After Shao Yun left, the composure Matriarch Babel had barely maintained instantly shattered.
She tightly clamped her long legs together, her body involuntarily leaning back until she collapsed heavily onto the soft bedding.
At this moment, Babel was like a female Sumpter Beast in heat, panting heavily, her face flushed.
She murmured in a daze, "This strange feeling... Great Lord Nabu Malikata above!"
"The masculine aura emanating from this man is more lethal than the most potent love potion! I must make him mine!"
However, a sliver of remaining reason reminded her.
"I cannot act impulsively; the Eternal Oasis is the most important target right now!"
But that primal, intense desire, like a ferocious beast, continuously assaulted her mental defenses, threatening to devour her rationality at any moment.
Babel struggled in agony. Finally, she pinched her tender thigh hard. The sharp pain instantly spread throughout her body, temporarily pulling her from the whirlpool of desire and allowing her to regain some ability to think.
"I must not lose my mind! I must stay clear-headed! But... ah, it's just too hard to endure... Tonight... Azariq..."
Thinking this, Babel couldn't help but lick her lips.
...
Elsewhere, at the entrance to the deeper part of the Sands of Al-Azif, Lumine's group had set up camp instead of returning to the tribe's tents to rest, fearing that oversleeping would delay their departure tomorrow.
Shao Yun looked at Lumine's group camping outside and asked, "Hello everyone, what are you doing?"
Lumine, holding Genius Invokation TCG cards in her hand, turned to look at Shao Yun and asked, "Shao Yun, oh, you're back from Matriarch Babel. Sorry, I can't sleep with you tonight. We need to get up early to head out tomorrow."
Shao Yun still found it strange to sleep outside and eat sand when there were tents available. But since it was Lumine's choice, he didn't feel it was his place to say anything.
Shao Yun watched Lumine, Paimon, Liloupar, Jeht, and Azariq sitting together, playing cards, and asked, "It's fine. What are you all doing now?"
Paimon explained to Shao Yun, "We're playing Genius Invokation TCG to pass the time. Hey, Shao Yun, after Lumine finishes her game with Azariq, you should give it a try."
Shao Yun looked at the Genius Invokation TCG cards on the cloth mat and slowly shook his head. "No, I don't know how to play Genius Invokation TCG."
After all, Cyno hadn't taught him...
Nearby, Liloupar heard Shao Yun's response and felt a pang of regret.
"My, what a pity. It's such a fun game. I'm sure you'd enjoy it if you learned."
Shao Yun added thoughtfully, "It's too late to start learning how to play Genius Invokation TCG now anyway. I have a very important matter to attend to."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lumine, who had been observing Shao Yun, immediately thought of Babel's earlier visit and quickly asked, "Did Matriarch Babel give you a task?"
Shao Yun nodded and said, "It's about Aderfi. Matriarch Babel originally told me not to worry, that she would send the tribe's 'Falcons' to hunt down Aderfi, but..."
Here, Shao Yun deliberately paused, building suspense and letting them guess what came next.
Lumine, understanding Shao Yun's intention, seamlessly picked up the thread. "But, you feel you should handle it personally. Because that guy targeted me. Am I right?"
A smile tugged at Shao Yun's lips as he praised generously, "Yes, Lumine, you guessed correctly."
Lumine was quite used to such praise by now.
"Alright, when are you planning to look for Aderfi? Do you have any leads?"
Shao Yun spoke, mixing truth with falsehood. "I'm thinking of setting off now. As for leads, Matriarch Babel did tell me about some possible hiding places Aderfi uses, said they were warehouses he normally uses for transferring goods."
Shao Yun genuinely intended to set off now, but the part about the leads was pure fabrication.
He said this solely to prevent Lumine from worrying.
Hearing that Shao Yun had leads, combined with her understanding and trust in his capabilities, Lumine felt slightly reassured.
She let out a soft sigh and gently advised, "Oh, I see. Well, be careful on your journey."
Just as her words fell, Azariq's voice abruptly cut through the air.
"Hey! Little Kitten, don't think I didn't notice you sneaking those good cards just because my focus was on Mr. Shao Yun! Give them back to me right now!"
Beside him, Jeht turned her head away swiftly, as if in a huff, and snorted disdainfully, stubbornly retorting, "Hmph! No!"
Azariq wore an expression caught between laughter and tears, saying helplessly, "Hey, that's not how you play! Shouldn't card games be about fair competition?"
Jeht, however, crossed her arms, lifted her chin proudly, and responded, "Hmph, I'm angry, so I just want to see you lose!"
