In Teyvat, it all begins with rescuing the grass god.

"It's a bit like that."

Rod stroked his chin, pondering, "Speaking of which, I've always had a question: how do you Mondstadt people manage to hold a grudge against the Lawrence family for a thousand years?"

He had thought about this problem as early as when he went to Mondstadt.

Even a feud spanning ten generations can be avenged.

This statement is true.

But in reality, it is very difficult to achieve.

Rhodes preferred to believe that revenge is a dish best served cold, rather than stirring up a conflict that would last for millennia and creating a hatred similar to the racial conflict between the people of the Sumeru Desert and the people of the rainforest.

What Rod couldn't understand even more was...

The people of Mondstadt hate the Lawrence family to the point of never forgetting them. Since the Lawrence family is inhuman anyway, why not just expel them and get rid of them? Out of sight, out of mind, right?

unless

"Is it related to that Kryuzrid Lawrence?"

Rod thought of a name.

The founder of the Northland intelligence organization in which both the young wolf Rustan and Diluc were involved, the traitor to the Lawrence family.

"Is it because of his existence that the Knights of Favonius have preserved the Lawrence family bloodline?"

"The so-called thousand-year-old feud."

"Is this a suppression tactic by the Knights of Favonius?"

"Yes, that makes sense."

"If it weren't for deliberate word of mouth, it would be quite difficult to make the antagonism between the Mondstadt people and the Lawrence family reach the level of Mount Sumeru."

Rhodes muttered to himself, speculating about what had happened, completely ignoring Kaeya and Diluc, whose foreheads were already covered in cold sweat.

Just as he continued to speculate...

Diluc and Kaeya stopped them in unison, saying, "Stop talking."

Both of them wore wry smiles.

Then Kaiya said, "It's really not necessary to deliberately suppress them. After all, the Lawrence family's story is a real historical event, and they live in Mondstadt. Even if we want to mediate the conflict between Mondstadt and the Lawrence family, we can't arbitrarily distort history."

"As long as the history of the old aristocracy remains, the Mondstadt people will never let go of their malice."

"As for why we didn't take the opportunity to eliminate the Lawrence family back then, I can only say that the matter is very complicated and cannot be explained in a few words. Moreover, this matter has always been quite controversial within the Knights of Favonius."

Speaking of it.

Even he, who always masked his true feelings with a smile, couldn't help but sigh and said, "Think about it. If someone had been telling you about the evil deeds the Lawrence family had committed since you were a child, and this history was a required course in your history books, would the Mondstadt people need the Knights of Favonius to suppress their malice towards the Lawrence family? To put it another way, if those who are radical towards the Lawrence family were given high positions during the Knights' selection process, what do you think would happen?"

"Uh"

"Was there a bloodshed?"

Rhodes made a guess.

"Correct."

"And not just once."

Kaeya spread his hands and said, "So this matter is still a long-standing historical problem in Mondstadt. Because of the senior Kryuzrid, Grand Master Vanessa did not completely wipe out the Lawrence family, which sowed the seeds of this problem."

Although many details were not mentioned, Rhodes had a general understanding of the matter.

Kliuzrid Lawrence.

The main reason for the current state of the Lawrence family is still him.

This person is a hero of Mondstadt, and a great hero at that.

How important is a well-developed intelligence organization to a country?

That goes without saying!

Kryuzrid Lawrence, the founder of the Northland intelligence organization, should have left a significant mark on Mondstadt's history.

But what.

Because of his family's disgrace, his name could not even appear in Mondstadt's history books.

It was precisely because of him.

The Lawrence family survived the purges following the upheavals of the old aristocracy, and even a thousand years later, they were still able to maintain their family's outdated aristocratic etiquette.

A family that has committed numerous atrocities against Mondstadt throughout history and has clearly engaged in blasphemous acts is a thorn in the side of Mondstadt people who have grown up learning about this history.

Unfortunately, the deeds of Klüzrid Lawrence could not be made public.

Such contradictory behavior sparked this conflict that has lasted for thousands of years.

"Rather than having Yura Lawrence alone as this buffer point."

