[Just as you expected, Yelan returned to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor three days later.]
["Mr. Kael, tell me what it is you actually want."]
[After learning that you had discovered the secret meeting location, Ningguang and Yelan immediately changed the place of the transaction.]
[At the same time, they stationed people in the shadows at Lingju Pass.]
[They confirmed that you had kept your word and hadn't reported the intel to the Fatui.]
[Their people guarded Lingju Pass the entire day and never found any suspicious figures.]
[You smiled faintly at Yelan. "Looks like your transaction in Tianqiu Valley went smoothly."]
[Yelan paused, then raised a brow. "I'm getting more and more curious just how much Liyue intelligence you're sitting on. I didn't expect the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to be such a convenient information hub."]
["A bit of intel combined with a bit of deduction is more than enough to guess your movements."]
[And beyond the clients you met at the parlor, you had another major source of intelligence.]
[You could see ghosts.]
[Ghosts weren't everywhere in Liyue, but there were plenty.]
[You had liked talking to spirits since childhood, and many of them knew you could see them.]
[You often chatted with them casually.]
[Ghosts could pass through walls, unnoticed by ordinary people.]
[There was no secret in all of Liyue that escaped their eyes.]
[Whenever you talked to them, as long as you listened carefully, you could learn things no one else knew.]
[Yelan now believed you truly bore no malice toward Liyue.]
[Your intelligence network extended across the entire nation.]
[Ningguang was always meticulous, yet you had discovered even her most concealed transaction.]
[If you really wanted to harm Liyue, the Fatui's power in the region would be far greater than it was now.]
[Yelan studied you, suspicion filling her eyes as she finally asked the question in her heart.]
["What exactly do you want? And who is the force behind you?"]
[You looked at her calm face and answered softly.]
["I want the Fatui erased from Teyvat. I want them gone. That is my wish."]
[Bold words.]
[In military strength alone, Snezhnaya was the strongest nation in Teyvat.]
[Yet you spoke of destroying the Fatui as if it were nothing.]
[Yelan caught the flicker of hatred that flashed through your eyes.]
["Something happened between you and the Fatui, didn't it?"]
[You had no interest in laying your heart bare before a stranger.]
["What happened between us isn't your concern. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, that's all you need to know. Our goals align."]
["I'll help you weaken the Fatui's presence in Liyue, even drive them out completely."]
[Yelan frowned. "That's what you want?"]
["Yes," you said without hesitation. "That's the only thing I want."]
[Yelan fell silent, deep in thought.]
[She was used to controlling every variable. Your origins were unclear, your motives unknown. For someone with her temperament, you were a threat.]
[But your intelligence network was far too valuable. With your information, she could uncover countless leads.]
[She decided to take the gamble.]
[Yelan reached out her hand.]
["It's a pleasure to work with you, Mr. Kael."]
[You smiled and took her hand.]
["I look forward to the partnership."]
[Yelan was a seasoned intelligence operative. Since she had claimed to need your services for a funeral, she would handle the details thoroughly.]
[She really did place an order with you, purchasing a funeral package.]
["One of my team members died last week due to an intelligence leak, in an abandoned factory. Please give him a proper burial."]
Intelligence leak. Abandoned factory.
Those two details made you remember that you had warned the Fatui last week about someone watching their weapons plant on the outskirts of Liyue.
Who knew how many deaths were already on your hands? In the beginning, you had lost sleep over it.
Now, you felt nothing at all.
[You lowered your gaze. "Alright. The package costs four hundred thousand Mora. Please pay a deposit of fifty thousand first."]
[Yelan let out a quiet laugh at your gloomy expression, then paid without hesitation.]