Chapter 34: The Rumor Maker

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Venti continued his relentless pursuit, feeling like his eyes were about to give out from staring at the phone screen for so long.

Fortunately, Lisa checked the time and decided it was finally quitting time to meet up with Jean. She couldn't let her work too hard; they needed a break at the tavern.

Jean, unable to resist Lisa's insistence, accompanied her to the tavern. It had been quite some time since she'd taken a moment off, thanks only to Lisa's persistent urging...

Watching the speedometer stop again, Venti felt close to tears and pushed himself even harder. If that sly player pulled another stunt, he might never end this stream.

Finally, deep into the night, Venti successfully finished the race, claiming first place amidst his frustration. Checking his live stream, only three viewers remained.

Just as he completed the game, a pop-up notification reminded him of the anti-addiction system. He sighed deeply, knowing any more delay would have driven him insane.

***

The next day, even Albedo, who was sketching landscapes amidst the snow-capped mountains, received a phone. After all, he is a member of the Knights of Favonius - their Chief Alchemist.

Albedo browsed through the phone and discovered numerous books. His eyes lit up upon finding one titled "Advanced Chemistry."

Within its pages, alchemical processes were symbolized, making many reactions clearer and more comprehensible.

He eagerly prepared to delve deeper, aiming to formulaize the entire alchemy process, which would significantly reduce reaction times.

"Ring... ring..." The phone's bell chimed, indicating an incoming call.

"Guess who it is, Albedo!" Klee's lively and adorable voice came from the other end.

"It's you, Klee. Have you been listening to Captain Jean lately?" Albedo smiled, his voice exceptionally gentle.

"Aww, Albedo guessed so quickly; that's no fun," Klee said, sounding slightly disappointed.

"Oh right, Albedo, please save Klee's phone number. That new knight brother told me we can talk anytime once you do this." Klee hurriedly explained, having obtained Albedo's number from Lin Feng. She found the new knight brother quite nice as well, very friendly towards her.

"Alright, once I finish my current tasks, I'll come play with you soon," Albedo replied with a smile, his eyes filled with affection.

"Mm-hmm... Klee will listen to Captain Jean and won't go fishing with explosions anymore..." Klee hastily assured him, though whether she would actually follow through remained uncertain.

As Albedo listened to Klee's words, he felt a pang of sympathy inexplicably. He recalled there being a lake below the snow-capped mountains, teeming with fish. Perhaps he should take Klee there for some fun.

After hanging up, Klee reopened "A Comprehensive Guide to Bomb Fishing" and carefully selected the best spot to maximize her catch.

To her frustration, the crucial sections explaining bomb-making were missing from the book. This left her Jumpy Dumpty half-finished, unsure how to proceed.

Lin Feng, sitting in the office adjacent to Klee's confinement room, couldn't shake off a sense of unease, fearing that Klee's Jumpy Dumpty might accidentally explode.

He was busy editing exam questions on his phone, preparing for next week's knight selection process. In between, he briefly checked the live stream, which had now become a vibrant hub of diverse content.

Diluc also occasionally browsed videos during his downtime, noticing clips filmed by Mondstadt residents showing Ley Line anomalies and magic beast disturbances. Without delay, he donned his red attire, put on his black mask, and swiftly headed towards the affected areas.

Unfortunately, his combat figure was captured by many bystanders and quickly spread online.

"Traveler, have you seen similar videos lately? Could you investigate this?" A resident approached Lumine with a smile, offering a quest.

Paimon glanced at Lumine and whispered, "Traveler, remember those videos we shared earlier about monsters attacking Mondstadt? That righteous hero should definitely return now!"

"Hmm, likely so. Every time such videos surface, he appears at the scene," Lumine nodded, making her educated guess from their corner.

"We'll wait here and catch him when he shows up, teehee!" Paimon clapped excitedly, recalling how she and the Traveler had even taken photos with some Slimes for these videos.

As Captain Jean watched numerous rumors spreading on short video platforms, particularly claims of monsters assaulting Mondstadt, she became increasingly concerned. As the Acting Grand Master, no one knew better than her whether any such attacks were occurring or not.

The circulation of such rumors only instilled fear among the populace. Moreover, several people mentioned plans to relocate away from Mondstadt.

According to statistics gathered by the knights guarding Favonius Cathedral, the number of visitors today increased by fifty percent compared to the previous day. Of course, it could also be attributed to the fact that it was Saturday.

Jean entered Lin Feng's office unexpectedly, startling him as he was engrossed in watching magic beast videos. It should be noted that Jean detested idleness more than anything.

"Lin Feng, take a look at this video." She handed her phone to him. Although she had the authority to directly ban such content, once rumors spread, their impact could not be contained merely by censorship.

Frowning slightly, Lin Feng wondered about the audacity of any magic beast daring to attack Mondstadt.

With an awkward smile, he turned to Captain Jean and suggested, "Um, I'm not particularly skilled at fighting monsters. Maybe we should involve Eula or Kaeya to handle it?"

He knew well his combat capabilities were limited; how could he possibly deal with a magic beast crisis? He certainly didn't want to become fodder for those creatures.

"No, can't you see this is just a rumor?" Jean furrowed her brow, concerned that if even the Knights of Favonius couldn't discern truth from falsehood, the potential harm would indeed be significant.

"A rumor?" Lin Feng immediately grew indignant and responded, "Then let's remove the video and permanently ban the account!"

Jean nearly lost her patience; why would she consult him for such a straightforward solution? She began regretting the exceptional circumstances under which she recruited Lin Feng into the Knights.

"Now, what steps should we take to mitigate the effects of this rumor and prevent similar ones from arising in the future?" Jean looked at Lin Feng, seeking his input.

"Hmm..." Lin Feng's eyebrows furrowed slightly but quickly relaxed.

"Captain Jean, what if we create an official account on MiHoYo Live? Whenever there's any official news or updates, we can post videos to announce them."

"At the same time, we could also release videos debunking false information and identifying rumors. This would empower everyone with discernment skills while improving the efficiency of the Knights' operations."

"Additionally, we could share criminal profiles and explain areas frequented by monsters as warnings."

Upon hearing Lin Feng's suggestions, Jean nodded approvingly. Thankfully, he wasn't entirely foolish; otherwise, she might have considered kicking him out of the Knights!

Lin Feng watched Jean leave, letting out a sigh of relief. Little did he know, his knight status had narrowly escaped jeopardy.

First, Lin Feng restricted the video's circulation, then asked the System to trace the IP address of the phone used to upload it, marking it on a map.

If this person was causing trouble, they definitely needed to be apprehended!

At Dawn Winery, Diluc had already changed his attire. Muttering under his breath, he said, "The Knights of Favonius remain as incompetent as ever. Monsters invading the city, indeed! Hmph!"

With that, he donned his mask and rushed towards Mondstadt City. By now, dusk was setting in.