That day.
Mu Yang arrived at the Good Hunter early in the morning for breakfast.
From a distance, he spotted Amber and Eula.
The two seemed to be arguing about something.
However, as soon as Mu Yang approached,
they stopped talking.
Mu Yang simply nodded at Amber in greeting
and sat down at a nearby table,
ordering a simple breakfast.
Though Amber and Eula didn't continue their conversation,
Mu Yang could roughly guess the topic—
it was likely about the abnormal movements of the Hilichurls and monsters.
Under the orders of the Abyss Order,
the Abyss Mages had not only manipulated Dvalin
but were also preparing to besiege Mondstadt with Hilichurls.
It would probably happen within the next few days.
In the game,
from the player's perspective, they would only see Jean announcing the end of the dragon crisis
and the Knights clearing the defensive structures at the city gates.
This scene
was where Mu Yang had chosen to make his final appearance in the Mondstadt main storyline—
giving off the impression of "vanishing after the deed is done, leaving no trace of fame or merit."
Well, not exactly no trace.
He'd still take a bit of Mora.
Otherwise, it wouldn't fit his character.
While eating breakfast,
Mu Yang noticed Amber sneaking glances in his direction.
But she never spoke up.
So Mu Yang decided to crack a joke.
"Miss Outrider, may I ask—"
"Is my table etiquette not up to the standards of the Knights of Favonius Handbook?"
Amber hadn't expected Mu Yang to say something like that.
"Uh..."
Meanwhile, Eula burst into laughter beside her.
"Haha, I told you not to be so rigid, reciting the handbook to everyone you meet. Now you've been made fun of, huh?"
Amber flushed slightly in embarrassment
and lightly smacked Eula's shoulder.
"Ugh, even you're laughing at me!"
Then she turned back to Mu Yang.
"No, Mr. Mu Yang, it's just... there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
"Would you have a moment?"
Mu Yang tidied up the table slightly
and let the server clear the dishes.
Only then did he respond.
"Go ahead."
Amber's expression turned serious.
After all, the awkwardness of being teased
was nothing compared to Mondstadt's safety.
She asked Mu Yang,
"Mr. Mu Yang... do you take commissions other than dragon-slaying?"
The reason Amber had hesitated to speak up earlier
was, first, because she couldn't quite figure Mu Yang out.
He didn't seem like someone from the Adventurers' Guild,
yet he took on similar work.
Perhaps Liyue had its own mercenary organizations.
And second—
she wasn't sure if Mu Yang would be interested in defending Mondstadt.
She knew some people became mercenaries
not because they needed Mora,
but because they found the work interesting or challenging.
Mu Yang: "Let's hear it. What's the commission?"
Amber laid out the details plainly.
The Knights had detected unusual movements among the Hilichurls
and were preparing to set up defenses at each city gate.
They wanted to hire Mu Yang to help protect Mondstadt.
But the main focus wasn't defending against monsters outside the walls—
it was preventing "The Fair Lady" from launching a sneak attack.
Right now, the Knights truly couldn't spare the manpower to deal with her.
Mu Yang pretended to think for a moment
before replying to Amber.
"Defending Mondstadt... doesn't really interest me..."
Eula immediately stood up,
grabbing Amber's arm to pull her away.
"I told you it was a waste of time to ask this outsider."
Amber tugged back.
"Eula!"
She knew now wasn't the time to be stubborn.
With Acting Grand Master Jean away,
"The Fair Lady" could very well wreak havoc inside Mondstadt—
deliberately letting monsters into the city,
then using that as an excuse to deploy the Fatui's "noble reinforcements,"
and finally stirring up public outrage
to thoroughly humiliate the Knights.
That way, the Fatui could justifiably interfere in Mondstadt's internal affairs.
Amber understood the stakes perfectly.
Right now, the backbone of the Knights of Favonius
had mostly been taken away by Grand Master Varka.
Otherwise, how could they be struggling so much against just one "Fair Lady"?
Mu Yang looked up at Eula.
"This young lady is quite the impatient one."
"I do have little interest in defending Mondstadt, but making trouble for the Fatui..."
"That, I do find interesting."
To be honest,
Mu Yang didn't actually have any deep-seated grudge against the Fatui.
Before transmigrating, he'd even been saving up Primogems for Arlecchino.
But now, whenever the topic of the Fatui came up,
he couldn't help but feel irritated.
This was likely due to the world's supplementary details on his character's backstory.
Beneath the sword pool lay a sealed god.
Mu Yang didn't believe "The Doctor" had never come to "visit."
It seemed that after this trip to Mondstadt,
he'd have to flesh out his backstory in detail as soon as possible.
Hearing Mu Yang's response,
both Amber and Eula were stunned.
Amber had been planning to calm Eula down first
and then plead with Mu Yang again.
But... had he just agreed?
Amber and Eula sat back down at Mu Yang's table.
"So... you're saying yes, right?!"
Mu Yang nodded.
"That's great! Don't worry, Mr. Mu Yang."
"The Knights will definitely compensate you fairly!"
Eula turned her face away,
clearly still displeased with Mu Yang.
"Do you have to phrase things like that?"
"I'll remember this."
Amber quickly explained to Mu Yang with a smile.
"Mr. Mu Yang, Eula's always like this—it's not real resentment, so please don't take it to heart."
"How do you know it's not real? Amber, this grudge, I'll remember too."
Eula then shifted the topic.
"Even if it was Acting Grand Master Jean's idea, is it really okay to leave something this important to him alone?"
Jokes aside,
Eula had already sized Mu Yang up carefully.
Apart from being handsome, the young man was... just handsome.
He even seemed a bit frail.
It was hard to associate him with a warrior or mercenary.
But if one looked closer,
his deep eyes held countless untold stories.
Eula was no ordinary person either.
Due to her unique background, she'd learned to observe others from a young age.
Beneath Mu Yang's handsome, composed exterior
lurked something dangerous.
Not the tension of a predator lying in wait—
but something far more terrifying,
something that could tear predators apart.
That was why Eula didn't want Amber getting too close to someone like him.
She didn't trust Mu Yang.
A dangerous person who worked for money—
what if the Fatui bribed him instead?
Wouldn't that be disastrous?
Mu Yang, however, assumed
Eula's implication was that he was no match for "The Fair Lady."
He met Eula's gaze.
"Trust is the foundation of cooperation, Miss Eula."
"Or would you prefer to... test my strength firsthand?"
Eula could sense
that when Mu Yang spoke those last words,
his eyes were cold.
She recalled her earlier metaphor—
it felt as if she were being torn apart
and swallowed by an abyss.
The more she struggled, the deeper she sank.
Too terrifying!
Amber noticed the tension between the two
and quickly intervened.
"That's not what she meant! The Honor Knight believes in your strength."
"So of course we don't doubt you either, right, Eula?"
Amber shot Eula a meaningful look.
Reluctantly, the latter nodded.
And so, the commission was settled.
This development was somewhat unexpected for Mu Yang.
Originally, he'd planned to just show off some flashy skills at the city gates.
But now, he had to solo-defend against "The Fair Lady"?
"Did I overdo it yesterday? Did I actually piss her off?"
The system chimed in sarcastically.
"Not at all, not at all. You even left a few survivors in the base."
Mu Yang ignored the teasing
and instead asked for feedback.
"System, how was my 'angry glare' just now? Getting more convincing, right?"
System: "One word: badass!"
"You practiced that look for three whole days in the hotel!"
"With that level of dedication, if you went to a parallel Earth to be a superstar, your fans would keep you trending for weeks!"