Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [614]

“This is the will of the Anemo Archon! You can’t go against Barbatos’ divine decree—what you’re doing is a betrayal of Mondstadt!”

“Bullshit. Mondstadt is the land of freedom. We live on land swept by a thousand winds, and freedom is the very foundation Lord Barbatos laid for this nation. Who the hell do you think you are?”

Draff, face contorted with rage, released the hound squad. “Get out now, or I’ll let the boys tear you to pieces!”

The speaker fled Springvale in a panic, and Draff wasted no time packing his bags, gathering his old teammates, and heading straight for Mondstadt City.

If people like that were already appearing in Springvale, he couldn’t begin to imagine what kind of chaos was going on at the heart of the storm.

The hunting squad could manage without him for a while. The younger members were more than capable of holding their own and meeting their targets.

Right now, there was something far more important on his mind—his precious daughter’s safety.

Diona, please be safe!

Draff hurried as fast as he could, and sure enough, Mondstadt City was exactly as he feared—if not worse.

Compared to the relatively quiet Springvale, the city streets were a madhouse—complete chaos.

Speakers, bards, and so-called “concerned citizens” all showed up like performers in a climactic stage play, demanding consultations, challenging the Knights of Favonius, and delivering passionate orations.

There was one thing they all had in common: every other sentence referenced “public will” and “elections.” Many of the speakers wrapped themselves in a veneer of righteousness, as if they were paragons of virtue.

The Knights could do little to stop them. They hadn’t interfered with the citizens’ daily lives or freedom of speech, and if they acted rashly, the crowd of supporters nearby would start calling the speakers “martyrs.”

Look! The current Mondstadt, the current Knights of Favonius are so crude and tyrannical! To expose such ugliness, we’re even willing to give our lives!

It was all just a disgusting spectacle.

The bard scene was even more absurd. Every day they sang strange little ditties like “Democracy’s great! Democracy’s grand! In democratic life, joy never ends!”

The worst part? Some of the townsfolk were actually drawn in by the novelty of the theme. Slowly but surely, the message was seeping in.

This madness dragged on for some time. Even someone like Amber, who spent most of her time in the field and held an official position, had to take side doors to avoid being mobbed.

From Gu Sanqiu’s perspective, these people looked exactly like shameless reporters chasing nothing but engagement metrics.

“Hah. Chaos, through and through.”

An elderly woman in a wheelchair was pushed slowly through the streets by a young man wearing a polite, formulaic smile. Whenever someone approached them trying to deliver a speech, he declined gracefully and with perfect manners.

A few pushier ones had their speech scrolls mysteriously whipped away by sudden gusts of wind.

The old woman in the wheelchair chuckled as she took in the chaotic scene. “Haven’t seen things this lively in ages… or maybe it’s just that I haven’t left the house in too long.”

“Interesting, but not impressive,” the young man said flatly. “They’ve already put the Thousand Winds Divine Stone on display in the plaza beneath the statue of Barbatos. Looks legit, too.”

“So then, Little Gu, do you think the mastermind behind all this is one of the bards?”

“Not a chance. Placing it there is just a way to borrow the Wind God’s name for legitimacy. No true mastermind would risk showing themselves.”

“Besides, putting the stone at the statue’s base means the Knights of Favonius have to guard it like it’s sacred. If that thing disappears, it’ll be a disaster.”

“On top of that, if they want to push their agenda, framing someone for theft or stirring up scandal isn’t out of the question.”

“That much you can rest easy about,” the old woman said, eyes flashing with restrained anger. “It’s not just the Knights—Windward Patrol is monitoring the plaza in secret, too. These rats won’t make it far.”

“This is just the calm before the storm. The time to crush them all in one go hasn’t come yet.”

The pair were, of course, Gu Sanqiu and the elder Matron of the Church, both carefully disguised. They’d been watching the unfolding events in Mondstadt closely, doing their best to keep their fury in check.

The Matron was outraged at those disturbing the city’s peace and harmony. Gu Sanqiu, on the other hand, simply wanted to blast them all into the sky.

Luckily, the conspirators still remembered Alice’s deterrent power. They hadn’t dared to stir up trouble using excuses like “why did the Knights give a child a title?” Otherwise, Gu Sanqiu really would’ve gone to Albedo and cooked up a massacre plan.

The Knights weren’t completely idle either. While they hadn’t clamped down harshly, they were quietly working on the bare minimum to maintain stability, waiting for the situation to evolve.

It was a strategy of ice concealing raging flame—reminiscent of the two brothers from the Ragnvindr family.

Whether Diluc was involved was unclear, but this felt very much like Kaeya’s doing.

If Jean had been handling it, the Knights would likely be working to defuse tensions through press conferences and conflict resolution—definitely not this hands-off approach.

Jean was a competent Acting Grand Master, but lacked experience in dealing with people who didn’t play by the rules.

Kaeya, though? That was a different story entirely. His inner darkness was practically etched into his Cryo vision.

If Liyue had the Crux Fleet—a civilian navy with a powerful underworld figure like Beidou at its helm—then Kaeya held a similar status in Mondstadt. The only difference was that Kaeya lacked brute force.

But despite his penchant for loitering in taverns, Kaeya’s record in fighting crime was oddly impeccable. Many chalked it up to his talent—some even called it his “detective gift.”

He did have skill, yes, but the real reason lay in the intricate web of informants he’d cultivated—just like a spider’s web.

No one succeeds on luck alone. No one gets it right every time.

Kaeya had spent years dealing with shady characters and skirting the edge of the law. He was the perfect man to oversee this kind of operation.

The kind of person who could hurl you off Starsnatch Cliff with a smile—and hum a cheerful tune while doing it.

That said, this time, the body count might be a little high. Dropping them off near the Cryo Regisvine might be better—no need to clean up the mess afterward. The elemental vine would handle that nicely.

“Little Gu,” the Matron asked, “do you think these people… do they really not know what they’re doing?”

“There’s no way they don’t.”

Gu Sanqiu let out a cold chuckle. “A good performer—or orator—has to fully inhabit their role. That’s rule number one. You have to make the audience believe it.”

“These people have absolutely nailed that part. The only difference between them and actual actors is that they know exactly what they’re after. They’ve buried themselves in these roles to pave the way for future rewards.”

With his affinity for emotional energy, Gu Sanqiu could sense it clearly—these people were pouring their hearts into awakening Mondstadt’s so-called “democratic spirit.”

But buried deep within that passion was a far uglier desire. A twisted scent of ambition—rotten and putrid—clung to them like rot.

He normally avoided reading other people’s emotions or desires, but given the circumstances, he’d made a small exception.

The result had made him want to tear the speaker apart right then and there.

“Their only leverage is that one piece of junk—an old climate-regulating relic, the Thousand Winds Divine Stone. I don’t get how they think the Church or the Knights would actually fold because of it. Is that really their plan?”

Truthfully, the Matron was disappointed. Back during the Iroch Incident, the Fatui and their allies had used far more sophisticated tactics. Compared to those schemes, this one was amateur hour.

She’d been through too many storms to take clowns like this seriously.

“No, no,” Gu Sanqiu said with a smile, pushing her gently back toward the Church. “Anyone capable of orchestrating all this—or advising it—is no idiot.”

“Who knows? Maybe… this wasn’t their real goal at all.”

---

This is a fan translation of 原神之璃月奉香人 by 淡白蛋清. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!