The oni robbery cases were resolved without much trouble.
The real culprits behind the incidents were quickly identified. It was a notorious bandit group, along with a Blue Oni named Takuya who had only recently joined them.
As for why Takuya abandoned the so-called pride of the oni and turned to crime, the reason was painfully simple. The Blue Oni were on the brink of extinction.
After the Blue Oni and Crimson Oni made their oath, the Crimson Oni integrated into human society, while the Blue Oni chose a path of self-sacrifice.
They had no permanent home and no stable source of food. Clothing and medicine were luxuries they could not even dream of. All they could do was wander through desolate wilderness.
Everything Takuya stole from humans was sent back to his people. Those supplies kept them from starving, eased their illnesses, and allowed them to survive a little longer.
Hanachirusato looked back at the bandit camp, now reduced to ruins. Her tone carried a trace of complexity. "I never imagined the Blue Oni would end up like this…"
Charlotte raised her Kamera and took a few wide-angle shots. "That oni named Takuya might've been an accomplice in the robberies, but the victims told me he was always protecting them. At night, he even secretly brought them food and water."
Hanachirusato nodded. "He was just pushed into a corner. That's why he made such a mistake."
Fischl touched the eyepatch on her face. "Then what about the commission we accepted?"
Hanachirusato thought for a moment. "Let's go directly to the Adventurers' Guild and report in. The commission said to capture Arataki Itto, but the Tenryou Commission's real goal was solving those cases. If we tell them where the bandit camp is, it should still count as completion."
---
Everyone returned to Inazuma City.
Fischl went to the Adventurers' Guild and found Katheryne.
Katheryne did not expect her to turn in the commission so quickly.
After listening to Fischl's explanation, she considered it carefully, then nodded. "I understand. While this doesn't strictly match the commission's terms, since the target is innocent, special handling is appropriate. I'll notify the client immediately."
Mona asked from the side, "So our commission still counts?"
Katheryne nodded. "Please rest assured. We'll dispatch investigators to verify the bandit camp. If the situation checks out, the commission will be considered complete."
Mona pressed on, "And the one million Mora reward?"
Katheryne nodded again. "You will receive the full amount."
Charlotte asked curiously, "What if the Tenryou Commission doesn't accept it?"
Katheryne replied seriously, "We'll do our best to negotiate. If the client still refuses to acknowledge the Guild's decision, the Adventurers' Guild will cover the payment ourselves."
Fischl blinked. "You'll pay it?"
Katheryne smiled with practiced professionalism. "Of course. You are a distinguished Five-Star Adventurer of the Adventurers' Guild. This is one of the privileges that come with that rank."
In other words, if you were not a Five-Star Adventurer, you would just have to leave it up to luck.
Katheryne continued, "The investigation should take about two days. Please come back then."
Fischl nodded. "Understood."
Mona could not help asking, "Are there any other privileges for Five-Star Adventurers?"
"Certainly," Katheryne said. "With your Adventure Handbook, you can apply for an interest-free loan of up to ten million Mora at the Northland Bank."
Mona's eyes lit up. "Ten million?"
It was a loan, sure, but interest-free.
That alone meant endless possibilities.
The simplest option was for Fischl to take her Adventure Handbook, borrow ten million Mora from the Northland Bank, then deposit it into the Liyue Bank. The annual interest alone would be over a hundred thousand Mora. Free money, essentially.
Then Mona thought about herself, slaving away writing articles for the paper and only earning ten thousand Mora per piece…
Katheryne went on. "Additionally, if you encounter legal disputes while traveling in other nations, you can use your Adventure Handbook to request the Fatui to intervene and resolve matters through diplomatic channels."
This privilege was not very useful for them, but for adventurers without any backing, it was extremely valuable.
"And if you travel to Snezhnaya, you may even have the opportunity to be personally received by Her Majesty the Tsaritsa."
The Tsaritsa was the Cryo Archon of Snezhnaya. For an ordinary person, being personally received by a god was indeed an honor.
