"What is this?"
Yelan asked in confusion.
Weren't ordinary marks only supposed to let the user know where they were at the moment?
"Of course it's a mark I made."
Bai Ye gently tapped the crystal's screen.
As ripples of water spread across it, an image appeared on the screen.
Yelan looked at the decorations in the image and the figures moving back and forth.
"You can see what's happening inside the antique shop from here?"
She was genuinely surprised now.
This was far more advanced than even the Kamera from Fontaine.
"Mm, just a little gadget I made on a whim."
Yelan,
watch closely.
This was what a real mark looked like!
The Art of Automata his teacher had taught him had originally been at the level of a god, and he had improved upon it with knowledge from his past life, creating all sorts of useful little gadgets.
Yelan pressed Bai Ye, "How many of these devices do you have?"
"Don't even think about it. I'm currently the only one who can use this device." Bai Ye shook his head.
Although he had created surveillance equipment, operating it required him to use both Adeptal Arts and Anemo elemental power at the same time. No one else could do it at all.
"Fine."
Yelan was somewhat regretful.
Leaning forward, she stood up and said to Bai Ye,
"Put the mechanism away for now. Their transaction will definitely take place at night, so watching this now is completely meaningless. Let's find somewhere to rest, then come back here tonight and watch Shopkeeper Zhao's movements together."
"Um, lunch is covered too, right?"
Bai Ye looked at Yelan with pitiful eyes.
When a handsome fourteen- or fifteen-year-old boy looked at you like an abandoned kitten, how many women could refuse?
Yelan could.
But after glancing at the crowds around them, she still nodded.
Bai Ye happily jumped down from the railing.
"Let's go. We're heading to Wanmin Restaurant."
Yelan said to Bai Ye.
"No, no, no." Bai Ye shook his head. "I know another restaurant that's pretty good."
"The food is better than Wanmin Restaurant's?"
"No, but he'll agree to reimburse more for it. When the time comes, how about we split the extra reimbursement fifty-fifty?"
Yelan considered it for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
At the same time,
she resolved to tell Ningguang that the Liyue authorities absolutely could not recruit Bai Ye.
That would be far too criminal.
At night,
when Bai Ye arrived, Yelan was already leaning against the railing and gazing out over Liyue Harbor.
The breeze brushed past them, carrying a faint chill.
Yet even this late at night, Liyue Harbor remained as bustling as ever.
"I'm here."
Bai Ye greeted Yelan.
"Right on time."
Yelan held out her hand to Bai Ye.
"Now let's see what your mechanism can do."
"Alright."
Bai Ye picked up the mechanism.
He glanced at Yelan,
then set it on the railing and pushed it slightly toward her.
The two of them leaned together and lowered their heads to look at the screen.
The motion felt somewhat familiar.
It was probably like sitting in the last row during class and secretly watching a movie.
Bai Ye opened the surveillance screen again.
The view was pitch-black,
and shaking violently.
"Looks like Shopkeeper Zhao has already taken the folding fan and started moving."
Yelan said.
"Let's keep watching. These antiques will definitely need to be inspected. Then we'll find out what these people are up to."
As she spoke, the image finally stopped shaking.
Light emerged from below and slowly rose upward.
Then, an antique-style room appeared on the screen.
"It looks like a bedroom." Bai Ye said to Yelan. "Wait, someone's appearing."
A man's large face moved close to the screen.
The man appeared to be in his forties. He had a short beard and a moderate build, giving him an elegant, scholarly air. However, his narrowed eyes made him seem somewhat scheming.
"Who is he?"
Bai Ye asked.
"Qian Er, the second-in-command of the Feiyun Commerce Guild. In the entire Feiyun Commerce Guild, aside from Xingqiu's father and elder brother, he holds the most authority."
Yelan answered Bai Ye's question.
"Do you think he's the mastermind, or is he acting on the Feiyun Commerce Guild's orders?"
"I don't know. Either is possible. But personally, I hope it's the former."
"Mm."
Bai Ye nodded.
He did not want the Feiyun Commerce Guild to be colluding with the Fatui either.
Where else could he find such a good friend as Xingqiu?
The two continued observing the screen.
At this moment, on the screen,
Qian Er kept waving his hands as he examined and handled various antique curios, looking like an extremely knowledgeable professional.
However, the two of them could clearly see an expression of pain on Qian Er's face,
as though someone were cutting flesh from his body.
He gritted his teeth several times and hesitated several times.
"Judging by that pained expression, he clearly cherishes these antiques very much. But the reluctance in his eyes shows that he has no choice but to take some out, and lose them forever. It looks like he intends to use several antiques to trade with the Fatui."
Yelan analyzed.
Bai Ye nodded in agreement.
After a while,
Qian Er finally made up his mind and took several antiques out of a box.
The folding fan was among them.
Besides several folding fans, jade pendants, and other common antiques,
there was also an inconspicuous maze diagram among the items, which appeared somewhat cheap compared to the rest.
Holding those antiques, Qian Er headed outside.
Seeing him begin to move, Yelan turned her head toward Bai Ye.
"Let's go. Qian Er definitely won't trade with the Fatui within Liyue Harbor. We'll follow him out and see exactly what this transaction between him and the Fatui is about."
"Do you know where he is?"
"Of course. I know every street and alley in Liyue like the back of my hand. Qian Er is at his own home right now. If they're looking for a secluded place next, they'll probably go to Mt. Tianheng."
Yelan said to Bai Ye.
"What we need to do is hide at Mt. Tianheng before they arrive."
"Understood."
Bai Ye nodded.
Next,
he might have to fight the Fatui.
He needed to prepare his combat equipment first.
Before you continue