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The sun hung high over the city of wind, casting long, pleasant shadows across the cobblestone streets of Mondstadt. It was a beautiful day, exactly the kind of afternoon that made the local residents feel relaxed and perhaps a bit too dependent on the kindness of others.
Wait, Noelle, what do you think you're doing? Ye Ruo asked, his voice firm as he reached out to stop the silver-haired maid in her tracks.
Noelle paused, her body already leaning toward a resident in the distance who was frantically looking around for a lost dog. As a maid of the Knights of Favonius, her instincts were honed to a razor's edge. She was a girl defined by her passion for providing warm, dependable, and often over-the-top help to anyone in need. To her, a lost pet wasn't just a minor inconvenience for a neighbor; it was a crisis that demanded her immediate intervention.
Being pulled back by Ye Ruo made her feel a little wronged. She turned to look at him, her eyes soft and pleading, looking like a puppy herself. Senior, I really want to help that resident. They look so worried about their pet.
It was a look that would have moved anyone else in the city to give in immediately, but she was met with Ye Ruo's ruthless rejection. No, you're not going over there. I already told you that during this period, you have to live as an ordinary citizen of Mondstadt. The daily business of the Knights of Favonius has nothing to do with you right now. Besides, any ordinary knight can handle the job of finding a lost dog. Don't forget that I've already called on the Knights to change the commissioning hierarchy.
Noelle could only wring her small hands together and nod obediently. Ye Ruo exuded the natural temperament of a high-ranking knight, and his seniority was not something she felt comfortable challenging. All right, she whispered, though she couldn't help but cast worried glances over her shoulder every few seconds.
Her anxiety only began to fade when she saw an ordinary knight in a standard Favonius uniform step forward to talk to the resident. Seeing that the situation was being handled, Noelle finally let out a small sigh of relief. Ye Ruo noticed the shift in her mood and decided to use the moment as a teaching opportunity.
Do you see that? The Knights of Favonius actually has a large number of members. Many of the newcomers don't have the experience or the strength to go out into the wilds and fight monsters yet. For them, these small commissions inside the city walls are the most suitable tasks. It helps them get used to the responsibility. If you do everything for them, you're just making your companions useless. They'll never get tempered if you shoulder every burden.
Noelle listened intently, her expression serious. Ye Ruo continued his explanation, wanting to drive the point home. When many recruits first join the order, they're often proud and arrogant. Their heads are full of hot-blooded ideas about slaying massive dragons and protecting the city from grand threats. But if they don't recognize their own current limits and act too recklessly, it's easy for them to get hurt or trapped. It's necessary to smooth out their mentality first, to grind away that impulsiveness by having them handle the small things. Since you're supposed to be an ordinary person right now, there's no reason for you to interfere with the Knights' training process.
Do you know why I pushed so hard for the system reform? he asked. Noelle shook her head slowly. Because without a proper classification for tasks, you end up with the Acting Grand Master running around the city looking for lost cats and dogs. When that happens, the Knights of Favonius only produces more lazy people. Even the citizens of Mondstadt will start to become lazier because they know someone else will always do the hard work for them.
To Ye Ruo, the current state of affairs was absolutely unbearable. The idea that the leader of the knights, who was responsible for the safety of a massive territory, was spending her limited energy on trivial domestic chores was essentially a local joke. It felt as though the city was raising a bunch of giant babies who couldn't solve their own problems.
He understood Jean's intentions perfectly. She wanted to be as perfect as the legendary first Grand Master, Vanessa. But in reality, Vanessa had never been as extreme as Jean. Having spent the early years of her life as a slave, Vanessa had suffered immensely before becoming the hero of Mondstadt. She had the help of the Anemo Archon, the Gunnhildr family, the Ragnvindr family, and even underground organizations. She understood that her people had been held back by spiritual shackles, and she fought to ensure they could truly take on the responsibility of their own freedom. Her vision was so high that she never would have made the mistake of coddling the populace the way Jean did.
Vanessa and the original Knights of Favonius earned the respect of the people by working together as a team. If Vanessa were here today, she would tell Jean that the city's safety is a miracle created by the concerted efforts of all the knights, not just one person's exhaustion. Jean was currently standing on the edge of a dead end, and Ye Ruo knew that being too good to others could eventually become a disaster for everyone involved.
