News regarding the death of Rex Lapis has spread like wildfire across the entire Liyue region. And with the amount of people present during the ceremony, it's pretty much a given that it would become public knowledge. The Qixing made no attempt to stop this flow of information, though it was quite odd how distorted the facts ended up being the more it propagated amongst the people.
Are these simply the result of exaggeration on the rumormongers part, or is someone deliberately making an attempt to muddy the truth?
Regardless, what pretty much anyone can agree on is the fact that the security within Liyue Harbor has increased drastically, with the Millelith pulling out their soldiers from their respective station on the outside back towards the city in an attempt to prevent anyone suspicious from leaving.
As a result of the decrease in Millelith presence, those who previously went to hiding came crawling back to the surface, intent on making use of this opportunity to fish on troubled waters.
Treasure Hoarders, being the slippery bastards that they are, have already made their nest within the many ruins once again, searching for treasures that might not be there while stripping bare any travelers unfortunate enough to run into them of their wealth as they always have.
Despite the somewhat weakened security however, there are still some soldiers left that are actively hunting for these criminals. Granted, the soldiers are not operating as efficiently as they used to given the lack of manpower, but their rigorous training more than makes up for that.
And the result shows, as some squads are able to handle the criminals that strays from their group rather easily.
"It seems there has been a misunderstanding, gentlemen."
Currently, two shifty-looking people had their bodies bound while simultaneously being suspended into the air by a rope connected to a particularly sturdy tree.
Below them, three Millelith soldiers were standing at attention, staring at the two intently with their spear in hand, ready to strike should they try anything suspicious.
"Misunderstanding, you say?" asked one of the soldiers, the eyes behind his glasses had noticeably less hostility compared to his colleagues. "Two people dressed in a similar manner as Treasure Hoarders were found lurking about inside a dilapidated ruin with bags and shovels in hand, boasting about how they'd 'make it big this time around?' I'm not sure if there's anything for us to misunderstand about."
"We're simply travelers down on our luck trying to make some Mora, mister." One of the treasure hoarders explained, trying his best to remain calm as he put on his best disarming smile. "Surely there's nothing wrong with being excited about finally having a commission after a long time?"
"And the clothes?"
"It's unfortunate, but we've had the bad luck of being robbed during our travels. As for our clothes… well, we're not exactly rich so we made do with what we have. Besides, these are hand-me-downs, so…."
"Uh huh."
The soldier, who he now suspected to be the leader of the group judging by the other's lack of interference, began circling around them with a thin smile on his face.
"I told you your big mouth is going to get us in trouble one day," the other treasure hoarder finally spoke, whispering his words towards his partner as he kept his gaze straight in order to not attract unwanted attention.
"How am I supposed to know there are soldiers patrolling the area?!" his partner whispered back, his harsh tone failed to mask his indignance.
"By using your brain, duh. Ever thought of that?"
"Tch, just shut up and let me talk our way out of this, alright?"
"Try to at least watch what you're saying this time, yeah?"
Before the treasure hoarder could retort, one of the soldiers, whose muscle is so defined that even the thick armor he wore couldn't hide it, suddenly slammed his spear into the ground.
"Why are we even wasting our time talking to these two criminals?" he asked, his gruff voice causing the two criminals to fall silent. "Let's just bring them back to the harbor and throw them behind bars. I'm sure spending a night or two with our warden will get them talking in no time."
Seeing the big guy making his way towards the tree behind them, the mouthpiece of the group started to frantically wrack his brain for something to say while his partner remained silent, his gaze unmoving as his expression morphed into one of mild annoyance.
The moment the soldier raised his spear, the treasure hoarder opened his mouth to speak, though he ended up not getting a word out as another person's voice cut through the tense atmosphere.
"Now now, let's not get too hasty," the other soldier, who hasn't said a word this entire time, finally spoke, stopping his colleague mid swing. "It would be a bad look for the Millelith if we were to accidentally arrest a couple of poorly dressed travelers without at least letting them explain themselves, don't you think?"
