"Hurry up, you guys! Move faster! Those Electro Hilichurl Baller Kings won't hold them off for long. Quickly get the items out of here."
A short distance from the negotiation site, several Abyss Mages were frantically directing Hilichurls to carry something, looking around nervously.
"Boss, aren't you being too nervous? We sent five Electro Hilichurl Baller Kings. Even if there's a Fatui Harbinger there, along with some Shogunate soldiers and Fatui members, it's impossible for them to resolve the issue that quickly."
Another Abyss Mage didn't quite understand why their boss was so anxious. They had prepared a lot for this operation.
Besides the Electro Hilichurl Baller Kings sent to cause trouble, many Hilichurls were also stationed in nearby areas as a lookout. With so many arrangements, it was impossible for them to be dealt with so quickly.
"What do you know, kid! The most troublesome one isn't the Fatui Harbinger, but that terrifying individual. Why? Why is she there? This is a negotiation between the Shogunate and the Fatui; why is she getting involved?"
This Abyss Mage was both anxious and angry, secretly cursing the person who devised the plan.
Obstructing the negotiations between the Fatui and the Shogunate to buy them more time to transport important supplies back to the Abyss was indeed a good plan, but... but why didn't they consider the probability of Durandal getting involved!
She knew Durandal. Once, she and another Abyss Mage were out on a mission. As soon as she returned to the gathering point, she saw Durandal capture her companion. She watched from the shadows as her companion melted into a puddle of liquid, completely vanishing from this world.
Terrifying! Absolutely terrifying! Abyss Mages do not fear death, but watching one's body slowly dissolve, without even losing consciousness before completely melting, such a punishment was truly dreadful, many times more terrifying than death.
Having witnessed such a scene firsthand, she became extremely cautious in her subsequent actions. For a period, she even dared not accept missions in Mondstadt and Liyue, just fearing to encounter Durandal and suffer that kind of punishment.
Because of this, she was mocked more than once by other Abyss Mages, who said she was so afraid of death. If she hadn't had some skill, she probably wouldn't even have been able to be a captain.
"Why did they choose Yashiori Island for the negotiations? Even if they had to negotiate, why couldn't they choose a more distant location? We still need some time to transport the artifacts from here."
Their mission this time was to bring all the artifacts from this ruin back. These artifacts, once brought back, would undergo modification by the Abyssal Mages, becoming effective weapons to strengthen the Abyss.
This was a very important mission. The Prince (The Traveler's acquaintance) specifically instructed them to complete it well. It was precisely because of its extreme importance that she, a person with captain-level strength, was assigned to it.
At the Prince (The Traveler's acquaintance)'s strong insistence, despite her reluctance, she could only bite the bullet and come here to complete the mission, and then... then she got screwed over.
"No matter what, finish moving these things quickly. Honestly, if the Electro Element of the Electro Hilichurl Baller Kings didn't easily damage these artifacts, I would have let them carry them."
The Electro Hilichurl Baller Kings are powerful in combat but not very intelligent. During the previous few transports, some artifacts were slightly damaged due to the elemental power they occasionally emitted.
This made her unwilling to let the Electro Hilichurl Baller Kings help anymore, so she could only have them guard the vicinity to buy them more time.
"Um... Boss, there's something I don't know if I should say."
The Ice Abyss Mage hesitated, then said, "If you're really that afraid of being discovered, I think we can just focus on our own tasks, regardless of the negotiations over there."
"While obstructing those negotiations might buy us a little time, so many Electro Hilichurl Baller Kings appearing together will definitely draw attention. At that point, a simple patrol nearby would be enough to notice the commotion here."
"...This was a suggestion from that Scholar. Although his status isn't like other Abyssal Mages, the knowledge he possesses is incomparable to theirs. The Prince (The Traveler's acquaintance) values him quite a bit. For the plans he proposes, we Abyss Mages can only comply."
That Pyro Abyssal Mage usually performed quite well, but she always felt that he tended to mess things up at critical moments.
Yet, every time he messed up, he never got into trouble when he returned. Was it just because he knew more? She always felt that the Prince (The Traveler's acquaintance) was a bit biased towards intellectuals. If she also became an intellectual, would she not have to go out on missions anymore?
"You guys are so lively here. What are you doing?"
"We're moving artifacts. These artifacts need to be moved very carefully, or if they get damaged, we won't be able to make weapons."
"Heh-eh~ artifacts, huh? I didn't expect this ruin to produce artifacts. It really is a good place."
"Of course. We spent a lot of effort to conceal this ruin. We finally managed to open up the Ley Line, and now is the time to harvest."
Due to her distraction, the Electro Abyss Mage didn't notice the abnormality of the sudden voice. The Ice Abyss Mage next to her saw this and tried to warn her boss, but in the next moment, she was swallowed by a monster that emerged from a shadow.
Only after the Electro Abyss Mage finished speaking did she realize something was wrong. Her first action upon regaining her senses was to close the Abyss portal, preventing the enemy from entering their portal network.
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