At this moment, beneath the Anemo Archon statue, over a hundred priests from the Church had gathered.
Everyone's expression was solemn, as if they were listening to something. Only one young priest, his expression anxious, was continuously wringing his hands.
Hasn't Big Brother Su Han arrived yet? Please hurry up, Lord Cardinal Calvin has gone mad, and he's actually trying to put you on trial.
Sister Jean should have received the news, right? I hope they hurry.
At the front of the crowd, Calvin was passionately listing Su Han's "crimes."
"Everyone, you must clearly recognize this man who is trying to throw Mondstadt into chaos! That's right, his name is Su Han, and he comes from Liyue Harbor!"
"Perhaps some of you will say that this 'hero' from Liyue has been a great help to our Knights of Favonius, is that right?"
"But you don't know his true face!"
"Ever since the train was built, our transportation has become more convenient, but haven't many of our brothers left for Liyue? This is a loss of our population!"
"And now, thirty percent of our goods are imported from Liyue! Minerals, food, and even seasonings! Eighty percent of our seasonings come from Liyue!"
"Even Falcon Coast, which was originally a place of beautiful scenery, has now been completely ruined! It sounds nice to call it 'joint development,' but I've heard that half of the profits from Falcon Coast will be given to Liyue in the future! This is a naked land concession! We will lose our administrative rights to Falcon Coast!"
"And perhaps some of you will say that Su Han is sending his men to train the Knights. Heh… you've all been deceived by him! Because this man wants to annex even the Knights of Favonius! Because this man, Su Han, and the Acting Grand Master, Jean, are having an illicit affair!"
BOOM!
This one sentence went out, and the people gathered in the Mondstadt plaza were all completely shocked.
Thinking about it, it really does seem to be the case. The Knights had become stronger, but the new appointments were all people who were familiar with Su Han. Not only that, but with the train open, Liyue could sell even more things to Mondstadt.
At this time, a merchant who ran a seasoning business walked out and, patting his chest, said, "My name is Will, and everyone should know me. Ever since this train started running, my spice business has been getting worse and worse, and now I'm on the verge of bankruptcy. This is all because of the people from Liyue! If it weren't for them, I would absolutely not be in this state!"
"And me! I'm the adventurer, Spence, you all know me, right? I even hunted a boar once! But just recently, my girlfriend left me and went to Liyue! Tell me, what am I supposed to do?" The man was in tears as he spoke, and countless people's hearts went out to him.
At the same time, an old aristocrat also walked out and sneered, "My friends, my comrades, haven't you noticed? Mondstadt City, which never had a curfew, has recently started to enforce one. And the inspections are even stricter! Everyone even has to register what they've been doing recently! This kind of Mondstadt is not the free Mondstadt we know! We should pray to Lord Barbatos and completely drive this malignant tumor out of our city!"
The people looked at each other, thinking, Is it really like that? Is Su Han really that kind of person?
Seeing everyone hesitate, Calvin revealed his true face. He gave a savage smile and delivered the fatal blow.
"You all don't know, do you? The lottery yesterday was this man's plan! His goal was to wring your wallets dry, so that you would be more obedient to him!"
Instantly, all the people who hadn't won a prize, their faces changed.
"Could it be true?"
"Probably. I didn't win anything yesterday, but I spent three thousand Mora."
"I didn't win either."
"Me too."
"If we all lose our Mora, then will we…?"
Watching the crowd gradually being incited, a look of confidence appeared on Calvin's face. This is it. This is exactly what I wanted. Hate him. As long as you hate him, you can drive that man away.
Barbara, who knew the inside story, her face changed. She knew that Su Han was absolutely not that kind of person. The only reason for the lottery was that the Knights of Favonius were out of Mora. It was all to pay the new recruits' salaries. How could Cardinal Calvin twist the truth like this?
At this moment, Jean finally arrived with her men.
"Calvin! Don't you dare twist the truth!"
This was the first time the Acting Grand Master had been so furious. Su Han was constantly helping Mondstadt because of her, yet this bastard dared to slander him. It was simply too despicable.
At this moment, Calvin looked at her coolly and sneered, "Oh? Isn't it the Acting Grand Master who has been lost in love? What, are you trying to deny your illicit affair with that man? Willag, come out! Let everyone hear about this Acting Grand Master's shameful deeds!"