"Well said, partner." The leader nodded sagely as he stood at the front of the group, his gaze raised towards the pair of criminals. "We're all reasonable people here, so it's only fair for us to give you a chance to prove your innocence, right?"
The muscle-bound soldier clicked his tongue in annoyance, but he nonetheless sheathed his spear and made his way back towards his squad as his heavy footsteps left deep marks on the ground below.
"Go on then, explain yourselves."
Seeing the olive branch the soldier offered, the treasure hoarder didn't hesitate to grasp the opportunity.
"Ah, many thanks for the opportunity, kind sir!" the man quickly said, his expression visibly brightened. "If you could just bring my bag over, I'm sure we could resolve this peacefully."
The squad leader's smile remained unchanged as he sent one of his soldiers towards the outskirts of the ruins where an unfinished tent was located.
Not long after, he returned with a bag in hand. Instead of giving it towards his leader however, the gruff soldier forcefully opened it and dumped its contents into the ground.
"Start talking."
In the face of such hostility, the treasure hoarder took several deep breaths to calm himself down. Once he did so, he carefully recounted the story he had prepared in case things went awry.
"Me and my partner over here have been hired by a scholar from Liyue's School of Archeology to investigate several ruins, this one being the last of them," he explained, his nervousness slowly disappearing as the words continued. "We were to take photographs showcasing the state of the ruin for their future expedition and turn in any relic we may find in exchange for a hefty fee."
"Well that certainly explains the tools you brought with you," the leader remarked, curiously looking over the scattered equipment.
He then proceeded to crouch, picking up the Kamera and brushing the dirt off of it before handing it over towards his subordinate. On the other hand, his absolute unit of a squadmate grabbed the dirty shovel and began swinging them with force, causing the treasure hoarder to swallow nervously.
"Do you have anything that can prove your identities? Official documents, letter of introductions, anything of the sort?"
"There's a permit signed by the school's head department right by your feet."
The squad leader looked down once again, finally noticing the roll of paper held together by a red ribbon right by his boot.
Letting out a low 'oh', he bent his body to pick it up. With the so-called permit now in hand, he carefully opened it and began to scrutinize its contents, reading them word for word, checking the overall structure and design, the name of the signee, alongside the signature at the bottom.
Meanwhile, the treasure hoarder was praying fervently – even though he's not quite sure whom to pray to now that Rex Lapis is dead – for the forged documents their insider created to be good enough to fool a squad of Millelith.
After a while the leader nodded his head once he finished authenticating the permit, before passing the document to his subordinates, "It looks like everything is in order."
Both soldiers took their turn as they too carefully inspected the document, to which they both came to the same conclusion.
As he handed the document back to his leader, the muscle-bound soldier clicked his tongue in annoyance before stabbing the shovel he held deep into the ground with not so much as a grunt.
The treasure hoarder shuddered at the display before releasing a sigh of relief knowing that he managed to fool them. In the back of his mind, he promised to treat their inside man to a drink once he finished his mission.
"Finally, it's over."
While he was quietly celebrating, his partner suddenly scoffed, catching his attention.
"We wouldn't have been in this position if you had taken my advice," he whispered, finally taking his gaze off whatever it was he was staring at as he glanced towards his partner in crime. "You know, changing our clothes into something less conspicuous?"
"You expect me to go on for hours wearing something uncomfortable like that? Do you know how bothersome it is to wear that scholar's robe while doing manual labor?"
"I distinctly remember I was the only one that's supposed to go," he retorted, raising his eyebrows at his partner. "The only reason you're even here is because you kept pestering the leader to tag along with me."
"But doing recon is boring!"
The treasure hoarder opened his mouth, wanting to give his idiotic partner a piece of his mind, but eventually gave up and turned away. Now was not the time and place to argue.
Just as their conversation came to an end, the soldiers seemed to have finished their own discussion.
With a much more genuine smile, the leader of the squad stepped up and gave a slight bow towards the two.
"Sorry for all this, travelers," he said, motioning his hand at their suspended state and the soldiers behind him. "Things have been quite hectic lately – the situation being how it is – and a lot of us have been on edge. Sleep is nothing short of a luxury these days."
