"Mr. Yun Fan? Ah, yes, he's a friend of our Director and is currently staying at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Mr. Enjou, are you looking for him?" The shop assistant, without much suspicion, readily disclosed Yun Fan's information to Enjou. In her eyes, someone so wealthy couldn't possibly be a bad person.
"Ahem, to be honest, I was entrusted by someone to seek Mr. Yun Fan's help with a matter," Enjou cleared his throat, speaking with a grave and earnest expression.
"Is that so? What unfortunate timing—Mr. Yun Fan isn't at the funeral parlor right now. He went out today, apparently to buy some special kind of clothing..."
'Special clothing? Could it be wedding attire?' The thought flashed through Enjou's mind, further cementing his belief in the information provided by "Brother Zhongli." That Yun Fan fellow must indeed be the one who had deceived Her Highness the Princess!
But come to think of it—a silver-haired youth, a disciple of the adepti, the Prince's reaction... and the name "Yun Fan"... Hiss, could this Yun Fan be the same one who made the Prince suffer back in Mondstadt?
At this realization, Enjou felt a headache coming on. Anyone capable of making the Prince suffer was surely beyond his own abilities. He'd have to proceed carefully to avoid disaster here.
After his encounter with Yun Fan, Aether had actually considered investigating this mysterious figure who had appeared by his sister's side in detail. However, at the time, the Abyss Order was fully occupied with their large-scale search for the "Field Tiller's" eyes, leaving no manpower to spare. Thus, the plan was temporarily shelved.
So, Aether decided to have Yun Fan's portrait circulated within the Abyss Order, instructing his subordinates to steer clear of this man should they ever cross paths.
The awkward part? The Abyss Mages who had seen Yun Fan's face or were tasked with investigating him had all been blasted into dust by the Star of Eden, making it impossible to produce any portrait of him.
As for Aether himself... his drawing skills were... difficult to describe.
This led to a situation where the Abyss Order only knew that a silver-haired youth claiming to be a merchant from Liyue had once made their Prince suffer a great loss. As for this person's actual appearance, they were completely in the dark.
"Mr. Enjou, if you have urgent matters to attend to and won't have time later, you could ask that blue-haired little girl over there to relay a message. She's Mr. Yun Fan's sister." Seeing that the man before her remained unresponsive, the shop assistant awkwardly rubbed her nose before pointing at a little girl drawing not far away.
Hearing this, Enjou turned to look in the direction indicated. In a spacious room less than ten meters away, a little girl sat quietly in a "seiza"-like posture on a soft cushion, her small feet adorably turned outward.
Before the blue-haired girl rested a canvas even larger than her own body, leaning against an easel and trembling slightly with each stroke of her brush.
'What a beautiful little girl. Was His Highness the Prince this cute when he was young?' Enjou marveled inwardly. Outwardly, however, he thanked the shop assistant and slowly made his way toward the child.
"Little miss."
"Hmm?" Hearing someone call to her, Griseo paused her brush mid-stroke and looked up in confusion at the unfamiliar man before her.
"Do you need something from Griseo?" she asked flatly, her beautiful eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny.
"Little Griseo, I'm a friend of Mr. Yun Fan," Enjou replied with a smile, as a brilliant idea to share his lord's burden dawned on him.
If that Yun Fan dared to steal His Highness's sister, then he'd simply abduct his sister back to the Abyss! Surely that would make him think twice before acting recklessly, no?
"Big Brother Yun Fan's friend?" Griseo blinked her large, adorable eyes, threading a strand of Honkai energy into her pupils. Just as Zhongli had witnessed, Enjou's true form as an Abyss Herald was laid bare before her.
Lower mysteries yield to higher ones—whether in versatility or potency, the power of the Abyss paled before that of Honkai energy. The illusion Enjou had cast using Abyssal energy was utterly transparent under Griseo's Honkai-enhanced gaze.
Though she didn't understand what this strange-looking man intended, Griseo felt an unfamiliar emotion stirring within her—something she'd never experienced before. Even she couldn't quite put it into words. Could this be what Big Brother Yun Fan called... amusement?
"That's right. I'm Mr. Yun Fan's friend. Today, I've come at his request to pick you up, little miss," Enjou declared, though inwardly he held little hope. Even if this was just a child, basic self-preservation instincts should still apply. He'd just have to find an opening to kidnap her outright.
"Mm. Griseo will go with you." The little girl nodded, carefully placing her brush back on the palette before clumsily slipping on her shoes and standing before Enjou.
"Uh..." Caught off guard by how smoothly this was going, Enjou froze momentarily. But as someone who'd lived for centuries, he quickly recovered, plastering a warm smile across his face. "Then let's go this way, little Griseo." As he spoke, he reached for her small hand.
"Big Brother Yun Fan said Griseo mustn't let strangers touch her," Griseo took a step back, evading Enjou's "paws," and stated with utmost seriousness.
