"Boss, do you know exactly what happened to me?"
"Like... who was I trying to set up?"
After Signora left, Childe asked curiously.
As the saying went...
Even if you die, you should at least know why.
He had somehow lost his memory.
Surely he deserved to know what had happened.
Who exactly was I trying to scheme against?
Although, according to Han Feng, his memories would return in a day or two...the uncertainty still bothered him.
"As for that..."
"You should investigate it yourself."
Han Feng smiled without elaborating.
With the influence of a Fatui Harbinger behind him...
finding out the truth wouldn't be difficult.
"Oh, right."
"Manga costs 100,000 Mora per person."
"You can only read once per day."
"Come back here after you finish to receive your reward."
"All right."
"Thanks, Boss."
Childe sighed and stopped dwelling on it.
After placing a bag of Mora on the counter, he followed Signora toward the bookshelves.
Inception?
Looking at the manga displayed on the outermost shelf, Childe's interest was immediately piqued.
He had seen people steal treasure—like the Treasure Hoarders.
He had seen people steal other people's lovers—like the proverbial "Old Wang next door."
But this...
was the first time he'd ever heard of stealing dreams.
Can dreams actually be stolen?
Curiosity welled up inside him.
Picking up the manga, he walked deeper into the shop.
"Signora... Childe..."
"That's already two Fatui Harbingers."
"Now that Inazuma has reopened..."
"I suppose Scaramouche won't be far behind."
Watching the pair leave, Han Feng calmly took another sip of tea.
Back in his previous life...
opinions on the Fatui Harbingers had always been divided.
Take Childe and Signora, for example.
Some people loved them.
Others hated them.
Overall...the opinions were fairly balanced.
Scaramouche, however...
had attracted far more criticism.
But as far as Han Feng was concerned...
his attitude remained unchanged.
As long as someone came to read manga properly...
there would be no problems.
If they tried causing trouble...
Dottore was the perfect cautionary example.
Of course...
if someone else used a reward to deal with Scaramouche...
that was an entirely different matter.
The Fatui possessed tremendous influence throughout all seven nations.
For example...
Signora had leased out the entire Goth Grand Hotel in Mondstadt.
Childe oversaw the Northland Bank in Liyue.
The reason the Fatui could operate so openly in those nations also had much to do with each country's ideals.
Mondstadt was the Nation of Freedom.
Naturally...
no one could stop the Fatui from renting a hotel.
Liyue was the Nation of Contracts.
As long as the Fatui honored their agreements and refrained from causing trouble...
no one could act against them.
But Inazuma...
was different.
Here...the Archon was not only present—she actively ruled.
And with Raiden Shogun's unwavering pursuit of Eternity...
she truly would draw her blade without hesitation.
Signora's fate in the game's storyline was proof enough.
Although she died after losing a formal duel before the throne...it also demonstrated the Electro Archon's temperament.
If she decided to strike...
she would never show mercy.
Because of this...the Fatui only dared stir up trouble from the shadows.
Openly appearing in Inazuma City...
was something none of them dared do.
As a result...
their headquarters had been hidden somewhere outside the city.
At this moment...
a rather special guest arrived.
He wore clothing reminiscent of a kabuki performer.
Upon his head rested a broad kasa hat adorned with a kumadori mask.
A conspicuous golden ornament hung from his chest.
Slung diagonally across his back was a purple satchel.
Emblazoned upon it were both the Electro Mitsudomoe crest and the Fatui insignia—
clear proof of his extraordinary status.
At that moment...
a Fatui officer hurried over and bowed respectfully.
"Lord Scaramouche."
"I have come under Her Majesty's orders to take command here."
"Bring me up to speed on Inazuma's latest intelligence."
Scaramouche spoke calmly.
Originally...
he had planned to head for Mondstadt.
He had heard that some rather interesting events had occurred there.
However...
the Tsaritsa had ordered him to obtain the Electro Archon's Gnosis.
Her Majesty's commands were absolute.
Thus...
he had come directly to Inazuma instead.
Although he was already quite familiar with the nation...
that familiarity belonged to the past.
He still needed an update on its current situation.
"Yes, Lord Scaramouche."
The officer nodded respectfully.
He immediately began reporting everything that had recently happened throughout Inazuma.
Gathering intelligence was already one of their regular duties.
The earlier reports left Scaramouche expressionless.
But...
when the report reached the Raiden Shogun...
his brows furrowed slightly.
"You're saying..."
"Yesterday, before the Statue of the Omnipresent God..."
"Raiden Shogun and Yae Miko fought each other?"
"Yes, Lord Scaramouche."
"Many people witnessed it personally."
"So I am absolutely certain."
The officer nodded repeatedly.
"And why did they fight?"
Confusion flashed across Scaramouche's eyes.
According to everything he knew...
Yae Miko was Raiden Ei's familiar.
Even if she opposed the Vision Hunt Decree...
it made little sense for her to openly fight Ei before countless witnesses.
Something...
didn't add up.
He pondered the matter for quite some time...
yet still couldn't make sense of it.
Which was only natural.
After all...
who could possibly imagine that the soul inside Yae Miko's body...
was actually Raiden Makoto, the previous Electro Archon from five hundred years ago?
"Anything else unusual?"
"Anything at all."
Scaramouche decided to approach the matter from another angle.
There had to be some missing piece of the puzzle.
"There are... two more things."
"I'm just not sure whether they count as unusual."
After searching through his memory, the officer wore an odd expression.
"Speak."
Scaramouche ordered.
"First..."
"Last night, a strange object floated above Inazuma City."
"It appeared to be some sort of residence."
"Second..."
"during the battle between Raiden Shogun and Lady Yae..."
"the Shogun was defeated and knocked backward."
"She ended up falling into the arms of a black-haired young man."
"Since then..."
"rumors have spread that the two of them fought over that young man."
The officer quickly finished his report.
Then, remembering something else, he added,
"Oh, right."
"I've also heard that the Kamisato Clan's young lady has been searching for that same black-haired youth."
"So now there are rumors..."
"that it's become a battle of three women fighting over one man."
"A black-haired young man..."
Scaramouche fell into thought.
As for the nonsense about three women competing for a husband...
he didn't believe a single word of it.
Just ordinary gossip.
However...
all these reports repeatedly mentioned the same black-haired youth.
That alone proved...
there was something unusual about him.
"It seems..."
"I'll have to visit Inazuma City myself and investigate."
Scaramouche murmured quietly.
—------------------------------
Pat reon Advance Chapters: patreon.com/YonkoSlayer