Chapter 034: Adventurer "Tacitus"

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Noelle standing in front of him. Shao Yun's movements came to an abrupt halt.

He patted off the dust from the smoke bomb and quickly formulated a response. Pointing at the barely breathing Fatui agent on the ground, he chuckled and cursed, "This guy deserves to die. He's a Fatui agent."

Noelle was slightly taken aback, her clear eyes flickering with confusion. She looked at the man lying on the ground, dressed in typical Mondstadt attire. Fatui agents usually didn't dress like this, did they?

Shao Yun crouched down and pulled out a Fatui recruit badge from the man's pocket, displaying it to Noelle.

Noelle's gaze locked onto the badge in his hand. The badge gleamed coldly, and her brows furrowed slightly, her eyes filled with deep doubt and contemplation.

"This is indeed a Fatui Vanguard recruit badge," Noelle said, her voice tinged with uncertainty. She gently rubbed her chin with her fingers.

"He was spying on the Knights of Favonius. I... you understand."

Hearing such explosive news, Noelle's eyes widened as she looked at Shao Yun, her voice trembling slightly. "Really? Someone dared to spy on the Knights?"

Seeing the hesitation in Noelle's eyes, Shao Yun seized the opportunity. He strengthened his tone, his voice filled with determination and trust. "If this isn't enough proof, you can ask Acting Grand Master Jean. She can confirm it."

Noelle stood there, her brows slightly furrowed. After a moment, she took a deep breath and slowly nodded, her face showing an apologetic expression.

Her voice was gentle and sincere as she said, "Mr. Shao Yun, I'm really sorry. My actions earlier were a bit rash. I almost attacked you."

"It's just a misunderstanding, no big deal."

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Noelle, Shao Yun's gaze fell on the boxes behind her. They looked quite heavy, with some dust on them, clearly having traveled a long distance.

Curious, he couldn't help but ask, "Noelle, what's in these boxes?"

Noelle turned to look at the boxes and suddenly remembered something, covering her mouth in surprise.

"Oh! I just remembered, I'm on an urgent mission for Captain Kaeya."

She quickly walked over to the boxes, bent down, and lifted one with both hands.

Shao Yun stepped forward to help Noelle with the boxes.

"I need to deliver these fruits to the knights at the city gate. Captain Kaeya said that the guards are lacking nutrition, which affects their combat readiness. It's urgent."

Well, that's a decent mission. Only Kaeya could come up with something like this.

If time allowed, Shao Yun might have even helped her deliver them. But now...

"Alright, you go ahead. I won't keep you."

As Noelle was about to leave, she stopped and thanked Shao Yun for his help during the dragon crisis a few days ago.

"Oh, and Shao Yun, thank you for helping with the aftermath back then."

Shao Yun waved his hand. "It was nothing, no need to thank me."

Noelle, holding the wooden box, left with one last remark.

"I'll be around the Mondstadt gates for the next few days. When you have time, come by, and I'll have a thank-you gift for you."

Seeing that Noelle hadn't forgotten about the gift, Shao Yun felt it was unnecessary.

"Go ahead and get busy."

After Noelle left, a system prompt popped up.

[System Notification: Three days later, at dusk, head to the Mondstadt gates to trigger a conversation with Noelle.]

At first, Shao Yun thought it would be like Lisa, just giving him something. But then another notification appeared.

[Note: This task is very important. Please take it seriously.]

Just a conversation? Why so formal?

Besides, with everything going on, finding Dvalin's tears was already enough to keep him busy.

---

Returning to the Angel's Share, Shao Yun opened the door to find the bar empty except for Charles, who was still wiping glasses.

Seeing someone enter, Charles immediately greeted him.

"Mr. Shao Yun, what can I get you?"

"Where is everyone?" Shao Yun asked. How long had he been gone? Everyone had disappeared.

"Oh, you mean Master Diluc and the others? They left a while ago," Charles said, pointing to the tavern door behind Shao Yun. "It's been some time."

Just as Shao Yun was about to leave to find Lumine, Charles quickly called him back.

"Wait, I just remembered. Lumine left a note for you."

He pulled out a note from under the counter and handed it to Shao Yun.

Unfolding the note, there was only a short sentence.

"Shao Yun, go to the Adventurers' Guild and find Katheryne. Urgent!"

So, they wanted him to go to the Adventurers' Guild. Judging by the handwriting, it was Paimon who wrote it. So brief.

She probably wanted to write a lot more but, under Lumine's threat, kept it short.

"Thanks," Shao Yun said, pocketing the note and heading straight for the Adventurers' Guild reception.

Arriving at the guild, he saw Lumine and Paimon from a distance, looking for commissions in front of Katheryne.

"I'm here," Shao Yun waved as he approached them.

Paimon, hearing Shao Yun's arrival, immediately put her hands on her hips, her brows furrowed, her little face filled with dissatisfaction.

Looking at the belated Shao Yun, her tone was full of reproach. "You took way too long! Lumine and Paimon were about to leave."

Lumine, seeing Paimon's antics and recalling last night, immediately smacked Paimon on the back.

"Paimon, stop lying to Shao Yun. We just got here ourselves."

Paimon, seeing her plan exposed, hung her head in disappointment.

"Ugh~ No juice for Paimon."

Seeing Paimon's dejected look, Shao Yun comforted her. "Haha, if you want juice, I don't mind treating you anytime."

"Really?" Paimon immediately perked up.

"Paimon!" Lumine's voice rose an octave, silencing Paimon.

"Alright, let's not talk about that. Why did you call me to the Adventurers' Guild?"

Getting to the main point, Paimon immediately perked up and pulled Shao Yun over to Katheryne.

"Here's the thing. The Adventurers' Guild is recruiting new adventurers, and the benefits are amazing. Paimon thought you should join too."