"No worries, no worries! You're simply doing your job, after all."
"That, we are, travelers."
The squad leader nodded towards his bulky subordinate, to which he let out a grunt and began to walk towards the tree behind the now exonerated pair.
With a quick swing, the white spear that common soldiers within the Millelith used cut through the thick robe like paper, causing the two above to abruptly fall down as gravity took hold.
Thankfully, before they could hit the ground, the soldier grabbed onto the rope and slowly lowered them until they managed to regain their footing.
Before the treasure hoarder could even think of cursing, the squad leader amiably approached them and pulled out a knife from his leg holster before he carefully cut through their binding.
"That reminds me, travelers," he suddenly started, catching the pair's attention, "since you've been exploring a lot of ruins, is it safe to say you're quite familiar with the general going-ons of this region?"
"Pretty much, I guess. Why do you ask?"
"Well, we're on the lookout for any place that the treasure hoarders might have used as their base, and I was hoping you can point it out for us given how well-traveled you two are."
The squad leader reached for his waist and pulled the map he tied on his belt and unfurled it atop the flat rock nearby, motioning for the two to come over.
"Sure thing."
Seeing his partner, who had kept his mouth shut the entire time, suddenly spoke caught him off guard. More than that, however…
"Are you crazy?!" The treasure hoarder harshly whispered, pulling his partner's sleeves to stop him from moving. "What do you mean 'sure thing?!' How can you just sell out your friends like that?!"
"First of all," his partner swatted his hand away, fixing the wrinkle on his sleeves as he did, "they're not our 'friends', and they never will be. We simply band together for the sake of profit and nothing more. Do you honestly think those people that you hung out with every single day would come to our rescue if we got arrested?"
"But we're not getting arrested, you idiot!"
"Your naivety is exactly why you were always stuck on recon duty." His partner continued his whispers, discreetly pointing towards the three soldiers ahead of them. "Why do you think they even asked something like that in the first place, huh? Is it really because they simply need our help?"
The treasure hoarder fell silent, before his eyes widening as he arrived at a troubling conclusion.
"This is their way of giving us an out. And as long as we give them what we want, we can get away scot-free."
"...and how do you know we wouldn't get arrested immediately?"
"I don't. But rather than getting thrown into prison, wouldn't you rather take a gamble for your freedom? I know I would."
The squad leader, who was busy conversing with his subordinates, suddenly stopped and turned around, "You okay there, travelers?"
"Just a minute!"
As soon as his partner answered, the treasure hoarder felt an arm around his shoulder.
"You better make your decision, buddy. If you kept wasting time like this, I wouldn't hesitate to rat you and the others out right here and now."
The treasure hoarder looked at his partner, before he glanced towards the squad leader patiently waiting for them.
In the end, the treasure hoarder sighed as he nodded his head.
"Good answer."
Now that they've come to an agreement, he felt his partner's grip on his shoulder tighten as he let himself get dragged towards the soldiers.
Treasure Hoarder they may be, but when it comes to their own survival, their kind wouldn't hesitate to throw their fellow criminals under the bridge if it meant getting away scot free. That's just the nature of things for those that could barely scrape by while hiding from the eyes of the law.
Honor among thieves? What's that? Can honor put food on the table?
"Here you go." Once he joined the group, the leader handed him a brush dipped in ink while he stepped to the side, making way for him to see the entirety of the rather detailed map. "Just circle the general area where you remembered them being, and you can go on your merry way."
Hesitating for a bit, he eventually took the brush while mentally apologizing towards his comrades.
'No hard feelings, yeah?'
He began to make his mark on the map one by one, occasionally looking over towards his partner for confirmation. The black ink slowly started to cover the regional map by the minute; the sealed well of Sal Terrae, the water-filled ruins of Luhua Pool, and – strangely enough – the empty plains atop the hill overlooking the Chasm, among other places.
"That should be everything, gentlemen," the treasure hoarder looked up from the map towards the squad leader as he struggled to maintain his composure. "Will these suffice?"
