Your stolen goods are now forfeit

"Did something happen, Lumine?"

"Hmm?"

"You look… happier, somehow?" Floating closer towards Lumine's face, Paimon held her chin as she hummed in thought, her eyes squinted as she carefully examined Lumine's expression. "Hmm… did something happen while Paimon's asleep?"

"You could say that." She replied, with a teasing lilt on her voice, not to mention the giddiness she's barely holding back. "Isn't that right, Yuu?"

At her question, I couldn't help but recall what happened.

I thank the heavens that my face is covered, otherwise, with how much blood is rushing towards my cheeks, I'm probably as red as a tomato right now.

Taking several deep breaths, I tried to calm myself down as best I could. Something that's a lot easier to do with my expression hidden behind the magical artifact.

"Absolutely nothing worth mentioning happened last night."

"Come on, you're no fun!"

Taking my hat off of my head, she placed it down on the now empty table before wrapping her arm around my shoulder as she leans herself towards me, ignoring the glances the other guests are giving her.

"Besides," pulling my head closer, she whispers her next words to me, "I'd say the both of us enjoy it quite a bit, don't you think?"

"...perhaps."

"Fufu, oh how I wish I could see what your expression is like right now." Patting my shoulders twice, she let go of me before turning her attention to Paimon, who is brimming with curiosity. "Sorry, Paimon, it seems Yuu doesn't want anyone else to know."

"Hmph, fine then! It's not like Paimon is curious or anything."

"Good." Fixing my clothes a bit, I grabbed the lotus-shaped hat and carefully put it on before getting out of my chair and grabbing the bag next to me. "Because we're going to be busy with a lot of things today, and the sooner we depart, the better."

"Sure. Let's go, Paimon, we're going treasure hunting today."

"Ooooh! Treasure!" The fairy exclaimed, before quickly covering her mouth, frantically glancing left and right. When she realized no one else was paying attention, she let out a sigh of relief, before her excitement returned once more. "What are we waiting for? Let's go, let's go!"

After paying for the breakfast, the three of us made our way to the elevator and stepped inside once it arrived.

Once we reached the ground floor and followed the path towards the lower dining area, I noticed that the waitress from before wasn't present.

'Either she's clocked out, or is currently having a 'talk' with Goldet.'

Whether the talk itself was done with words or their fists, I can only wonder.

"So, how do we go about this, princess?"

"Do you know the specifics about how the treasure hoarders usually operate?"

"A bit. Nothing too detailed, though."

"Run me through them, please. I'd like to get a better idea before making any further decisions."

"Sure thing." Passing through another wooden bridge, we walked towards the south following the dirt path. "Just like their name, treasure hoarders primarily hunted for treasure in ruins scattered throughout Teyvat.

"Of course, given that they're an organized group consisting of people desperate for Mora, treasure hunting is not the only way they go about things. Whether that be ransoming someone or outright stealing, they've done it all."

"Hmm… so searching through an area with a high concentration of ruins would be ideal then."

As she mulled over my words, Lumine lowered her head in thought while biting her thumb, causing Paimon, who was sitting on her shoulder like a child would, to hold onto her head in order to not tilt over.

"Yes. There should be a relatively big one just up ahead if I remember right. After that though, we should probably head east towards the mountain range."

"Why not the west?"

"The only notable place there is an abandoned village with an equally abandoned mine. Not sure if we can find a lot of treasure hoarders there, but if you do want to go there, it should probably be placed lower on our priority list."

"I see, I see."

While she's busy turning the gears in her head, I grabbed her free hand and led her through the rest of the way, making sure she didn't stray too far from the path and accidentally fall into the river.

'Not that I'd mind if that did happen. It'll make a good laugh.'

Suddenly, as the three of us moved further south, there was a crowd of people ahead of us, lining up for some sort of inspection by the Millelith inside a small garrison of theirs.

"Princess."

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"There's a checkpoint up ahead."

Looking to where I was pointing up ahead, she suddenly pulled me aside towards an area under a tree that's covered by a giant boulder. After that, she took a moment to observe the checkpoint for a bit before turning her attention towards me.

"Do you think you'll be able to pass, what with your mask and all?"

"They'll probably ask me to remove them during their search, to make sure I'm not some wanted criminal or something. We do have this, though." Rummaging through my bag, I grabbed a small emblem with the insignia of the Favonius given to us by Jean. "Hopefully, this should be enough for me to bypass that sort of check."

