"Diluc."
Venti spoke with rare seriousness.
"I hope you carefully consider this matter. Whatever decision you ultimately make, I only hope it's one you can stand by without regret." The Anemo Archon embodies freedom.
And the people of the Anemo Archon are also free.
Venti could openly express his thoughts.
But he wouldn't interfere too much with Diluc's decision—because Diluc was free.
No matter what choice Diluc made, Venti wouldn't be disappointed in him.
Because Diluc had a heart that sought to protect Mondstadt.
Even if he didn't become the decision-maker of the integrated system, he would still guard Mondstadt with his own strength, wouldn't he?
Diluc remained silent, lost in thought.
He truly disliked the Knights of Favonius.
It was his father who had driven back the dragon Ursa the Drake, yet the Knights' decision had been to bury the truth.
For the sake of the Knights' reputation, his father's death had been portrayed as nothing more than an unfortunate accident.
Back then, Inspector Eroch, who had made that decision, had been exposed as a traitor and purged by the Knights.
But Diluc still harbored resentment.
The Knights' efficiency was far too lacking.
This wasn't just about the Eroch incident—their sluggishness was evident even in their day-to-day operations.
The fact that many of their elite members had been reassigned was one reason.
Another reason was the environment.
But while the people could afford to be lax, how could the Knights?
This was the nation's military force!
The Knights were Mondstadt's army. If the army was sluggish and inefficient, even the simplest tasks became needlessly complicated.
How could this be allowed?
"I have one condition," Diluc finally relented.
Venti's eyes lit up. He had to admit, Diluc's concession surprised him.
"Name it!" Venti replied immediately.
"The Knights must be purged once more," Diluc stated coldly. "Implement an assessment system—anyone who fails gets removed. National resources aren't for supporting dead weight! Many procedures need streamlining, and new decrees must be added where necessary... In short, the Knights must become just! Efficient! Loyal! Reliable!"
A bright smile spread across Venti's face as he met Diluc's gaze.
"The Anemo Archon supports you! Go ahead and do it!"
When it came to the military—a machine of force—there was no room for talk of "freedom."
Only a strong military could ensure the "freedom" of the Anemo Archon's people.
Venti understood this well.
"That's all I needed to hear," Diluc nodded.
He wouldn't be the sole decision-maker of the integrated system—Venti and Jean would undoubtedly be part of it.
Jean tended to be indecisive in certain matters, but Diluc was anything but!
Jean was suited for maintaining stability.
Diluc was suited for forging ahead!
And this new era needed someone like Diluc.
"The position of Inspector is vacant—why not let Diluc fill it?" Kaeya suggested.
The role of Inspector held significant authority.
Otherwise, Eroch wouldn't have been able to manipulate things so thoroughly back then.
After all, Diluc had been the Cavalry Captain at the time—a position that was already quite high-ranking!
"Inspector..."
Diluc murmured before nodding.
What he despised was Inspector Eroch, not the position itself.
This role would allow him to balance power within the Knights.
Moreover, it would give him the authority to root out corruption.
Luheng could already envision the future of the Knights.
Just as Diluc had described: just! Efficient! Loyal! Reliable!
What kind of scene would that be?
First impressions had left Luheng with a less-than-favorable view of the Knights.
But it was undeniable that no matter how well a nation was governed, there would always be parasites.
Even under Rex Lapis' rule, Liyue had its share of despicable people.
The difference lay in the quantity—a reflection of a nation's true quality.
If Diluc could truly bring about such a change... even with only a fifth of their elite forces, the Knights would no longer be at a disadvantage against the Fatui!
With a Knights of Favonius like that, who would dare look down on Mondstadt?
After all, Dvalin had already been healed!
Kaeya and Albedo turned to Diluc, awaiting his decision.
Diluc asked immediately, "How much Mora did you bring?"
"2.2 billion," Kaeya replied.
Though Mondstadt wasn't as wealthy as Liyue, it was far from poor.
Diluc himself was proof—he paid taxes to the Knights.
Moreover, Mondstadt had plenty of merchants and its own port.
The Mora Kaeya had brought this time came directly from the national treasury.
"Then purchase the integrated system, 3,000 equipment units, and 3,000 phones. Use the rest for card draws," Diluc decided without hesitation.
Zhongli's expression showed approval.
After deducting 1 billion Mora for the integrated system and 60 million for the equipment and phones, 1.14 billion Mora remained.
That translated to 114,000 cards of varying tiers.
Even after filtering out the less effective ones, at least 70,000 would remain.
70,000 cards of different tiers would bring a massive boost to the Knights.
This was equivalent to gaining 3,000 Vision wielders—an understatement, if anything.
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T/N:
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