Mondstadt Needs Change to Become more developed

"Let's go, let's head back," Takarou said.

"Mm," came the reply as Takarou carried Klee in his arms, walking back towards Mondstadt.

Upon their return to Mondstadt, Jean and the others had just arrived as well.

"Owner, Kaeya, why are you with Klee?" Jean was surprised to see Klee in Takarou's embrace.

"Um... Jean, Klee wanted to go out and play, so I took her out," Takarou explained. "We went out for a little walk."

"Owner, I appreciate you keeping Klee company."

"No problem, Klee is adorable, and I really like her."

"Do you have other things to attend to? I can take care of Klee for now, and when you're done, you can come back to the shop and pick her up."

"That would be great, thanks, Owner." They all entered Mondstadt together, and Jean and the others went to Angel's Share.

Takarou, on the other hand, brought Klee back to the New Century Comic Store. He placed Klee on the bed and covered her with a blanket. If he hadn't traveled here, he might have been married by now, and maybe even had a cute child of his own. With Lumine's help, the Windblume Festival event was a success, and they had finally repaired the Statue of The Seven in Mondstadt.

"Now that the Statue of The Seven is repaired, tomorrow we will head to Stormterror's Lair together and restore Dvalin," Jean declared. "Lumine, we will need your assistance."

"Sure, Jean. Let's depart together tomorrow."

"It's getting late, everyone should rest early," Jean said as she left Angel's Share and made her way to the New Century Comic Store.

"Owner, I'm here to take Klee."

"Klee is in the room on the left upstairs."

"Thank you." Jean looked at Takarou hesitantly, wanting to say something.

"Jean, is there something else you want to talk about?"

"Owner, I have always had a question in my mind that I wanted to ask you."

"Oh, what question? Go ahead and ask."

"In your eyes, how do you view Mondstadt?"

"How do I view Mondstadt?"

Takarou chuckled upon hearing the question.

"Please have a seat first, let me pour you a glass of water."

Takarou went to pour Jean a glass of water and sat across from her.

"In my opinion, Mondstadt has taken freedom too far. Although Mondstadt is a land of freedom, there are..." Takarou paused.

"But what?" Jean inquired.

"Jean, before I answer that question, I have a question for you," Takarou said. "If, one day, Mondstadt faced an enemy that the Knights of Favonius alone couldn't defeat, do you think the people of Mondstadt would pick up arms and help you?"

"I believe they would, but only a few would actually take up arms to protect their homeland," Jean replied.

"The freedom granted by the Anemo Archon isn't perfect."

"Freedom alone is not enough for a country to prosper."

"If a nation lacks the strength to protect its people, it is vulnerable."

"Have you heard of the Salt God's incident?" Takarou asked.

"The Salt God? You mean the god who was supposedly killed by the humans he was protecting?" Jean recalled.

"Yes, during the war in Teyvat, the Salt God refused to fight and chose to protect her people instead."

"But in the war, he kept retreating time and time again. And what did she end up with?"

"She lacked the strength to fight back and was ultimately killed by his own people."

"In my world, there was also a nation that claimed to be freedom, but it had great strength."

"Strength is required for true freedom."

"Strength is required for peace."

"In my view, the people of Mondstadt are too dependent."

"Have you not noticed that every time something happens in Mondstadt, it is up to you, the acting Grand Master, to resolve it?"

"If that's the case, why even have the Knights of Favonius? You could handle everything on your own." Jean couldn't refute Takarou's words as he spoke nothing but the truth.

"If we compare Mondstadt to Liyue, I have more faith in Liyue."

"The discipline in Liyue is far superior to that of Mondstadt."

"Although the early development of Liyue relied on the Geo Archon, it also relied on the Liyue Qixing."

"It can be said that even without the Geo Archon, Liyue would still be able to face major disasters."

