Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [366]

"Why would someone do this? Just for fun? Surely they're not that foolish."

Xingqiu frowned. "Pulling out a random effigy of an evil god? That's a serious accusation not just anyone can handle."

"Could it be the work of the Fatui?"

Gu Sanqiu shook his head. "The Ten Pull Guild has people watching it, your family included. Buyu Raimei and Kazuha are my people. If the Ten Pull Guild were up to something big, there's no way you or I wouldn't have known."

Xingqiu bypassed another mechanism. "So, you're saying it's more likely the work of some faction infiltrating Liyue?"

"Highly probable. But these days, there are so many people trying to make money in Liyue. Unless we can get a detailed list from the Ministry of Civil Affairs to compare, we might as well storm their hideout in one go."

At the end of the tunnel, a doorway loomed before them. Xingqiu raised his sword, while Gu Sanqiu took up his dragon-scale shield in one hand and traced elemental runes with the other, concealing both their figures.

"Let's take a look inside."

Xingqiu nodded and carefully cracked open the door wide enough for them to slip through. They quickly entered, closing it quietly behind them.

Then Xingqiu noticed the bomb Gu Sanqiu casually tossed into a corner.

"You're not planning to take us down with it, are you?"

"No, think of it as... a method. A money-making method."

Gu Sanqiu threw an arm around Xingqiu's shoulders. "If this turns out to be a vault for stashing money, we clean it out and then detonate the bomb. No evidence, no witnesses, right?"

"Imagine it—extra funds! You could even pay for a deluxe edition of Autumn Leaves and Swords. I know a phenomenal illustrator in Mondstadt. With my connections and a decent fee, the high-quality illustrations would make your light novel even more irresistible."

Xingqiu's eyes lit up, and he glanced at the bomb in the corner. "You only brought one? Is it strong enough? Shouldn't we plant a few more to ensure a thorough cleanup?"

"Wow, you really have no scruples."

Gu Sanqiu shook his head. "Relax. The bombs outside are just barrels of gunpowder. This is a true high-explosive bomb. Unless there's a massive underground fortress, one is enough."

The tunnel ended, opening into a wide chamber bustling with noise.

"A casino," Xingqiu observed, raising an eyebrow. "The chips are so white, and those tables—huge."

"Stop staring at the obvious stuff. Could you check out the surroundings?"

Gu Sanqiu pulled his gaze away a second before Xingqiu, scanning the area. Sure enough, there were gilded effigies of an evil god scattered everywhere—in the corners, on the walls, even repurposed as trash bins. It was as if this entire place was dedicated to the god.

"Heh, this god certainly isn't picky. Imagine being okay with being turned into a trash can. That's... amusing."

With a smirk, Gu Sanqiu led Xingqiu expertly through the crowd, avoiding densely packed areas to survey the space further.

"This is massive—not just a casino, but probably the biggest one in Liyue Harbor," Xingqiu remarked gravely. "If those tunnels are connected as I suspect, the implications are enormous."

"Explain," Gu Sanqiu prompted.

Xingqiu elaborated, "The Jihai Pavilion is a place for performances. One of the tunnels connects here. What do you think the others lead to?"

Gu Sanqiu's steps faltered. "You're suggesting the other tunnels lead to places like illicit brothels, arenas, or even human trafficking operations?"

Xingqiu nodded. "That's my suspicion. But here's what doesn't add up: if such massive movement of goods and people is happening, why hasn't the Ministry of Civil Affairs caught wind of it?"

"Maybe it's all supplied by the evil god's teleportation," Gu Sanqiu mused, looking toward the center of the room. Beneath a colossal multi-faced effigy fountain, a cloaked figure shed their disguise and stared directly at Gu Sanqiu.

"There's a guest here."

"Oh? Already discovered?" Gu Sanqiu dropped his concealment without panic. "An outsider, hmm? Establishing such a large operation in Liyue—did you even bother paying taxes?"

"Taxes?" The cloaked man laughed, raising both hands. "Taxes are nothing more than tribute offered by the weak to the strong. I don't need such things."

"Look upon the splendor of my god! With such power, do you think I need protection? Bow before me, as these fools have, and I will grant you the ultimate pleasure!"

Gu Sanqiu pressed the detonator.

Boom!

The explosion rocked the entire casino, snapping gamblers out of their fervor. They stared in shock at the tense standoff.

"Strange," the cloaked man remarked, frowning. "Why aren't you affected?"

Xingqiu smirked, unsheathing his sword. "Thanks to a certain someone's bizarre experiment with pig trotters, I barely felt anything."

"Just a mosquito bite, really."

Slash!

Without warning, Xingqiu lunged, his blade piercing the man's side. Water elemental energy surged, and with a flick of his sword, he withdrew it cleanly.

Squelch.

Blood gushed out with the aid of water energy, and the cloaked man crumpled to the floor.

"Going a bit overboard, aren't you?" Gu Sanqiu, having just smashed the effigy's head with a fiery palm, approached and grabbed the man by the hair. He checked for signs of life. "Still alive. Good. Blood loss isn't our problem."

Xingqiu glanced at the headless fountain effigy. "Anything unusual about that?"

"Standard puppet design. Nothing remarkable. But this guy's behavior was odd." Gu Sanqiu kicked the cloaked man. "Here's the thing—when you 'bled' him, all those weird effigies stopped moving."

"What now?"

Gu Sanqiu smiled. "We keep investigating. Honestly, I'm intrigued by anyone capable of pulling this off in Liyue. Makes me wonder how long they've been hiding."

"And with Keqing likely already mobilizing the Millelith to secure Jihai Pavilion's bombs, now's the perfect time to cause some chaos."

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...

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