"And if it doesn't?"

As I observed the crowd of people in front of the garrison, I could see the travelers handing over their bags before walking closer towards the watchtower in the middle, while any passing caravans were redirected towards the side of the garrison for a more thorough check.

"Then I'll comply with their request. As much as I don't like it, it's better for us not to provoke the Millelith."

After not hearing any sort of response for a while, I turned my attention back towards the two, only to find both of their eyes wide, disbelief written all over their faces.

"What?"

"You're okay with that, white mask?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I mean, you made it very clear how much you dislike other people knowing what you look like."

"I do." Crossing my arms together, I leaned towards the tree behind me. "Though I hate to even think of doing it, we'll be dealing with the Millelith a lot more with what we have in mind for today, and leaving a bad impression would defeat the entire purpose."

"I guess...." Even with my attempt at reassuring them, Lumine in particular still seems to have some reservation. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Since they'll report everything back to the Qixing, bypassing them will only bring me trouble in the future anyway. There's no way they won't realize what I did."

Not with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, I won't. Especially if Yelan decided to personally investigate.

'Oh well, better the Liyue Qixing than the Fatui, though it's probably only a matter of time anyway.'

"Well… if you're sure, I guess."

"Let's go then."

Moving back towards the dirt path, the three of us lined up behind a pair of travelers before waiting patiently for our turn. The closer we got to the checkpoint, the more nervous I became.

'It should be fine. It's nothing more than my pessimism rearing its head again.'

"All travelers please prepare their luggage for a mandatory check!"

'Jean said so herself, it should serve as a proof of identity. It'll be fine, stop worrying.'

Once we made it to the front of the line, I gave the waiting guard my bag, which he immediately took and began his inspection. With his full focus now on my bag, the guard began taking out everything inside in a practiced manner, placing everything inside on the large table.

From the unused sleeping bag, the notes, the water flasks, and even the potions I haven't used, everything was categorized and lined up according to their standards, with the exception of the Favonius insignia I held in my hand.

After writing something down in his documents, he placed everything back neatly before closing the bag and giving it to me.

"Thank you for your cooperation, travelers. Please make your way to the bottom of the watchtower for your next inspection."

"Of course. Thank you."

The moment we passed by the guard, I mentally sighed in relief.

'One last check before this customs bullshit is over.'

As we made our way closer to the watchtower, I could feel a gentle squeeze on my left hand. Turning towards Lumine, I could see her giving me a reassuring smile before she moved closer.

"It'll be fine, don't worry."

"I really hope it does."

Compared to the previous one, the inspection this time is held in an official looking tent built right next to the watchtower, and instead of a guard, a brown-haired man wearing glasses and grey robe with faint white cloud motifs.

"Welcome to Liyue, travelers." The man said, with a polite smile on his face. "Before you can pass through, there are several things I need to check over. Don't worry, it won't take long."

Grabbing a new set of documents from the pile next to him, the man dipped his quill into a pot of ink before starting his questioning.

"First of all, what is the purpose of your visit?"

"We heard that the Rite of Descension was right around the corner, so we thought we could stop by the harbor to witness the ceremony."

"I see." Without so much as a comment, he wrote everything I said into the paper. "Please state your name for the records."

"Kamiyama Yuu."

"Lumine."

"Paimon."

Looking up from his papers, the inspector seemed to be taken aback by Paimon's appearance, though it was only for a moment before he returned to his previous professional attitude.

"Lastly, please present any proof of identity or any letter of introduction you may have. Otherwise, you'll have to go through a screening to make sure there's no problem with your identity."

Taking off his glasses, the man proceeds to wipe it clean with his handkerchief before putting it back on. "Please understand that the Millelith would like to make sure there are no criminals entering the premises of Liyue, especially during this time of the year."

'I might have imagined it, but I'm pretty sure he's looking at me as he said that.'

"Of course." Trying my best to stay calm, I gave a little nudge to Lumine, to which she responded by giving me her own insignia she pulled discreetly from her inventory. "Here you go."

Taking the insignias off of my hand, the man inspected it closely, before pulling out a lens of some sort from his pocket, and began looking at the insignia through said lens.

After some time, the man pocketed the lens and gave the insignias back to me.