In the story, although Ningguang relied on the Adepti to defeat the Oceanid during the early stages, later on, Ningguang and the people of Liyue, including the Traveler and Shenhe, defeated Balseph, the wife of the Oceanid, without the help of the Adepti.

If we were to compare the combat strength, Liyue is naturally much stronger than Mondstadt.

"But, Owner... this is the realm of the Anemo Archon, and the Anemo Archon hasn't interfered with Mondstadt's freedom..."

"That's because the Anemo Archon believes in all of you. He believes that even without his presence, you can still govern Mondstadt well."

"But, Jean, for a country to thrive in the long run, freedom alone is not enough."

"Take the Fool's Troop, for example. They dare to mock the Knights of Favonius right in your own territory."

Jean's face turned pale, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Mondstadt had become too liberal, and many members of the Knights of Favonius were too lax.

That's why Diluc disliked the Knights of Favonius.

"Jean, you must understand that a weak country has no diplomacy."

"If Mondstadt possesses sufficient strength, the Fool's Troop wouldn't dare to be so insolent within your territory."

"This is Mondstadt, your country, not Snezhnaya!"

Is Mondstadt strong?

In the past, it was indeed quite strong.

However, with Grand Master Varka leading his troops on an expedition, taking away a significant portion of Mondstadt's combat strength, the city's power had diminished significantly. That's why the Fool's Troop could now openly insult Mondstadt.

They even dared to insult the Windblume of Mondstadt. If one day, Grand Master Varka's expedition failed, and he died on the way, then Mondstadt...

"So, Owner, what should we do?" Jean asked, understanding Takarou's implications.

"What you need to do is change this direction. You are the acting Grand Master now. If one day, Grand Master Varka returns and sees the Windblume Knights of Mondstadt so complacent, he will surely be disappointed."

"You need to improve your strength. In my world, there's a saying that I can share with you."

"The caliber is justice, and the turret is truth."

"The range is fairness, and the power is democracy."

"Mobility maintains freedom, and armor guards peace."

"Penetration promises victory, and the inclination creates miracles."

"Sight brings dawn, and concealment brings hope."

"The trajectory leads to success, and hitting the target means victory."

"Well, I've told you what I needed to. Think about it carefully after you return."

__________________

After listening to Takarou, Jean remained silent for a while before standing up and performing a knight's salute.

"Owner, thank you for sharing all this with me. After hearing your words, I have a general idea in my mind."

"Well then, I'll take Klee back now and won't disturb you any longer."

"Okay." Jean went upstairs, picked up Klee from the bed, and left.

"Hey, Owner." Not long after Jean left, Venti appeared in the shop.

"You heard everything I said, didn't you?" Seeing Venti, Takarou gave him a disapproving look.

"Owner, I heard everything you said."

"So, what do you think?"

"What do I think? As you said, I believe that Mondstadt will continue to prosper under the guidance of humans. Even without me, the Anemo Archon, they can face certain challenges."

"You always manage to turn everything into a joke."

"After all, I'm just a wandering bard. But... Owner, what you said makes sense."

"Although I'm a god, I can't compare to the old man." Venti referred to the Geo Archon, Zhongli.

Although Zhongli had become a mortal in Liyue, he would still intervene when Liyue encountered problems that couldn't be solved.

"You..." Takarou smiled helplessly.

"If Jean really listens to what I said and makes a true change, going against her original intentions, what will you do then?"

"Me? I won't do anything."

"Alright, Jean is probably still confused after hearing my words. As the Anemo Archon, shouldn't you go and talk to her?"

"I already did. Jean already knows your true identity, right?"

"Huh? Owner, you actually know that Jean found out about my identity?"

"But, Owner, why did you tell Jean all this?"

"I simply don't want to see such a beautiful nation disappear from this continent one day."

"After all, for you gods, attrition is the greatest challenge you face."

"You even know about attrition, Owner?" This surprised Venti. This was something only they, the gods, knew. Could it be that Takarou was also a deity?

