"I'm truly sorry, Mr. Vallis, but all treatments are prioritized based on the severity of injuries. We can't move your daughter's treatment forward." Sister Victoria helped the kneeling Vallis up, her eyes also brimming with tears.
"But if we wait any longer, her legs will be completely beyond saving! She's only six years old!" Vallis cried in anguish.
"I'm very sorry, but we are severely short on medical personnel. Preserving lives is the highest priority. I'm really, truly sorry!"
With those words, she made the painful decision to leave the desperate Vallis behind and rushed to help other wounded.
Staggering back in despair, Vallis suddenly noticed a crowd gathering where his daughter lay. His heart sank as he feared the worst and rushed over.
But when he pushed through the crowd, he saw that his daughter's previously mangled legs had returned to normal. She lay there quietly, not crying at all.
A blond-haired youth crouched beside her, speaking gently, "Your legs are healed now, but you'll need to rest for three days. Don't put any strain on them during that time."
The onlookers gasped.
"This bottle has the same effect as a healing spell!"
"Young man, please, I beg you, save my child too!"
"How much for that bottle? I'll pay fifty thousand Mora! Please sell it to me!"
"Everyone, please quiet down!" Jean arrived on the scene. After the healing spray was completed, Shen Qin had sent Haro to notify her. Coordinating how to use the spray to treat the injured required the official organization of the Knights.
Jean turned to Albedo, who held a bottle of the healing spray. "Is this really effective?"
Albedo nodded. "The effect is comparable to Miss Barbara's healing magic, though the healing process is about twice as slow."
Jean's breathing quickened. After a few deep breaths, she turned to the crowd and announced:
"Please, everyone, listen! The Master Alchemist Shen Qin has just developed a healing spray that can treat injuries. Dawn Winery will immediately begin production. On behalf of the Knights of Favonius, I promise you that once the spray is ready, we will arrange treatments immediately! Please be patient. Let others know—everyone will be treated. The Knights will not abandon a single citizen of Mondstadt!"
Word of Shen Qin's healing spray—developed by the same genius behind the hoverboards and bionic limbs—quickly spread through Mondstadt. While people might doubt other alchemists, they had absolute faith in Master Shen.
After all, his bionic limbs had already saved thousands. Many citizens prayed for him daily at the cathedral.
Meanwhile, Shen Qin and the others were fully focused on producing the spray. Diluc had reassigned all alchemists from the hoverboard factory and the prosthetics lab to the healing spray production line.
Everyone knew what was at stake—thousands of lives. They worked with all their might, and just two hours later, the first batch of spray was produced, with over a thousand usable units!
The Knights immediately escorted the batch to the cathedral, where nuns and volunteers began treatment.
Seeing patient after patient pulled back from the brink of death, Barbara was overcome with emotion.
"Thank goodness…" she murmured, before collapsing from exhaustion.
"Miss Barbara! Miss Barbara!" She awoke the next afternoon. Her first words to Sister Jilliana at her bedside were, "How are the wounded?"
"This morning, the last batch of patients was treated. Not a single life was lost!" the plump-faced sister replied with a joyful smile.
"Whew—" Barbara let out a sigh of relief. "All thanks to Mr. Shen Qin's healing spray."
She thought of the hope his bionic limbs had brought to the disabled, and now how his healing spray had saved countless lives. Shen Qin's young and handsome face flashed through her mind, stirring a new, unfamiliar feeling in her heart.
Mr. Shen Qin is a good person…
At that moment, Shen Qin finally woke up in the alchemy workshop. He had pulled an all-nighter producing spray until past 6 a.m., scarfed down a quick breakfast, and collapsed into bed, finally getting some proper rest.
Sucrose had gone to sleep around the same time. Her guest room door—though it had basically become her and Klee's private room—was still closed. Shen Qin decided to head to Good Hunter for a late, not-quite-dinner meal.
Fortunately, Dvalin's attack hadn't damaged Good Hunter, and it was open today.
But when Shen Qin tried to pay, Sara simply smiled and pushed the Mora back to him.
"Honorary Knight, you saved Mondstadt and the lives of thousands. As a token of our gratitude, all your meals at Good Hunter are on the house from now on!"
"Huh?" Shen Qin blinked, confused. Saved Mondstadt? And why was she calling him Honorary Knight?
Sara smiled as she explained, "The Knights have posted notices all over the city. They say that you played a huge role in defending against the monster invasion, and afterwards, developed the healing spray that saved so many. They've decided to award you the title of Honorary Knight. The ceremony will be held tomorrow! You'll be the first person in ten years to receive this honor!"
"Wait, what?" Shen Qin was dumbfounded. A knighthood ceremony? He'd only been asleep half a day, right? Not a whole week?
He returned to the alchemy workshop, meal in hand, still dazed. Just as he arrived, Sucrose woke up too, and the two of them had dinner together before heading to the Knights headquarters to find Jean.
"I'm sorry, Shen Qin," Jean said apologetically. "I should've asked you first. But this disaster left deep scars—not only on the city, but on people's hearts. I hoped the ceremony would help them heal and regain hope. You've already proven you deserve this title. Please accept it!"
She gave him a deep bow.
"W-Wait, Captain Jean, don't do that… Alright, I'll accept it." Shen Qin quickly helped her up, looking resigned.
"I'm sorry," she apologized again sincerely.
She remembered how he had refused the title once before. She could tell he was reluctant to accept it. Normally, she'd never force someone to do what they didn't want, but this time—for Mondstadt—she had no choice but to resort to such underhanded tactics.
Shen Qin could sense her inner turmoil and offered some comfort: "Captain Jean, don't worry. I had my own reasons for rejecting it before. Honestly, I'm more than happy to be made an Honorary Knight of the Knights of Favonius—and I'm glad I could contribute to Mondstadt's recovery."
Jean gripped his hand tightly and met his gaze. "Thank you, Mr. Shen."