"Whoosh!"
On a deserted beach, three figures vanished in an instant.
"Not bad, your strength is sufficient." Ember nodded in approval, seeing Childe and Balladeer following closely behind him.
Although he could easily beat Balladeer and Childe, for the average person in Teyvat, their strength could be considered top-tier.
"Heh." Balladeer merely snorted at Ember in front of him, not replying.
But Childe was different. He looked at Ember's unchanging pace and curiously asked, "Our strength is sufficient, but what about yours?"
Childe had no interest in Ember's origins. He had long known that there were always people stronger than oneself in this world, and his master, Skirk, was just like Ember—a powerful person with no discernible origin.
So, compared to origins, Childe cared more about strength. And Ember's strength was probably the greatest he had ever witnessed in his life.
As for the Captain, Childe had never seen him fight, only knowing that his Harbinger seat was even higher than that madman Dottore's, so his strength must be terrifying.
And Childe's master, Skirk, could easily beat him with one hand, so her strength naturally went without saying.
However, during Ember's first encounter with Childe, he had trapped him in a cage made of Golden Tree thorns without even using his hands, which made Childe unable to tell who was stronger, Ember or his master.
"Not much, but enough to make you obedient." Ember grinned, but Balladeer and Childe could only infer his emotions from his tone.
"Alright, if you don't want to say, then so be it." Childe stopped dwelling on it after hearing that.
People like Ember were rare: strong, easy to find, and easy to talk to. This was truly unique in Teyvat.
Those strong enough to earn Childe's respect were either busy with important duties and unavailable, or hidden in the shadows doing who-knows-what.
A powerhouse like Ember, who roamed the world and whose summoning ritual merely involved posting a notice at the Adventurers' Guild, was one of a kind in The Seven Nations.
Childe was now starting to consider how to build a good relationship with him.
After all, guidance from a strong person was one of the few ways Childe could improve his strength now.
However, most of the time, Childe couldn't find anyone strong enough to guide him.
The scenery before the three of them turned withered and yellow; without a doubt, they had now arrived deep within Yashiori Island.
And the spectacular sight that spanned the entire Yashiori Island—the Musoujin Gorge—was naturally seen by the three of them.
"Musoujin Gorge, the legend of ultimate martial arts." Childe advanced along the cliff face, looking down at a bottomless, enormous gorge, and exclaimed in awe.
How terrifying must the Electro Archon's strength be to cleave such a massive rift?
"Not as good as you two, who directly turned Minlin into a plain and incidentally added a large dam downstream of Guili Plains."
Ember immediately teased Childe upon seeing his astonished expression.
The commotion caused by Balladeer and Childe was no less than that of the Electro Archon.
"Old news, I've already reflected deeply at the construction site. Can we not bring it up?" Childe shivered at the mention, as he had written many self-criticisms during his days at the construction site.
"We are merely catalysts. Only when we can create such a grand spectacle with our own power can we truly be considered on par with gods."
Balladeer looked at the deep purple Musoujin Gorge, his eyes filled not with Childe's awe, but with palpable unwillingness.
"It's best to pick a deserted place, otherwise I'll deal with you both in advance." Hearing Balladeer's words, Ember yawned and turned his head.
This made both Balladeer and Childe flinch. Indeed, with Ember's strength, which allowed him to awaken Azhdaha, they would have to pass his test if they wanted to cause a big commotion.
"Tsk! Have we reached that 'Gui Long' camp you mentioned?" Balladeer suddenly found discussing strength with Ember boring, so he immediately changed the topic.
At this point, the three had already left Musoujin Gorge and arrived at a corner of Nazuchi Beach.
Ember gazed into the distance, then pointed in the direction of numerous shipwrecks and said, "Soon, it's right there."
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked the two behind him, "Which of you is staying behind?"
"What do you think?" Balladeer folded his arms, practically writing "me" on his face.
"True, Gui Long isn't a workhorse. Borrowing his information and boat costs money, so we need to settle accounts." Ember nodded, agreeing with Balladeer's idea.
Gui Long was not like the Fatui. The Fatui were pure workhorses; if they refused? A blade to the throat would usually convince them. But Gui Long was different; he was a legitimate person, and Ember naturally couldn't treat him so roughly. Using his boat and data would cost money.
And so, without Childe saying a single word, the person to remain at Nazuchi Beach was decided.
With the strength of Ember and the others, the shipwrecks on the outskirts of Gui Long's camp were practically non-existent.
Before long, the three arrived at the large ship where Gui Long was located.
The deck was still lively, but this time Ember didn't look closely. It wasn't too late to observe after the main business was done.
"Bang!"
"Gui Long, I've come for you!"
Pushing open the cabin door, Ember saw Gui Long hunched over the counter, doing accounts.
His samurai armor paired with the paper and pen in his hand looked incredibly out of place.
"Hmm? Ember? Where's that shikigami of yours?"
Gui Long looked up, his first observation being Morgott's disappearance.
"I don't know, maybe he went home." Ember waved his hand, unconcerned.
Then he ran to Gui Long's counter, slammed his hand on the table, and declared with grandeur, "How many boats do you have? I'll buy them all..."
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Childe and Balladeer both coughed. Although the Fatui were indeed rich now, they couldn't withstand Ember's extravagant spending.
From what they had just seen, the scale of pirates here was not small. Buying all their boats would not be a small sum.
"Rent, rent boats!"
Left with no choice, Ember could only change his words to renting.
"Rent? What are you using so many boats for?" Gui Long asked upon hearing Ember's request.
Most people probably wouldn't need so many boats, right?
"Transporting grain! Oh, by the way, I heard your smuggling business is quite big, so you must know the locations of many villages. Can we borrow them?"
Ember said without thinking.
However, his honesty was met with Gui Long's silence and hesitation.
Just as Ember was wondering why, he felt a pat on his back. Turning around, he saw Childe and Balladeer.
"You're really something, so openly telling someone, 'Your business is gone!'"
"Exactly, even I know this, and you don't?"
Childe nodded, echoing Balladeer's words.
"You two are..."
"Fatui Harbinger, Sixth Seat, Balladeer."
"Fatui Harbinger, Eleventh Seat, Childe."
"Harbingers doing this kind of work? You can't even scam like this, can you?"
Gui Long's single sentence broke Childe and Balladeer's cool poses.
"What do you mean 'doing this kind of work'? If he hadn't forced us, would we be doing this?"
Balladeer pointed at Ember, his aura slightly leaking. Before, he was always the one looking down on others; he never expected to be looked down upon by others today.
However, that mere leaking aura was enough to suffocate Gui Long. The strength of the person before him, even if not equal to a Harbinger, was absolutely not far off!
"Hey! By the way, why are we helping him?" Just as Balladeer's aura was leaking, Childe leaned over and whispered to him.
Although Childe had just been cooperating with Balladeer in posing, he really didn't understand why Balladeer was helping Ember.
Wouldn't his plan failing be more beneficial to the Fatui?
Balladeer was silent for a moment, then he said with a bitter expression, "Because if we don't have a boat, he'll really make us work three shifts!"
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