Lumine was on her way to Sangonomiya Shrine when she encountered Kokomi and Gorou discussing matters.
Seeing them arrive, Kokomi asked, "Traveler, how is Teppei doing?"
Lumine: "We didn't notice it; his condition suddenly worsened..."
Kokomi: "I have already ordered the confiscation of all Delusions within the army."
"Most people, although experiencing a loss of vitality, are not severely affected; only a few..."
Gorou: "Your Excellency, I plan to set up a separate infirmary to observe their conditions."
"The soldiers are very agitated; they know it's a Delusion, yet they still want to continue using it."
Lumine listened silently from the side, and as soon as Gorou and the others paused, she immediately asked,
"Where did these Delusions come from?"
Kokomi: "The Sakoku Decree is still in effect. Our investigation shows these Delusions should be produced by the Fatui, and what's more, they are in Inazuma."
"To mobilize such vast human and material resources, there must be assistance from a local force behind it."
Gorou reminded her, "Your Excellency, our hurried confiscation of Delusions will surely not escape the Fatui's notice. Time might be running out."
To thoroughly resolve the Delusion problem, they must find the factory producing the Delusions and destroy it in one fell swoop.
"I know... Let me think..."
"When confiscating the Delusions, I did consider that the factory needs to be large, yet concealed, and also close to transport routes to ensure raw material supply..."
"There aren't many places that fit these conditions. Combining this with the locations where soldiers received the Delusions, the factory is likely on a seaside cliff in the southwest of Yashiori Island."
"Are you thinking of..."
Lumine: "I'm going to stop them!"
Gorou quickly advised, "No, it's too dangerous. You should wait for the army."
Lumine: "There's no time. I'll be careful."
Kokomi: "I won't stop you, but you must be careful."
"We have lost many who fought alongside us; we don't want to lose you too."
Yunling poked Lumine's lower back with her index finger: "Lumine, I'll go with you."
Yunling wouldn't miss such an important plot point.
It's a good thing her second sister isn't here right now; if she were, she might not let her go.
"Okay!"
Lumine nodded in agreement.
Without further ado, Lumine, Yunling, and Paimon immediately set off for the southwest of Yashiori Island...
---
Yashiori Island, Delusion factory.
Anqi sat in a chair, her long legs crossed on the table, and opposite her sat the Sixth Fatui Harbinger.
Balladeer, Scaramouche.
It wasn't that Anqi intentionally sat like that; Balladeer sat that way first, and she was just matching him.
Otherwise, he really would have outdone her.
Although Anqi was just an adjutant, her strength was undeniable, and Balladeer really didn't dare to do anything to her.
"So, you came here just to sit face-to-face with me, staring each other down?"
"You could say that."
Anqi looked indifferent. She came here just to try her luck, to see if she could add some points to her persona.
If she absolutely had to find a reason, it was that she was very bored right now.
She wanted something to do.
However... while Anqi thought this, Balladeer did not.
Did Her Majesty the Tsaritsa know his intentions?
Or was it just that the Captain had some suspicions?
Balladeer couldn't help but wonder if there was anything improper about his previous actions.
But no matter how he thought about it, he didn't feel he had revealed any flaws.
"If you're just bored, then please, I don't have time to stare at you."
Anqi's lips suddenly curved into a smile.
Her luck was indeed good. From Jiang Mumu playing the Genshin Impact story, she knew that just now, she and Balladeer had appeared in the story...
---
The player world.
: "Damn it, it's the Fatui again. Why is this organization so persistent?
: "Balladeer, I've disliked this guy for a long time. Can I finally fight him this time?"
: "Who's that person next to him?"
: "The person upstairs probably hasn't watched the "Footprints" PV. Even if you don't recognize Anqi without her mask, you should know her attire."
: "Two Harbingers, can they be beaten?"
: "What are you afraid of? Yunling is here too. Two against two, the advantage is ours this time."
---
Inside the Delusion factory.
Anqi snorted coldly: "Using ordinary people's longing for a Vision to distribute Delusions to them— only you could do such a thing. You're just like Dottore; you truly disgust me."
"Such actions offer no help in seizing Inazuma's Gnosis and further tarnish a warrior's honor."
Balladeer: "???"
He endured for a long time before he didn't erupt: "What nonsense are you spouting? I just arrived here not long ago; I'm just temporarily in charge."
Anqi squinted at Balladeer: "Oh? Then you're still an accomplice."
Balladeer sneered: "Indeed, they say women with big chests are brainless. In my opinion, the smaller ones are even dumber!"
"Heheh..."
Anqi grinned: "Come out."
"Oh, you want to fight?"
"No, this is called sparring!"
Balladeer also stood up. Although he was unwilling to fight, he was not the type to be afraid...
---
The player world.
: "Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter, the smaller ones are even dumber!"
: "Speaking of which, Anqi's armor doesn't seem to show much curvature underneath."
: "Fight, fight, oh oh oh oh!"
: "Actually, Anqi doesn't seem that bad either."
: "I don't care, whoever fights Balladeer, I'll support them."
: "Preferably, both get injured, so when we arrive, we can reap the benefits."
---
Outside the Delusion factory.
The Fatui surrounded them, and Ailina watched tensely.
Anqi drew her ice-blue longsword and, without a word, charged directly at Balladeer.
Balladeer's figure shifted, and Electro energy condensed in his hands.
In an instant, the two were locked in battle.
Balladeer's figure was like a phantom, while Anqi continuously conjured ice spikes, attacking Balladeer from all directions in a dense barrage.
Electro and Cryo elements collided, and the surrounding terrain was altered by the shockwaves.
The surrounding Fatui quickly retreated.
Anqi threw her longsword. The longsword charged in mid-air, and rapidly congealing ice wrapped around it, forming a greatsword of ice.
Balladeer also condensed a highly compressed Electro orb in his hands, preparing to take Anqi's attack head-on.
Clap clap clap—
Just then, a person walked up slowly, clapping his hands.
"You two are truly full of energy, actually... Hmm?"
Dottore's segment hadn't been out for long, and he hadn't even finished speaking when Anqi directly manipulated the ice greatsword to change direction, shifting her attack target to the segment.
With a loud bang, Dottore's segment, along with a hundred-meter radius around its position, was completely turned into frost.
One Dottore segment eliminated.
Balladeer, witnessing this scene, was also a bit stunned and dispersed the energy he had condensed in his hands.
Anqi glanced at the spot where she had just attacked, a look of disdain on her face.
He knew she hated him, yet he still chose to appear at that moment.
.
.
.
_