"Everything seems to be in order." With that, the man dropped his professional attitude for a more relaxed one. "Apologies for the strict inspection, Honorary Knights of Favonius, but the order came directly from the Liyue Qixing. They wanted to make sure nothing wrong happened during the ceremony."

"Of course. It's a very important event for Liyue as a whole, after all."

"Thank you for your understanding." Nodding his head in satisfaction, the man suddenly turned towards the floating fairy. "As for your little friend here, I'll be honest, I've never seen anything like her before, and while normally she would be subjected to a more intense scrutiny, since you'll be accompanying her, I will simply write this matter to the Qixing for further discussion."

"So she's free to go?"

"Yes." Storing the finished documents into a different pile, the man gave us a warm smile. "Welcome to Liyue, honorary knights, we hope you have a pleasant stay."

"Thank you. Let's go, you two."

Exiting the Millelith tent, I grabbed my bag and slung it around my shoulder before the three of us left the garrison altogether and continued our journey south.

There was a teleport waypoint close by, but with the amount of Millelith keeping watch, we decided to not risk getting caught in the act.

Once we were some distance away from the checkpoint, I let out a sigh of relief as the tension left my body entirely.

"Okay. We're off to a great start so far, that's good."

"Should we stop for a bit?"

"No need."

Opening my bag, I looked through everything inside for a moment, and closed it once I made sure everything was in order.

"Alright, the ruins I mentioned should be close by to our left. It's quite large, so we shouldn't miss it. In the meantime," I turned around towards the two, before focusing on the star of today's show, currently hugging a very excited looking Paimon, "why don't you share with us what you have thought of, princess?"

___________________________________

Right next to the expansive river to the east of Yaoguang Shoal, is a deserted ruin of ancient past, built on the area now known as the Guili Plains. With its dilapidated architecture, this place is now nothing more than a relic of a bygone era that was seldom given the time of day by the general populace.

The only kinds of people even remotely interested in such a place would be scholars, pursuing the history of the many ruins scattered around Liyue, trying to decipher their purpose and importance within the Liyuean history, either for their own satisfaction, or for a more academic reason.

"Tch, fucking Rite of Descension man. Can't it just go by already? I'm tired of all this hiding."

The other would be the Treasure Hoarders, a group of treasure hunters consisting of people of all kinds, whether they be well-known criminals or even an ordinary person who never touched a blade in their lives.

Regardless, the one thing that they have in common, the uniting factor in this otherwise unorganized bunch filled with internal conflicts, would be their intense desire for Mora.

"I hear you man. Milleliths are crawling like ants everywhere. Can't even ambush someone without getting caught these days."

Leaning against a broken down wall of the ruin, two treasure hoarders are currently busy lamenting their situation.

"When's the last time our group has any meaningful catch, Er?"

With a dark blue hair that matches his clothing and face mask, one of the members addressed his partner as he absentmindedly threw the potion filled with electro energy up in the air, causing the bandana tied to his wrist to flutter.

"I don't know, Yi." The treasure hoarder with the dirty blonde hair replied, as he lowered his black face mask while fanning himself with his unfurled bandana to the best of his abilities. "Three days, maybe? Even then, it's not that much of a haul, especially with how big our group is."

"Fucking hell, I should've gone with Zhao to Jueyun Karst. I heard there's not much Millelith over there. Even if there's not as many catches as we could've got in our usual area, at least we wouldn't be stuck in this archonforsaken place."

"Sigh. I don't know man, at least we're safe here. You know how dangerous the area is over there."

"What? Are you afraid of those adepti?" Yi glared at his partner, scoffing at the cowardice that never seems to disappear even with all the years they've spent as treasure hoarders. "I'm telling you, as long as we stay away from their place, everything's going to be fine, they live high up in the mountains for archons sake. Or what, do you think those high and mighty adeptus would even spare us lowly mortals a glance?"

"Watch it, Er!" His partner harshly whispered, as he tied the bandana back to his wrist. "We don't know the extent of what the adepti are capable of! Who knows, they might even be listening to us right now!"

"Tch, you and your stupid superstitions."

"It's not a superstition!"

"Whatever man." Sliding slowly towards the ground, the indigo-hared potioneer rested his hands atop his knees as he lowered his head. "All I'm saying is that I'm fucking bored out of my mind, and we're going in the red, get it? Sooner or later, Wu is going to run his fucking mouth again."

