Chapter 259

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Yomite and Lumine transported to a teleporter located close to the inn.

He entered the inn and proceeded to the room they had previously occupied.

Fischl was still sound asleep, and while he felt bad about waking her up, he did it anyway.

With his right hand, he gently stroked her hair while lightly kissing her forehead.

She murmured something under her breath, but remained asleep. He laughed at this response. It was adorable. She truly resembled a kitten.

He sat there on the bed in silence for a few minutes while observing her sleeping. Her face was so peaceful as she lay there with her mouth slightly open.

He kissed her forehead once more, and a few moments later, she smiled slightly as she woke up from the contact.

"Mmm…. what time is it?" Her voice sounded sleepy and groggy, which caused him to laugh once more.

"It's the middle of the night," Yomite stated while softly pecking her lips, "I'm sorry to bother you, but something happened, and we need to leave. I'll explain it later in detail."

Yomite smiled while drawing back. He rose from the bed and took her hand. "Come on," he said.

Fischl nodded as she stood up, but soon realized she was completely naked.

"Ah… um…" she stammered, threw the blanket over her body and hurriedly began putting on her clothes while blushing profusely.

The blanket created a barrier between them. Despite their intimacy earlier in the day, she felt a great deal of shame.

"Here." Yomite handed her a dress, "Don't be embarrassed, you're gorgeous."

These words caused her cheeks to become even more flushed, and she couldn't help but let out an adorable giggle.

"Thank you."

Her hair was a tangled mess, sticking out in every direction, but she didn't care at the moment.

Upon descending the stairs, they discovered their traveling companion, Lumine, seated on a bench.

"Finally," Lumine sighed, "You guys took forever..."

"I'm sorry, I had to get dressed," Fischl said, still flushed.

Lumine's eyes widened as she realized the truth behind what she had just said.

How could she be so oblivious?

The whole reason Fischl was in this inn in the first place, was all because the two of them...they...

They...

She turned away from them in an attempt to regain composure after a wave of emotions overcame her.

This was not going to go well if she kept letting those thoughts slip through her mind.

After taking a few deep breaths, she regained her composure and teleported everyone to another designated checkpoint on the map, this time in the Mondstadt territory.

Once they did, they saw the others already waiting.

"Yaaay! Fishy-Fishy is back!" Hu Tao jumped up and ran towards her.

Lumine also proceeded to embrace Paimon, her small emotional stress relief doll...

Fischl chuckled at the nickname, "Indeed it is I, Prinzessin der Verurteilung! Did you sorely miss my presence?"

Hu Tao nodded quickly and embraced her around the waist.

"I don't believe I will ever be able to comprehend the relationship between girls...Hu Tao is like a dog more and more..." Yomite commented with a slight grin as he observed the two interacting.

"Hey, hey, hey! Stop calling me a 'dog', I'm soon to be the first wife!" Hu Tao whined.

"Oh really? And who exactly will be the first husband?"

"You! Who else?! We will marry one day! You said so!" Hu Tao insisted, "Then you must assume responsibility as well!"

"I'm not sure if I want to marry a dog...hmmm..." Yomite trailed off and pretended to ponder the issue, "I wonder what to do..."

Hu Tao gasped dramatically, pointing a finger at herself, "You really just said that to me!? Hmph, fine! Then I shall marry Fishy-Fishy instead! How about that!" She pointed a finger at Yomite, who simply rolled his eyes.

Was she attempting to make him envious by pursuing his other girlfriend?

What a silly girl.

Ridiculous...but...

How cute...

"Well, I guess you can try and convince her, go on ahead."

"Alright! Fishy-Fishy, let's hook up toge—"

"—I apologize, but let's break up. I want to marry Yomite," Fischl spoke, chuckling slightly.

This type of play was her favorite, and she desired to participate in the fun.

"I was shot down again!?"

Hu Tao pouted again, crossing her arms and looking away.

"Hmm, let's see...I would love to marry Fischl, but we should probably adopt a dog in the future..." Yomite grinned, "Oh look! Here's one now!"

"Wha...whaaaat!? Noooo! That's way too cruel!" Hu Tao exclaimed dramatically, "For the last time, I'm not a doggie!"

"What a pain." Yomite sighed, and patted her on her hat, "There's no need to be so concerned, as they say that dogs are man's best friend. You'll fit in perfectly with our happy family. Woof, woof."

"Oh, you're up for some beating tonight, Mister! Just wait till we get to my mansion!" Hu Tao huffed and glared at him.

"Correction: 'My Mansion,' and yes, yes, you've mentioned that numerous times in the past; however, can you guess why you completely failed?" Yomite grinned and stated, "Because you're too sensitive."

"T-Tch! Tonight will be different! Believe it!"

"Okay, okay, enough with the chit chat. Let's just keep moving or we'll be here forever..."

***

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Meanwhile, Verr Goldet was at loss on what to do...

"So now that they've left...Yuhua, Xiuhua, anything to report about him? Weaknesses, likes, dislikes? Anything?"

The secretary Yuhua bowed and spoke, "Boss, I haven't gathered much info. So far, the only thing I could add is that he fancies women, as all the members of his party are females, and he could discern the two of us easily."

Verr Goldet nodded, "Hm. Well, I suppose that's something we can work with...maybe lure information out of him that way..."

She tapped her chin for a moment.

"Xiuhua, do you have anything to add on your side? Friends, enemies? Goals?" She questioned while facing the second secretary in the office.

Xiuhua responded by shaking her head and stating, "Nothing noteworthy. I looked into the people who were currently with him and discovered no information on half of them; however, two of them stood out."

Xiuhua paused and added, "The first one was Hu Tao of the funeral parlor. She was rumored to have vanished months ago, possibly as a result of backlash or debt. However, it appears that she and he formed a party and paid off the debt. Barbara Pegg, the Deaconess of Mondstadt and younger sister of their current Grand Master, is another intriguing member. I was very surprised about this one...To think someone so important and popular was traveling with him...Regarding the remainder, I am unfamiliar with them."

Verr Goldet raised an eyebrow, "Is that true? That blonde girl was therefore Barbara Pegg? Isn't that woman Jean Gunnhildr afraid something would happen to her little sister? If I had a sister and was a dependent leader of a country, I would never let my sister outside of my vision to make sure my only weakness isn't exposed... Either way, Yomite Hissha's likelihood of murdering Rex Lapis is practically nil now, given that Barbara Pegg is also a person who serves their own Archon. I'll report this to Lady Ningguang then. Good job, everyone."