That said, when the Raiden Shogun ate at the same table with them every day, it did not feel all that special anymore.
Katheryne introduced a few more privileges.
Compared to all of that, Mona was only interested in the interest-free loan.
As for Fischl, none of it mattered to her.
"Let's head back," Fischl said.
Mona did not move. "Wait…"
Fischl looked at her. "Wait for what?"
"Are all of you adventurers now?"
"Yes."
"Mm."
"That's right."
"I already registered back in Fontaine."
Mona fell into thought, then made up her mind. "I've decided. I'm becoming an adventurer too."
"Huh?"
Mona asked, "How do I apply?"
Katheryne smiled and took out a form. "Just fill in this information."
Mona accepted it. "Okay."
Charlotte stood behind her, watching her fill it out at lightning speed. "Now that everyone's an adventurer, we'll probably be doing commissions together all the time. Why don't we form an Adventure Team?"
Fischl said a little awkwardly, "Um… I already joined Bennett's Adventure Team."
Charlotte vaguely remembered. "The unluckiest adventurer in Mondstadt?"
Fischl fell silent for a moment, as if recalling some unpleasant memories. "Yes…"
Charlotte said, "Then how about we all join Bennett's Adventure Team together?"
Qiqi suddenly spoke up. "Master told me it's best not to get too involved with Bennett."
"Well, if Mr. Xia said that, then let's forget it…"
Charlotte turned to Katheryne. "Katheryne, can adventurers join multiple Adventure Teams?"
"Yes," Katheryne replied. "But Adventure Points are not shared."
"I see. Then how do you apply to form an Adventure Team?"
Katheryne smiled again and produced another form. "Please fill this out. Note that an Adventure Team must maintain a minimum number of members. If the number drops too low, the team will be forcibly disbanded."
Charlotte took the form and nodded. "Got it."
After a while, Mona and Charlotte finished filling out their forms.
Katheryne worked through the procedures, handed Mona a new Adventure Handbook, then took Charlotte's and recorded the Adventure Team information inside.
"Congratulations. Your Magical Girl Adventure Team has been successfully established. Please recruit enough members within one month."
The other four girls handed over their Adventure Handbooks and joined the team immediately.
"Now that the Adventure Team is established, any thoughts on our first commission?" Charlotte asked.
Mona looked up at the large commission board. "Fischl, didn't you become a Five-Star Adventurer by completing a Bounty Mission before?"
Fischl nodded. "That's right. The mission at Dadaupa Gorge. Since I exceeded the requirements, the reward points were huge."
Hanachirusato considered it. "Bounty Missions are usually taken by large Adventure Teams, but our team is strong enough. We could take one."
Charlotte turned to Katheryne. "Then please show us all the current Bounty Missions in Inazuma."
"Of course. Please wait a moment."
Soon, a stack of mission briefs appeared in everyone's hands.
Charlotte pointed to one of them. "What do you think about this one?"
[Thunder of Amakumo Peak]: Go to the designated location and eliminate the abnormal Electro elemental life form, the Thunder Manifestation.
Bounty Reward: fifteen million Mora.
Compared to the others, this one looked like the least troublesome.
Katheryne cautioned them, "This mission is extremely dangerous. Several Adventure Teams have already failed. Please consider it carefully."
The girls instinctively looked at Hanachirusato.
As a local, she nodded calmly. "It won't be a problem."
Charlotte made the decision. "Alright, we'll take this one."
Katheryne did not try to dissuade them further. Adventurers were called adventurers precisely because they faced danger head-on, even risking their lives.
After accepting the Bounty Mission, they left the Adventurers' Guild.
Charlotte took out her phone and posted the news of the Magical Girl Adventure Team in their small group chat.
"When should we go to Amakumo Peak?"
"In a couple of days. Let's prepare first. I'll ask Yae Miko for information on the Thunder Manifestation."
"Okay."
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