Seeing Ganyu like that, Qiu Bai let out a small laugh.
Lumine and Paimon exchanged glances, then turned their eyes toward Qiu Bai.
"This guy Qiu Bai definitely knows something."
"Let's ask him about it later."
Paimon whispered to Lumine, glancing at Qiu Bai who was chuckling to himself.
Lumine nodded, then turned her attention back to Sister Lan.
"Right, as we were saying—even the Treasure Hoarders, who aren't afraid to mess with anything..."
"Even they usually know better than to mess with the Abyss. That place is just too strange."
Sister Lan stood with her arms crossed, speaking to the group in front of her.
"But according to recent intel from the General Affairs Department, the Treasure Hoarders in the Mondstadt and Liyue regions—the two major powers from the north and south—"
"are about to team up for something big."
Ganyu had snapped out of her daze and picked up where Lan left off, explaining to the trio in front of her.
"Treasure Hoarders… the two giants of the north and south?"
Paimon tilted her head, resting her chin in one hand, puzzled.
"Yeah. People in the trade call them the Southern Eldest Sister and the Northern Strange Bird,"
Lan explained, noticing Paimon's confusion.
"Ah, Strange Bird—I remember him!"
"He had a run-in with Amber back in Mondstadt… but who's this Southern Eldest Sister?"
Paimon tried to recall but couldn't figure out who she was.
"'Eldest Sister' just means the top-ranking sister,"
"So this Southern Eldest Sister must be the boss of the Treasure Hoarders."
Qiu Bai smiled at Lan as he spoke. He already knew the leader was Yan'er.
"No wonder you're called Mr. Qiu Bai."
"I've heard you're quite knowledgeable. Now I see it's true—you figured it out just from those two words."
Lan looked at Qiu Bai with interest, clearly surprised he'd deduced so much so quickly.
"That's right. In Liyue, the Treasure Hoarders' leader is known as their boss."
"Some even say her skills were recognized by the God of Treasure Hoarding, so they call her the Divine Eldest Sister."
"But… that's probably just a rumor."
Lan waved it off, glancing at the group as she continued.
"In any case, the Treasure Hoarders found an unexcavated ruin."
"It's being secretly guarded by the Abyss Order."
Ganyu explained, then nodded slightly at Qiu Bai.
"It's clearly a dangerous sign, but in the eyes of the Treasure Hoarders, it just means there's treasure inside."
"So they came up with a plan—send a group in as cannon fodder to draw away the Abyss Order's forces."
"Then have their most elite expert sneak into the ruins and take the treasure."
Ganyu spoke steadily.
"To pull this off, it's said that the Eldest Sister and Strange Bird"
"specially invited a master treasure hunter from Fontaine."
Lan jumped in, addressing the group.
"Master treasure hunter… that sounds like a pretty grand title."
Paimon put her hands behind her back and tilted her head, looking at Lan.
"Yeah, he's a legendary figure."
"In the treasure-hunting world, a 'Grand Treasure Hunter' is like what a 'Great Adventurer' is to the adventurer community."
Lan crossed her arms, explaining.
"Like Lady Alice the adventurer?"
Lumine asked curiously.
"Klee's mom?"
Qiu Bai muttered, hand on his chin.
"You've heard of the author of the 'Guide to Teyvat,' right?"
"Exactly. This Grand Treasure Hunter holds the same kind of prestige."
"That's why even the two giants had to pull every string they could to bring him in and have him personally oversee the whole plan."
Lan looked at Lumine. That "Guide to Teyvat" was known across the continent.
"Lately, Liyue Harbor has been through a lot. The General Affairs Department and the Millelith are swamped."
"They don't have time to deal with rumors about the Treasure Hoarders."
"But my instincts tell me—anything involving the Abyss is never simple."
At that, Ganyu glanced once again at Qiu Bai.
Qiu Bai noticed her gaze and rubbed his nose. So that's her way of telling me to get involved, huh? So much for slacking off.
"So, I was thinking of posting a commission with the Adventurers' Guild."
Ganyu turned to Lumine and Paimon as she spoke.
...
"We understand the dangers of the Abyss too."
"Since we're just passing through…"
Lumine paused for a moment, glanced at Qiu Bai beside her, and suddenly felt resolute.
Paimon also looked at Qiu Bai, and a wave of security washed over her.
"Then we'll take the commission!"
Paimon grinned as she spoke to Ganyu.
"Ah, thank you so much."
Ganyu smiled at Lumine and Paimon, though her gaze unconsciously drifted toward Qiu Bai.
With the Lord Immortal on their side, this mission should be a sure thing.
"You're truly reliable members of the guild."
"Well then, safe travels. The guild will handle the rest of the details."
Sister Lan crossed her arms and smiled.
"Lord Immortal, I'll be counting on you."
Ganyu sent a telepathic message to Qiu Bai using her adeptal arts.
"Don't worry, Ganyu."
Qiu Bai nodded. Sister Lan then gave a brief rundown of the location and specifics.
"We've got this, no worries, Sister Lan."
"The three of us are super strong!"
Paimon flashed her a confident smile.
"If Qiu Bai wasn't here…"
"I doubt Paimon would sound this confident."
The thought made Lumine cover her forehead with a sigh.
The three of them then strolled through the streets of Liyue, heading toward the harbor's exit.
"But seriously, that Abyss-guarded ruin is kind of far…"
"It's all the way near Mt. Aozang, in the Jueyun Karst region."
Paimon waved her hand dramatically, casting a meaningful look at Qiu Bai.
"Yeah, it's really far."
"Walking all the way there would be exhausting."
Lumine quickly backed her up.
Qiu Bai, hearing their obvious act, couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
"Ahem… Traveling on foot is a form of cultivation."
"It might broaden your horizons, Lumine, little Paimon."
He cleared his throat and crossed his arms, speaking calmly.
"Traveling broadens horizons, huh?"
"Then why didn't you say that when we were looking for Xiao?"
Paimon stomped her foot, clearly annoyed. Qiu Bai was totally messing with them.
"Heh, alright, alright. I'll stop teasing."
"Once we're out of Liyue Harbor, I'll take you straight there."
Qiu Bai looked at the indignant little Paimon and couldn't help but laugh.
He really did enjoy messing with this adorable little one whenever he had the chance.
"Yay!"
"I knew you were the best, Qiu Bai!"
Paimon clapped her hands happily.
"Paimon, that was some quick surrender!"
Lumine put her hands on her hips and gave her a mock-scolding look.