In Paimon's eyes, this was a golden opportunity. She and Lumine could easily handle tasks like delivering goods or fighting Hilichurls. Completing them would net them over ten thousand Mora.

Shao Yun wasn't particularly interested. Unlike in the game, where he'd do it for Primogems, now the commissions only gave Mora. With over two billion Mora in his pocket, he could throw it away and still not run out.

"Oh, I see."

Paimon blinked, not picking up on Shao Yun's tone. She asked excitedly, "So, what do you think?"

"Honestly, I don't really care. It seems like you don't need to be an adventurer to take commissions."

Katheryne, hearing Shao Yun's words, kindly explained.

"That's not entirely true. Through the guild's screening, you can quickly find commissions that suit you. Why wait for unreliable private commissions with no guarantees and potential disputes?"

"Besides, with Lumine and Paimon's recommendation, you only need to fill out some basic information. Joining the Adventurers' Guild as a registered adventurer comes with many benefits, such as..."

Before Katheryne could finish, Shao Yun impatiently waved his hand.

"I know, providing help for newcomers, making it easier for veterans to complete adventures. You've said all that. But what's next?"

Katheryne got straight to the point, presenting the most anticipated aspect for adventurers—exploring unknown domains.

"Newly discovered domains will be prioritized for Adventurers' Guild exploration. If you excel, you'll get priority exploration rights, and any treasure chests found will belong to the discoverer."

Hearing the word "treasure chest," Paimon got excited again. If Lumine hadn't been holding her back, she would've dragged Shao Yun to sign up immediately.

"And as travelers, if you're also renowned adventurers, you'll be welcomed by all nations, known by everyone, and it'll save a lot of trouble."

Shao Yun stood quietly in front of Katheryne, slightly lowering his head as he weighed his thoughts. Finally, he looked deeply at Katheryne.

"And then our information will end up on the desks of various factions, becoming pawns, right?"

Katheryne didn't expect this question and smiled awkwardly.

"Well, it's not like that. A thorough understanding is also for..."

"Enough, I'm not interested," Shao Yun directly refused, still resistant to unnecessary exposure.

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

He still hadn't replenished his four bottles of special potions. Rather than earning a pittance, he'd rather take advantage of the lull in tasks to gather herbs and restock his supplies.

"Wait! Shao Yun," Paimon immediately caught up, blocking his path.

"Shao Yun, joining the Adventurers' Guild isn't a bad thing. Completing commissions gets you rewards, and if you get hurt, you'll get treated! What's so bad about that?"

Shao Yun looked around, then whispered to Paimon, "I don't like too much attention, you know?"

Paimon seemed to understand Shao Yun's feelings. But she still used her soft, pleading voice to persuade him. "Shao Yun, you don't need to be so nervous. No one here knows your past."

"I know, but..."

Seeing Shao Yun still evading, Paimon fluttered her eyes, pretending to be pitiful, and said in a high-pitched voice, "Can't you just do it for me and Lumine?"

Shao Yun looked at the pitiful, high-pitched Paimon and sighed helplessly. He couldn't resist this. Since she put it that way, he couldn't just brush her off. He nodded silently.

"It's only because it's you and Lumine. If Anyone else, Paimon wouldn't even bother."

Brought back to Katheryne by Paimon, Shao Yun, though agreeing to become an adventurer, still had questions. He wasn't here to work for the guild.

"I want to ask, are the commissions mandatory?"

Katheryne was taken aback by the question. Her mind raced through possible answers, but none seemed to fit.

"This is the first time I've heard such a strange request. Most adventurers can't wait to take on more commissions..."

Following the principle that if there's no rule, it's allowed, she gave Shao Yun an answer.

"The Adventurers' Guild doesn't require adventurers to complete a certain number of commissions. It's entirely voluntary."

As long as it's not mandatory, that's fine. Working a job? Not happening. Now that he's crossed over and has money, he must live freely!

Seeing no other issues, they moved on to the next step.

"Please fill out the form."

Shao Yun took the paper and pen from Katheryne, filled in the basic information, and handed it back.

Katheryne took the form, her eyes falling on the name field. A hint of confusion flashed in her eyes. She looked up at Shao Yun standing in front of her, her tone tinged with uncertainty.

"Tacitus Kilgor?"

Seeing Katheryne's puzzled look, Shao Yun didn't say anything, just nodded.

If this name didn't work, he had others: Callahan, Tahiti, Fenton, or Cornwall.

Katheryne looked down at the form again and voiced her confusion.

"Aren't you... Shao Yun?"

Shao Yun nodded and explained, "What's the big deal? A name is just a label."

Katheryne was on the verge of tears. This was just making her job harder.

"This will cause confusion with commission rewards."

Facing this issue, Shao Yun looked at Lumine beside him and came up with an idea.

He said to Katheryne, "Just put Lumine as the payee. We're together anyway."

Katheryne looked at the three of them helplessly. In all her years as a receptionist, she thought she'd seen it all. But today was an eye-opener.

"Alright..."

Katheryne had nothing more to say. She processed "Tacitus," aka Shao Yun's adventurer registration.

Lumine looked at Shao Yun with confusion, her brows furrowed. She asked, "Shao Yun, I don't understand. Why did you put me as the payee for commission rewards?"

"I don't want unnecessary attention. Since we're traveling together, it doesn't matter who holds the money."

A single coin can stump a hero, but with a coin in hand, the sky's the limit. Especially since Shao Yun had more money than he could ever spend. The commission rewards could just be Paimon's meal money.

After processing Shao Yun's adventurer registration, Katheryne handed him a brand-new Adventurer's Handbook.

"Congratulations, uh, Mr. Tacitus. You are now a proud member of the Adventurers' Guild. We look forward to you reaching the ends of the stars and the abyss."