Morax is dead, Liyue will fall into my hands.

Abedo's research findings are also admirable, but he is not a Mondstadt native and will not interfere with Mondstadt's development.

The remaining capable and reliable members can be counted on one hand, or even more on two feet if necessary.

If it were just a lack of management talent, that would be one thing, but the Mondstadt people are also outrageous, so free that they've lost their minds.

He's good for nothing, but he's number one at causing trouble.

If one had even a modicum of humanity, one wouldn't be so utterly inhuman.

To paraphrase a line from Tan Chun in *Dream of the Red Chamber*: "A large family like ours cannot be destroyed overnight if attacked from the outside. As the ancients said, 'Even a centipede with a hundred legs does not fall down when dead,' meaning it must first self-destruct from within before it can be utterly defeated."

Li Ye felt exhausted just thinking about how Qin, the troupe leader, had managed to persevere until now.

As long as no one targets Mondstadt, it can continue to exist.

As for the Fools' constant idea of ​​taking over Mondstadt by force, Li Ye thought they were simply out of their minds.

If it were handed over to him to operate, there would be no need to tear apart Mondstadt; economic sanctions and propaganda alone would be enough to dismantle Mondstadt.

Seeing Wendy deep in thought, Li Ye smiled smugly. This is just the beginning; the real deception has only just begun.

After snapping out of his reverie, Wendy said with some reluctance, "Mr. Li, even if what you said makes sense, with Captain Jean's abilities, plus Dvalin, the familiar left behind by the Wind God, such a massive force is enough to make up for the weakness of the Knights of Favonius."

As things stand, unless the other six nations of Teyvat intervene, there's simply no way to destroy Mondstadt, right?

Hearing Wendy's final stubbornness, Li Ye laughed dismissively.

That's absolutely out of the ordinary!

Li Ye said slowly and deliberately, "Mr. Wendy, you may be oversimplifying some things. Why do you have to make such a big fuss to destroy a country?"

Let's start with the most basic analysis. Even if Mondstadt is very free, there are still merchants, right?

It is in a businessman's nature to seek profit and avoid harm. Like rats before an earthquake or ants before rain, they are more acutely aware of the impending risks than anyone else.

Furthermore, before any danger is detected, they will immediately choose to avoid the risk or take measures to transfer the risk.

Mr. Wendy is probably already aware of the current situation in Mondstadt, but what about the more astute Mondstadt merchants?

After realizing that Mondstadt was outwardly strong but inwardly weak, did they choose to perish with Mondstadt, or quickly transfer their assets to the safer Liyue to avoid risks?

Mr. Wendy may not realize it, but in my year in Liyue Harbor, I've clearly noticed a significant increase in the number of merchant guilds from Mondstadt, and a growing number of Mondstadt residents choosing to relocate to Liyue Harbor. Moreover, these people are often either wealthy or influential.

Li Ye's statement is somewhat misleading; the massive capital flight from Mondstadt is absolutely true.

On the one hand, Li Ye was not exaggerating; it is the nature of capital to seek profit and avoid harm. On the other hand, Tvalin's corruption accelerated the previously slow capital flight.

Therefore, even if Wendy returns to Mondstadt to investigate, she will find that everything Li Ye said is true.

Seeing that Wendy was no longer as composed as before, Li Ye continued to apply pressure, saying, "Mr. Wendy should know what capital flight means, right?"

Numerous chambers of commerce collapsed, employees lost their jobs, and the economy declined rapidly.

I know that Mondstadt is a fertile land, and the people of Mondstadt can manage to survive even if they don't have dates every day. So no matter what, they won't be at a point where they can't survive.

But people strive for higher positions, just as water flows downhill.

As long as we are human, we will all yearn for a better living environment and want to obtain better living conditions.

People who are used to villas that are warm in winter and cool in summer find it hard to go back to sleeping in dilapidated wooden houses that don't keep out the wind in winter or the rain in summer.