"More than enough," the leader chuckled as he abruptly shook the man's hand. "I can't thank you enough for your assistance, travelers. You've done a great service for Liyue Harbor."
"Don't mention it. It's the least we could do as a pair of upstanding citizens," his partner said, lying through his teeth.
With that, the soldiers looked on as the two walked back towards their tent as they started to disassemble their temporary housing. And in just five minutes, the two were nowhere to be seen, as they headed west towards who knows where.
"Unwanted company aside, it turned out to be quite the fruitful meeting, don't you think?" The 'squad leader' hummed as he opened his bag, pulled out a large towel, and began drenching it in cold water from his flask.
"If the information he gave us is substantial in any way, then maybe." The beefy soldier responded, as he took a seat on the now emptied rock. "Looks like Ying has his own trouble with that kind of blabbermouth attached to his hip."
"At least we can finally put an end to this stupid farce," the other soldier grumbled, leaning against the tree as he glared at his so-called leader. "Why do you get to play the lead, huh? Why am I the subordinate?"
"Because I'm smarter than you, Wenyuan."
Having wiped the light makeup on his face, the soldier pulled at his hair tie, causing his shoulder-length hair to fall in place. As he put on his half-rimmed glasses, he then directed a smirk towards his colleague.
"I would've gladly put you on intimidation duty, but you won't be nearly as effective as Wupei is."
Wenyuan glanced towards Wupei, who gave him a shrug in response.
Even with all his complaints, Wenyuan knows that he wouldn't be suited for that kind of role for obvious reasons. Though he would rather die than give the four-eyed bastard the satisfaction of being right.
"Tch, why am I always stuck with you, Shanghua?"
"Because it's Lady Yelan's order." Shanghua threw the towel towards Wenyuan's face, to which he caught easily much to the former's disappointment. "And because we worked well together, as loathe as I am to admit."
"If I have to deal with you for another week, I might consider an early retirement."
"Wonderful. I'll make sure to notify Lady Yelan about this as soon as possible."
"You fucking–"
Before the two could continue bickering, Wupei cleared his throat, catching the two's attention.
"So what did Ying say? Is there a reason he went back to the rat's nest instead of coming along with us as planned?"
"Ah yes, the purpose of this meeting in the first place." Shanghua nodded, before suddenly producing a thick piece of paper that had been folded multiple times Ying discreetly gave him. "You should strive to be more like Wupei, Wenyuan. Focused and to the point. Maybe then I'd like you more."
"And why would I want that?"
Shanghua merely chuckled, before ignoring his partner entirely as he focused on the intel their spy spent a long time gathering.
The more he read however, his smiling expression gradually disappeared, replaced by furrowed brows and a frown.
"What's wrong?"
Instead of responding, Shanghua simply passed the paper towards Wupei, who immediately took it as he curiously perused through the information.
"Hmm, that's not good." Wupei finally spoke after a bit of silence, handing the paper over towards the impatient Wenyuan. "With that much movement between the Liyue and Mondstadt branch of Treasure Hoarders, they must be planning something big."
"Presumably," Shanghua added, tapping his foot against the soft grass as he lowered his head in thought. "While Ying mentioned that Big Sis has been in contact with Raptor from Mondstadt, nothing beyond that is confirmed, so let's not speculate just yet."
"He's right, Wupei," Wenyuan said, nodding his head in agreement. "Until we have a clearer picture of what's going on, it's better if we leave this matter to Ying. We just have to focus on our own mission in the meantime."
"Even so–"
The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted their discussion.
"Looks like Ying couldn't make it after all, huh?"
As the trio looked towards the source of the voice, they were greeted with the sight of Yelan walking towards them.
"Lady Yelan," the three said in unison as they stood at attention.
"At ease," Yelan ordered, to which they immediately complied. Nodding in satisfaction, Yelan turned her attention towards Shanghua. "Status report?"
Shanghua stepped forward and gave the intel Ying handed to him for her lady to read through. In the meantime, he gave a brief summary of what transpired during their meeting while answering every question she threw his way.
