“Huh? Lumine?”
Jean was startled by Lumine’s sudden action. She hadn’t expected the traveler to abruptly hug her—and worse, Jean could feel Lumine’s hands subtly inching upward from her stomach.
Lumine’s expression was pure excitement, her grin almost mischievous.
“Traveler! You’re making Jean uncomfortable! Let go already!!!”
Paimon flew over, tugging at Lumine’s hands with all her might.
After a long struggle, Lumine was finally pulled away.
“Looks like everyone’s here for the plan now,” Jia Changjiang said, breaking the tension.
“Let’s go over what we need to do and discuss our next steps.”
“So… the purification from music can help Stormterror recover. Is that true?” Jean asked.
“Need me to vouch for it with my reputation in the Knights?” Jia Changjiang replied confidently.
Jean shook her head. “No, it’s not that I doubt you, Mr. Jax. It’s just…”
Diluc cut in, his tone sharp. “It’s hard to believe such a mythical explanation. It defies logic.”
“That’s fine,” Jia Changjiang replied with a shrug. “If it helps, Venti can demonstrate his song again. That should convince the skeptical Acting Grand Master.”
Jean interrupted with a firm nod. “I believe you.”
“Hm?” Diluc raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback.
“If the cause of Stormterror’s hostility is poison and a curse, that would explain a lot. Besides, Mr. Jax has put himself in harm’s way for this, and you, Senior, have chosen to trust them. I see no reason not to.”
Diluc turned his head slightly, frowning. “Don’t call me ‘senior.’ …Fine, let’s just call this a rare cooperation.”
Jean smiled softly but said nothing.
“Senior?” Lumine tilted her head, mentally noting both the term and their reactions for later.
“Right now, the Fatui’s influence is temporarily stalled,” Jia Changjiang began, crossing his arms. “And the rumors spreading in the city about them stealing the Holy Lyre give Mondstadt a legitimate reason to keep their agents contained. The key issue now is figuring out where the Holy Lyre is being kept.”
“I was invited to the Goth Grand Hotel by the Fatui earlier today,” Jia continued, recounting his experience. “They tried to recruit me, but I refused. On the bright side, I can confirm the Holy Lyre isn’t there.”
Without hesitation, he disclosed everything, even the Fatui’s attempt to win him over.
Jean frowned slightly. “Even the Fatui wouldn’t risk keeping the Holy Lyre in such a public place, especially under the current circumstances.”
Analyzing further, she added, “Their goal is clearly to harness the power of Anemo. They’ve been desperate to kill Stormterror to achieve this. Since they’ve failed, the Holy Lyre is now their best chance to obtain the Wind Archon’s strength.”
“As for its current location…”
Diluc spoke bluntly. “There’s no shortage of Fatui operatives wandering Mondstadt alone. With the right methods, we can extract the information we need.”
“Then it’s settled. Let’s prepare to head out.”
—
While Venti and Jean stayed behind at the tavern, Jia Changjiang, Diluc, and Lumine set out together to retrieve the Holy Lyre from where the Fatui had hidden it.
“Here, take these.”
On the way, Diluc handed masks to Jia Changjiang and Lumine.
“Disguises to hide your identities. The Fatui may be an annoying foreign ally of Mondstadt, but we shouldn’t give ourselves unnecessary trouble.”
“No need.”
Jia Changjiang declined the mask. “You know my fighting style—too obvious. Besides, whether I wear a mask or not, the Fatui are going to come after me anyway. I outright rejected the Lady today, remember?”
“The Lady…? That’s such a strange name,” Paimon commented, frowning in confusion.
“She’s the Eighth Harbinger of the Fatui,” Diluc explained briefly. “The Fatui’s power across the Seven Nations is largely due to the strength of their eleven Harbingers. We need to act before she catches wind of our plans.”
After a short walk, Diluc stopped and said, “We’re here.”
“To avoid unnecessary conflict, we need to move quickly. From the moment we enter to when we retrieve the Holy Lyre, every second counts.”
He turned back to see Jia Changjiang handing out white iron pickaxes to Lumine and Paimon—and even stuffing one into Diluc’s hand.
“Diluc, you just said we can’t waste time, right?” Jia Changjiang clapped a hand on Diluc’s shoulder with a grin.
“Well then, Master Diluc, why don’t we enjoy the life of miners together?”
“Wait, what?”
Before Diluc could process it, Jia Changjiang and Lumine had already begun digging into the ground with their pickaxes.
Ten minutes later…
Diluc stood at the entrance of a perfectly square tunnel that stretched dozens of meters long. He was silent, lost in thought.
Are pickaxes supposed to work this fast? No… it’s these two that are truly extraordinary.
Thanks to their uncanny speed, Jia Changjiang and Lumine soon tunneled their way beneath the Fatui’s defenses.
The group moved swiftly, navigating underground while constantly checking their position. Finally, they reached the room where the Holy Lyre was being kept.
“Perfect. We haven’t been detected,” Jia Changjiang said, listening carefully for footsteps above. “See? This is what real stealth looks like—not a single soul knows we’re here.”
“Now all we need to do is climb up, grab the Holy Lyre, and sneak out quietly.”
With that, he broke through the ceiling above and climbed up.
Lumine and Diluc were about to follow when a harsh, raspy voice filled with anger echoed from above.
“Rats! Where did you crawl in from? Her Excellency, the Lady, will not tolerate this insult!”
“I’ll deal with you pests myself!!”
The sounds of a fight erupted above, accompanied by Jia Changjiang’s frustrated roar:
“Dammit! Can’t you walk more quietly?! Can’t I succeed in sneaking just once?!”
—
T/N: Lumine is so me
This is a fan translation of 武器大师在原神绝不死于徒手 by 徐人双. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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