In the story, Paimon and Lumine reported the gathered intelligence to Kaeya.
They stated that they hadn't found any relevant clues.
"Of course not," Kaeya chuckled.
"Huh?" Paimon was puzzled; how could he be so happy without getting any information?
"Nothing. I mean, without experiencing some setbacks, how can one truly appreciate the joy of finding treasure?"
Kaeya continued to mislead the two, saying that he had found someone in the underground intelligence organization who knew the information.
That person would arrange for a contact to meet with them.
Paimon got excited as soon as he heard it; they had finally found a clue.
This brought them one step closer to the treasure, and he quickly asked Kaeya where the contact was.
Kaeya said the contact would meet them in the Whispering Woods.
That's right, it was them; Kaeya himself had no intention of going.
He had arranged both the person and the clue himself, so why would he bother going there personally?
Waiting for the report would be enough; he'd rather go for a drink during that time.
Kaeya generously stated that he would pay for the intelligence expenses.
As soon as the Traveler and Paimon arrived at the Whispering Woods, they encountered a girl being attacked by monsters and saved her without a second thought.
Lumine and Paimon were just that eager to help others.
This was also why the Knights of Favonius didn't suspect Lumine, even after learning about the relationship between Lumine's brother and the Abyss.
"Sigh, how could I encounter such a thing? I knew I shouldn't have helped him."
The girl sighed, and the "him" she referred to was Kaeya; she was the decoy arranged by Kaeya.
Paimon also noticed this "him," but the other party very cleverly changed the subject, preventing him from delving deeper.
The girl said that to thank the Traveler for his righteous act, the information could be given to them for free.
Paimon in the story was lost in the situation, but Paimon in reality was clear-headed as an observer.
Little Paimon put his hands on his hips and stomped his little feet twice in the air.
"Damn it, that guy Kaeya even hired actors as contacts!"
"There couldn't have been any intelligence expenses, yet he told us he'd reimburse us!"
Paimon expressed great dissatisfaction about not being able to spend Kaeya's money.
He had already been tricked, and he couldn't even freely spend the other party's money to vent his anger; it was too much!
Later, when Paimon learns that Childe tricked him, he probably won't be as angry.
Although both involved being tricked, Childe actually let him spend money.
"In that city in the lake, there live three-headed, six-armed giants, two guarding the statues, and one guarding the gods' treasures."
The intelligence was this riddle.
A treasure map was also given to the Traveler and Paimon.
"City in the lake, three-headed, six-armed giants?"
Diluc thought for a moment and realized that the city in the lake referred to Mondstadt.
However, he hadn't immediately thought of the three-headed, six-armed giants.
"How about it? Isn't this riddle interesting?" Kaeya was a little proud.
He was quite satisfied with this riddle; the riddle couldn't be too difficult, it had to be solvable by the Traveler.
But it also couldn't be too simple, otherwise, getting the treasure too easily would be boring.
Who would immediately think that giants referred to windmills?
The natives of Teyvat indeed wouldn't immediately associate windmills with giants, because this world doesn't have Don Quixote.
"Somewhat interesting," Venti smiled.
He had already guessed the answer to the riddle.
With his understanding of Mondstadt, he knew exactly where there were two 'giants' guarding statues.
He didn't associate giants with windmills but deduced the answer through geographical locations.
Diluc had the same problem-solving approach, just slightly slower than Venti.
"If you had spent the time you took to think of the riddle, you would have found them much earlier," Diluc complained.
"Don't be so boring," Kaeya spread his hands.
"Catching thieves isn't hard, but what if they're alert enough and someone escapes?"
"The easiest time for people to fall into a trap is when they are most complacent."
Kaeya smiled, according to his plan, the Treasure Hoarders would follow the Traveler to find the treasure and then move to snatch it.
The Traveler's strength was considerable, so the Treasure Hoarders would definitely send a large number of personnel, perhaps even their entire force.
Once they thought victory was assured, they would relax their guard.
"..."
Diluc said nothing; although Kaeya calculating against his own people seemed a bit excessive.
However, with this plan, the Traveler would not only be safe but also receive a Reward, and at the same time, the Treasure Hoarders would be caught in one fell swoop, making it a win-win situation.
After a while of hesitation, Diluc still didn't want to praise Kaeya for this matter; he just couldn't bring himself to do it.
"The one you drank, it can't be sold anymore."
Finally, Diluc returned the wine he had just confiscated to Kaeya.
Kaeya understood his sworn brother; his sworn brother's action was already a form of approval.
"So if I take a sip from every bottle, does that mean all the wine here is mine?"
Kaeya took advantage of the situation and acted coy, continuing to bicker with Diluc.
Venti's eyes lit up. Really? Can you really do that? Teacher Kai, you are a genius!
"Then your salary probably won't be enough to cover the compensation," Diluc retorted unceremoniously.
"You also think the Knights of Favonius' salaries should be raised, right?"
"..."
Diluc no longer paid attention to Kaeya and continued reading the book in his hand.
The Traveler and Paimon returned and informed Kaeya of the riddle, and Kaeya feigned ignorance.
"It's a riddle-solving method, how traditional."
This guy even complained about himself when he was being ruthless.
However, he was worried that the Traveler wouldn't be able to solve it, so he still offered small hints from the side.
"Six-armed giant, six, what is related to six?"
Kaeya seemed to be asking a question, but in reality, he was telling the Traveler that the key to the riddle was not the giant, but the number six.
Fortunately, although the Traveler was sometimes a bit slow, she wasn't stupid and quickly guessed the windmill.
"Oh~! As expected of you!"
Kaeya praised him.
However, Lumine in reality couldn't feel happy when she saw Kaeya praising her.
That guy Kaeya was completely treating her like an idiot!
It was fine that he used her as bait, and it was fine that he gave her a riddle to solve.
But he even worried that she wouldn't guess it and would ruin his plan, so he specifically hinted at her from the side.
And when she guessed the correct answer, he would give her an affirmative reply.
Lumine was sure that if she had guessed wrong at the time, Kaeya would have helped her eliminate that wrong answer until she guessed the windmill.
It was then that Lumine realized why Amber had once said that Kaeya was a mischievous person.
This guy even calculated against his own people!
However, after the Traveler finished reading the story, she wasn't angry anymore.
When she and Paimon were tracked and surrounded by the Treasure Hoarders, Kaeya arrived with the Knights of Favonius and caught all the Treasure Hoarders in one go.
After learning that there was no treasure, the tricked Little Paimon cried.
"Waaah, liar, you guy who loves to lie! Scum of the Knights of Favonius!"
"Stop, stop! Alright, alright!"
"You two have helped me so much, there's still a Reward."
Kaeya gave them some Reward and a 'dawn sword'.
If one disregarded the fact that they were tricked and treated it as a commission, the Reward was quite reasonable.
So Lumine was magnanimous enough not to blame Kaeya anymore.
It made sense; if he had told the Traveler and Paimon the plan beforehand, it would definitely have been leaked.
The Traveler would have been fine, but Paimon was a guy who couldn't keep his mouth shut.
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Character Voice · Lumine, Paimon: About the Peacock Feather Chapter
Paimon: "This guy actually tricked us! It's too much!"
Lumine: "You're right."
Paimon: "But... if he didn't trick us, wouldn't the Reward written in the book be gone?"
Lumine: "..."
Lumine: "Oh no, it's coming for me! Now it's not just the Treasure Hoarders who are hurt!"