Chapter 231

The Ruin Guard mission had been active for a while, and many adventurers had attempted to capture one.

However, due to a lack of strength, most failed. Some even lost their lives.

In fact, capturing Ruin Guards had always been a task issued by the Adventurers' Guild. However, the current mission offered a much higher reward than usual.

To prevent reckless adventurers from attempting it without sufficient strength, the Adventurers' Guild had set special entry requirements. Only those possessing a Vision were allowed to participate.

When Liyue Harbor's construction began, Ruin Guards were once scattered throughout the area. The Adventurers' Guild had taken action, clearing them out at Ningguang's request. She had issued a directive to eliminate all nearby monsters, including Ruin Guards.

Now, while occasional Hilichurls still appeared, they were swiftly dealt with by the Qianyan Army—or even by passing adventurers.

Thanks to these efforts, Liyue was now much safer, and large-scale monster invasions were nearly unheard of.

After discussing the mission with Fischl, Lumine and the group made their preparations. The next step was to wait for Takumi to join them for dinner before purchasing the motorcycle.

However, upon learning how much money the others had brought, Lumine was suddenly dismayed.

"With the money you have, you can't afford a motorcycle at all."

At most, they could afford a regular vehicle. Motorcycles were expensive—one cost a million Mora each. The money they had wasn't even close to enough.

"Ah… this… then what do we do?" Bennett asked, looking puzzled.

Without a motorcycle, their entire plan would fall apart. Capturing a Ruin Guard on foot? Impossible.

Lumine sighed and thought for a moment before offering a solution:

"There's no other way. I'll buy them for you first. When we capture and sell some Ironclad Drakes, the money earned will go toward paying me back."

She spoke calmly but secretly glanced at Paimon. 

Lumine had decided—she would overdraft Paimon's salary again.

Previously, she had paid for her own motorcycle using Paimon's wages. Doing it again seemed like a reasonable option.

Paimon, who was happily eating, suddenly sensed a wave of malice. She looked up, scanning the area, but found nothing amiss. Shrugging, she continued eating.

Fischl, Bennett, and Razor exchanged glances before agreeing.

It was a fair deal—if they didn't have enough money, there wasn't much else they could do.

However, Fischl narrowed her eyes at Lumine.

"You're not trying to make extra profit from this deal, are you?"

"Of course not! Do I look like that kind of person?" Lumine replied, feigning innocence.

However, everyone, including Paimon, immediately nodded in unison.

Lumine sighed in frustration. "The price of a motorcycle is 1,000,000 Mora—that's what I paid. I'm not overcharging you."

Paimon unexpectedly backed her up. "That's true. Lumine isn't lying this time."

With Paimon's confirmation, the group finally believed her.

Having settled the matter, Lumine quickly stepped outside, ready to contact Takumi and ask when he would arrive.

Just as she was about to make the call, Takumi walked up the stairs toward them.

Seeing him, Lumine's eyes immediately lit up. She rushed over and called out, "Brother Takumi!"

Takumi raised an eyebrow, confused. He paused before responding with a questioning look.

"?"

Something felt off. Lumine never called him "Brother Takumi."

Was she up to something?

"Be serious. Tell me, what do you need?" Takumi asked, giving her a skeptical look.

Lumine grinned. "It's like this. Some adventurers from Mondstadt want to buy motorcycles, but they don't have enough money, so I'm helping them out. Can you get me three motorcycles? The payment will be deducted from Paimon's account first."

As soon as she finished speaking, Paimon—who had just finished her meal—froze in shock.

"Hey!!" Paimon cried. "Lumine, this is too much! What do you mean by 'deducted from my account'?!"

She hadn't even received her salary yet, and now she was already in debt for millions of Mora?

Luckily, she had walked in at the right moment—otherwise, Lumine might have sold her off entirely.

Takumi watched the two argue, amused by the situation.

Their commotion soon drew Fischl and Razor out of the house. Upon seeing Takumi, Fischl's eyes sparkled.

Wasn't this the same dashing individual she had encountered in Mondstadt before?

Fischl had always had a fondness for handsome people.

"I am the sovereign of the Immernachtreich, Fischl, Prinzessin der Verurteilung!" she proclaimed. "O Herald of the End, reveal to me thy name!"

Oz, her raven, translated promptly: "Miss Fischl introduces herself as Fischl, an adventurer from Mondstadt. May I ask your name, sir?"

Even without Oz's help, Takumi understood what Fischl meant. Their wavelengths were surprisingly aligned.

Takumi smirked. "I am Takumi, the one who brings forth the end and shapes new beginnings. The Master of the Realm of Twilight!"

Paimon gawked in disbelief.

Fischl actually understood him?

"Ohhh! The Lord of Twilight!" Fischl exclaimed excitedly.

She immediately ran up and grabbed Takumi's hand, delighted to have found someone who spoke her language.

"Indeed, we are kindred spirits!"

Takumi chuckled. "It's nice to meet you, Fischl. Welcome to Liyue. So, you're the one who wants to buy a motorcycle? In that case, I'll prepare them for you. Let's head outside."

Takumi had assumed Lumine was buying motorcycles for other people. He hadn't expected it to be this group.

"You're really agreeing to this?" Lumine asked, eyes brightening.

"Yeah, I'll do it," Takumi confirmed. "We'll take the money from Paimon's account."

"Wait, what?!" Paimon yelled, panicking. "No way! I don't agree! How could you do this?! I haven't even seen the money yet!"

She was supposed to be getting paid, but instead, she was being charged millions of Mora?

Lumine smirked. "Paimon, do you want to sleep outside? Or eat only mushrooms for the next few months?"

Paimon immediately fell silent, her face turning pale.