"You'd better make a cut as soon as possible."

Rod offered his opinion.

He had a very good impression of Yura.

Whether it was because Rhodes was an outsider or because their relationship wasn't close enough, Rhodes never heard her catchphrase, "I'll remember this grudge," even once.

On the contrary, her meticulous attitude left a very good impression on Rhodes.

It was all thanks to her efforts alone.

Still not enough.

“I’ve met the other members of the Lawrence family once.”

Rod continued lying without batting an eye.

He had only met one member of the Lawrence family, Yura; he had never met any of those pedantic and outdated noblemen.

However, this did not prevent him from saying what followed.

"To put it bluntly..."

"As long as those old fogies are around, this historical poison of yours will never be eradicated."

Rhodes spoke frankly, then changed the subject: "However, your conflict is nothing compared to that of Sumeru. Sumeru's issue involves faith, the mind of a fanatic. You know what I mean."

Rod tapped his forehead and continued, "I also know Yura. I've chatted with her a few times at Jingfu Port."

“She told me that there were quite a few younger members of her family who, like her, were unwilling to adhere to the traditional aristocratic ways, but were forced to submit due to the authority of the elders in the family.”

"In addition, the malice they felt towards those around them ran deep."

"Just like you said, the Mondstadt people's animosity towards the Lawrence family has been growing since childhood."

"Put yourself in their shoes. Even if someone in the Lawrence family wanted to abandon their family values ​​and integrate into Mondstadt like Yura, being raised in a malicious environment would eventually corrupt even a blank slate into an antisocial personality."

"This creates a vicious cycle."

"The younger generation of the Lawrence family wanted to integrate into Mondstadt, but the malice of those around them fueled their opposition to Mondstadt. Then the Mondstadt people became even more hostile towards them, and this malice continued to affect the next generation. Tsk, no wonder this hatred has been passed down for thousands of years."

"Hmm, if we want to break this deadlock."

"I have a good idea now."

Rod smiled and said, "Give us the Lawrence family as compensation for breaking my promise."

These words were truly earth-shattering.

Even Diluc couldn't keep his expression in check anymore. He had countless complaints he wanted to say, but in the end, they all turned into the same word that Kaeya said.

"what???"

Send the Lawrence family to Sumeru?

what is this?

Shifting the target of hatred?

In this regard.

Rhodes' response was the same as Kaia's: "Anyway, the Lawrence family is a big problem for you guys. You can't do anything to those extremely old-fashioned guys. As long as those old guys are around, you can forget about breaking this vicious cycle of mutual hostility."

"Then just send all this trouble to us."

“There are plenty of ways to deal with these stubborn old men and make them behave themselves.”

Rod looked at him with an expression that seemed perfectly natural.

Diluc and Kaeya were momentarily at a loss for words.

Because what Rod said makes sense.

As long as Mondstadt's history books remain, and as long as those old men who would corrupt their families along with their descendants are still around, the hatred between the Lawrence family and the people of Mondstadt will be irreconcilable.

The Grand Master's decision to bring Yura to the Knights of Favonius was only a temporary measure.

Currently, some Mondstadt members do indeed treat Yura differently because of her genuine contributions to Mondstadt.

But this only applies to a portion of the population.

Most Mondstadt residents, let alone having goodwill towards the Lawrence family, would hurl insults at Yura, the diligent Knight of Favonius, at the mere mention of her surname.

The commander-in-chief had lamented about this matter.

Reconciling such contradictions is a long and arduous task.

Rhodes' words opened up a new perspective for Diluc and Kaeya.

"Where does the conflict between the Lawrence family and Mond stem from?"

"It's because it's too close."

"Even a feud spanning ten generations can be avenged."

Why can it be reported?

"That's because the enemy is right in front of us."

"What if the enemy is no longer here?"

Finally, Rhodes concluded, "Anyway, the Lawrence family's sins were punished a thousand years ago. You're thinking of reconciling with them now, so why not get rid of the destabilizing factors and keep those who can and are willing to integrate into Mondstadt? That would solve the problem."