Genshin Impact Simulation: Starting with Melsin's Friend

Chapter 389 The Plan to Catch a Turtle in a Jar

"Hmm? Judging from your expression, you've discovered something?"

Falga appeared to be leisurely leaning back in his chair, teacup in hand, taking a nap, but in reality, he was constantly watching Mu Feng's reaction.

Seeing that his expression seemed to have changed, the Grand Commander raised an eyebrow slightly and immediately asked a question with great interest.

"It's not so much a discovery as a suspicion."

After a moment of contemplation, Mu Feng briefly recounted to Falga the Adventurers' Guild's request, the night raid that occurred in Clear Spring Town yesterday, and the inexplicable fire that broke out in Dadaupa Valley.

Upon hearing of the attack, Falga's smile gradually turned serious, and his gaze sharpened instantly.

This was clearly not a simple accident, but a premeditated cover-up, and the final fire was to extinguish all traces.

He picked up the document again and began to read it word by word, then fell into deep thought while looking at the map of Dadaupa Valley.

Time passed second by second, and Falga's fingers rhythmically tapped the table, producing a series of dull knocking sounds.

"...It is almost certain that the monster riot that occurred in Dadaupa Valley is not a simple ley line phenomenon."

"Instead, someone wants to use this incident to cover up their true intentions."

Mu Feng ended the unpleasant memory with an almost definitive tone, picked up the cold tea on the table, and drank it all in one gulp.

At that moment, Falga also looked up from the pile of documents again, thoughtfully stroking his chin.

"So, what are your thoughts, mastermind behind this?"

Regarding the recent unusual occurrences in the Dadaupa Valley, he had long suspected human factors rather than simple natural disasters.

Especially after the Mondstadt Alchemy Association ruled out the cause of the leyline disorder, the monster uprising became even more suspicious.

The Dadaupa Valley is located in a remote part of Mondstadt and is usually deserted, with almost no one visiting except hunters.

If someone wants to infiltrate Mondstadt undetected, this area is clearly a good choice.

Mu Feng's discovery confirmed his point of view.

Now that the matter has been settled, the next step is to find these guys and bring them all to justice.

Falgar's usually somewhat lazy gaze suddenly sharpened, a sign that he was getting serious.

Ha, he's far from being too old to wield the wolf's tail.

As for the mastermind, he already had a general idea, but he still wanted to hear his good apprentice's opinion.

"I can't think of any other option besides the Fools."

Mu Feng's answer was straightforward, clearly indicating that he had been prepared in advance.

"Oh? So sure? Why?"

Falgar smiled and asked in return, but his attitude clearly showed that the other party's view coincided with his own.

"The only force in all of Teyvat capable of organizing an operation of this scale is the Fools of Winter."

"Moreover, judging from their subsequent actions of silencing witnesses and setting fires, it is consistent with the ruthless style of the Fools."

This was a conclusion Mu Feng had drawn after careful consideration last night. Perhaps the other party did not expect that his attempt to destroy the body and cover up his whereabouts would ultimately have the opposite effect.

"That's right, but we can't draw any conclusions until we actually find these guys and wipe them out."

Falgar nodded in agreement, but as the Grand Master of the Knights, he obviously had many more things to consider.

For example, the diplomatic clashes between Mond and Winter.

If we can seize this opportunity to find fault with the Fools, we can also force them to make some concessions on the diplomatic level.

Moreover… was this infiltration of Mondstadt ordered personally by the Empress of Winter, or…?

A glint of light flashed in Falgar's eyes. If it was the latter, then this might be Mondstadt's chance to take the initiative.

"Do you remember the banquet that welcomed the Winter Ambassador?"

Mu Feng was slightly taken aback, somewhat confused about the purpose of the Grand Commander suddenly bringing up this old matter, but he still nodded.

"In reality, she's less of a Winter's Messenger and more of an envoy of the Executive Officer, 'The Doctor.'"

"She privately suggested to me that, to demonstrate the friendship between Mondstadt and Winterbreak, the 'Doctor' hoped to recruit a group of young people from Mondstadt to participate in a study and research project on elemental forces."

"Although the offer was very tempting, I refused."