After saying that, she even stuck her tongue out playfully at Azariq.
Shao Yun observed Jeht's current demeanor. Jeht also looked at Shao Yun with a complicated expression, giving off the vibe of someone competing for Lumine's affection in front of her.
However, Shao Yun remained quite composed about it. Jeht was just a young girl after all; no matter how good she was to Lumine, it wasn't likely Lumine would be swept off her feet by her!
Therefore, Shao Yun didn't consider Jeht a rival in love at all, merely viewing her as Lumine's very close and good friend.
...
After a brief stay, Shao Yun prepared to depart.
By the time he left the Tanit Tribe, night had fallen, enveloping the entire desert in darkness.
Shao Yun looked up at the night sky, thinking to himself, How am I supposed to find Aderfi in this vast desert?
Just then, a system prompt suddenly appeared.
[You can interrogate some of the Fatui]
Seeing that there were still Fatui in Sumeru, Shao Yun was surprised, but it also made sense.
"Alright, I knew the Fatui couldn't be trusted..."
...
A certain Fatui outpost in the Sands of Al-Azif.
The Fatui in the rainforest region had indeed been withdrawn by The Doctor; not a single Fatui could be seen there.
However, in stark contrast to the rainforest, the desert area still harbored a few remnants of Fatui members deemed insignificant and of no further use.
Also, a few highly valuable Fatui projects worth the risk were still underway.
Although the desert region nominally fell under the jurisdiction of the Akademiya, for a long time, it had been lawless and chaotic, much like the wild west.
For a long time, law and order were non-existent here, replaced by the survival of the fittest.
At this moment, a sandstorm was raging.
The sky and earth were swallowed by a thick, dusky yellow haze of sand, the originally bright sunlight completely blocked out, plunging the surroundings into gloom.
Fierce winds whipped up the desert sands, roaring across the landscape with a low, powerful rumble.
In this harsh environment, a small Fatui outpost stood alone.
A "Fatui Pyroslinger Bracer" and a "Fatui Anemoboxer Vanguard" were taking shelter from the sandstorm inside the camp.
At that moment, Shao Yun, his face entirely concealed by a black mask with only his eyes visible, sat on his horse, observing the outpost from a distance through a telescope.
Upon closer inspection, Shao Yun found that this outpost was only manned by two Fatui.
He skillfully took out his Rolling Block Rifle, steadied it on his shoulder, and peered through the scope, precisely locking onto the Fatui Pyroslinger Bracer.
At that very moment, the two guards at the Fatui outpost were being assailed by the wind-driven sand so violently they could barely keep their eyes open.
Suddenly, a sound distinctly different from the sandstorm rang out.
Then, a shocking scene unfolded.
The head of the Fatui colleague in front of the Anemoboxer Vanguard exploded like an overripe watermelon, splattering crimson blood and white brain matter everywhere.
Witnessing this, the Anemoboxer Vanguard was terrified out of his wits.
"Ah! By the Tsaritsa! What in the world is going on?!"
However, the response he received was not any explanation or reassurance, but the gradually clarifying sound of hoofbeats approaching.
A moment later, Shao Yun appeared on horseback before the terrified Fatui.
He held John's Cattleman Revolver in his right hand, its dark muzzle pointed directly at the man.
Shao Yun's gaze was cold, his voice low as he asked, "Whoa, whoa, don't be scared, little fella. Tell me, where is Aderfi?"
The Anemoboxer Vanguard waved his hands in panic, pleading in a near-begging tone, "Please, don't kill me! I'm just a rookie who recently joined the Desert Task Force! I have a little sister I need to provide for!"
Shao Yun stared coldly at the pleading Fatui and pressed sternly, "Where is Aderfi of the Tanit Tribe? Speak! Or after you die, your sister will only be able to cry over your urn!"
"Though that might be the better outcome. If her luck is worse, she might only have your photo to weep over!"
The Fatui was scared witless by Shao Yun's words and stammered in response, "He... he's at..."
However, due to extreme fear, his words became slurred and difficult to understand.
Seeing this, Shao Yun didn't hesitate. He fired two shots at the ground near the man's feet.
The Fatui jumped up, his arms and legs flailing in a strange, comical dance.
Immediately after, Shao Yun aimed the gun directly at his face again, his voice as cold as if it came from hell itself.
"Think fast, or the next .45 caliber bullet will be embedded in your skull!"
Faced with such a terrifying threat, the Anemoboxer Vanguard was utterly terrified.
He collapsed to the ground, weeping and crying out, "He's at... I don't know either! I'm just a new recruit who just arrived in the desert."
===BREAK===
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