People who are used to delicacies find it hard to eat bland, coarse food.

Freedom requires abundance.

Even if the Mondstadt people can endure the harsh environment for now, if they see the Liyue people living in peace and prosperity, can they continue to endure their poverty and hardship?

There's a saying that goes: I could have tolerated the darkness if I had never seen the sun.

If one day the people of Mondstadt discover that they can escape their bleak and hopeless lives by leaving Mondstadt for Liyue, will they still choose to remain in Mondstadt?

Venti fell silent again. If it really came to that, would Mondstadt residents flock to Liyue? Probably.

Li Ye added quietly from the side, "If it were Inazuma, General Raiden might be able to force those Inazuma people who couldn't bear poverty to stay, thanks to his own prestige."

If that doesn't work, simply place thunderclouds around Inazuma and adopt a policy of isolation, waiting for Inazuma to recover before reopening trade with other countries.

Even if we assume Inazuma is an island, leaving would require crossing the ocean, which is extremely difficult and could be a matter of life and death.

But although it's a long way from Mondstadt to Liyue, it's all by land, and you can get there on foot.

More importantly, can the leader of the Mondstadt harp forcefully keep the Mondstadt people here, just like Inazuma did?

I'm afraid that won't work.

The free city-state of Mondstadt welcomes all travelers from afar, and surely it would also bid farewell to all residents who intend to leave in pursuit of a better life?

Chapter Twelve: The True Colors Revealed

What is most fatal for Mondstadt is not its current precarious state, but that it not only faces hardship but also pursues freedom.

This made Li Ye think of the Third World countries on Earth, whose own countries were clearly impoverished, yet they still believed in the Free Country's ideology of freedom and democracy. Every single one of them had been completely fooled.

Not only Third World countries, but also Europe and even free countries themselves, have suffered the consequences of excessive freedom at certain times.

It should be understood that the so-called freedom in these countries is just something the ruling class uses to fool the ruled; at least the rulers themselves haven't been completely fooled.

Mondl believed in this doctrine from top to bottom, with everyone, including every single one of them.

If the country is thriving, there is no problem;

But once they're in a predicament, they just keep playing music and dancing.

Until it explodes into the biggest firework, ultimately becoming a footnote in history.

Even now, if the troupe leader were to implement reforms, she would probably be ousted from the position immediately.

Hearing Li Ye's deceptive explanation, not only Wendy but also Zhong Li, who was standing next to her, fell into reflection.

As for Mona... she was completely dumbfounded.

Although I discovered many shortcomings of Mondstadt during my time there, I never imagined that such a terrifying potential risk existed.

Wendy racked his brains trying to figure out a way to break this situation, but... this was asking too much of him.

Having been slacking off for thousands of years, he has almost no experience in governance. Asking him to come up with a solution to the impending collapse in a short period of time is no less difficult than asking General Lei Dian to learn how to cook a Manchu Han Imperial Feast in three days.

Wendy looked at Li Ye: "Mr. Li, is there any solution?"

Although Wendy knew that Li Ye was trying to fool him, he also clearly realized that Mond was indeed facing a huge problem.

If this problem cannot be solved, utter destruction is not far off.

So he decided to play along and see if he could get some solutions out of Li Ye.

Seeing this, Zhongli sighed silently to himself.

He started out of curiosity, but ended up getting on Li Ye's pirate ship.

Zhongli now has a premonition that Wendy is probably not going to escape either.

As expected, when Li Ye heard Wendy's question, he gave a deliberately profound smile and said, "Mr. Wendy, I'll give you twelve words for this: Mondstadt cannot be revived, and the Wind God cannot be eliminated."

Wendy blinked after hearing this. "Can you not just say half of what you mean?"

Looking at Wendy's bewildered expression, Li Ye thought to himself, "Do I really need to spell this out for myself?"

