"Now that the enemy's weakness is known, victory is assured. And this, my friend, is my opening gift to you. What do you say? Do you feel the sincerity?"
Ying narrowed her eyes, refusing to be led by the Doctor. She retorted, "I feel no sincerity, only your incompetence. You're like a clown, rushing to show off with such meager findings."
Hearing this, the Doctor didn't get angry. Instead, he nodded in agreement. "Thank you for your guidance. It was my oversight; I forgot to tell you another important matter."
At this, Ying's eyes instantly sharpened. She looked at him coldly and said, "It's not too late to tell me now."
"Hehehe... Rest assured, this matter does not concern you directly." After a brief pause, seeing that Ying was now fully attentive, the Doctor smiled again and slowly revealed, "If I recall correctly, your little mascot hasn't fully recovered yet, has she?"
From a distance, Paimon immediately shouted back, "Hmph! *You're* the mascot!"
Paimon nodded in agreement. "Mm-hmm."
"You're Paimon!"
"Hm?"
Ying remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "What do you mean..."
"Hehehe... No need to panic. This might be bad news for you." The Doctor then appeared to sigh dramatically. "Although I tried to save him, he didn't appreciate it. Not long ago, he left the location I arranged for him and headed to the Sangonomiya area of Watatsumi Island."
"Since he refused to cooperate, I couldn't just let him go. So, I reported the matter to Her Majesty." The Doctor continued, "As you well know, we Fatui cannot tolerate traitors, especially when that individual has also absconded with the Electro Archon's Gnosis."
"Her Majesty was furious upon hearing this and immediately ordered the Harbinger stationed in Inazuma, the Childe, to apprehend him."
Ying furrowed her brow. "Get to the point."
"Hehehe... Don't be so impatient." The Doctor shrugged helplessly and continued with a smile, "What I'm trying to tell you is, if the Scaramouche falls into Fatui hands, your little mascot will never recover her strength. After all... we Fatui leave no trace when dealing with traitors."
"If you still wish for her to regain her strength, then I wish you good luck!" With that, the Doctor turned and left, waving goodbye and muttering to himself, "Heading to Sumeru so soon. It seems my accidental mind-reading yesterday was accurate..."
*Heh... Almost got there first. In that case... don't blame me for accelerating the plan...*
Watching the Doctor's receding back, Ying clenched her fists, suppressing the urge to chase after him and give him a good beating.
Beside her, Lumine processed the Doctor's words and stated with certainty, "It's clearly a trap. He's made no real effort to conceal his intentions."
Ying nodded. "Yes. Because he knows I can't afford to gamble. Even if I know it's a trap, I have to go for Paimon's sake." She then looked earnestly at Lumine. "I..."
"No!" Lumine interrupted before Ying could finish her sentence. "Leave this to me. Don't you have other arrangements? Go on, without worry."
"But..." Ying looked at Lumine with concern.
Seeing her sister's expression, Lumine smiled and gently ruffled her younger sister's hair. "Don't worry. He couldn't even beat you, so there's no way he can beat me." Lumine then tapped Ying's forehead with a mischievous grin, adding, "Besides, I think I'm a bit smarter than my little sister."
Ying: "........."
"Uh... Hearing you say that does put my mind at ease, but I still feel a bit... frustrated..." With a sigh, Ying finally chose to trust her sister. However, to be safe, Ying turned to Paimon and said, "In that case, Paimon, you go with Lumine. If anything happens, you can contact me anytime."
Then, to lighten the mood, Ying winked at Lumine. "How about a race? Let's see who can resolve their own matters and reach the other's side first?"
Lumine returned the mischievous smile. "If it's a race, then the loser should have a penalty, right?"
"Naturally ~"
The sisters exchanged a smile, and in the next moment, they both sped off towards their respective destinations.
Some time later...
Outside Sumeru City...
Noticing the surrounding passersby staring at them, Paimon tugged at Ying's clothes somewhat awkwardly. "Um... Ying, is this really okay?"
Ying blinked her captivating eyes and looked at Paimon with a hint of confusion. "What's not okay? We just skipped all the scenery on the way and went straight to their doorstep. What's wrong? Do you really like the scenery we passed? If so, don't worry, I'll take you back to see it after everything is settled, alright? (^～^)"
"Uh... it's not about the scenery... it's just..." Paimon glanced awkwardly at the large crater behind them. "We arrived, but we shouldn't have created such a huge pit in someone else's territory the moment we landed..."
Ying shrugged helplessly, offering a weak excuse, "Can't be helped. I was flying too fast and couldn't brake in time." *Heh... If it weren't for the fact that this is Lesser Lord Kusanali's domain, this pit would be a hundred times bigger.*
"Alright, alright, let's go in. We have important things to do." With that, Ying started walking towards Sumeru City, completely unfazed by the stares of those around her, who looked at her as if she were a monster.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Seeing Ying so nonchalant, Paimon relaxed considerably and quickly flew to Ying's side, curiously observing their surroundings. "Woah... why did I see everyone's heads suddenly light up when they entered? Am I seeing things?"
"You're not mistaken. That's just their Akademiya Terminals." Ying replied casually. Just as she finished speaking, two people appeared ahead, blocking their path.
"Please, halt. You two must be first-time visitors to Sumeru City."
Before Paimon could ask in surprise, Ying responded first, "That's right. If possible, we'd appreciate it if you could lend us a couple."
The gatekeepers chuckled. "Hahaha~ You two are very lucky. You've arrived during the general distribution period for all tourists. You know, in the past, the Akademiya only issued them to Sumeru citizens and long-term foreign residents."
Saying this, the gatekeeper took out two Akademiya Terminals and handed them to Ying and Paimon. Ying took them and, before receiving any instructions, silently recited the activation phrase.
"Hmm... I see..." With the help of Lesser Lord Kusanali's memories, Ying instantly grasped how to use the Akademiya Terminal. Looking back at the gatekeeper, who was looking at her with surprise at her swift action, she smiled. "Thank you for your assistance. Coincidentally, I also have a gift for you. Please accept it."
"Oh?" The gatekeeper asked curiously, "That's very kind of you. May I ask what it is... Pua—?!"
Before he could finish his sentence, a sharp pain shot through his abdomen, causing him to collapse to his knees in agony. Clutching his stomach, the gatekeeper looked up with disbelief at the young girl who had just retracted her fist.
"You... you..."