"Sigh, who thought making him the leader was a good idea?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, he's charismatic as all hell. No matter how stupid his idea is, the others seem to gobble it all up without sparing even a single thought. Just look at where we are!"

Raising his voice, Yi started to gesticulate all over the place, as if doing so will ease the building frustration of staying in the abandoned ruin for days on end. "'Oh don't worry guys, I heard this place has lots of Mora to find!' bullshit!" He said, as he slammed his fist into the wall behind him. "We've been here for a week. A whole fucking week, and what have we found?! Absolutely fuck all!"

"Shut up! Do you want to get us in trouble?! What if those loyal dogs of his heard us?! If you want to get beaten up so bad, don't drag me along with you!"

Before Yi could give his partner a piece of his mind, they suddenly heard footsteps approaching their direction.

Without hesitation, they quickly jumped over the wall they were leaning in to hide themselves before peeking through the edge, hoping that it wasn't a stray Millelith with nothing better to do with their time.

"As expected, we should avoid visiting a place like this, princess."

"Stop being such a worrywart, Yuu!" Near the center of the ruins, a blonde haired girl wearing an exotic clothes was skipping about, followed by a masked man wearing clothes that gave away his origin as Inazuman. "Besides, it's not everyday that I get to explore without my mother and father's constant supervision."

"With all due respect, princess, if something were to happen to you, the masters won't let me get away with it with a simple punishment."

"Fufu, there's nothing to worry about. After all, you're here with me!"

With a parasol in one hand, the Inazuman followed the girl slightly behind her while making sure the heat of the sun did not reach her. "I'm not sure what kind of stories you've heard from the people back at the estate, but I'm just a simple butler, princess, with not a vision to my name."

"Don't sell yourself short, Yuu! I trust you to protect me."

"I'm not sure I can properly protect you if we're surrounded, princess."

With that, the two foreigners walked around the abandoned ruin, occasionally stopping to check at some engraved motifs, though it was more of the fact that the blonde girl was leading her butler around like a dog.

Meanwhile, the two treasure hoarders hiding behind the wall could barely contain their excitement.

"Yi, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Of course." With a greedy look on his eyes, the potioneer kept his attention at the two visitors. "We got ourselves a walking bag of Mora."

"Should we warn the others?"

"Call for Wu, as much as I hate the guy, he's an expert at spewing bullshit. It'll be especially easy this time considering how naive the girl seems." Taking his eyes off his targets, he ushered his partner to hurry. "Go on then, before they leave."

"What about you?"

"I'll be keeping an eye on those two, just to be sure."

"Hmph, you just don't want to deal with that bastard Wu."

"Maybe." He said, nonchalantly. "Hurry up, before the girl gets bored!"

"Alright, alright!"

Leaving his partner behind, the blonde treasure hoarder rushed over to a certain building located close to the edge of the ruins, making sure that he didn't make so much as a noise the entire time.

"Wu, we've got a catch!" As Er rushed inside, he was met with the sight of at least a dozen other treasure hoarders, surrounding a lit campfire in the middle of the room. "Two people, one male and one female. Some rich girl and her butler are wandering around the ruins right now!"

The moment Er finished speaking, a tall figure immediately stood up, followed closely by two other treasure hoarders clad in red.

The figure in the middle, unlike the other treasure hoarders in the room, isn't wearing a mask. His flowing brown hair, handsome appearance, along with the robe he's wearing that belongs to a scholar that he stole from would fool anyone that doesn't already know into thinking that he's in no way affiliated with a criminal group.

With the other treasure hoarders making way for him, the leader of the group slowly makes his way to the excited blonde.

"Are you sure?"

Even now, after following this band of misfits for several years, the way Wu spoke never failed to make his skin crawl.

"Yes. Me and Yi overheard their conversation. Seems like some girl went for a stroll with his butler here. Dressed in some fancy clothes too, the both of them."

"I see." Nodding his head, Wu whispered something to one of his lackeys who nodded in response and immediately left the building. "What about the butler? Any weapons?"

"None. Seems to be the martial artist type. And, get this, he has no vision."

His eyes visibly brightened at the news. It seems they've really hit the jackpot this time around.

"What about the girl?"

"Doesn't seem to have one, but I'm not sure."

After the blonde finished his report, Wu was silent for a while, tapping his chin as he fell deep in thought. Moments later, he stopped his tapping and raised his head towards the other treasure hoarders in the building.