Being called out by the Cardinal, the knight standing behind Jean trembled all over and slowly walked out. He was in charge of guarding the Knights' headquarters and was someone who saw Jean often.
"I… I am Willag, a Knight of Favonius. I have seen that man being improper with Acting Grand Master Jean, and she did not stop him."
"Willag, you…" Jean couldn't believe that a knight she trusted would betray her like this.
Hearing this, Calvin burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! Did you all hear that? This is your Acting Grand Master! She has been completely bewitched by that man from Liyue! With a Knight of Favonius as a witness, you should all believe it now, right? Today, not only must we drive that malignant tumor out, but we must also revoke this woman's status as Acting Grand Master!"
The citizens looked at Jean with disbelief. No one could have imagined that such a sharp and capable woman would have fallen in just a few short days.
Jean roared in anger, "Calvin, stop your slander! I am also a woman! I am an adult woman! I have the right to my own love! Those twisted words of yours can only deceive fools! You say Su Han is a malignant tumor, then what are you? The Fatui have openly set up camp in the Church of Favonius! May I ask, where were you then?"
Even the usually calm Jean had turned into an angry lioness. She finally understood what Su Han had said: if some people were not purged, sooner or later, there would be trouble.
"Hehe," Calvin sneered, looking at the furious Jean. "Did you hear that? The Acting Grand Master has admitted to her affair with that man. Now, who will you all believe? As for the Fatui, they are full of reverence for Lord Barbatos! Am I supposed to turn them away?!"
The gazes of the crowd towards Jean were now full of disappointment. Especially those gamblers, who were now clamoring for a refund.
But just at that moment, a figure stepped out from the crowd.
"I just heard someone say that their spices are good? I just happened to buy some along the way. Everyone, take a look at the quality, and you'll know why people prefer to use Liyue's products."
Seeing the newcomer, Calvin's pupils shrank. This person was the Tianquan, Ningguang.
She placed two portions of spices in front of the crowd. The one on the left was from Liyue, and the one on the right was the one sold in Mondstadt. It was clear that both in terms of color and quantity, Liyue's was better.
"Does everyone understand now? Your own merchants are passing off inferior goods for high prices, and when the citizens find out, you blame Liyue? Are these your merchants? Of course, you don't have to believe my words. But the Good Hunter and the other merchants in the city will, right?"
As Ningguang's voice fell, Sara from the Good Hunter walked out. "That's right! Mr. Will's shop is expensive, and his goods are bad! We're not fools! Liyue's goods are top-quality. We naturally want to choose the better ones!"
"Of course! Who would buy inferior products? Will, this is the spice I bought from you last month! There's even mold in it!" A chef from the Cat's Tail threw a bag on the ground.
Will's face was ashen. He couldn't say a single word.
But it wasn't over. A woman in a long dress came before the crowd and, looking at Spence, said, "I am his ex-girlfriend. This guy just drinks all day! When I ask him to go to work, he just gives me some excuse about 'tomorrow.' He even bought a boar from Springvale and said it was a monster he had hunted! Does he take me for a blind person? I think any person with a brain wouldn't want to continue to be with a guy like this."
Everyone turned to look at Spence, their original pity turning to contempt. You're not willing to work hard yourself, and you blame others for leaving you?
And a cat-eared woman also walked out. "Spence! You still owe me five hundred Mora for your bar tab! If you don't pay up today, I'll go to the Knights and have them arrest you!"
"Damn, what a shameless guy! He owes money for drinks!"
"Yeah! And he has the nerve to say that a man from Liyue stole his girlfriend! Ugh, so shameless!"
"How did a scoundrel like this get up there?"
"I knew something was wrong just now. A few days ago, this Spence guy was telling me he had found a job. So it was a lie!"
"If he really worked hard, would he be in this state?"
The people discussed among themselves. Spence wanted to run, but with so many people around, how could he?
Ningguang looked at the profusely sweating Calvin and said calmly, "As for the beautiful scenery of Falcon Coast you mentioned, are you talking about those broken rocks? Or are the cliffs so beautiful? By developing that place, Mondstadt's merchants can enter the city directly from Falcon Coast. If a grand canal is dug, they can even enter the city without getting off their boats. I have already spent ten million Mora on this place, not to mention the countless manpower and resources, which add up to over eighty million Mora. Do you think that fifty percent of the profits is very high?"