'So you do know I'm a stranger?!' Enjou screamed internally. This child seemed to have some gaps in her common sense. Ah, well. As long as she's willing to follow, nothing else matters.
——————
Abyss Order headquarters...
"Sigh—"
Upon his throne, Aether exhaled heavily, massaging his temples as he pressed down on his twitching right eyelid.
Once the twitching subsided, he leaned back again, eyes closed in repose as he awaited Enjou's investigative report.
As for Aether himself... his drawing skills were... difficult to describe.
This led to a situation where the Abyss Order only knew that a silver-haired youth claiming to be a merchant from Liyue had once made their Prince suffer a great loss. As for this person's actual appearance, they were completely in the dark.
"Mr. Enjou, if you have urgent matters to attend to and won't have time later, you could ask that blue-haired little girl over there to relay a message. She's Mr. Yun Fan's sister." Seeing that the man before her remained unresponsive, the shop assistant awkwardly rubbed her nose before pointing at a little girl drawing not far away.
Hearing this, Enjou turned to look in the direction indicated. In a spacious room less than ten meters away, a little girl sat quietly in a "seiza"-like posture on a soft cushion, her small feet adorably turned outward.
Before the blue-haired girl rested a canvas even larger than her own body, leaning against an easel and trembling slightly with each stroke of her brush.
'What a beautiful little girl. Was His Highness the Prince this cute when he was young?' Enjou marveled inwardly. Outwardly, however, he thanked the shop assistant and slowly made his way toward the child.
"Little miss."
"Hmm?" Hearing someone call to her, Griseo paused her brush mid-stroke and looked up in confusion at the unfamiliar man before her.
"Do you need something from Griseo?" she asked flatly, her beautiful eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny.
"Little Griseo, I'm a friend of Mr. Yun Fan," Enjou replied with a smile, as a brilliant idea to share his lord's burden dawned on him.
If that Yun Fan dared to steal His Highness's sister, then he'd simply abduct his sister back to the Abyss! Surely that would make him think twice before acting recklessly, no?
"Big Brother Yun Fan's friend?" Griseo blinked her large, adorable eyes, threading a strand of Honkai energy into her pupils. Just as Zhongli had witnessed, Enjou's true form as an Abyss Herald was laid bare before her.
Lower mysteries yield to higher ones—whether in versatility or potency, the power of the Abyss paled before that of Honkai energy. The illusion Enjou had cast using Abyssal energy was utterly transparent under Griseo's Honkai-enhanced gaze.
Though she didn't understand what this strange-looking man intended, Griseo felt an unfamiliar emotion stirring within her—something she'd never experienced before. Even she couldn't quite put it into words. Could this be what Big Brother Yun Fan called... amusement?
"That's right. I'm Mr. Yun Fan's friend. Today, I've come at his request to pick you up, little miss," Enjou declared, though inwardly he held little hope. Even if this was just a child, basic self-preservation instincts should still apply. He'd just have to find an opening to kidnap her outright.
"Mm. Griseo will go with you." The little girl nodded, carefully placing her brush back on the palette before clumsily slipping on her shoes and standing before Enjou.
"Uh..." Caught off guard by how smoothly this was going, Enjou froze momentarily. But as someone who'd lived for centuries, he quickly recovered, plastering a warm smile across his face. "Then let's go this way, little Griseo." As he spoke, he reached for her small hand.
"Big Brother Yun Fan said Griseo mustn't let strangers touch her," Griseo took a step back, evading Enjou's "paws," and stated with utmost seriousness.
'So you do know I'm a stranger?!' Enjou screamed internally. This child seemed to have some gaps in her common sense. Ah, well. As long as she's willing to follow, nothing else matters.
——————
Abyss Order headquarters...
"Sigh—"
Upon his throne, Aether exhaled heavily, massaging his temples as he pressed down on his twitching right eyelid.
Once the twitching subsided, he leaned back again, eyes closed in repose as he awaited Enjou's investigative report.
"Tch! What's going on? Why has my right eyelid been twitching nonstop?" Aether frowned slightly. Though he put no stock in divine omens, the old saying rang in his mind: "Left eyelid jumps—fortune; right eyelid jumps—disaster." Was some calamity about to befall him? Or perhaps the entire Abyss Order?
"Bzzzt—"
A crisp hum echoed as the space before him rippled slightly. From the distortion emerged a Cryo Abyss Mage.
"Your Highness, Lord Enjou sends word—he has uncovered the identity of the man set to marry Her Highness the Princess."
"Oh? That quickly? I underestimated him. Speak—who is it?" Though Aether already had his suspicions, confirmation was necessary.
"As you command." The Abyss Mage bowed before continuing, "According to Lord Enjou's report, this man is the Liyue merchant Your Highness once mentioned."
"Heh! So it is him?" Aether sneered from his throne. Just as he'd guessed, this man truly had designs on his sister! To think he'd resort to such methods.
Daring to steal my sister? If I don't strike back, you'll keep thinking I'm some pushover!