"Alright boys, look alive! It seems we have a big fish walking right to us this time around!"

Before the others could let out a cheer, the brunette raised his hand, immediately silencing the rest of the group.

"I know you're excited, but don't let your guard down!" When he saw his group nodded in understanding, he let out a smile before giving his orders. "Call the others and set up an ambush. And prepare the cages. We're going to squeeze every single Mora we can from them, and what better way to do that than some good old ransom?"

His words got a chuckle out of the rest of the crew, with the exception of Er, who remained silent.

"Alright then, lead the way, Er."

"Sure thing, boss."

While the others began their own preparation, the blonde led the head of the group towards the center of the ruin.

Thankfully, the two targets are still in the ruins, with the girl currently inside the gazebo-like structure, laughing happily as her butler seems exasperated at her behavior, if his sagged shoulders are any indication.

Seeing the targets himself, Wu became excited. They've been in the red for a while now, and even though he can talk his way out of it most of the time, he noticed that the mood has been particularly bad recently.

Nothing that he couldn't handle, but he'd rather not risk a mutiny if he can help it.

'And it seems that luck is finally on my side.'

"Go and prepare with the rest, I'll personally deal with these two."

Before Er can even reply, Wu already left him behind. Pulling out a fan that he also stole from his pocket, he spread them open and began fanning himself, approaching the two in a manner befitting of a scholar.

The sound of his footsteps seems to have alerted the butler as he immediately turned towards his direction before stepping in front of the blonde girl, shielding her from Wu's approaching figure.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

With his grip on the folded parasol tightening, the butler coldly addressed the fake scholar, which seems to have alerted the absentminded blonde girl behind him.

"Greetings, traveler!" As he called out to the two of them in a warm tone, Wu slightly bowed his head in greetings. "Sorry if I have interrupted you, but I simply couldn't hold back my curiosity. After all, other than scholars like me, not many people are interested in this kind of place."

"Ah, good morning!" The blonde girl said, as she gave Wu a curtsy. "I was just taking a look around the ruins, really. It all seems so fascinating to me."

"Haha, I understand."

Nodding his head in agreement, Wu began moving closer to the girl, ignoring the masked butler altogether. Though he did note the grip that he had on the parasol became slightly tighter, along with a slight yet still noticeable shaking on his legs.

'Aha, it seems that this might be a lot easier than I thought.'

"Are you perhaps interested in the history of this place?"

"Of course!" Going past the butler, the girl moved closer towards the fake scholar, her eyes shone with excitement. "The thought of finding out more about history just from observing all the little details still present in a place like this… doesn't it sound interesting?"

"Ahahaha, it seems that you must be quite the studious one, young lady."

'A little praise should do wonders against sheltered girls like her.'

"Fufu, you flatter me, mister…?"

"Ah, where are my manners?" Closing his fan, Wu introduced himself towards the girl. "My name is Du She. It's a pleasure to meet you miss…?"

"Hotaru. My name is Hotaru."

"Then, Lady Hotaru."

Though it seems as if she dismissed his previous compliment, Wu can see a hint of red on Hotaru's cheeks. Deciding to strike while the iron is hot, the fake scholar made his offer.

"I have stored some of my findings in my notebook. It's on the campsite near the edges of the ruin. If you're interested, you're free to come by and have a look."

Hearing his offer, Hotaru smiled as her eyes seemed to shine even brighter.

"Of course! Come on, Yuu, it'll be rude to decline such hospitality!"

"Princess, I really don't think it's a good idea to–"

"Nonsense!" Grabbing the masked butler by his free hand, the blonde girl started to lead him forward, following behind the fake scholar. "It won't take too long. Besides, you'll be there by my side."

"Sigh. Fine. As you wish, princess."

Seeing the interaction between the two, there's only one thing going through Wu's mind at that moment.

'Hook, line, and sinker. Rich kids are just too easy.'

"In that case, please follow me."

As he led the two targets towards the ambush point, Wu almost couldn't suppress his laughter. With just a few words, his group is about to be swimming in Mora. After so long, their group can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

'Heh, those idiots wouldn't survive for a month without someone like me at the helm.'

"It's just behind that building over there, Lady Hotaru." Wu said, as he pointed towards the same abandoned building they've been staying at. "You won't believe what I've discovered about this ruin, I can tell you that much."

"Oh, I can't wait!"