"Looks like he hasn't lost his edge just yet." Yelan looked towards the dirt road heading west, before she shook her head and put her focus back towards the man in front of her. "So the information the treasure hoarder gave you was solid?"
"Yes. The places he marked matched with those of Ying's."
"I see." Pocketing the paper, Yelan tapped her finger against her chin as she processed the information. "It's a shame that Ying couldn't come back, but if his hunch compelled him to stay, then there's nothing we could do about it. Though we have one less card on our hands, we might not need him after all with our new lead."
"Lady?"
Yelan didn't respond, only breaking the silence after a few moments had passed.
"Gather your things and prepare to go north. We'll leave the matter of arresting the Treasure Hoarders to the Millelith."
Though surprised at the sudden change of plans, the trio nonetheless complied and began to shed their disguises, changing into their usual uniform and followed their leader northbound once everyone was ready.
"Where are we going, my lady?" Wenyuan asked.
Instead of answering directly, Yelan responded with another question, "Remember the hilichurl massacre incident that happened a while back?"
"The one from a week or so ago? The one the Millelith was responsible for investigating?" Wupei answered, his expression one of confusion. "Does the incident have something to do with our new mission?"
Yelan nodded, raising her hand towards her white robe, the letter she went back to receive still stored safely inside.
"Rather than the incident itself, I am more interested in the person responsible."
___________________________________
Generally speaking, the presence of Fatui diplomats sent by Snezhnaya within Liyue – or any other countries for that matter – can be regarded as a nuisance at the best of times and a ticking time bomb at worst.
Case and point Mondstadt, where the knights managed to catch a Fatui mage sneaking into a restricted area within the Church of Favonius where the artifact belonging to Barbatos was stored, leading to their already strained relationship to become even worse.
Despite that, the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius couldn't do much beyond imposing certain sanctions and increasing their surveillance of any Fatui within their nation to the highest priority. And the reason for that is quite simple.
Because among the seven nations in Teyvat, Snezhnaya is the most powerful in terms of military power.
No matter how bad their relationship is and ends up being, Mondstadt will never willingly burn their bridges with the Land of Everwinter because the potential repercussions are simply not worth it.
This is also one of the reasons the Fatui can get away with employing their 'forceful diplomacy' to get what they want; why most of those diplomats are able to act with arrogance, showing only the bare minimum amount of respect towards a nation's governmental figures.
If even their lowest can act in such a way, imagine how much worse a Harbinger would be.
Still, that is only when we consider how things are above board.
Matters can unfold much differently when there are no prying eyes around.
For example, let's say that, hypothetically speaking, a devastating problem were to occur to a certain nation, causing them to be put under extreme stress trying to solve it. On top of that, they had to also deal with a certain thorn that has been a constant pain on their backside.
What would that nation do when they're presented with an opportunity to tackle all of their problems in one fell swoop?
The answer's obvious, isn't it?
Anyone would want to kill two birds with one stone.
Especially when the more devoted higher-ups are being particularly antsy after the passing of their beloved god.
___________________________________
"Is it really okay for us to do this, Lady Yelan? I thought we were ordered to simply observe the Fatui?"
Standing under the glow of the setting sun, the four agents of the ministry are currently overlooking a Fatui encampment surrounded by a surprisingly sturdy rampart left over from days past.
"Not anymore, Shanghua. Some within the Qixing have been pushing for a scapegoat, and the Fatui happens to be the perfect candidate." Yelan continued to observe the enemy camp, mentally keeping track of all the Fatui agents she could find. "Of course, we need to find evidence we can use against them first, but it's just a matter of time before the higher-ups get impatient."
"Hmph, easy for them to say."
"So how do we go about this, Lady Yelan?" Wenyuan, who stood guard behind the others in case of an ambush, suddenly asked. "Since they're foreign diplomats, is there anything we should be careful about?"
"No," Yelan swiftly replied, catching the others off guard. "We're free to do anything to make sure we find and apprehend the unaccounted Fatui Harbinger."
"Anything?"
"Anything."
"And what does the Tianquan have to say about this?"
Yelan paused at the question, lowering the magnifying artifact she was using before turning towards her subordinates, who were looking towards her curiously.