"What do you think?"

"Then, Owner, do you have a way to solve this issue?"

"Not at the moment, but perhaps one day, I'll find the answer in my manga."

"So, Barbatos, you better do something productive." Takarou rubbed his chin and looked at Venti.

Having a deity work for him was quite a fortunate situation. Moreover, if he told Venti, he might even go and inform Zhongli about it. Venti looked at Takarou in astonishment. He didn't expect that even matters of attrition could be resolved in manga.

"So, you should already know what you need to do next, right?"

"It seems that I, as a wandering bard, will have to start getting busy."

"Owner, I'm leaving."

"Okay."

Venti left the New Century Manga Store and flew over the skies of Mondstadt. As the Archon of Mondstadt, he watched over this nation, the Windblume that the people believed in. He naturally wanted his country to thrive and become stronger.

Not just strong, but also to develop to a point where, apart from major crises that required his intervention, Mondstadt could handle everything on its own. At that time, he could completely let go.

Venti decided to take action this time because Mondstadt couldn't resolve the issue with the Anemo Archon Dragon on its own. Additionally, the dragon was being controlled by the Abyss Order, which caused disaster in Mondstadt.

Venti pondered for a moment, then disappeared from the sky and reappeared in Jean's office at the Knights of Favonius.

"Jean, Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, and the Dandelion Knight." Venti appeared in the room and looked at the busy Jean, softly calling out to her.

Hearing the voice, Jean, who was occupied with her work, looked towards the sound and noticed Venti in the room.

"Ba... Venti, do you have something to discuss?" Jean didn't believe that Venti had come just to visit.

"I heard your conversation with Owner."

"Ba... Barbatos, do you think what Owner said makes sense?" Jean didn't show a surprised expression since she had already known that Venti was Barbatos.

"What do you think deep down? Do you want to change Mondstadt or stick with the status quo?" Venti didn't directly answer but responded with a question.

"I... I think what Owner said makes sense. Mondstadt does need to change."

"Barbatos, I'm not trying to offend you with these words, but..."

"I understand."

"Since you already have an answer in your heart, then follow your own choice."

"Although you are only the Acting Grand Master, I believe you can do better."

"After all, Mondstadt has developed quite well under your leadership."

"I won't interfere with your choices, but Jean, remember one thing, don't touch the Ley Lines!" This was Venti's warning.

After all, one of the reasons behind the destruction of Khaenri'ah was the disturbance of Ley Lines, which was discovered by Celestia. Then the Seven Archons took action and annihilated Khaenri'ah. But Venti truly didn't want to face such a war again. That country had no Archons, and during the war, two Archons died. If such a war were to happen again, it would be disastrous. After finishing his words, Venti glanced at Jean and disappeared from the room.

"Barbatos..."

Jean, who was initially still somewhat confused, no longer felt uncertain after hearing the guidance of the Anemo Archon. If Mondstadt needed to change, then it would start from tomorrow!

"Phew, Owner, I'm so tired."

Venti appeared once again in the New Century Manga Store, plopping down on a chair.

"You, doing such a small task and getting tired like this."

"Alright, since you did something useful today, I'll pour you a glass of wine."

"Owner, isn't one glass enough? How about you just give me a bottle, and I'll take it back to savor slowly?"

"Do you think that's possible?"

"One glass, and once you finish it, you can leave. I also need to rest."

Venti was somewhat disappointed, but having something was better than nothing.

He enjoyed his glass of wine and then left.

"It seems that Venti has convinced Jean. Now it's up to Mondstadt to decide how it will change."

Takarou had his own plans when he wanted Mondstadt to change and invited Venti to join him. If one day, those who possessed the Vision emerged from the manga store with powerful artifacts and Celestia discovered it...

At that time, they definitely wouldn't tolerate him. But when that time came, he would have his allies. He would have the strength to confront Celestia. Thus, Takarou shared his plan with Venti.