Falga spoke in a relaxed tone as if he were talking about something trivial, but Mu Feng, the listener, narrowed his eyes slightly.

He still knew the Grand Master of the Knights.

Although he might be a bit irresponsible in his spare time, he never speaks without a reason, and he would never bring up a completely unrelated high-level secret without cause, unless...

"You mean, this operation by the Fatui is very likely also on the orders of the Executor 'The Doctor'?"

Falga nodded in satisfaction. Talking to smart people was so convenient, saving a lot of unnecessary words.

Then, he stood up, took a document from the bookshelf behind him, spread it on the table, and explained in a deep voice.

"Doctor Dottore, the second executor of the Fools, is said to possess power comparable to that of a god."

"Based on the available information, he was able to somehow peel and segment his own timeline, creating clones of himself across different time periods, which he named 'slices.'"

“Each slice has its own independent thought; that is to say, they are completely independent entities.”

"And the one targeting Mondstadt this time is very likely one of the fragments of Dottore, but what's the purpose...? What's wrong with you?"

Falga was quickly summarizing the contents of the document when he suddenly noticed that Mu Feng, who had been acting normally just moments before, was now holding his forehead, his face pale, and he was startled.

He quickly walked around the desk and went to Mu Feng to check on his condition.

"...It's nothing, it's probably because I didn't get enough rest last night."

Mu Feng exhaled a breath of stale air and shook his head, but his gaze toward the documents was more solemn than ever before.

Just now, when I heard the name Doutore, a sharp, stabbing pain suddenly shot through my mind... what was it...?

He knew very well that it was definitely not a physical discomfort.

Amidst the excruciating pain, a scene seemed to flash through his mind. Although there was no photo of the doctor or anything like that on the document, why did a mask involuntarily appear in his mind?

How could that be? He has absolutely never seen this person before.

But when I tried to think about it more deeply, as the pain gradually subsided, those images became blurry at an extremely fast pace.

He couldn't even remember the smile on the mask.

"Should I go to the Church of the West and fetch your sister?"

Falga patted Mu Feng on the shoulder. He could tell that the situation seemed to be more complicated than it appeared, but he didn't ask any further questions.

"...No, let's not worry her."

Mu Feng took a deep breath and quickly composed himself.

"So, what do we need to do next?"

Seeing that his condition had improved, Falga stopped insisting, poured Mu Feng another cup of tea, and then unfolded the map.

"Putting aside whether all of this is the work of the Fools, there is only one thing that is clear at the moment."

"That is, your actions directly disrupted their original plan to establish a base in Dadaupa Valley."

Then, he changed the subject.

"But on the other hand, this is also a move to alert the enemy."

"Logically, their vigilance should be greatly increased, making it more difficult to find their traces."

"But they also left a fatal flaw."

Falga deliberately kept everyone in suspense, turning his gaze to Mu Feng as if a teacher were testing his student.

Mu Feng frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then a flash of understanding appeared in his eyes.

"It's supplies."

"Their supplies have been cut off."

Falga clapped his hands approvingly and laughed heartily.

"That's right! Although they evacuated quickly, all the supplies they relied on for survival were also burned to the ground."

"Unless they choose to evacuate, they must consider the enormous costs of a prolonged stay."

"These supplies cannot be obtained from Mondstadt, otherwise it would certainly arouse the suspicion of the Knights of Favonius."

Falgar smiled and talked eloquently while looking at the map, but the cold glint in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

"As for the option of evacuation, I will use the pretext of ensuring order during the Windflower Festival to send Westwind Knights to strictly check all import and export ports, including Dragonspine Snow Mountain, Wuwang Slope, and Jingfu Port."

"Therefore, they only had one path left."

"That is, to pretend that caravans are transporting goods from outside."

At this point, Falgar paused, picked up the now-cold tea, and took a sip.

“In previous operations, they could transport small quantities of supplies into Mondstadt in batches over a long period of time.”

"But this time it's different. Due to the emergency, they have to transport a large amount of supplies into Mondstadt at once."

Falgar pointed to a spot on the map.

"And the ideal stop for a disguised caravan to enter the Dadaupa Valley is Clear Spring Town."

"The best time is when the Knights of Favonius are most relaxed."

"That is, on the day of the Flower Festival!"

……