In the story, Paimon and the Traveler reported the information they had gathered to Kaeya.
They stated that they hadn't found any relevant leads.
["Of course not." Kaeya chuckled.]
["Huh?" Paimon was puzzled. Why did he seem happy despite not getting any information?]
["Nothing. I just mean, without experiencing some setbacks, how can one appreciate the joy of obtaining treasure?"]
Kaeya continued to mislead the two, claiming that he had found someone in an underground intelligence network who knew the details.
That person would arrange for an informant to meet with them.
Upon hearing this, Paimon grew excited—finally, a lead!
They were one step closer to the treasure, so she eagerly pressed Kaeya for the informant's location.
Kaeya said the informant would meet them in Whispering Woods.
Yes, them—Kaeya himself had no intention of going.
Since he had arranged both the person and the clues, why bother making the trip himself?
Waiting for their report would suffice. This time would be better spent drinking.
Kaeya generously offered to cover the expenses for the intelligence.
When the Traveler and Paimon arrived at Whispering Woods, they encountered a girl under attack by monsters and promptly rescued her.
Lumine and Paimon were always eager to help others.
This was also why the Knights of Favonius never doubted Lumine, even after learning about her brother's ties to the Abyss.
["Sigh, why did this have to happen? I shouldn't have agreed to help him."]
The girl sighed, referring to Kaeya—she was the plant he had arranged.
Paimon noticed the mention of ["him"], but the girl skillfully changed the subject, preventing further inquiry.
To express her gratitude for the Traveler's heroic intervention, the girl offered to give them the information for free.
In the story, Paimon was too involved to see the truth, but in reality, she was sharp as an outsider.
Little Paimon crossed her arms and stomped her tiny feet in midair.
"That jerk Kaeya even hired an actress as the informant!"
"There couldn't have been any intelligence expenses, yet he told us he'd cover them!"
Paimon was displeased that she couldn't spend Kaeya's money.
Being tricked was bad enough, but not even getting to vent by splurging with his funds? That was just too much!
Even if Paimon were deceived by [Childe] later, she might not be this angry.
Though both were scams, [Childe] actually let them spend his money freely.
["In the city within the lake, dwells a giant with three heads and six arms. Two guard the statue, and one guards the treasure of the gods."]
This riddle was the intelligence they received.
A treasure map was also handed over to the Traveler and Paimon.
"A city within the lake? A giant with three heads and six arms?"
Diluc quickly deduced that the "city within the lake" referred to Mondstadt.
But the "three-headed, six-armed giant" didn't immediately come to mind.
"How about it? Isn't this riddle interesting?" Kaeya was a little smug.
He was quite satisfied with the riddle—it couldn't be too hard, as the Traveler needed to solve it.
But it also couldn't be too easy, or obtaining the treasure without effort would be boring.
Who would immediately think of windmills when hearing "giant"?
The locals of Teyvat wouldn't associate giants with windmills right away—this world had no Don Quixote.
"Quite amusing." Venti laughed.
He had already deciphered the riddle.
Given his knowledge of Mondstadt, he knew exactly where two ["giants"] guarded the statues.
He didn't connect the giant to windmills but instead deduced the answer based on geographical clues.
Diluc followed the same logic, though slightly slower than Venti.
"You could've caught the thieves in the time it took you to come up with this riddle," Diluc remarked.
"Don't be such a killjoy." Kaeya shrugged.
"Catching thieves isn't hard, but what if some slip away because they're too cautious?"
"People are most vulnerable to deception when they're at their most confident."
Kaeya smiled. According to his plan, the Treasure Hoarders would follow the Traveler to the treasure and then attempt to seize it.
Given the Traveler's formidable strength, the Treasure Hoarders would likely mobilize in full force.
Once they believed victory was assured, their guard would drop.
"..."
Diluc remained silent. Though it seemed excessive for Kaeya to scheme even against his allies,
this plan ensured the Traveler faced no danger, received a reward, and helped wipe out the Treasure Hoarders in one stroke—a win-win.
After some internal conflict, Diluc still couldn't bring himself to praise Kaeya for this. He just couldn't say it.
"The ones you've drunk from can't be sold anymore."
In the end, Diluc returned the confiscated wine to Kaeya.
Kaeya understood his adoptive brother well—this gesture was his silent approval.
"So if I take a sip from every bottle, does that mean all the wine here belongs to me?"
Kaeya pushed his luck, continuing to tease Diluc.
Venti's eyes lit up. Really? Was that really allowed? Teacher Kaeya, you're a genius!
"Then your salary probably won't cover the damages," Diluc retorted bluntly.
"So you agree the Knights of Favonius' wages should be raised, right?"
"..."
Diluc ignored Kaeya and returned to his book.
The Traveler and Paimon reported the riddle to Kaeya, who feigned ignorance.
["A riddle, huh? How traditional."]
This guy didn't even spare himself from his own sarcasm.
But fearing the Traveler might not solve it, he dropped subtle hints.
["A six-armed giant… Six. What could be related to the number six?"]
Kaeya posed it as a question, but in reality, he was steering the Traveler toward focusing on the number six rather than the "giant."
Fortunately, though the Traveler could be a bit slow at times, she wasn't stupid—she quickly guessed it was the windmills.
["Oh~! As expected of you!"]
Kaeya praised her.
Yet the real Lumine felt no joy upon seeing Kaeya's compliment.
This guy was treating her like a complete fool!
Using her as bait was one thing, making her solve a riddle was another.
But he even worried she wouldn't crack it and risked ruining his plan, so he gave her hints!
Then, when she guessed correctly, he acted all affirming.
Lumine was certain that if she had guessed wrong, Kaeya would've helped eliminate the incorrect answer until she landed on the windmills.
Now she understood why Amber had once called Kaeya a troublemaker.
This guy even schemed against his own allies!
However, after finishing the story, the Traveler wasn't angry anymore.
When she and Paimon were ambushed by the Treasure Hoarders, Kaeya arrived with the Knights and captured them all.
Upon learning there was no treasure, the deceived Paimon wailed:
["Waaah! Liar! Deceitful jerk! Disgrace to the Knights of Favonius!"]
["Hold on, hold on! Alright, alright!"]
["You two helped me so much—of course there's a reward."]
Kaeya gave them some Mora and a ["Harbinger of Dawn"].
If they ignored the deception and treated this as a commission, the reward was actually fair.
So Lumine magnanimously decided not to hold it against Kaeya.
Thinking about it, if he had revealed the plan in advance, it would've leaked for sure.
The Traveler might've kept it secret, but Paimon? That little glutton could never keep her mouth shut.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voicelines · Lumine & Paimon: About the Pavo Ocellus Chapter
Paimon: "That guy actually tricked us! How awful!"
Lumine: "You're right."
Paimon: "But… if he hadn't tricked us, wouldn't the reward mentioned in the book be gone?"
Lumine: "..."
Lumine: "Oh no, this was aimed at me! Now the only ones hurt aren't just the Treasure Hoarders!"