"Hmph, who knows if he's telling the truth?"
"We did find traces of Fatui activity on our way here..."
Seeing a Watatsumi soldier cast doubt, Kuki Shinobu stepped forward to help.
"That doesn't prove their cargo was taken by the Fatui! Besides, the Tenryou Commission and the Fatui are colluding. What's the difference between your goods going to the Fatui or the Tenryou Commission?"
The Watatsumi soldier named Uchimura was still unwilling to yield, stubbornly holding onto the merchant.
"Huh? The Tenryou Commission colluding with the Fatui? Where did you get that information? I had no idea! And even if they are colluding, that has nothing to do with me..." The merchant looked innocent, feeling caught in the crossfire.
"My Lord Sangonomiya, please see justice done. The Tenryou Commission is not colluding with the Fatui. Not long ago, General Kujou Sara of the Shogunate even shut down a Fatui Delusion production factory. If they were colluding, why would she go to such lengths?"
Given her acquaintance with Kujou Sara, Kuki Shinobu felt she should step in and say a few words to help.
"Please rest assured on that matter. Watatsumi Island always speaks the truth. Merchant sir, are you certain your cargo was hijacked by the Fatui?"
"Yes, I'm really not lying to you. They stole my goods and fled in that direction. They might have a secret base over there!"
Merchant Naruse, still hoping these people would help him retrieve his goods, had no intention of hiding anything. He relayed all the information he had observed.
"Very well, this is a matter of great importance. How about we help you recover your cargo? If everything goes smoothly, your innocence will naturally be cleared. But if something happens to prove the Fatui and the Tenryou Commission are colluding, we hope you will cooperate with our investigation. How does that sound?"
Kokomi considered the matter from an extremely rational perspective, addressing the root of the issue.
"I have no objections. Thank you, My Lord Sangonomiya, for your assistance."
Merchant Naruse was eager for this, so he had no objections.
"Matsuda, Uchimura, what about you?"
"We will do as My Lord Sangonomiya commands!"
Seeing this, the Watatsumi soldiers dared not say more.
"Then you two stay and look after this merchant. Fengyi, please accompany me to where the Fatui retreated."
Kokomi nodded, made brief arrangements, and then invited Fengyi to accompany her.
"Alright, let's go."
Fengyi nodded and followed.
"We'll tag along too. Perhaps we can be of some assistance."
Kuki Shinobu, accompanied by the Arataki Gang, also followed. She wanted to witness the entire process as much as possible to minimize decision errors caused by information gaps.
"That's right! How can investigating the Fatui be done without me?"
Arataki Itto had a premonition that there might be a fight soon. It was the intuition of an Oni, and he was already itching for it.
"Boss Fengyi, does our last agreement still stand?"
As if a thought struck him, Arataki Itto strode to Boss Fengyi's side and whispered in his ear.
"What agreement?"
Fengyi was taken aback, looking at the somewhat bashful Oni next to him, and asked with confusion.
Given Arataki Itto's unrestrained personality, such a shy demeanor was rare, making Fengyi twitch the corner of his mouth.
"It's about that time at the Delusion factory, where you said if I took down one Fatui soldier, I'd get 2000 Mora as a reward. Does that still count?"
Fighting and making money didn't have to be mutually exclusive. If he could fight and earn money at the same time, wouldn't that be wonderful? Arataki Itto intended to negotiate with Boss Fengyi.
"It counts!"
Fengyi nodded, he had thought Arataki Itto had some unspeakable request.
"Hahahahahaha... Then leave the fighting to me. Boss Fengyi, just sit back and enjoy my performance!"
Arataki Itto declared that no one would steal his kills later.
"Itto, I just remembered, if you're here, does that mean you're skipping work today?"
Fengyi suddenly looked at Arataki Itto with a smile, practically having the words 'deducting salary' written all over his face.
This smile made Arataki Itto panic. He quickly tried to argue.
"Um... well, I'm not working at the bubble tea shop, but I arranged for Gengetsu to cover for me. Logically, that shouldn't count as skipping work, right?"
Hearing this, Fengyi glanced at the followers behind Arataki Itto and found that Gengetsu of the Arataki Gang was indeed not present.
He hadn't considered this loophole in the workplace before. A miscalculation, a miscalculation.
"Alright, don't let it happen again. However, since you're not personally working at the bubble tea shop, I can only pay you up to 50% of the agreed-upon salary..."
"Of course, hahaha... That's very reasonable."
Arataki Itto breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had listened to Shinobu's advice that morning and sent Gengetsu to cover at the bubble tea shop, otherwise he would be in dire straits now.
Even though his salary was halved today, it was better than being docked entirely. He would get back today's losses tenfold from those Fatui soldiers later!
The group soon arrived on a hillside, below which was a gathering of resting Fatui soldiers.
"The Fatui camp the merchant mentioned should be here. Judging by the setup, this was likely a Hilichurl camp that the Fatui have occupied for some reason..."
Kokomi surveyed the Fatui camp's defenses and made a preliminary guess.
"Although this Fatui squad is not large in number, their defensive positions and troop distribution are very meticulous. If we were to attack head-on, they could react and adjust their forces to encircle the attackers in the shortest possible time..."
Kuki Shinobu stood beside Kokomi, stating her opinion of the Fatui camp. She had traveled for a while and had seen the defensive configurations of Hilichurls, Liyue soldier squads, and Shogunate soldier squads. In comparison, the Fatui's defensive setup, while not the most rigorous or ingenious, was the most meticulous. They were extremely insecure and prepared for battle at any moment.
However, fortunately, they were hidden, in an advantageous position as long as they remained undetected.
"The enemy is in the open, we are in the dark. This is the perfect time to use strategy..."
Kokomi smiled slightly. In a short time, she had already devised some countermeasures.
"My Lord Sangonomiya, what are your brilliant ideas?"
Kuki Shinobu looked at her. Sangonomiya Kokomi was renowned as 'The Strategist,' and she was eager to witness her wisdom firsthand.
"In my opinion, there are three possible approaches..."
Just as Kokomi was about to showcase her intelligence to everyone, she suddenly heard a roar: "Smash it!"