That was why Ye Ruo had implemented the task levels. He wanted to ensure that everyone knew their place and their responsibilities. Simple things like finding pets or handling daily chores were designated as C-level tasks. Escorting merchants and protecting convoys were moved to B-level, with the difficulty adjusted based on the route. Clearing out monster camps or dealing with roaming hilichurks also fell into the B-category.
Large-scale monster gatherings, Abyss Order incursions, and coordinated attacks were classified as A-level. These missions required the leadership of a captain-level knight to ensure success. Finally, there was the S-level, reserved for threats that endangered the very existence of Mondstadt. By completing these tasks, knights earned honor points that could be traded for resources or used to qualify for promotions.
This new system made the order more complete and reasonable. It mobilized the members' enthusiasm because their future was now directly tied to their performance. During the time when the Grand Master took the elite force away on an expedition, tasks had piled up rapidly. Ye Ruo had stepped in to help, deterring the Abyss Order and keeping the Fatui at bay while the new system took root. Now that the Knights were operating efficiently again, he could afford to step back without worrying about the city falling apart.
However, there was still one major anomaly in the system: Noelle. She possessed the combat power of a captain, yet because of her psychological hurdles and her refusal to stop doing maid work, she hadn't even reached the rank of an ordinary knight. Ye Ruo was determined to correct this. He felt it was a waste of talent to have one of the strongest fighters in the city doing laundry and running errands.
As they walked through the residential district, they passed several rows of well-maintained houses. Noelle looked at the buildings with a curious expression. Senior, I've been meaning to ask, which one of these is your house?
Oh, these five right here are all mine, Ye Ruo said casually, gesturing to a row of houses. You can choose any one of them to live in. There are plenty of rooms.
Noelle stood there in stunned silence for a moment. Senior, you're so rich! she finally blurted out. She knew he was a record-holder in the order, but she hadn't realized his personal wealth was so substantial.
For Ye Ruo, it wasn't a big deal. Housing prices in Mondstadt weren't as outrageous as some of the other nations, and he had accumulated a significant amount of Mora through his years of high-level commissions. He liked having the variety, sleeping in whichever house suited his mood for the day. Since Noelle had been living in the crowded dormitories of the Knights, he wanted her to experience a bit of a new lifestyle.
Noelle made her decision quickly. Senior, I'll just live in the house you're using, in the room right next to yours. Since I'm serving as your maid during this training, I need to be close by so I can take care of your daily needs.
That works for me, he replied.
And so, Noelle's combined career as a maid and a knight-in-training officially began under Ye Ruo's roof. Meanwhile, across the city, the readers who had purchased the latest volume of his novel were finding a surprise. At the very end of the book, there was a new section containing a message from the author himself.
The message was lighthearted and encouraged the readers to keep an eye out for his next project, hinting that something even bigger was on the horizon. The fans were already buzzing with excitement, and as the reputation points continued to tick upward in Ye Ruo's mind, he knew his plan was working.
Happy reading to everyone during the Spring Festival. Don't forget that you can recharge now to get a massive bonus of VIP coupons. This activity period lasts until the beginning of February, so make sure to take advantage of the immediate recharge offers while they last. The streets of Mondstadt were quiet as the sun began to set, but for Ye Ruo and Noelle, the real work was only just beginning.
Ye Ruo led Noelle into the central house, showing her where everything was kept. He noted her diligent expression as she immediately began inspecting the kitchen and the living areas, her maid instincts already taking over. He would have to work hard to break her of those habits if he wanted her to focus on her own growth as a knight, but for today, he let her be.
He sat down at his desk and pulled out a fresh stack of paper. The story of the Old Mondstadt was already taking shape in his mind. He wanted to capture the struggle of the people living under the blizzard and the rise of the nameless bard who changed everything. With Noelle nearby and the city safe under his new system, he felt he had all the time in the world to make his next work a masterpiece.
The wind whistled softly outside the window, carrying the scent of dandelions and the promise of a new era for the City of Freedom. Ye Ruo smiled to himself, his pen scratching against the paper as he wrote the first lines of the new legend. It was a good time to be in Mondstadt, and an even better time to be the Wind Knight. He looked over at Noelle, who was currently organizing the bookshelf with military precision, and he knew that helping her reach her potential would be his most rewarding mission yet.