Chapter 120

"General, don't be so leisurely at this time!" Watching Jing Yuan's unhurried demeanor, Fu Xuan was also anxious: "As for the Jianmu..."

"No need to waste effort searching; that's a Stellaron." Jing Yuan had already made his judgment: "The traitor threw it into the cave realm where the Jianmu resides, causing the Jianmu to regrow—look, the Divine Herbalist's secret transmission finally can't help but act."

Seeing Jing Yuan's lighthearted manner of speaking, Fu Xuan gradually calmed down: "Crisis is also an opportunity; knowing the problem, everything can be easily handled."

After saying that, Fu Xuan looked toward the direction of the distant Jianmu, ready to obey the General's next orders.

After waiting a while, however, she discovered Jing Yuan standing with one hand on his hip, lightly smiling as he lowered his gaze to look at her.

"... Is it my turn to come up with an idea again?"

"Yes, I knew Minister Fu would have a countermeasure." Jing Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly; no one could see what thoughts lay hidden beneath his deep golden pupils.

Having long been fed grand promises by Jing Yuan, Fu Xuan had long grown accustomed to the current situation.

"... For now, let's just treat this as a test before succeeding as General."

After convincing herself, Fu Xuan propped her chin on one hand and quickly began to think: "In my view, the immediate priority is to summon the Cloud Knights, rush to the cave realm where the Jianmu is rooted, eradicate the Stellaron's malign influence, and halt its resurgence."

"Mm, Minister Fu, your discerning eye must be the quickest way to solve the problem." Jing Yuan first praised, then shifted tone: "But sometimes, the fastest isn't necessarily the best. Guess why, even though I knew where the Stellaron was, I held back my troops?"

After the General's hint, Fu Xuan also realized something was off, and lowered her head to think again.

Suddenly, the Diviner Fu seemed to grasp something, jerkily lifting her head, opening her round amber eyes to stare at him: "General."

The corner of Jing Yuan's mouth deepened its smile: "How so?"

"You scoundrel!"

Liyue, Qingce Pool.

"Hahaha, this Diviner Fu is really interesting—scolding people like she's acting cute."

Rainwater from last night pooled on the ancient, broken blue stone slabs; Dada Liya sat beside a collapsed ruin, eagerly admiring the cute little expression of Fu Xuan on the light screen.

But because he was watching too intently, he completely overlooked the few Fatui officers kneeling on one knee before him, cautious and meticulous.

They had no mind to watch the heavens; they didn't even dare wipe the sweat off their chins, merely holding up their hands like statues, presenting the Liyue intelligence they had painstakingly gathered.

After a while, Dada Liya finally tore his gaze from the light screen, still somewhat unwilling to leave; however, when he looked at the crowd, his expression showed a hint of surprise.

"Huh? Why are you still kneeling? Well... you don't need to be so careful in front of me—I'm neither a servant nor a rooster, so I don't care about these details."

"But, Sir Childe, it's our subordinates' inadequacy that prevented us from gathering more intelligence..."

"Don't blame yourselves; that Miss Tianquan is quite troublesome... this isn't your fault."

As Dada Liya spoke, his eyes suddenly darkened; he quickly made a hushing gesture: "—Alright, let's stop here, someone's coming."

Indeed, clear footsteps were rapidly approaching.

The atmosphere instantly grew tense, but just as the lead debt collector's dagger was about to peek out from his sleeve, a childish voice cut in, instantly seizing everyone's thoughts.

"—Big brother!"

A boy about seven or eight years old poked his head out from the grass.

The Fatui wiped sweat from their brows... unsure if it was an illusion, but upon hearing that call, Sir Childe's face instantly turned somewhat pale.

Tuke ran over to Dada Liya in a little sprint, eyes shining with admiration: "Wow! Big brother, are you selling toys to the Fatui uncles? That's awesome!"

"Er, um... yeah, Tuke, but why are you here?" Dada Liya forced a faint smile.

"It was the Thousand Rock Army uncle who brought me here; he said Miss Tianquan knows where big brother sells toys, so he brought me."

"Tianquan Ningguang?" Dada Liya jerked his head up, only then seeing not far behind Tuke a fully armed Thousand Rock Army soldier, coldly staring at them.

"Tsk..."

"That woman actually knows my exact whereabouts?"

Tuke looked around, his admiration growing: "Even in such a remote place, big brother never forgets to hawk toys—he's so handsome!!"

"Yes, yes, Tuke... big brother, as Snezhnaya's finest toy salesman, is discussing the newest toys with the uncles." Being glared at by the Thousand Rock Army soldier beside him, Dada Liya felt his toes almost digging into the Empress's palace.

"Do the Fatui uncles also want to play with toys?"

"Of course, Tuke, toys aren't just your friends—they're adults' friends too. For example, that... uh..."

Dada Liya's fingers waved back and forth, finally pointing at the leading fire debt collector: "For example, that uncle all ablaze, he especially likes Fu Xuan's plush toy."

"And the uncle with the big hammer really likes General Jing Yuan's plastic figurine."

"And the chubby uncle with the ice spear..."

"I also like Brother Jing Yuan and Sister Fu Xuan!" Tuke's eyes sparkled: "Big brother, after you make their toys, could you give me one?"

"Fu Xuan's plush toy would be best if it made a sound when squeezed—specifically the line 'General, you scoundrel!' That phrase is the most fun!"

Dada Liya scratched his head, forcing a smile: "Um... sure, sure, Tuke, but before that I need to discuss the toy details with them—that's my job as big brother. You and that Thousand Rock Army uncle should head back first, okay?"

"Okay, big brother, don't forget Tuke's toy!"

Having watched Tuke leave with his own eyes, Dada Liya's tense body finally relaxed, and he let out a long breath.

"Sir Childe, that... pfft, the toy matter..." Although they tried to hold back, a few Fatui couldn't help laughing out loud.

"First, withdraw one million Mora from the North Bank, then go to Fontaine's toy maker to custom-order a few copies." Dada Liya had no blame in mind, merely glancing askance at them: "As for the demand for Fu Xuan's figurine... I shouldn't need to explain it again, right?"

—

"Hahaha, to cut the weeds you must pull the roots." Jing Yuan burst into laughter: "Wait a bit longer; the Divine Herbalist's secret transmission choosing to act now shows the Cloud Knights have already controlled the overall situation, the traitor can't hold back, and now we have justification—perfect for wiping them out in one sweep."

"Just sitting here doing nothing—if anything unexpected happens, how can the General bear the loss?!" Fu Xuan felt this was overly risky.

Jing Yuan didn't rush to rebut Fu Xuan, merely smiling faintly: "Minister Fu, Minister Fu, I still have a surprise troop I haven't used yet."

As he spoke, Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan's gazes turned together toward the side.

Just as Jing Yuan finished speaking, the train crew arrived... though this scene really felt familiar, as if it had just happened in the Divination Commission.

"Since it's a time when we need personnel, and the Stellaron Hunters are willing to ally with the train, Jing Yuan won't stand on ceremony."