A dozen seconds later, Ann finally spoke, her voice cold and arrogant, carrying a lofty aloofness that pushed people a thousand miles away: "Speed up. Get the things and leave immediately."
"Yes, Officer!"
The Mirror Maiden beside Ann received the order, turned, and left to relay it.
Stepping back a few paces, Ann sat by the bonfire, her legs crossed, her perfect body curves fully displayed.
She was only making a temporary appearance, executing the second plan for dealing with Ruola's persona, also known as Plan B.
Plan A couldn't succeed due to Venti's presence, and besides, Jiang Mumu hadn't held much hope for Plan A to begin with.
As for Ann...
Her brief appearance just now was a spur-of-the-moment decision, meant to leave a cliffhanger so her formal debut wouldn't seem abrupt.
Moreover, Ann's appearance here was a move by Jiang Mumu, all serving the later plot, earning emotional feedback from players while also ensuring that players...
Remember it vividly!
...
In Guo Zi's live stream.
The majestic snow-capped mountain and Ann standing quietly beneath it in the game screen had brought great shock to everyone.
When they saw the Fatui Mirror Maiden, the bullet comments exploded for a while.
[Hiss—so big, is this a new monster?!]
[Are all Fatui this tall? I thought they were all like those two by the teleport waypoint.]
[The atmosphere rendering, I already feel cold...]
[It's over, it's over, my wife seems to be a villain!]
[How is she your wife?]
Following the quest's guidance, Guo Zi controlled her game character to rush towards Mondstadt City, thinking about the Fatui who appeared in the snow mountains.
What was their purpose?
Playing up to now, based on the content shown in the game, the Fatui could already be equated with villains.
And behind the bizarre actions of the villains, there must be dangerous, unspeakable secrets.
...
Ruola and Lumine rushed back to Mondstadt City in a flurry, then went straight to the Knights of Favonius.
Jean was working, and seeing Lumine and the others approach, she put down what she was busy with.
"Traveler, Paimon, and Ruola, is there anything I can help you with?"
Paimon immediately stepped forward, fulfilling her duty as the God's Mouth, and described in detail what they had seen at the foot of the snow mountain.
Ruola added, "The leader seemed very powerful. I wonder if she's another Fatui Harbinger."
"Harbinger?" Jean's expression grew serious, and she sent someone to notify Lisa and Kaeya.
After a while, Lisa and Kaeya arrived at the Grand Master's office.
Everyone discussed for a bit, and Jean immediately stated:
"Kaeya, I'll leave this matter to you. There's no need for conflict; just investigate the Fatui's purpose."
Jean entrusted this to Kaeya because he was more skilled in this area. Undoubtedly, if someone had to go investigate, he was the most suitable and the one Jean felt most at ease with.
Additionally, if it was Kaeya, perhaps the senior would follow along...
Ruola knew they would most likely find nothing, because her Ann persona was almost ready to head back now.
However, going with the Traveler was still necessary.
Invitation quests are all about daily life; spending more time with the Traveler and Paimon helps players unlock more side quests.
Anyway, Ruola's persona doesn't have much of a background to explain; she grew up in Mondstadt City, always well-behaved, enthusiastic, and lively.
It seems all that's needed is to enrich her character image.
"Wait, Ruola, you don't need to go. I have a task for you."
Ruola looked at Kaeya with a bewildered expression.
Not again, right?
Kaeya seemed not to notice Ruola's surprise, and said solemnly, "Go call your brother. He's at the Angel's Share Tavern right now."
Ruola blinked her eyes, stunned for several seconds, and finally accepted the task Kaeya had given her.
To get there early, she jogged all the way to the tavern and told her brother what had happened.
Upon learning it was the Fatui, Diluc, who had not intended to get involved, gave some instructions to the bartender Charles and then left.
Of course, like Kaeya, he told Ruola to stay there before leaving.
However...
Is that possible?
If the Traveler wasn't around, Ruola would have been obedient, but not now!
After Diluc had been gone for a while, Ruola secretly followed him.
...
Foot of the snow mountain.
Diluc, Kaeya, Lumine, and Paimon arrived at the location where they had previously seen Ann and her group.
However, there was no trace of the Fatui there anymore.
"Eh? Those guys left so quickly. No, it's also possible they've already gone up the mountain." Paimon guessed, not seeing anyone.
"Let's go!"
Lumine said, about to set off for the snow mountain, but Diluc reached out to stop her at that moment.
He glanced behind him and saw a cute little head quickly retract behind a tree.
Diluc naturally knew who it was, and he helplessly rubbed his forehead.
"Traveler, leave it to us from here. I'd like to ask you for a favor: pull out that tag-along behind us and bring her back to Mondstadt City."
Kaeya: "The snow mountain is bitterly cold. It's better to leave such a dangerous task to us."
Lumine and Paimon looked back, noticed Ruola's poorly hidden clothing corner. She and Paimon exchanged a look, then nodded to Diluc and Kaeya, and finally walked towards the large tree where Ruola was hiding.
Diluc and Kaeya took the opportunity to head towards the snow mountain.
Ruola, hiding behind the tree, was currently shrinking herself, hoping that this not-so-thick tree trunk could hide her well.
Paimon's little brain moved, and she suddenly thought of a fun idea, signaling Lumine with a mischievous smile.
And then...
Quietly approached the big tree.
"Hey~"
"Wahhhh!!!"
Ruola was startled out of nowhere, and then realized that the one who scared her was her favorite little Paimon!
How could she tolerate this?!
Ruola grabbed the flying little Paimon into her arms and gently bit her plump, collagen-filled little face.
"Wah... Traveler, save me!"
"Hmph, who told you to scare me first, you hateful emergency food!" Ruola kneaded Paimon's little face, saying viciously.
Lumine hadn't said the name "emergency food" before. Such a famous title is exclusive to Paimon; how could it not appear?
Paimon finally broke free, stomping her feet in anger: "What the heck, you're making me so mad! Paimon is not emergency food!"
Lumine watched the two bicker with a smile and stepped forward: "Ruola, why are you only just arriving now?"
"Hmph, it's all my brother's fault. He wouldn't let me come. I snuck out."
Saying that, Ruola looked behind Lumine and Paimon: "Where are my brother and Kaeya? Did they go up?"
Lumine explained the task Diluc had just given her. Ruola thought about it and decided to continue adventuring with Lumine.
She hadn't intended to go up the snow mountain anyway. With Paimon there, Lumine couldn't go up either. She was just waiting for Lumine and Paimon.
The trio reached an agreement and left the foot of the snow mountain to go elsewhere.
...
"Heh, I didn't expect us to team up and come to the snow mountain again. When was the last time..."
"No one would think you're mute if you don't speak."
Because there was Ruola between Kaeya and Diluc, their superficial relationship was a bit better than in the original game.
But only a bit.
The snow mountain had strong winds and snow, and the traces of Fatui activity disappeared after they had pursued them for a dozen minutes.
Diluc and Kaeya both had excellent eyesight. They went all the way up, seeing many Fatui camps along the way, which greatly annoyed Diluc.
Mondstadt's territory, when did it become a place where these Fatui could come and go as they pleased?
They cleared several camps but didn't get any valuable information. As for the things Ruola and her group said the Fatui were transporting earlier, they didn't see any sign of them.
The two searched for a long time and finally had to leave.
However, both of them became more vigilant about this, thinking of investigating from other angles once they returned.