Paimon's voice drew Lumine's attention away, momentarily suppressing her urge to jump down and interrogate the person below. She whispered,
"Huh? You're awake."
Beside her, Paimon tapped her small hands, her thoughts suddenly becoming clear.
"That's right, now that you mention it, the symptoms he just described do sound a lot like your current situation."
Paimon rolled her eyes at Lumine and spoke slowly,
"Host, try to sleep with someone constantly asking you questions by your ear before you're fully asleep. Can you do that?"
"Oh, that..."
"Sigh~"
Paimon sighed and continued to analyze for Lumine,
"Although I don't know where he heard it from, the fact that Yae Miko didn't directly kill you means that your sister is still useful to her, and hasn't revealed her location to the Shogunate army."
"So, Host, you don't need to worry too much right now. Just pick up the pace a little and get to Narukami Shrine before they find it."
Lumine relaxed, nodded in agreement with Paimon's words, then pulled Paimon along and instantly left the spot using Anemo and Electro.
The few people under the tree noticed nothing, only feeling the wind suddenly pick up for a moment.
"Heh heh, good, such a great opportunity, I'll have to put in more effort."
"Yeah, if we happen to run into them, it'll be like finding treasure."
Seeing the excitement in their eyes, the Shogunate soldier who arrived later couldn't help but chuckle.
"Hahaha, you two go ahead and try your best. I'm off to seek my own fortune."
After bidding them farewell, he left.
"Mhm, good luck, good luck~"
"We're really grateful he told us so many things."
"Speaking of which, do you know which unit he's from?"
"Huh? I don't know. Maybe he's newly transferred..."
Listening to their discussion behind him, the Shogunate soldier's lips curved into a smile. He went to a secluded spot, and after ensuring no one was around, he took off his uniform and changed back into his exclusive Fatui Harbinger attire.
"Hehehe... the mission is complete. It's time to report to Master Tartaglia..."
The scene shifts to Lumine...
In the forest, the Host swiftly weaved through the treetops. Her white athletic outfit perfectly accentuated her graceful figure. Her slender, soft waist seemed impossibly delicate, and her long hair fluttered in the wind, making her look like a fairy who had fallen to the mortal realm.
"Eh?"
"Hmm?"
Childe sensed something was wrong and was about to raise his guard when he heard a cold shout from behind him.
"Don't move!"
"Huh?"
Facing an opponent who could instantly appear behind him from afar, Childe was about to activate his Delusion to engage in battle. However, he was halted by that familiar, sharp cry.
"Hiss... that lack of dignity in its tone, is that Lumine?"
"Bang!"
Childe's question was not met with a confirmation, but with a heavy punch from Lumine.
"Hmph! Who are you calling undignified?!"
"Ouch, ouch, ouch... Don't be so fierce..."
Childe rubbed his head in pain. Due to the height difference between them, Lumine had to jump to punch him, so the force was considerable.
"Hmph~ Who told you to speak without thinking?"
Lumine snorted, thinking it was already being polite of her not to have infused her punch with Geo.
"Ahem... Lumine, don't forget what we're here for."
Paimon flew over, patted Childe's head, and then asked expectantly,
"Hey~ Childe, why are you in Inazuma?"
Upon hearing Paimon's words, Childe glanced at them, thought for a moment, and then replied,
"Hmm... actually, there's no harm in telling you."
"Her Majesty the Tsaritsa received word that the Knave had obtained the Electro Archon's Heart. She intended for him to bring it back, but then discovered we had lost contact with him."
"Oh?"
Childe's words immediately alerted Lumine, who pressed further,
"You can't reach him? That shouldn't be right. Although after he fought me, he probably couldn't even beat Paimon, he shouldn't have died just like that, right?"
Childe looked at Lumine, seemingly contemplating just how powerful she had become. He continued,
"Yes, we initially thought he might have been seriously injured in his fight with you and therefore couldn't respond promptly. But then, none of the soldiers we dispatched to search for him returned, which made us suspicious."
"After investigating, we indeed found that his recent actions were very unusual. To be safe, they sent me to track him down."
"This..."
Lumine blinked, clearly surprised by the news she had just received.
After all, if Scaramouche were dead, then no one might be able to help Lumine and Paimon unravel that energy. And if he had defected, she wouldn't be able to track him through the Fatui any longer. From any perspective, this was not good news.
"This is really troublesome... I was originally going to ask you about Scaramouche's whereabouts, and I didn't expect to hear such troublesome news before I even opened my mouth..."
"Hahaha, what a pity then."
Childe said with a laugh. His smug expression made Lumine unable to resist, and she jumped up again, delivering another punch.
"Bang!"
"Knowing it's a pity, you still laugh!"