Glancing towards the surroundings, he can see glimpses of his men waiting behind the broken down walls and pillars, and even atop one of the nearby trees. It should be more than enough to handle a helpless girl and his nervous butler.

As they turned the last corner, instead of the camp they were expecting, they were instead met with the sight of two empty wooden cages, alongside two of Wu's loyal followers.

Before the clueless Hotaru could say anything, Wu snapped his fingers. Suddenly, from every direction, a number of treasure hoarders started to show themselves, each of them equipped with different weapons, each of them moving ever closer towards their targets as they surrounded the two of them, leaving not a single gap for them to escape to.

"Apologies, Lady Hotaru, but you just make it too easy for someone to take advantage of you."

No longer having to pretend, the leader of the treasure hoarders gave a mocking smile towards his prey, relishing in the look of fear plastered across the girl's face. The masked butler, on the other hand, seems to have gotten even more nervous than before.

"You lied to me!"

"Let this be a lesson for you, little girl." Signaling the others with his hand, the smile on Wu's face stretched even further. The satisfaction of having caught a prey so effortlessly gave him a certain thrill he couldn't quite describe. "Next time, don't be so trusting of the strangers you meet."

Before his men could capture the two, the fear on the girl's face suddenly disappeared, replaced with a calm smile, a stark contrast to her previous demeanor.

"Okay, it seems we have every single one of them gathered together." Turning towards the butler next to him, the blonde girl gave him a nudge. "You can stop holding back now, Yuu."

"Pfffft! Hahaha, oh god, finally!"

Suddenly, a burst of laughter came out of the previously silent butler, surprising most of the people present.

His laughter continued for a bit, with the treasure hoarders too confused to interrupt him. Eventually though, his laughter died down.

"Haaaah… okay. I'm done now. What's next?"

"I'll take the front, you'll take the ones in the back."

"As you wish."

What happened next was practically a massacre. While he stood dumbfounded at the sudden turn of events, the two targets, the one he saw as his prey, became the predator and knocked out every single one of his men with little effort.

The girl pulled out a sword, and immediately jumped into the fray, quickly dispatching his men, who had yet to snap themselves out of their confusion. The masked butler, meanwhile, practically knocked out an entire group in an instant.

All he saw was that his men started floating before suddenly dropping like flies to the ground not long after.

Before he could grab the dagger hidden in his waist, he suddenly found himself unable to move. As he struggled to the best of his abilities, he turned his attention towards the butler, who was silently staring at him, the previously unassuming blue slit suddenly glowed in a menacing way.

Not even five minutes later, the girl finished taking down what remained of his men. Twenty treasure hoarders knocked out, just like that.

'Shit. I've bitten off more than I can chew.'

"Phew, nothing beats a good combat for a warm up, don't you think so, Yuu?"

"Not really, no."

"Come on, even you have to move those joints every once in a while, right?"

"Let's agree to disagree. We have other things to worry about right now." Shrugging his shoulders, the masked butler approached the girl while still keeping an eye on the immobile leader. "What should we do about this one?"

"I'd like to have a talk with him, if you don't mind."

"Knock yourself out."

Suddenly, Wu found himself levitating off the ground, before moving closer towards the smiling blonde, which seems a lot more menacing now that he realized the kind of person he messed with.

"Thanks." Grabbing the nearby rope, she tied his arms and leg several times, to the point that it started to hurt. After several more knots, the girl finally nodded in satisfaction. "I'll be using that building over there. What will you do in the meantime?"

"This guy seems to have some interesting potions on him. I'll be taking a closer look at it if you don't mind." He said, as he approached an unconscious treasure hoarder with dark blue hair. "I'll keep watch while I'm at it, so go and have some more fun."

"Of course. Thanks for playing along, by the way."

"Anything for you, princess."

The moment he hit the ground, he tried his best to get out of the bindings, only to fail miserably. Resigning himself to his fate, the leader of the treasure hoarders felt his body being dragged along by the rope, slowly approaching the abandoned building that they once called their base.

"Don't worry, bandit," in a tone that seems a bit too happy for his liking, the girl let go of the rope once they entered the building and crouched in front of him, grabbing the base of his chin as she stared directly into his eyes, "I won't kill you. After all, even if you have nothing valuable to take, you can be useful in other things."

As he awaited the coming pain, Wu couldn't help but once again lament his fate.

'I screwed up big time.'