In front of the door, Amber stopped his steps, gently adjusted his neckerchief and badge, took a deep breath, and then raised his hand to knock three times with his knuckles, neither too hard nor too soft.
"Please, come in." From inside the room came a steady, slightly weary, yet still clear and powerful female voice.
Amber pushed the door open and led Lu Hongze inside.
It was a spacious yet simple office. The massive desk was piled high with documents and files, and a detailed map of the Mondstadt region hung on the wall. A woman with long golden hair tied in a ponytail looked up from the stack of papers. She wore a well-fitting knight's uniform under a blue overcoat, with golden tassels hanging naturally from her spaulders. Her face was beautiful and resolute, with a hint of persistent fatigue between her brows, but her lake-blue eyes were sharp and clear, as if they could see through everything.
"Master Jean." Amber stood up straight and gave a knightly salute, his tone respectful. "While I was on patrol outside the city, I came across this boy. He's in a bad way, and... well, we can't communicate at all. There's a complete language barrier."
Jean's gaze passed over Amber and landed on the figure beside him, who had his head lowered and was almost entirely hidden behind him.
Her gaze lingered for a moment on the boy's tattered clothes and bare feet, finally settling on his profile, which remained breathtakingly striking despite his efforts to hide it.
Lu Hongze could feel that scrutinizing gaze—deeper than Amber's and more penetrating than the city guards'. It was the absolute scrutiny of a superior over a subordinate.
His heart tightened, but his body reacted instinctively, shrinking further behind Amber, revealing only a small portion of his pale face and slightly trembling shoulders.
"No communication at all?"
Jean's brow furrowed slightly. She stood up, walked around the desk, and approached. Her steps were steady and full of power.
As she drew closer, an invisible pressure descended. Lu Hongze didn't even dare to look up, only staring at the tips of her polished boots.
"Correct. I cannot understand a word he's saying. However, his pronunciation is... peculiar. It doesn't match any dialect I know, but it sounds close to the liyue language." Amber added, while stepping aside to let Jean see him more clearly, though still trying to protect him.
Jean stopped a few paces away from them. She didn't approach rashly but spoke a few words to Lu Hongze in a gentle but unquestionable tone. Although Lu Hongze couldn't understand her, he could guess she was trying to soothe and question him.
He didn't respond at all, only burying his face deeper, his breathing becoming slightly rapid due to tension.
Jean was silent for a moment before saying to Amber:
"Amber, go to the storage room and get some clean clothes."
"Yes, Master!" Amber replied immediately, but he hesitated as he looked at Lu Hongze, who was clutching his arm so tightly that his knuckles were white.
Jean saw his concern and softened her tone. "Rest assured, he is perfectly safe here."
Amber then nodded, gently patted the back of Lu Hongze's hand, gesturing for him to stay, and then quickly left the office.
The door was gently closed.
Only Jean and Lu Hongze remained in the office.
The air seemed to freeze. Lu Hongze could clearly hear his own racing heartbeat.
Jean didn't speak immediately. She returned to her desk but didn't sit down, merely leaning against the edge, calmly observing the boy who was like a frightened fawn.
Her gaze held none of Amber's pure pity, nor the scrutiny of the commoners; it was a calm, evaluative observation.
After a while, she spoke again, her voice steady, as if talking to herself or to him, despite knowing he couldn't understand:
"He speaks an unknown language, wears strange clothing, and possesses striking features. Yet he was found in the dangerous wilderness, carrying no money, no identification, and not even... War Bonds."
When that key phrase, "War Bond," appeared again.
Lu Hongze's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. This subtle reaction did not escape Jean's eyes.
Her eyes flickered slightly.
Realizing his slip-up, Lu Hongze immediately channeled that stiffness into deeper fear and helplessness. He looked up, finally meeting Jean's gaze fully for the first time.
Those eyes, moist from prolonged fear and the momentary tension, were rimmed with red, looking like rain-drenched glass against his pale skin. They were filled with bewilderment, fear, and a loneliness that felt as if he had been abandoned by the world. He just looked at her, his lips trembling slightly, unable to make any meaningful sound, only faint, suppressed gasps.
It was a silent confrontation.
One side was a ruler with power and calm wisdom, needing to weigh pros and cons and assess risks.
The other was a visitor from another world whose only weapons were his appearance and fragility, desperately needing a crack in which to survive.
Jean looked into those eyes and remained silent for even longer.
She seemed to be weighing and calculating. Keeping this boy of unknown origin meant potential trouble, consumption of resources, and possible questioning from The Church or other parties. Especially since he couldn't bring any immediate 'value' to The Knights, such as bond subscriptions.
But the things in those eyes were too pure, too... real.
Finally, Jean sighed softly, a sigh carrying a trace of imperceptible helplessness. She went to a nearby filing cabinet and took out a blank form and a quill.
She returned to the desk, sat down, and began to write. At the same time, she spoke to him in a clear and slow voice, as if issuing an important decree:
"Given your current circumstances, by the authority vested in me as the Acting Grand Master, I grant you temporary sanctuary until your identity can be verified."
What she wrote was a Temporary Sanctuary Permit.
Although Lu Hongze didn't understand every word, he caught the words 'permit', 'temporary', and'safety' from her tone and actions.
His tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and a strong sense of exhaustion washed over him. His legs went weak, and he nearly couldn't stand, quickly supporting himself against the nearby wall. He lowered his head; this time, it wasn't an act, but true, post-crisis weakness. Tears finally couldn't be held back, dripping in large drops onto the floor, creating small, dark stains.
Jean watched him without offering any verbal comfort, simply placing the signed document on the corner of the desk, a complex expression in her lake-blue eyes.
She knew this decision might bring trouble.
But in the end, she couldn't push such a fragile and helpless life back into the peril-filled wilderness.