelessness.
Even though Jean had repeatedly asked several times, Barbara still showed no impatience.
She understood Jean's feelings and the importance of these two items to Mondstadt.
Perhaps in the eyes of Mondstadt's high-tier combatants, these two alchemical tools were just small toys.
The defensive shield of the defensive ring could be broken with a casual strike, and the Electro Element bullets from the charging pistol couldn't even break through defenses.
But was this a flaw?
No!
If anything, this was precisely an advantage!
If these two items could threaten high-tier combatants, their manufacturing cost would definitely be very high.
That would instead make them like the tools produced by other Alchemists, becoming the patent of certain privileged individuals.
And the Knights of Favonius, possessing the powerful Alchemist Albedo, were not lacking in such items.
The biggest key was mass production.
Weak power wasn't a flaw, as long as the price wasn't too high.
Just imagine, if ordinary Mondstadt citizens possessed these two alchemical tools, wouldn't they gain the power to resist when facing Hilichurls?
Wouldn't that greatly reduce the workload of the Knights of Favonius?
In fact, even in the wilderness occupied by monsters, powerful monsters were only a minority. The greatest threat to ordinary citizens was mainly Slimes and Hilichurls.
Once these two items were popularized in Mondstadt, Mondstadt's strength would inevitably increase dramatically.
People with the power of self-preservation would start developing the wilderness, reaping more resources to feed back into Mondstadt, allowing Mondstadt to cultivate more outstanding and powerful Knights, ensuring the safety of the Mondstadters, and encouraging people to develop more actively.
Under such a positive cycle, Mondstadt would surely become very powerful.
Jean immediately made up her mind: she must seize this opportunity to lead Mondstadt toward glory.
She would no longer show mercy to anyone who obstructed cooperation between the Knights of Favonius and Arkz!
Jean looked seriously at the three people in the office:
"Barbara, Noelle, and the Spark Knight Klee!"
"This matter must be kept secret!"
"Once the cooperation details are finalized, do not reveal them to anyone else!"
"Yes, Acting Grand Master Jean!"
"Yes!"
"Spark Knight received!"
Seeing Klee's serious and earnest appearance, Acting Grand Master Jean breathed a sigh of relief.
"Even Klee knows how important this is. I probably don't need to worry... right?"
Thinking that a long night might bring trouble, Acting Grand Master Jean decided:
"Barbara, I will go with you to Springvale Farm tomorrow!"
At Dawn Winery, Diluc, who was experimenting with the two alchemical tools, sneezed.
"Achoo!"
"Is that Kaeya guy cursing me again?!"
Shaking his head, deciding to cut Kaeya's allowance in half, Diluc examined the two alchemical tools in front of him.
"If they can really be mass-produced..."
"That unreliable bunch from the Knights of Favonius won't be able to grasp it!"
"I estimate if we really hand this thing over to the Knights of Favonius, it will show up at the Fatui headquarters the next day."
"It looks like I'll have to pay a visit to Arkz tomorrow."
...
...
Sumeru, Sumeru Akademiya.
The Council of sages.
Working through the night, the sages gathered.
Following their usual habits, these old men, with one foot already in the grave, should have long been asleep.
However, a letter from Mondstadt forced them to convene here.
"What is the matter that requires us to convene the Council of sages?"
Kavajja, the sage of the Darshan on Logic, stroked his pale beard and asked doubtfully.
He was the sage who, in the original plot, invited Tighnari back to Sumeru City to help his mentor complete the [Major Project].
The Grand Sage Azar looked indifferent and said lightly:
"Akabi, this is a mess caused by your Darshan on Truth. You explain."
Akabi, the sage of the Darshan on Truth, looked at everyone and began:
"Not long ago, I received a letter from Mondstadt."
"The writer is the genius Scholar from our Darshan on Truth, Lisa. You should all still remember her, right?"
"Of course, we remember!"
"A genius Scholar just like that kid Arkz, yet she wasted her talent and left Sumeru. It's truly a pity!"
A sage mocked. Although he said it was a pity, his expression was filled with disdain.
Perhaps to him, it was like a relative saying their child was smart but simply refused to study properly.
If they were truly smart, wouldn't they understand the importance of studying?
Akabi, the sage of the Darshan on Truth, glanced at that sage. An old rival—he judged it as pure jealousy that their Darshan didn't have such a genius Scholar.
Azar slapped the table and shouted:
"Enough!"
"Now is not the time to argue. Akabi, stop beating around the bush!"
Seeing the Grand Sage speak, Akabi stopped wasting time and handed Lisa's letter around to the sages for circulation.
Since the Council of sages was convened, the Grand Sage Azar naturally already knew the contents of the letter.
"This...!!!"
"This...!!!"
One by one, the sages who read the letter first showed shock, and then fell silent.
Naphis, the sage of the Darshan on Sumeru Shroom-boar Scholars and Tighnari's mentor, who always had a volatile temper, couldn't hold back upon seeing their reaction and snatched the letter over.
"What is written in this letter that can make you all show such expressions?"
Naphis looked closely.
"This...!!!"
Naphis rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
To claim they could cure the withering sickness—such a bold claim!
Naphis couldn't help but ask:
"Akabi, are you sure this letter wasn't swapped?!!!"
Akabi rolled his eyes. He knew his student well enough; the letter's content was definitely written by Lisa.
As for the truthfulness of the content, *hiss*...
If there wasn't sufficient evidence, Lisa wouldn't have written this letter.
As for tricking them?
This action would benefit neither Lisa nor any other faction. Who would be so bored?
-------------------------
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