As soon as Shao Yun finished speaking, Paimon's expression clouded over. She sighed deeply, worry written all over her face.
"Ahh… I just hope Nahida's plan is going smoothly," she said, her tiny voice full of concern. "It's been almost a week since the Sabzeruz Festival ended, and we still haven't heard from her!"
Shao Yun reached out and gently patted Paimon's head. "My advice? Don't overthink it. If anyone should be worried, it's Nahida, not us. You just focus on being happy."
Paimon puffed up her cheeks and muttered, "Mmm… you've got a point. Sitting here fretting won't change anything anyway."
Shao Yun let out a small chuckle, then turned his gaze to take in the tranquil greenery of Gandharva Ville.
"By the way," he said, "I'm heading back to Sumeru City with the caravan. What about you two? Planning to stick around here for a while, or come along?"
Lumine and Paimon exchanged a silent glance, having a wordless conversation with their eyes.
A moment later, Lumine nodded. "Let's go together. Back to Sumeru City."
Shao Yun nodded in return, then led them toward the caravan's resting area outside the Ville.
From a distance, he spotted Dehya guzzling water from a metal canteen. Quickening his pace, he called out loudly, "Dehya! You don't mind if we bring two more along for the trip back to Sumeru, right?"
Hearing his voice, Dehya looked up, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. When she recognized Shao Yun—and the two familiar figures behind him—her face lit up.
"Oh, Lumine and Paimon! Great to see you two again—welcome aboard!"
Paimon immediately zipped toward one of the caravan's large, fluffy sumpter beasts, her eyes sparkling.
She reached out a tiny hand to stroke its soft fur and gasped in delight. "Wow! These ones are so gentle! Back when we were exploring the wilds of Sumeru, the wild ones always tried to ram us! Totally not cute!"
Dehya laughed helplessly. "Well, yeah, wild ones aren't exactly trained to be friendly, you know?"
Then she smirked playfully. "Hey, Paimon—judging by that look on your face, I'm guessing you've never actually ridden one before. Wanna give it a try?"
Paimon's eyes instantly lit up like twin stars. "Really?! Paimon wants to try!!"
With Dehya's help, Lumine climbed onto the beast's broad back. As for Paimon—well, she simply floated up and landed on top herself. Flying does have its perks.
…
By the time the sun began to dip below the horizon, the group had finally returned to Sumeru City.
The caravan members busied themselves unloading goods and settling the beasts into their pens.
Afterward, Dehya led Shao Yun, Lumine, and Paimon to Dori's shop to collect Shao Yun's pay.
When they emerged, Dehya turned toward Lumine with a heavy pouch of Mora in her hand. "Shao Yun told me earlier—he wants you to handle his payment this time. Here, it's all yours."
Lumine blinked and glanced at Shao Yun, who whistled innocently and looked the other way.
"...I figured as much," she sighed, shaking her head before accepting the pouch.
Paimon's eyes gleamed at the sight of all that shiny Mora. Her little feet kicked excitedly in the air as she chanted, "Waaah! So much Mora! We can totally splurge on a feast now!"
Lumine couldn't help but laugh, reaching out to poke Paimon's chubby cheek. "You little glutton. Is eating really all you think about? Have I been starving you or something?"
Just then, Dehya's Akasha Terminal flickered softly, emitting a faint chime.
She quickly responded, muttering under her breath, "Oh—uh-huh… yes, we're all here… okay, I understand. I'll tell them right away."
Curious, Paimon zipped over. "Dehya, what is it? Who was that?"
Clearing her throat, Dehya answered seriously, "That was Nahida. She wants to meet you at the usual spot—she says there's been a new development."
Paimon tilted her head, frowning. "That's weird. Why didn't she just tell us directly through the Akasha? We're all wearing them, aren't we?"
Dehya thought for a moment, then explained, "The Akasha signal isn't stable outside the city or in Port Ormos. She probably couldn't reach you until she connected through mine. Anyway, she sounded urgent—you'd better hurry."
Paimon turned to Lumine and Shao Yun. "If Nahida says it's important, we should go meet her right away!"
The "usual spot," of course, was the Adventurers' Guild reception desk—since Nahida often used Katheryne's body to communicate with them.
After saying their goodbyes to Dehya, the trio headed straight there.
Before long, they arrived. Katheryne, already possessed by Nahida, greeted them with a warm smile.
"You're here," Nahida said through her voice, getting straight to the point. "I've made some progress—and I'll need your help."
At the mention of "help," Paimon leaned forward eagerly. "What's the plan, Nahida?"
Nahida didn't waste time. She began outlining the plan she'd spent the last week refining.
It all still revolved around a woman named Setaria. Shao Yun found it a little unoriginal, but in Nahida's view, Setaria—assistant to the Grand Sage yet not as deranged as her peers—was the only viable inside contact.
After summarizing the strategy, Nahida concluded calmly, "Setaria takes leave from the Akademiya once every ten days to go into the city for personal errands."
Her tone sharpened slightly. "And her next outing is tomorrow afternoon. It's the perfect opportunity. As the Grand Sage's aide, she must know a great deal of confidential information."
When she finished, Shao Yun glanced around to ensure no one was listening, then lowered his voice skeptically.
"Hold on, Nahida. It's been nearly five days since we last met. You mean to tell me the great and all-knowing Dendro Archon spent all that time coming up with this plan?"
Nahida blinked innocently. "Hmm… I thought it was a pretty good one…" she murmured softly.
Shao Yun couldn't help but laugh—partly from disbelief, partly from exasperation.
"So, in short, you want us to put all our hopes on one woman's guilt—and expect her to willingly hand us the Akademiya's deepest secrets? That's the grand plan?"
Nahida tilted her head, confusion flickering in her eyes. "I… don't quite understand what you mean."
Shao Yun rubbed his chin, mulling it over before pressing further.
"Okay, say Setaria does agree to help us. Even then—" he narrowed his eyes—"you do realize who the Akademiya's working with, right? I call those scholars monkeys, sure—but you can't actually think you can just play them like monkeys, can you?"
Setaria herself didn't matter much in Shao Yun's mind. What mattered was how Nahida planned to handle the Fatui Harbinger known as 'The Doctor.'
Otherwise, even if he told her everything he knew, she might still end up getting outplayed in the end.
Nahida clearly understood the weight of his words. The Second of the Fatui Harbingers, Il Dottore, was already on her radar.
"I understand what you're getting at," she said with a faint smile. "But don't worry—I wasn't finished. Besides Setaria, I've also successfully established contact with the Scribe, Alhaitham."
At that, Shao Yun froze for a moment, blinking in surprise. "What? You're in contact with him?"
Nahida nodded. "Dehya probably mentioned this before—the so-called Divine Knowledge Capsule from Port Ormos."
Shao Yun nodded in return. "Yeah, I remember. I just didn't think it had anything to do with you, so I didn't have Lumine and Paimon waste time on it. Why?"
Nahida explained methodically, "Alhaitham has been investigating the Divine Knowledge Capsule in depth. It's a complicated situation. On one hand, the Akademiya desperately wants it, believing it holds the key to creating a 'new god.' On the other, Alhaitham hasn't turned it in—he's curious about it himself. I used that opportunity to reach out and establish a line of communication."