Chapter 84: Lady, Young Man, Floating Object

After Xianyu followed the Fatui's Troop and left, the people around began to discuss.

"Just now, that young man, if I didn't hear wrong, the people from the Fatui should have addressed him as 'Lord,' right?"

"Yes, you heard right. I heard it too. But the implication in his words seems strange, as if there are people other than the Fatui involved. It's a bit odd..."

"What's so odd about it? Let's forget about it. It doesn't concern us whether he's from the Fatui or not. Moreover, if he's treated well by the Fatui's Troupes, he must be someone out of the ordinary."

"Just remember his face and avoid causing trouble in the future, lest we become free targets for the Fatui's Troop."

There are few people who know Xianyu in Mondstadt, apart from the Fatui, there are only the members of the Knights of Favonius and John, and a few others.

But they wouldn't just wander around aimlessly. However, his information was promptly relayed to the Knights of Favonius.

Someone treated well by the Fatui and having ties with their executive officer couldn't be just an ordinary person.

...

Knights of Favonius headquarters.

Jean received some strange information from her subordinates.

Xianyu, if she remembered correctly, had killed some members of the Fatui near Starfell Lake before. So why was he being treated this way now?

"Kaeya, what do you make of this?"

Kaeya, who was playing with his Mora, held the coin firmly in his hand.

"What do I think? We've met this person before and investigated him afterward. This Xianyu comes from Liyue."

"Although we don't know why the Fatui is treating him like this, it's likely related to Liyue."

"And in Liyue, who could influence the Fatui in Mondstadt? What do you think?"

Jean actually had some speculations, she asked just to hear Kaeya's analysis.

"Well, you and I are thinking the same thing. It seems this Xianyu has some connection with the executive officer in Liyue. I just can't figure out why he's here this time. It's a bit puzzling..."

Kaeya was also curious about Xianyu. Offending the Fatui didn't lead to being pursued but rather being treated as a guest, and with much respect. That was strange.

"From the information given by our subordinates, Xianyu seems to have come temporarily for some reason. It shouldn't have much impact on Mondstadt."

"In my opinion, he doesn't seem like a bad person, but we can't be sure. I'll go over and probe in the next few days."

Jean immediately intervened to stop him.

"Don't! Let's observe quietly. Don't act impulsively."

Kaeya's temperament, Jean knew well. He enjoyed watching a spectacle and didn't mind stirring up trouble. If they couldn't come to an agreement and ended up in conflict, the Fatui might seize the opportunity.

Kaeya didn't object to Jean's advice, but went back to playing with the coins in his hand.

As for what he was thinking, only Kaeya himself knew.

...

Xianyu somewhat anticipated the aftermath of this incident.

It wouldn't be long before someone from the Knights of Favonius would contact him. This situation actually skipped some steps, which could be considered fortunate in a way.

"Lord, we've arrived. The lady is inside, and we have other matters to attend to, so we'll take our leave."

...

Entering the room, Xianyu saw the woman sitting on the other side of the chessboard, exactly as he remembered.

Her makeup was exquisite, and she exuded a noble and cold charm. Her mature, beautiful appearance was truly captivating.

But unfortunately, Xianyu knew that this woman was far from what she appeared to be.

Being able to hold the position of an executive officer, just like the Seven Stars in Liyue, she must have considerable cunning. Dealing with her required utmost caution.

Without waiting for the lady to invite him to sit, Xianyu naturally sat opposite her.

This action caused the lady, who was playing with the chess pieces, to pause for a moment.

"You are quite rude, aren't you? Without my permission, you dare to sit opposite me."

"You have quite the audacity."

Although her words were light, Xianyu felt a chill creeping over him.

However, both being Cryo users, unless they exerted their full power, this slight chill didn't matter to him.

After all, he had experienced the icy power of the demon gods.

"Hehe."

"While it was indeed impolite of me to sit without your permission, I cannot wait indefinitely for you to speak before sitting, can I?"

"Moreover, our relationship is not that of superior and subordinate. I have no obligation to obey your orders. Our relationship is solely based on transactions."

"This matter was conveyed to me by Tartaglia, and also to you. Therefore, our relationship will only extend to this point. After the task is completed, we will no longer have any relationship."

Xianyu's implication was clear: their relationship would continue only in terms of the transaction, but she shouldn't expect him to follow her commands or do her bidding.

The lady, upon hearing Xianyu's words, remained unchanged in demeanor, but the chill in the air intensified.

Xianyu pretended not to notice. As long as she didn't use the power of the Cryo Archon, he was completely unfazed.

She had been scheming against him since his arrival in the city, so Xianyu had no reason to be polite either.

The atmosphere grew tense, and frost began to form in the air.

But after a moment, the faint crystalline structures disappeared.

"Not bad! It seems you indeed have some ability to become friends with the 'Young Master.'"

"The 'Traveler' you mentioned in the information about the Anemo Archon you provided earlier, I've been searching for them for some time but couldn't confirm. To avoid tipping them off, I asked you to come and verify."

"And the item you desire, I will send it to you after you confirm."

...

Xianyu and the lady's conversation didn't last long. Both of them didn't particularly like each other, but for the sake of their respective goals, they could tolerate a bit of dissatisfaction.

In the end, when Xianyu left, he was quite satisfied because his backpack now contained over thirty tree branches. This was only half of what the lady had prepaid. If he received the rest...

This transaction wasn't exactly fair, but to the lady, the branches of the ley line tree were nothing more than useless "junk." If Xianyu hadn't needed them, she might have forgotten them in some corner.

Now they were just being put to use.

It was a "win-win" situation.

With the item in hand and the following matters settled, all that was left was to meet the legendary "Traveler." It seemed too simple, almost too easy.

Just a glance and a few words.

"Please wait a moment, Lady. According to our intelligence, the young man is currently not in the city but out hunting in the wilderness. We need to wait for him to return."

Hearing the term "Lady," Xianyu didn't bother to correct it.

He had initially planned to wait for the young man to return to confirm, but then he remembered the strange little creature floating beside him, known as the "emergency food" to players.

"Do you see a strange little creature floating around him?"

The Fatui's Troop members were taken aback by the question, then carefully recalled.

"Replying to Lord, it seems there was indeed a strange creature beside the young man. Could it be that this little thing has some special significance?"

Upon hearing this, Xianyu didn't directly answer or reveal that the young man was the one he was referring to.

To say so directly would clearly indicate that he was reserving the right to renegotiate the deal.

Since the other party had been scheming against him since his arrival, Xianyu saw no reason to be overly polite either.