"So soon?" Paimon exclaimed in surprise.
Lumine knocking out the tail was bound to expose them, but she had expected the Akademiya's response to be much slower late at night. Instead, the Akademiya's agents had arrived at the [Restricted Zone] almost immediately after them.
"It seems the Akademiya isn't willing to let this go," Dr. Edward said coldly, his face devoid of fear. He had clearly understood the situation.
Lumine stuffed the rest of her food into her mouth and drew her Dull Blade, ready for a fight. But before she could act, someone called out to her.
"You three, please follow me. I'll take you to a hidden place where the Akademiya will never find you."
Hearing this, Lumine turned to Dr. Edward, her eyes questioning.
"It's not wise to start a conflict now," Dr. Edward said, nodding at Lumine. "It would cause major problems for the next medicine shipment."
He continued, "Let's hide for now. As long as the Akademiya can't find us, they have no proof."
Then, Dr. Edward turned to the others. "You've hidden the medicine properly, right?"
"Don't worry, Dr. Edward," one of them replied firmly. "I'd sooner lose my life than let those medicines fall into their hands!"
Reassured by this promise, Dr. Edward finally relaxed.
"Dr. Edward, and you two, hurry and get to safety."
"Don't worry about us. We'll do everything we can to hold off the Akademiya's agents."
"Heh," the speaker scoffed. "If they think they can just search this place, it won't be that easy."
He continued, "If they push too far, I'll detain every last one of them."
"Don't resort to such extreme measures unless it's the absolute last resort," Dr. Edward interrupted. "You're all still sick. Doing that would be like throwing an egg against a rock."
"Dr. Edward, I know you're worried about our safety," the man replied. "But sometimes, even when we know we'll fail, we have to fight. We refuse to just lie here like useless invalids, waiting for our lives to end."
"We want to show those fools at the Akademiya that this 'rabble,' as they see us, can't be pushed around so easily!"
"In fact," the man added fiercely, "if it weren't for you, we would have already thrown caution to the wind and fought those Akademiya bastards."
Hearing this, Dr. Edward sighed helplessly.
Lumine and Paimon could hear the bone-deep resentment and fury hidden deep within the man's tone.
"Of course, don't worry, Doctor. As long as those Akademiya bastards don't push too far, we can still hold out a while longer."
"We're going to intercept them now. You should hurry and get to safety too."
After bidding the trio farewell, the man rushed out of the room. At that moment, Dr. Edward sprang into action.
"Let's go," Edward said to Lumine and Paimon, rising to his feet and leaving the room. Lumine followed close behind.
"Hey, wait! I've barely had a few bites!" Paimon cried anxiously. Seeing they had no intention of stopping, she had no choice but to fly to the table, grab a Coconut Charcoal Cake in each hand, and zoom after them.
"Wait for me!"
The three of them followed the figure ahead for some time, eventually arriving in a dusty room cluttered with junk.
"This is the hiding place you mentioned?" Dr. Edward asked doubtfully.
The man nodded firmly. "That's right, Dr. Edward. This place has been abandoned for a long time. Even if someone comes to search, there are plenty of places to hide."
"Achoo!"
Paimon couldn't help but sneeze from the dust in the air.
The sound echoed through the room, seeming to stir up even more dust.
Seeing the "snowflakes" of dust dancing everywhere, Paimon's little face instantly turned pale.
"Traveler!"
Lumine shook her head helplessly, then raised her hand. Anemo Energy gathered in her palm, quickly pulling all the dust from the air into a clump and sweeping it into a corner.
"That's amazing, Traveler! Your Anemo Power is so useful!" Paimon cheered softly. She was about to give Lumine a big hug but suddenly remembered she was supposed to be giving her the silent treatment. Her expression immediately turned awkward.
Seeing this, the guide's face filled with utter astonishment.
"Alright, we'll be careful," Dr. Edward said. "You should go now. If anything happens, remember to come and inform us."
The guide seemed completely oblivious, prompting Dr. Edward to raise his voice. The man finally snapped out of his daze.
"What's wrong with you?"
Dr. Edward frowned at him.
"Ah, um... I just didn't expect the Traveler to be able to use Anemo Energy. It startled me because I didn't see a Vision on her."
"Hee hee, the Traveler is super strong! She can use not just Anemo Energy, but also Geo, Electro, and even Dendro Elemental Power! So with her around, you don't have to worry. No one will be able to harm Dr. Edward!" Paimon declared proudly.
Hearing this, the guide's face seemed to turn even paler, and sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Huh? What's wrong with you?" Paimon noticed his strange behavior and asked curiously. "We haven't walked that far. You must be pretty out of shape to be sweating this much."
Then Paimon turned to Lumine. "See, Traveler? You used to complain about me needing breaks all the time, but this just proves my stamina is great! You're the one who's being unreasonable!"
Lumine didn't reply to Paimon. Instead, her gaze remained fixed on the guide. His recent actions had already aroused her suspicion.
Perhaps Lumine's gaze was too intense, because the guide's sweating worsened. He lowered his head, hiding his expression.
"What's wrong? Is your illness flaring up?" Dr. Edward asked as he opened his satchel. "I still have some medicinal herbs with me. If you're having an attack, don't push yourself. The illness will only get worse if you don't take your medicine."