"Nothing. She didn't say anything."
The three agents' eyes simultaneously widened in surprise, before their expression collectively turned serious, knowing just how important their mission is this time around.
"Then how should we deal with these Snezhnayan dogs, my lady?" Wenyuan asked, a hint of glee could be seen behind his cold expression.
"Squeeze every single bit of information they have, and then…." Yelan turned her attention towards the camp below, her cold gaze focused solely on her targets. "Well, just make sure not a trace of them could be found. Liyue is a city of trades, Wenyuan, let's not sully it's reputation with unwanted rumors."
"By your will, my lady."
Yelan nodded, and with a motion of her hand, the other agents stood in line behind her, "Wenyuan and Wupei, be ready to subdue the gunners standing on the ramparts on my signal. Shanghua, you'll be coming with me. Inspect each and every tent and take down anyone inside, while I take care of the patrols."
Her three subordinates nodded simultaneously as they held their respective weapons in hand.
"Let's go then, we still have a lot more places to pay a visit to."
With that, Yelan immediately leapt down the hill and made herself scarce with the help of her vision. Meanwhile, the others followed not far behind her, with Wenyuan and Wupei taking a different path towards the tall ramparts, while Yelan and Shanghua stuck to the shadows created by the many trees around them, creeping closer and closer towards the enemy camp.
Once the pair reached a broken section of the wall, Yelan raised her hand towards Shanghua, indicating for him to stop while she took a peek inside.
Her caution paid off as she could barely make out a hooded Fatui agent hiding nearby. The shadows around him seemed to come to life as it moved around his body like a snake, actively trying to mask his presence while he kept constant watch on his surroundings.
Fortunately, she has her own trick up her sleeves.
With a simple thought, hydro particles began to gather around her, before it eventually covered her entire body, causing her already fading presence to turn near-invisible.
Yelan calmly moved behind the hooded agent and stopped just short of the shadows' reach. She then put her focus into her hand and continuously produced strings of hydro until it was long enough for her to wrap it around both wrists. With a quick tug to make sure she applied the right amount of strength and tension, she then raised her makeshift weapon over the agent's neck and prepared herself.
The moment the Fatui agent let out a yawn, Yelan immediately struck.
She first let loose a kick into his shin, causing him to lose his footing and fall backwards. Before the agent could do anything, Yelan immediately wrapped the strings around his neck and began pulling, all while putting pressure onto his back with her leg.
While the agent desperately clawed at his neck, the shadows around him began to move frantically, wrapping itself around the invisible woman's leg and began to crawl its way up, only to be stopped by a thick concentration of hydro energy Yelan created, briefly undoing her invisibility.
With his air supply cut off, it didn't take long for the agent to eventually collapse, causing the shadow he controlled to weaken as it slowly disappeared into nothingness.
Yelan slowly eased her hold, letting the unconscious body drop behind the cover of the shadows before beckoning for his subordinate to come.
"Go and make sure you check every nook and cranny for anything that we can use. If there's
nothing, immediately go to the next one."
Shanghua nodded as he moved with measured steps into the tent.
Meanwhile, Yelan continued to observe the guards patrolling around the camp, making a mental map of their route while paying attention to their surroundings for anything that she might be able to take advantage of.
While she was busy with her thoughts, Yelan heard the sound of his subordinate's weapon striking against flesh followed closely by a muffled groan.
Not long after, Shanghua silently exited the tent and shook his head.
Nodding in response, the pair began to make their way towards the closest tent.
Just like a well-oiled machine, the two took their turns fulfilling their part quickly and efficiently. Any guards loitering around the area were quickly dispatched by Yelan, while Shanghua made quick work of anyone inside and, with his sharp eyes, was able to finish his investigation just as quickly.
And now, with the last of the guards inside this camp knocked out, Yelan pulled out her bow and began nocking the arrow she created into it, slowly raising her weapon up as she aimed for the skies directly above her.
The moment the strings were stretched taut, her fingers released its hold.