"What I mean is that Mondstadt, which is now pursuing freedom, is beyond saving, but as long as Teyvat continues to maintain the system of the seven gods, Mondstadt will always exist, even if it is already an empty shell. That will never change."

But Mr. Wendy, do you think Mondstadt during the corrupt period of the old aristocracy is still the same Mondstadt as it is now ruled by the Knights of Favonius?

Of course not! So, to save Mondstadt, we must first break the existing old order and establish a new one. Only then can we save Mondstadt in its current state. Without destruction, there can be no construction!

But do the people of Mondstadt and the Knights of Favonius now allow the birth of a new order?

Even if Mr. Wendy didn't experience firsthand how the old aristocracy was overthrown, he must have heard the stories behind it, right?

Wendy thought to herself, "What a coincidence. I not only experienced this transformation, but in a sense, I was also a participant. But Mondl doesn't seem to be at that level yet."

Wendy frowned and asked, "Does Mr. Li mean that Mondstadt needs a bloody war to change the current situation?"

"No, no, no." Li Ye shook his right index finger and said, "Mr. Wendy, you are wrong, and very wrong."

Mondstadt was initially a plaything of the old nobility, and its people were the oppressed. They rose up in rebellion and, through violence, established a new order for all.

But Mondstadt is different now. The vast majority of Mondstadt residents are now living in a drunken stupor, supporting the existing order. They are the real culprits hindering the emergence of a new order.

Therefore, if they continue with the previous methods, they will neither gain the approval of the Knights of Favonius nor the support of the Mondstadt people, and will only end up in utter defeat.

Wendy became more and more confused, not knowing what Li Ye was trying to do. How could a new order be established according to what he said? They might as well just lie down on the ground and give up.

Wendy: "So what do the Li family mean?"

Li Ye composed himself for a moment before speaking in a compassionate tone: "As I said, I could have tolerated the darkness if I had never seen the sun."

The people of Mondstadt can accept their current poverty because they are unaware that a better life is possible.

Only by instilling in the Mondstadt people the idea that the Liyue people's life is better, and that if we don't change, we'll never be able to enjoy that wonderful life, will they possibly crave change and force the Knights of Favonius to take action.

Upon hearing Li Ye's words, Wendy immediately sensed a trap: "Didn't Boss Li just say that if the Mondstadt people realize that Liyue is better, there will definitely be people migrating to Liyue?"

Li Ye nodded and said, "That's right, this situation is bound to happen and cannot be prevented, but not everyone has the ability to come from Mondstadt to Liyue, right?"

At least initially, the vast majority of people, unless forced into a corner, would choose to stay or try to force the Knights of Favonius to make changes.

As the saying goes, "A person is less valuable away from home." Unless absolutely necessary, who would willingly leave the land they've lived in for many years?

Wendy was a bit fooled by Li Ye; how come he managed to say both the truth and the sarcasm?

No, no!

The Knights of Favonius are currently short-handed. Even if the Mondstadt people force the Knights of Favonius to establish a new order, given their current state, can they possibly stand up?

Li Ye saw Wendy's worries, which was also the ultimate goal of his long detour: "Mr. Wendy must be worried that, with the Knights of Favonius's capabilities, even if they wanted to establish a new order, they don't have the ability to do so, right?"

Actually, there's no need to worry too much. Liyue and Mondstadt have been allies since ancient times. Legend has it that Morax, the Geo Archon of Liyue, even drank wine with Barbatos, the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt.

With this connection, if Mondstadt is willing to speak up, can Liyue stand idly by?

If all else fails, I can lend a hand, since I'm friends with the band leader.

"I might not be of much help in other areas, but when it comes to economic development, if I claim to be second in Liyue, no one dares to claim to be first!"

Chapter Thirteen: Please let the wind god Barbatos return!

Wendy suddenly realized what Li Ye meant when she heard his suggestion.

So all that going through all that trouble was a plan to get involved when Mondstadt establishes a new order? I almost got completely fooled.