Under the influence of the flames, the envelope that seemed to shimmer with some kind of light gradually burned to ashes.
By the time nearby people extinguished the fire, the entire accounting room was already beyond recognition.
A few individuals noticed this scene, exchanged glances, and then gradually disappeared into the crowd of fire-fighters.
The Millelith, who had been lying in ambush nearby, along with the backup arranged by Ningguang, quickly took control of the scene under the pretext of investigating the fire.
Except for the few individuals at the very beginning, almost no one was allowed to leave.
"This is truly unexpected."
High above in the Jade Chamber, Ningguang watched the gradually dying fire in the southern part of the city, her beautiful eyes reflecting a contemplative expression.
She hadn't expected these people to act so quickly.
"So... that guy who calls himself Himura Kenshin really is suspicious?"
Holding a wine jug in her hand, Beidou hesitated to open it.
She was now worried. If that guy was truly such a dangerous individual, would allowing him on her ship be an unwise decision?
"The problem might not necessarily be him."
Compared to Beidou, Ningguang had more clues at her disposal.
Half a year ago, members of the Fatui had been spotted at the shipyard in the southern part of the city.
If she wasn't mistaken, that place should have been one of the Fatui's bases in Liyue. She hadn't expected that the bait she originally set to lure out the forces behind Himura Kenshin would instead catch the Fatui, who had been toying with her like a little yellow duck in shallow waters.
She had originally planned to find an opportunity later to drain the water and catch all these bastards in one net.
Unexpectedly, they had taken the bait on their own.
She didn't suspect that Himura Kenshin might be aligned with the Fatui, because from the way the Fatui had been searching for him everywhere and the furious demeanor of the Harbinger Childe, it seemed that this guy had really pissed off the Fatui.
The so-called urgent matter back home seemed more like an excuse to avoid the Fatui.
As for how the letter ended up in the hands of the Fatui, that was easy to explain.
Even though the Fatui had acted very friendly during their cooperation, they had still been secretly causing trouble. Intercepting letters wasn't something they were doing for the first time.
According to the results of Yelan's investigation, they were afraid that Liyue might secretly form alliances with other nations, which was why they were stirring up all this trouble.
She had thought that such a sickly-looking person would only attract the attention of the forces behind the Battousai. She hadn't expected the Fatui to be so ruthless as to not even spare someone who could barely walk without swaying three times.
But perhaps this was for the best. This incident served as a warning to the Fatui, letting them know they needed to be more cautious in the future.
They shouldn't think Liyue was so easy to bully.
"So, can my ship take him away now?"
After a moment of hesitation, Beidou asked the purpose of her visit.
"Of course, my Captain Beidou. However, I hope you can personally see him set foot on the land of Inazuma. That way, we can all sleep more soundly at night."
Holding her pipe, Ningguang had temporarily set aside her suspicions about Himura Kenshin.
The clues she had gathered had almost pieced together the man's origins.
If she wasn't mistaken, Himura Kenshin had likely secretly boarded a Fatui ship and left Inazuma after wounding the Raiden Shogun. Perhaps, while on the Fatui ship, he had obtained something crucial.
For example, some decisive evidence that the resistance army had been trying to obtain, proving that the Fatui was attempting to control Inazuma.
This was why the Instructor, who had been in Mondstadt, had followed his trail to Liyue.
Baizhu had told her about the three knife wounds on the Harbinger's body.
Those peculiar wounds didn't seem to be from an ordinary blade. Instead, they resembled... the reverse-blade of an Inazuman katana.
In other words, Himura Kenshin had not only clashed with the Harbinger but had nearly killed him.
Perhaps this was also one of the reasons why the Fatui had been searching for him everywhere recently, even to the extent of alarming someone of Childe's level.
That's why he wanted to leave Liyue for Inazuma within three days. Since Liyue and Snezhnaya were still in a honeymoon period, if Childe sought help from Liyue, Himura Kenshin would truly have no way to escape.
"Alright, leave it to me. I'll go back and make the arrangements."
Beidou nodded, not teasing Ningguang as she usually would, and directly left the Jade Chamber.
After learning that the Battousai on her ship was involved with multiple factions, she couldn't sit still anymore.
Before the Crux Fleet left Liyue, she probably wouldn't leave her ship much.
"But... what kind of thing would make two Harbingers chase after him? It really makes one curious."
Leaning on the railing and gazing into the distance, the quiet slumbering Alcor in the harbor could still faintly see the glow of a banquet. Yet beneath the flickering flames, there were surging waves.
...
"Are you sure?"
Inside the Northland Bank, Childe looked at the intelligence report handed to him by his subordinate, his expression thoughtful.
"Yes, sir. The magma appeared suddenly and then vanished just as quickly. The force of the explosion was so powerful that it blew the roof off. Everyone present saw it."
The man kneeling before Childe was one of those who had escaped from the shipyard in the southern district.
He had intended to retrieve the documents stored there and deliver them to the intelligence department for decryption. He hadn't expected such an incident to occur.
So, he had rushed to report to Childe, the highest-ranking Fatui official in Liyue.
Actually, if it were related to intelligence, it would have been more appropriate to seek out the Instructor, as he was responsible for intelligence and assassination projects.
Unfortunately, the Instructor was as elusive as a dragon, and even Childe didn't know where he usually was, so he had no other choice.
"Are you sure the base was blown up right after that letter was delivered?"
Childe glanced nervously at the floor beneath him and asked again.
Based on his subordinate's description, he already had a vivid mental image of the scene.
He even knew exactly how hot the magma was, how powerful the blast was, and how high it could send someone flying.
After all, he had experienced it firsthand.
Since that day, he hadn't dared to spend more than half a minute in the restroom, always keeping his pants belt within reach, fearing that strange magma might blast him again.
Falling into water would at most give you a wet status, but falling into a cesspool... you'd have to restart your life, right?
He had originally thought that he had been too arrogant that day and had been toyed with by Morax, who was hiding in the shadows.
After all, magma was molten rock, so it was natural to associate it with the Geo Archon.
Who would have thought, Ningguang, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, you would play such a trick too.
"Yes, the southern base had been abandoned after the establishment of diplomatic relations between Snezhnaya and Liyue. It hadn't been used for over half a year. The only thing delivered there in the past six months was that copied letter."
"Over half a year..."
Walking to the window, Childe looked up at the Jade Chamber in the sky, his mind already forming an answer.
There were indeed timed explosive devices in Teyvat, as well as similar elemental abilities, but to ensure stability, they generally wouldn't last more than a week.
Half a year... nothing would be set to explode after half a year.
Moreover, Childe had recently been blasted by something similar.
"So it was you after all, Lady Ningguang!"