Eighty million Mora.
That was just the down payment. The actual costs—building a city, constructing a harbor, dredging the coast, and transforming the shoreline into a paradise—were astronomical.
No one present was a fool. A project requiring hundreds of millions in continuous investment was something the current Mondstadt couldn't afford even if they sold the city brick by brick. Did they really think Ningguang was running a charity?
The crowd was reeling. Eighty million Mora could pile up into a mountain! Without Ningguang, Falcon Coast would remain a desolate wasteland of shipwrecks and reefs that even fishing boats feared.
Having had his lies dismantled, Bishop Calvin was backed into a corner. He grit his teeth and doubled down. "What about Mondstadt's freedom? Su Han's ulterior motives are plain as day! He wants to manipulate the Knights and seize control of the entire city! You cannot deny this!"
Lisa stepped forward, her voice cutting through the Bishop's desperation. "Freedom? Tell me, Bishop, did Su Han force anyone to train? Those who accepted his guidance did so because they wanted to be strong! They didn't want to huddle in the shadows, shivering in fear the next time Stormterror attacked!"
"The citizens want to be strong enough to protect Mondstadt together. Where were you, Bishop, when the Dragon Calamity struck? Where were your priests? Weren't you cowering inside your magnificent Cathedral, trembling in the dark?"
The members of the Church turned pale. It was the truth. During the crisis, Calvin hadn't stepped foot outside his doors.
Jean added firmly, "Freedom is not an excuse for negligence! The curfew exists to stop saboteurs under the cover of night. If people are home by ten, even the drunks are safe. Is that wrong?"
"Freedom... Hah. You dare speak of it? Mondstadt was undisciplined and weak after the Grand Master took the elite on the expedition. What is wrong with wanting to grow stronger? As for Su Han 'annexing' us... do you think Kaeya, Amber, Eula, Lisa, and I are all fools who just follow orders?"
Jean's eyes narrowed. "Ever since my father, Seamus, left, what have you done? You've slandered heroes and twisted the truth! You orchestrated the suppression of Master Diluc's father's legacy! What is your true goal?"
Calvin swayed, his face white as a sheet.
Diluc let out a cold snort. "I would also like to ask: you are so afraid of offending the Fatui, but are you not afraid of offending the current Liyue? Their military far surpasses our Knights. Their Adepti stand united. By slandering Liyue's hero, have you considered the consequences of starting a war?"
The realization hit the citizens like a thunderbolt. Calvin wasn't just judging a man; he was judging Liyue's National Treasure, an existence above the Qixing who answered only to the Geo Archon. A man who had personally sealed a Demon God.
If Mondstadt earned his grudge and war broke out, what would be left of their city? The square fell into a silence heavier than a tomb.
Calvin opened his mouth, but Kaeya stepped out with a chilling smile. "You slander an ally who has done nothing but help us, yet you are so eager to please the Fatui. Bishop Calvin, whose side are you truly on?"
Seeing the doubt in the citizens' eyes and the whispers of his own priests, Calvin hissed, "I trust my instincts! Su Han wants to swallow Mondstadt! Sucrose and Klee have already been taken! Since you won't listen to me, let the Anemo Archon decide! Barbara, bring the Holy Relic... Summon Lord Barbatos to deliver judgment!"
Barbara hesitated. This would put her brother-in-law in an impossible position. Suddenly, a voice whispered in her ear. Her eyes lit up. Without another second of doubt, she stepped forward with the Holy Lyre der Himmel.
"Play the melody!" Calvin screamed. "Let the Anemo Archon see! He who loves freedom will never allow a foreigner to meddle in his kingdom!"
Calvin had gone mad, betting everything on a God he thought he knew. He failed to see the "scoundrel bard" standing at the edge of the crowd, currently bowing his head in apology to Su Han.
At the edge of the crowd, Su Han looked at the fawning Anemo Archon and said expressionlessly, "Look at your followers. They hate me. Perhaps it's best if I leave. As for Dvalin... find your own way to save him."
"Don't say that!" Venti panicked. Dvalin's recovery was visible to the naked eye. If Su Han stopped now, the dragon would spiral back into madness. "This was my oversight. I didn't realize these guys were so disgusting. I'll make it up to you, okay?"
"Sigh. Maybe I should just go back to Liyue. Why bother with all this effort only to be insulted? At least Zhongli listens to me." Su Han feigned a look of total disappointment.
Venti's temper finally snapped. These idiots bothered him all day, and now that he'd finally managed to keep Su Han in Mondstadt, they were trying to kick him out? Even a gentle God has his limits.
BOOM.
The clear sky was suddenly swallowed by a massive, emerald storm. A terrifying gale enveloped all of Mondstadt. The citizens looked up in awe. "Lord Barbatos has appeared?"
Calvin laughed hysterically. "Do you see?! The Anemo Archon is furious! Mondstadt cannot exist without its freedom! I was right! I WAS RIGHT!"
Then, the wind snatched Calvin off his feet and hoisted him into the sky.
"Lord Barbatos! What are you doing?!" Calvin screamed in terror.
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" The Archon's roar descended from the heavens. "Su Han is Mondstadt's benefactor and my sworn brother! Everything he does has my absolute approval. How dare a petty insect like you slander him? Repent in the heart of the storm!"
The raging winds swallowed Calvin whole. No one knew where he was blown to, but the city was paralyzed by the decree.
Su Han, the hero of Liyue, was the sworn brother of the Anemo Archon?!
But Venti wasn't done. From the high heavens, his voice echoed: "My beloved followers! From this day forward, Mondstadt shall have a Pope. His name is Su Han! From this day on, the Church must follow his lead! His will is my command!"
A scepter made of pure wind descended, landing perfectly in Su Han's hand.
Venti's voice whispered in his ear: "There. Is that enough? The Church is yours. You're the Pope now. By the way, that scepter can summon gales—it's a relic from an old friend. Forgive me?"
"You're really pushing your luck," Su Han muttered. A Liyue National Treasure and now the Pope of Favonius?
Venti chuckled. "You don't get it. As Pope, you are the ultimate authority. Besides... don't you like Barbara? And that cold nun, Rosaria? A Pope has very... high privileges."
"Cough... fine. Don't let it happen again."
Su Han admitted it—this 'contract' was starting to look very appealing. Dealing with Jean's father would certainly be a lot easier from the Pope's throne.