"While COVID isn't as fatal as Eleazar, its flare-ups last much longer. If you wait until it's severe to take medicine, you could be left with long-term side effects."
As Dr. Edward spoke, the guide began to tremble, the tremors growing more and more violent.
Lumine tightened her grip on her Dull Blade. At that exact moment, a dark shadow rapidly descended from the sky, landing with a dull thud.
By the time Lumine realized the object that had fallen was a cage woven from vines, the three of them were already trapped inside.
"Forgive me, Dr. Edward," the guide cried, tears streaming down his face. "I want to leave this godforsaken place! I want to live!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Victor collapsed to his knees, burying his face in his hands. But the tears couldn't be stopped, streaming relentlessly through his fingers.
Suddenly, the sound of something shattering reached his ears, followed by a series of steady, unhurried footsteps.
As the footsteps drew near, a hand gently rested on his shoulder.
"Alright, stand up. I told you, I don't blame you."
"I'll pretend I saw nothing today. You don't need to worry."
"Mr. Edward, I'm sorry, truly sorry..."
"I'm a monster... I've failed you, I've failed everyone..."
Victor wiped away his tears relentlessly while Dr. Edward stood beside him, trying to soothe his emotions.
Lumine and Paimon watched the two men with complex expressions. Their gazes, especially toward Dr. Edward, were filled with sincere respect. His personal charisma had completely won them over.
This scene didn't last long—not because Dr. Edward had grown tired of comforting Victor, but because...
"We need to get to the other side immediately," Dr. Edward said urgently. "If the Akademiya bribed Victor, they've surely bribed others too. The medicinal herbs are in danger."
Upon hearing his words, Lumine and Paimon's expressions immediately turned grim.
"Those Akademiya bastards have gone too far!" Paimon fumed. "How could they treat the people in the Restricted Zone like this? Aren't they all Sumerians too?"
"Paimon's furious! Traveler, you have to teach those despicable guys a harsh lesson!"
Lumine rolled her eyes at how effortlessly Paimon ordered her around.
Still, she had no objections. She was already quite annoyed with the Akademiya herself.
"Wait, Dr. Edward!"
Just as the three were about to leave the room, Victor wiped the tears from his face and staggered to his feet.
"You're not planning another trick, are you? Your schemes are useless against the Traveler!" Paimon said, crossing her arms and glaring at the now slightly calmer Victor.
"No, I want to tell you the exact location."
"I want to atone for the mistake I've made..."
-
"You... you betrayed us! To think I trusted you!"
"I'm sorry, Boss. I just wanted to get out of here."
"The Akademiya said if I revealed where the herbs were hidden, they'd let me leave the Restricted Zone and give me enough medicine to last three months."
"Damn it!"
"Brothers, let's fight these Akademiya scum!"
"Even if I die here, I won't let them take those herbs!"
"Fight them! Taking the herbs is no different from taking our lives!"
"That's right! Fight them!"
-
By the time the trio arrived at the scene, the battle was nearly over.
The ground was stained dark red with blood, and the air hung thick with its pungent, metallic stench. Bodies lay everywhere, bleeding profusely. Among them were many familiar faces.
Not a single one of the fallen belonged to the Akademiya. It had been a one-sided massacre.
What was even more heartbreaking was that among the fallen, some clutched brooms or wood-chopping axes as weapons. It was clear they were just ordinary people living nearby. When they saw what was happening, they hadn't hesitated to grab whatever they could and fight the Akademiya with their lives.
But how could their untrained bodies be a match for the Akademiya's Matra? In the end, they were mercilessly slaughtered.
When Dr. Edward saw the scene, he froze on the spot.
Paimon was so terrified she immediately hid behind Lumine. Though she had witnessed similar horrors many times, she still couldn't get used to it.
"They were just ordinary people! The Akademiya didn't even spare them!"
The sight enraged Paimon. Lumine's expression grew colder, and her grip on her Dull Blade tightened.
"Take all the herbs! Eliminate anyone who gets in the way!"
Hearing the voice, Lumine and Paimon glared in its direction, only to be stunned to see Fatui soldiers mixed in among the Matra.
In her travels across Teyvat, Lumine had witnessed countless crimes committed by the Fatui. It was precisely for this reason that she rarely held back against them.
So that's what's happening, she realized. The Akademiya has colluded with the Fatui. The entire Akademiya might already be completely under their control!
They would even abandon their own people!
At that moment, the enemy clearly spotted the three figures standing conspicuously in the middle of the road. Upon seeing Dr. Edward, their leader immediately gave an order.
"I can't believe they failed over there. Useless trash is still useless trash."
"Capture them! We need the man alive."
With the command, the Matra and Fatui soldiers charged forward, swarming the trio.
Lumine stepped forward, meeting their advance head-on. Her Dull Blade pulsed with a bloody light, adding a vibrant, deadly hue to its otherwise plain steel.
She showed no mercy. Butchers who wouldn't even spare ordinary people deserved none of her compassion. Her figure moved like a phantom, and from the very start, the battle became a one-sided slaughter.
Lumine held the absolute advantage.