A singular arrow made of pure hydro energy rocketed towards the skies silently, before its speed gradually declined until it eventually stopped as it reached its apex.
Just before it could fall towards the ground, the arrow exploded into the shape of a triquetra, its azure outline prominently displayed amongst the orange skies.
"What the hell?!"
"What was that?!"
While the remaining guards were shouting in surprise, two of her subordinates quickly scaled the wall with ease, before they broke into a sprint straight towards the remaining guard.
With a speed unbefitting his size, Wupei grabbed the absent-minded gunner by his head, before he continued moving towards the other one and did the same thing. Making use of his strength, Wupei raised both gunners into the air before putting all his strength into slamming them into the ground.
And just like that, without so much as a grunt, both gunners were out for the count.
On the other side of the rampart, though Wenyuan wasn't able to deal with his batch of opponents as quickly as Wupei does, making use of his proficiency with bladed weapons, he was able to quickly disable the guards by inflicting precise cuts on their legs and arms.
As they painfully writhe on the ground, Wenyuan calmly approached them and finished them off with a kick in the head.
"Gather all the bodies into one of the nearby tents and tie them up. Bring one of them in here once you're done."
While her three subordinates were doing as they're told, Yelan stepped inside the final tent they've yet to check.
Unlike the others, this one is notably bigger, with numerous chairs surrounding a large table fit for a meeting and even a different section serving as a bedroom.
After combing through the entire tent and finding nothing useful, Yelan let out a sigh of disappointment.
"Looks like this one's a bust, huh?" The ministry's non-entity rubbed her forehead in frustration as she took a seat on one of the empty chairs. "As expected, this kind of lead wouldn't be an easy one to follow."
Before she could further lament their misfortune, her three subordinates entered the large tent with one of the Fatui agents they subdued. Looking at the hooded uniform and the mask he wore, Yelan realized him to be the first one she subdued.
"Tie him up on the chair, make sure he wouldn't be able to move a single limb."
While she patiently waited for them to finish, Shanghua suddenly approached her.
"We found this on his body, Lady Yelan," Shanghua said, as he offered the small trinket on his hand towards her. "You might find it interesting, though I'm not quite sure what it is."
The object in her hand is quite small in size, about the size of the vision she attached to her hip. Surrounded within the dull metal frame is a red gemstone carved with the symbol of the Fatui. As she continued to poke and prod at the gem, it briefly flashed with a red light before a similarly colored aura began to envelop her hand.
The pleasant warmth of a flames' ember permeating through her gloves was all the confirmation she needed.
"So this is what a Delusion looks like?"
Delusion. An imitation of the god's blessing that bestowed the power of elemental control upon the soldiers of the Fatui.
Are these tools given to them by their goddess, or are her subjects already capable of mass producing such a weapon?
"I'll have to ask the Honorary Knight for more details," Yelan mused, marveling at the remarkable tool in her hand. "Simply mentioning the delusions the two Harbingers possessed doesn't really leave much for me to go on."
She continued playing with the Delusion in her hand, before she eventually stored it away, just in time for their interrogation to begin.
"Everything's ready, Lady Yelan."
"Good."
Standing up from her seat, Yelan walked towards the Fatui agent and stopped when she stood in front of him.
With a nod towards Wupei, the man stepped up and slapped the agent hard across his unmasked face.
The agent woke up with a start, his body nearly flung off of his seat if not for Shanghua and Wenyuan who were holding onto the wooden chair tightly.
"Good evening, comrade," Yelan greeted warmly. "Sorry for disturbing your peaceful rest, but we have several questions to ask of you and it's quite urgent."
It took the Fatui agent several seconds to regain his focus, but once he did, his eyes narrowed dangerously towards the camp's intruders.
"Would you look at that? Looks like the 'Shadows of Liyue Harbor' isn't just some baseless rumor after all." The man, who was still in his prime, let out a chuckle despite his circumstances. "I was under the impression that your leader was out of the country for a bit."
"Unfortunately for you, comrade, my intelligence network would still function even if I was abroad."
"So it would seem." He lazily remarked as he examined his surroundings, looking over each of Yelan's subordinates before stopping on the lady herself. "And you said you have some questions for me?"
