"You can fly, right? Then carry me down," Lu Lin said with a mischievous grin.
He truly couldn't fly — but he knew Lumine possessed the Wind Glider and had a proper flight license.
When he suggested the aerial infiltration plan, he had originally intended to take advantage of the opportunity for a little closeness in midair.
He hadn't expected to run into that Fatui couple on the cliff, which had accidentally accelerated the development of their relationship.
Now this arrangement felt slightly redundant.
Lumine immediately saw through him and lightly scoffed, "You really are a bad guy."
"Alright, no more delay. Let's go down. There's a path here."
Since those two Fatui agents had come and gone freely, there had to be a hidden route.
"Maybe… I should just carry you down while flying. That path might not be safe," Lumine said softly.
Since she had taken the initiative, Lu Lin didn't refuse. He wrapped his arm around her waist.
Her slender waist felt wonderfully soft. He pressed close, his warm breath brushing the back of her neck.
"Hold tight. I'm taking off."
Feeling his warmth, Lumine's clear voice carried a trace of excitement as her Wind Glider unfurled. She leapt from the cliff.
Under the moonlight, the golden-haired girl carrying the handsome young man soared through the night sky.
Silver light bathed them, forming a beautiful image of two wings flying as one.
Though Lu Lin was taller and looked slightly awkward on her back, it didn't affect flight at all. The glider handled both their weight effortlessly.
Lumine's flying technique was excellent. She guided them through the mountain shadows, silently descending into the heart of the camp.
Infiltration
Security near the camp center was lighter than at the entrance.
They slipped into the largest tent without issue.
Inside was empty.
A central desk held scattered documents — clearly an office. Behind it stood a folding screen, and beyond that, a simple field bed.
Lu Lin skimmed through the papers. Nothing important.
Suddenly, footsteps approached.
They quickly hid behind the screen.
"You call this cooperation between Harbingers? Cooperation requires shared information!" Tartaglia's furious voice rang out.
"You know everything now, don't you? That counts," came a female voice, indifferent and cold.
Lumine's pupils contracted.
She mouthed silently to Lu Lin:
Signora.
"I fought on the front lines, nearly died twice. The Fatui suffered heavy losses in Liyue. And you and the Geo Archon had already reached a deal—"
"Enough," Signora cut him off.
"You enjoy fighting. You got two thrilling battles out of it. Isn't that enough? The Gnosis is secured. I'm returning to Snezhnaya. You'd better leave too. Liyue won't let this slide."
"Hah. No one capable of capturing me has been born yet," Tartaglia replied coldly.
Her footsteps faded.
They didn't move.
Tartaglia continued working for half an hour before finally heading behind the screen to rest.
The moment he stepped behind it—
Two familiar faces appeared before him.
Startled, he instinctively prepared to attack—
But time froze.
Lu Lin calmly took out prepared shackles, binding his wrists and ankles, gagging him, removing his Vision and Delusion, and knocking him unconscious.
Knocking him out prevented interference — and ensured he wouldn't discover the time-stop ability.
Three minutes later, time resumed.
Lumine blinked back into motion.
Lu Lin hoisted Tartaglia over his shoulder. They retraced the Fatui couple's route and returned to the cliff, then regrouped with Paimon.
"You actually captured him? Amazing!" Paimon cheered.
Commission complete. Mora incoming.
"Lucky timing. Let's move."
They headed back overnight.
They couldn't use waypoints while carrying him, so they traveled on foot.
The Unexpected Obstacle
Two li from camp—
A cold, elegant woman blocked their path.
Fatui Harbinger, Eighth Seat—
La Signora, Rosalyne.
This was Lu Lin's first time seeing her.
Behind her mourning mask lay breathtaking beauty. Her figure was dangerously alluring.
"Just warned him to be careful. And he gets captured immediately. Useless," she said icily.
A wheel of frost sliced forward.
From the moment she appeared, Lu Lin knew this fight was unavoidable.
Time-stop was already spent.
To leave with Tartaglia, they would have to break through her.
He swept his hand forward, summoning a sturdy Geo shield to block the frost.
He and Lumine drew their blades simultaneously and engaged.
Signora outranked Tartaglia and was stronger — but facing two opponents of similar level, she felt the pressure.
Lumine's power was steadily returning. In Lu Lin's knowledge of future events, by the time she reached Inazuma, she would be capable of defeating Signora alone.
But now, she hadn't fully recovered.
Together, they held the advantage — but not enough to secure a swift victory.
And if Signora unleashed her Crimson Witch form, her power would rise another level.
Worse, they were still close to the Fatui camp.
If reinforcements arrived—
Escaping would become far more difficult.
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