Regarding Dori's suggestion, Layla had no objections.
She had heard of Dehya's reputation.
Mona, on the other hand, was indifferent.
She already knew Mu Yang's true identity, so what danger could there possibly be on this journey?
Although Mu Yang really wanted to meet Dehya, during this time, she had likely already been promoted to the personal bodyguard of the young lady.
Meeting her would only happen by chance.
Thus, Dehya wasn't part of Mu Yang's original plan.
But since Dori brought it up, to keep up appearances, he decided to go take a look.
If Mu Yang kept playing it like this, Dori might really start questioning her life choices.
The trio arrived at the mercenary outpost and inquired with the members of [Blazing Beast].
As expected, Dehya had already gone to serve as Dunyarzad's bodyguard.
Mu Yang and the others didn't linger long.
Not long after they left, a stunning beauty arrived on their heels.
This woman had captivating ice-blue eyes.
Her honey-colored skin almost gleamed under the sunlight.
And that striking black-and-gold hair flowed freely with her brisk steps.
This beautiful and agile woman was none other than Dehya.
A member of [Blazing Beast], Harun, exclaimed in surprise, "Dehya?! Why are you back?"
Dehya smiled, "The young lady gave me a day off, so I'm out for a stroll and thought I'd check on you guys."
Harun regretfully slapped his thigh.
"Ugh, if you'd come just a bit earlier, you'd have met a strange foreign merchant who specifically asked for you."
"They were probably drawn by the reputation of [The Flame-Mane]. The offer was quite shocking."
Dehya's interest was piqued, and she asked Harun what the job was.
"Escorting them to Aaru Village, for this amount." Harun held up two fingers.
"Two hundred thousand?" Dehya thought five times the usual rate was indeed impressive, but…
"Two million!"
Dehya was stunned. Two million for a trip to Aaru Village?
Was this foreign merchant out of their mind?
You couldn't earn that much even after a hundred trips!
At that moment, Dehya's heart was five percent shock and ninety-five percent regret.
If she hadn't been haggling with that eyeshadow vendor, she would've made it in time!
With two million, who would care about the price of eyeshadow?
She could've funded the education of so many desert children.
Alas, fate was cruel…
"So, which group ended up taking the job?"
Dehya was eager to know who had snagged this massive deal.
Harun recounted the situation.
Although Dehya wasn't there, their team was still capable of handling the task, so they recommended themselves.
But the other party wasn't interested at all.
The other mercenaries mocked [Blazing Beast] for a while, thinking they were nothing without Dehya.
Soon after, various mercenary groups stepped forward to pitch themselves.
After all, two million Mora for such an easy job—nobody wanted to miss out.
Who would've thought the young man would be so blunt, saying the two million Mora was to witness the prowess of [The Flame-Mane].
Others weren't worth that price.
He'd only offer forty thousand.
Forty thousand was a reasonable price for such a task.
On a normal day, any decent mercenary could take it.
But now, wasn't this basically saying everyone else was inferior to Dehya?
For desert mercenaries who lived by the blade, who could tolerate such an insult?
If anyone had accepted the job then, they'd probably never work in this business again.
Dehya found it hard to believe. "So they just set off like that?"
Harun confirmed, "The merchant said they had the best astrologer in all of Teyvat, who could avoid any danger, so they weren't worried at all."
Dehya frowned. This wasn't good.
The Eremites were a mixed bunch, with each member having their own moral bottom line.
This merchant was likely to be targeted.
She wondered how capable this "best astrologer in all of Teyvat" really was.
Even if they could avoid danger once, could they guarantee safety for the entire journey?
No, I have to check this out.
Dehya bid farewell to Harun and quickly followed after them.
———
On Mu Yang's side.
The trio was currently riding on pack beasts, enjoying their journey through Sumeru.
After leaving the mercenary outpost, Mu Yang went to a caravan and bought two pack beasts, along with a map to Karuha Post and Aaru Village.
With that, the three set off.
Even while playing the role of a merchant, Mu Yang had no intention of acting like a defenseless one.
His Vision was always hanging at his waist.
Hiring Dehya was because she was an important figure worth befriending, not because Mu Yang needed her protection.
Thus, Mu Yang had no need to show friendliness to the other Eremites.
When Mona was pushed forward by Mu Yang as the "best astrologer in all of Teyvat," she was momentarily stunned.
That title was a bit too exaggerated.
But with Mu Yang around, she wasn't worried about any danger on the journey.
Mu Yang's reputation in Mondstadt was already wild enough—claiming to be a dragon slayer, single-handedly holding the city gates, and repelling an Abyss-enhanced Hilichurl army.
Now, Mona knew his true identity—a Liyue Adeptus.
Layla had no objections either.
When it came to astrology, she would argue her points fiercely, even if it meant challenging her teacher, the esteemed Rukkha, or any other authority.
But in matters of daily life, the girl had little to say.
Out of trust in her idol, Mona, she followed along.
They were already headed to the same place for observations anyway.
The two hit it off immediately and were now sitting on the back of the second pack beast, discussing academic matters.
As for that, Mu Yang couldn't follow along.
He was half-lying on his own pack beast, wondering how long it would take to reach the location Mona had calculated.
The pack beasts weren't fast, but they eventually arrived.
Suddenly, the Eremites leapt out from behind the trees.
This group of mercenaries was a mixed bag, with many lacking any moral bottom line.
Killing and robbing was nothing to them.
Besides, Mu Yang had provoked them.
The Eremites slowly tightened their encirclement.
Since Mu Yang and his group all had Visions, they couldn't be careless.
Seeing that the surrounded trio seemed too scared to even draw their weapons, the leader prepared to give the order for an all-out attack.
But then he noticed Dehya up in the tree.
She had caught up.
"Dehya, stepping in like this doesn't quite follow the rules, does it?"
Dehya tilted her head. "Rules? Whose rules?"
The leader lowered his voice, proposing a deal. "How about this: you take the lion's share, and we brothers get a sip of the soup. What do you say?"
"Boss?" A new recruit was dissatisfied. Wasn't it obvious they had the upper hand? Why fear a single Dehya?
"Shut up!"
Dehya didn't move. After all, Mu Yang hadn't hired her yet, so she was still waiting.
"Three million, to see the skills of [The Flame-Mane]."
Mu Yang wasn't just talking the talk—he threw a promissory note toward Dehya.
Seeing that this guy was serious, Dehya let out a hearty laugh.
"Then you'd better keep your eyes wide open."
She clenched her fists, cracking her knuckles. "Let's get started!"
Dehya leapt from the tree, slamming a fiery punch into the ground.
The battlefield erupted in flames, with clanging and banging—
The Eremites were utterly routed…
Dehya extinguished her flames. "So, how was it? Satisfied, employer?"
The trio, who had been watching the show, couldn't help but clap.
They had just witnessed Dehya's fiery performance.
It was indeed quite impressive.