"I did, yes. Care to fill us in on what's going on over on your side?"
"You're delusional if you think I would ever give you anything."
"Am I?"
Yelan motioned towards her men, who simply nodded and pulled the chair the agent was sitting onto into an angle and held it in place.
Extending her hand towards Wenyuan, the man opened the bag attached to his waist and gave the towel Shanghua threw towards him to Yelan.
"Let's see how long that conviction of yours will last."
As the towel was draped over his face, the Fatui agent began struggling with all his might, which proved useless in the face of her subordinate's strength.
With a snap of her fingers, a large ball of water slowly formed above the agent's head. Once it was fully formed, the still water within started to swirl before it suddenly poured straight into its victims head.
The agent's struggle began to turn fierce as his muffled scream reverberated across the tent. His interrogator, however, simply watched on impassively as she mentally counted the seconds that's passed in her head.
Once sufficient time had passed, Yelan raised her hand, causing the downpour of water to stop and for the towel held against the agent's face to be let go.
As Wupei let the chair back to its upright position, Yelan lowered herself to match the agent's eye, ignoring the glare he directed towards her.
"First question. What is the Fatui trying to achieve in Liyue?"
Amidst his rapid breathing, the man laughed at Yelan's question and spat the water that was stuck in his throat into her face.
"I see." Unperturbed, Yelan calmly wiped her face clean before nodding once again towards her men. "Let's try that again, shall we?"
As the towel was pressed against his face once more, the agent began to futilely struggle as a drowning sensation began to overwhelm his brain.
"Second question. What part does the Fatui play in Rex Lapis' assassination?"
The man coughed up a storm as spots of blue began to form on his face. Despite that, he never once let up the glare he directed towards them.
"I… have no idea… what you're talking about."
"Let's try that again."
As the interrogation continued, Yelan was no closer to making the agent speak. For every question that she asks, the Fatuus would reply in three different manners: a laugh, a spit to the face, or he would claim ignorance.
The only thing that remained constant throughout was his glare full of hatred.
"How about this one then?" Sitting on the chair Shanghua placed for her, Yelan continued her questioning. "Where is that Harbinger you call Childe is hiding right now?"
By now, the man was beyond exhausted. His breathing was labored, his face was white as a sheet, and his coughing has gotten even more intense compared to when they started.
"Hah! Hiding? Is that the best you could come up with?" The Fatuus scoffed at her question, a mocking smile on his face. "How laughable for you to think our Lord Harbinger would ever do such a cowardly thing."
"Then why don't you tell me where he is so I can personally greet him?"
"There's no need for that, 'lady,'" he spat, causing the face of her men, Wenyuan in particular, to sour. "He'll make his move when everything's in place. And when he does, there's nothing you can do to stop him."
"And why is that?"
The man didn't answer, instead he simply stared at Yelan as he started to laugh loudly.
Narrowing her eyes, Yelan nodded towards her men for the umpteenth time.
And so water began to pour once again, followed by a brief moment of questioning, and, just like before, was met with a non-answer.
And so water began to pour once again.
Followed by a brief moment of questioning.
But just like before, her question was met with more nonsense.
And so it happened again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
Until his answer was nothing more than a jumble of incoherent noises.
Yelan stood up from her seat and grabbed the Fatuus by his head, about to start her questioning once again. But once she noticed his dull and empty eyes, she closed her mouth and shook her head in regret.
"You know what to do."
While the three men were untying the man's binding and began to move his body outside, Yelan briefly put her focus into the palm of her hand as she gathered the surrounding hydro particles in the shape of a cube.
"It's a shame that he wouldn't say anything."
She deftly moved her fingers, manipulating the translucent blue dice's movement in a practiced manner while she waited for his men to come back.
"But that's really not much of a setback in the grand scheme of things."
As the dice was caught in between her index and middle finger, she threw it into the air several times before finally catching it, her absentminded gaze began to wander towards the left side of the tent.
Or rather, what's located right behind it.
"He's not the only one left for us to question, after all."