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In the heart of Mondstadt, the name of the "Wind Knight" carried a symbolic weight unlike any other. It was a title personally bestowed upon Ye Ruo by Grand Master Varka, the Knight of the Boreas, in recognition of his unparalleled excellence.
From his mastery of restoring lost swordsmanship to his terrifying efficiency in clearing the wilds of monsters, Ye Ruo had surpassed every expectation. Now, even as he stepped away from active duty to pen the stories that captivated the city, his influence only continued to grow.
At the Deer Hunter restaurant, the morning air was filled with the savory aroma of honey-sauce carrot stew and Satisfying Salad .
Ye Ruo sat across from a silver-haired girl whose posture was as rigid as a soldier's, despite her maid's attire. Noelle, the "Undecorated Flower" of the Knights, looked at her idol with a mix of reverence and nerves .
"Senior, I'm so sorry a knight of your stature has to guide my practice," Noelle said, her voice small. "I was so excited I couldn't sleep."
Ye Ruo smiled, ordering breakfast for them both. "Relax, Noelle. Jean asked me as a favor. Now, tell me about your training."
Noelle's eyes lit up with misplaced determination. She recounted her efforts: learning to make Baron Bunny from Amber, handling Kaeya's "small" errands, and even asking Klee for adviceâwhich had resulted in two days of solitary confinement for them both.
"Stop right there," Ye Ruo sighed, rubbing his temples. "You're learning all the wrong things. Amber's skills require her Vision, Kaeya is just dumping his work on you, and Klee... well, you've seen the results.
You don't know how to say 'no,' Noelle, and that's why you've failed the knight selection seven times . Master Jean isn't holding you back because you're weakâshe's worried your selflessness will get you killed."
He leaned forward, his expression serious. "I want you to put down your duties. You're going to act as my personal maid and live the life of a normal Mondstadter. We're going to practice efficiency, team cooperation, and the art of rejection. To be a knight, you must learn to lead, not just to serve".
Noelle blinked, processing his words with wide eyes. "As expected of a senior... there must be a deep meaning to this. I understand! Please, let me stay by your side!".
As they left the restaurant, Noelle's curiosity turned to his literary career. "Senior, why start writing novels? The knight order is in an uproar. You even wrote about Master Jean and Lady Barbara becoming idols!" .
"I just want a stable life, Noelle," Ye Ruo chuckled. "And I'm already planning my third book. It will be about Old Mondâthe Lord of the Tower, Karla Bian, and the origins of the Wind God".
The announcement of this new work, Old Mond: Pupils of the Gu King, sent a shockwave through the city. It promised to delve into the Demon God War of 3,000 years ago, a time when the "Lonely King of the Tower" and the "King of the North Wind," Andreus, fought for supremacy.
In the headquarters of the Knights, Jean sat stunned at her desk. "How does Senior Ye Ruo know so much?" she whispered, clutching a copy of his latest information. Her own family, the Gunnhildrs, were central to that ancient historyârecords that were private and nearly lost to time.
Across the city at the Angel's Share, Diluc read the manuscript with a darkening face. He recognized the "Museum" in Ye Ruo's detective stories as a clear reference to the Fatui and their Delusions.
"You have the nerve to turn this into a story," he muttered, though a faint smile touched his lips . He ordered a batch of Dawn Winery's finest wine to be sent to Ye Ruo, intending to bundle it with the next release to help his friend's sales.
Even the bard Venti was caught off guard. In a quiet corner, he nearly spat out his wine. "A story about me and the boy?" he whispered, his playful mask flickering. "How could he possibly know about Old Mond? It's been thousands of years...".
Unfazed by the brewing curiosity of gods and heroes, Ye Ruo spent his afternoon at his new propertyâhaving bought up several houses to build a future villa . He was more interested in his latest "finds" from his system's treasure chests: strange elemental plants like the Big Mouth Flower and the Wogua melon .
When Venti approached to investigate the odd flora, the Big Mouth Flower lunged, nearly snapping at the bard's head .
"It's terrible! I almost got bit!" Venti cried, feigning terror. "This should be worth a bottle of wine in compensation, Wind Knight!"
"Only if you consider joining the Knights," Ye Ruo countered with a smirk. "We could use a talented bard. I'm sure you'd love the 007 scheduleâworking from midnight to midnight, seven days a week."
Venti paled, shaking his head frantically. "No, no! The bard is my soul! I could never!".
As the sun set over Mondstadt, the city buzzed with the release of the first 10,000 copies of the new volume. Residents read with bated breath of the frozen era when the Gunnhildr clan fled the tyrant Decarabian, only to face extinction in the snow.
But as they reached the final page, a collective wail rose from the bookstores and taverns.
"[But at that moment, they ushered in the most critical twist! That's a miracle, that's hope! End of this volume]" .
"Wind Knight!" the citizens cried in frustration. "Whoever invented this technique of stopping at the climax should be arrested!".
Ye Ruo, watching from his balcony, only smiled. His Legendary Prestige was skyrocketing, nearing the threshold for the next tier of treasure chests. The gears of legend were turning, and the City of Wind was about to rediscover its heart through the pages of a novel.