Lumine and Paimon exchanged a glance. This Millelith soldier seemed reasonable enough. Maybe they could trust him this once. Having made up her mind, Lumine put away her Blackcliff Longsword.
The Millelith squad leader breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Lumine put away her weapon. He had planned to ask her a few casual questions and let her go. But before he could even open his mouth, he felt a sharp pain in his neck, his vision went dark, and he lost consciousness.
"Follow me. This isn't the place to talk."
Lumine hesitated when she saw the man before her—someone she had met once before. But hearing more shouting behind her, she gritted her teeth and followed.
After a long sprint, Lumine stopped in a hidden alley, leaning against the wall to catch her breath. The Millelith had chased them so relentlessly. If she weren't so fast, she would have been caught.
"I didn't expect you to keep up with my pace. What do you say, want to be friends?"
"I don't think I'd ever become friends with a Fatui Harbinger. If you could return Venti's Gnosis, I might consider it."
Lumine slapped Childe's outstretched hand away. She had nothing in common with a Fatui Harbinger. The only reason she didn't stab him was that she had just scammed Northland Bank out of tens of thousands of Mora a few days ago.
"Cough, cough, I didn't take the Gnosis. I have no authority over that. I just want to be friends with you."
Childe looked a bit awkward. He seemed to have underestimated this Traveler. She apparently knew his identity, yet he had never met her before.
"Search everywhere! I saw those two run into this alley. They must be hiding inside!"
"That blonde-haired girl is now a wanted criminal in Liyue. Even if we have to turn Liyue Harbor upside down, we will find her!"
"Childe! Look what you've done! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be wanted!!!"
Hearing the Millelith's shouts outside the alley, Lumine drew her Blackcliff Longsword and almost stabbed Childe. If not for his quick reflexes, he would have had a new hole in his body.
"Now is not the time for this. Follow me. We'll hide in Northland Bank."
"You're trying to trick me again?"
"Right now, Northland Bank is the only safe place in Liyue Harbor."
Lumine reluctantly put away her sword. What Childe said was true. Now that she was wanted, Northland Bank was indeed the only safe place.
Inside Northland Bank, Lumine eyed Childe warily. Childe shrugged. He had never met her before, so why did she seem so hostile toward him?
"Nice to meet you. I'm Childe. If you don't mind, could you put away your sword now?"
"Hmph, it's never wrong to be cautious around the Fatui. Spit it out. Why did you bring me here?"
Lumine snorted. She was no three-year-old who believed everything she was told. Childe must have an ulterior motive for bringing her to Northland Bank.
"Haha, it's easy to talk to smart people. I'll get straight to the point then."
"I want you, Traveler, to visit the Liyue adepti and tell them what happened today."
"That's it?"
Lumine could hardly believe her ears. She had thought the Fatui were plotting something. Instead, Childe had gone through all this trouble just to ask her to visit the adepti and tell them the truth.
"Yes, that's it."
"You've been in Liyue for a few days now. I'm sure you can feel how much the Liyue Qixing despise us Fatui."
"If the truth about this matter doesn't reach the adepti soon, and the Qixing use it to smear us, the Fatui will be in serious trouble."
Childe smiled bitterly. The Hundred-Eyed Talismans hadn't been forged yet. He couldn't afford to be discovered by the adepti now, or death would be his only fate.
"Heh, the Liyue Qixing despise you Fatui because you've done nothing but evil."
"Haha, don't say that. We Fatui are law-abiding citizens. Someone, bring the annotated map and the Hundred-Eyed Talisman for the Traveler."
Lumine didn't immediately take the golden-glowing Hundred-Eyed Talisman and map. Instead, she looked at Childe warily. She still remembered what had happened in Mondstadt.
"I don't want your things. If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
"Hey, take them with you!"
Childe blocked Lumine's path, smiling as he tried to hand her the talisman. Lumine slapped it out of his hand, gave him a disgusted look, and turned to leave. Childe wasn't angry. He simply smiled and said:
"Traveler, without this Hundred-Eyed Talisman, you won't be able to see the adepti. Only those who possess it can catch their attention."
"So what? I never said I'd help you."
"Right, right! Why should we help you Fatui? Unless you're going to give us— mmph, mmph!"
Lumine covered Paimon's mouth and sighed in relief. Good grief, this idiot Paimon almost let it slip. If she had actually said that, the two of them might never leave Northland Bank.
"Heh, Traveler, don't forget—if you can't see the adepti, your wanted status won't be lifted."
Hearing this, Lumine hesitated. She had memorized the locations of the three adepti, but she hadn't known there was a procedure for meeting them. Did she really have to turn back and pick up that Hundred-Eyed Talisman? Lumine's heart was torn. Sensing her hesitation, Paimon whispered in her ear.
"Lumine, did you forget about Su Bai? We can go to Wangshu Inn and find him first. Then we can visit the other adepti together. With Su Bai's identity as an adeptus, the others will definitely come out."
Lumine realized Paimon was right. Forget the damn Hundred-Eyed Talisman. That thing was just a piece of scrap paper. No matter how useful it might be, it couldn't beat having an actual adeptus by her side. She never expected Paimon to have a moment of brilliance. Amazing.
With that, Lumine kicked open the door of Northland Bank and walked out without looking back. Childe and the Fatui agents inside stared at each other in bewilderment. Why wasn't this Traveler following the script? Though he didn't understand what she meant, Childe still gave an order.
"Spread the word. Until we obtain the Geo Archon's Gnosis, all Fatui agents in Liyue are not to antagonize this Traveler. If you encounter her in the wild, prioritize her safety. This chess piece cannot be compromised—at least not yet."