"Diona!"
Seeing the little one still thinking about the two tails.
Paimon approached and pulled her out of her daydream.
"Huh? Lumine and Paimon, you came to Mondstadt too?"
Lumine didn't beat around the bush. After a simple greeting,
she explained the whole story.
This trip was related to the Summoning King Grand Prix.
Little Diona thought for a moment, "The competition?"
"Oh, you mean the one the Adventurers' Guild has been hosting recently?"
"It's indeed quite large-scale. Even the posters were shipped from Inazuma."
Speaking of Inazuma, the little one remembered Kirara from earlier.
"You two have been to Inazuma too, right? Do all Inazuma youkai have two tails?"
Lumine gave a mischievous smile, "Some have even more than two."
Paimon nodded, "That's right, that's right. Some even have horns on their heads."
After saying that, she used her fingers to gesture, imitating Arataki Itto's funny expression.
Making Diona giggle.
[Itto: Flying Lavender Melon, you!]
[Actually, Paimon does have some performance talent]
[Similar, too similar. Back then I was still very buff]
"So Inazuma is that interesting? I definitely have to visit Inazuma someday."
The group got back to the main topic.
Diona didn't know much about the Summoning King Grand Prix.
Because the Cat's Tail Tavern was too busy, and she had to take care of the business.
She hadn't signed up to participate, so she wasn't familiar with the details.
"You should ask the owner instead. Around this time, she should be strolling around the small fountain plaza."
"Mm, okay. Thanks, Diona."
"We'll treat you to something delicious once we get the prize money and commission fee."
Diona didn't forget to tsundere once, "Hmph, isn't that obvious?"
"That deck in your hand was a gift from me, after all."
Lumine rubbed her head, "Thank you, Teacher Diona. Wait for our good news."
The two continued walking up the stairs.
Sure enough, they found Margaret sunbathing by the small fountain.
"Margaret, you really are here!"
"Yo, Lumine and Paimon? Long time no see. Did you come back to Mondstadt to play cards this time?"
Lumine rolled her eyes, "Are you mixing me up with a certain General Mahamatra?"
"Hahaha, sorry sorry. But that adventurer friend of yours really leaves an impression."
After Margaret finished laughing, she asked what the two were doing back in Mondstadt.
If they were looking for her, Margaret, it should be related to Genius Invokation TCG.
Could it be that the two weren't here for the Summoning King Grand Prix?
Recently, more and more people were playing Genius Invokation TCG.
Her Cat's Tail Tavern had also benefited from it.
Seeing this, the Adventurers' Guild simply set up venues in every city and held the Summoning King Grand Prix.
"It's said there's even a certain wealthy tycoon sponsoring it behind the scenes, with very generous prizes. You two really have no interest?"
The two looked at each other. This wealthy tycoon was referring to Mu Yang, right?
To get his prizes, do they still need to participate in the competition?
[It's over. Has little sister become this shameless?]
[Helping Mu Yang investigate and do commissions, what's wrong with wanting some rewards]
[Don't reach out, or you'll get caught]
Seeing their expressions, Margaret thought they were tempted by the prizes.
She was about to continue.
Suddenly, she slapped her forehead as if remembering something.
"Sorry, the strength gap in the Mondstadt region seems a bit wide. It's already in the finals stage now."
"You probably won't be able to get the competition prizes…"
She even planned to comfort Lumine.
"It's okay. If we miss this one, there's always next time."
"Just like who would've thought this card game would become this popular?"
"The person who invented Genius Invokation TCG must be thrilled right now, after all, so many people love playing their game."
Lumine hadn't really paid attention to this inventor.
She only knew that the inventor of Genius Invokation TCG was a Sumeru scholar.
And quite mysterious.
No, now wasn't the time to care about that.
Chatting, she got led astray by Margaret.
Lumine explained that she came to investigate the [Card Phantom Thief].
Margaret fell into thought, "Card Phantom Thief… I think I've heard of it, but maybe not."
Lumine was speechless. The owner was still as unreliable as ever.
Only seeming serious when comforting others.
Margaret didn't provide any useful information.
Then continued her stroll.
At this moment, a pink-haired girl dressed very fashionably emerged from the shadows.
"Are you two discussing some interesting news?"
This sudden approach startled Paimon.
"Eh—?! Who are you? Why were you eavesdropping?"
[No, how can Paimon say that? Don't we eavesdrop all the time too]
[Haha, how many times has the Traveler eavesdropped or stalked?]
[That's different. We're the protagonists—it's righteous eavesdropping, righteous stalking]
[Impressive. No wonder one team can have four people—it's righteous ganging up]
The girl quickly waved her hands, "Ah, sorry sorry, occupational habit. I overheard without meaning to."
She put her hands on her hips, "Let me introduce myself—"
"I'm Charlotte, reporter from Fontaine's Steambird Newspaper."
"Specially dispatched to cover news related to the Summoning King Grand Prix."
[This close-up, this smooth short hair, now look at Yelan]
[Albedo: Just like this]
[Wow, sideboob. Fontaine people know how to dress. I can't wait anymore]
[The more I look at this outfit, the sexier it gets ahhhh, okay]
[???]
Paimon frowned, trying hard to recall, "Steambird Newspaper?"
Lumine also felt like she had heard it somewhere, but maybe not.
Seeing the confused looks on their faces, Charlotte introduced it to them.
"The headquarters of Steambird Newspaper is in Fontaine. It's a newspaper with influence in various regions."
"If I mention one you definitely know—the Sherlock Holmes series was published through our newspaper."
The moment Charlotte mentioned it, Paimon got angry.
Her back molars were about to grind to pieces, "So you're colleagues with that Lin Yuan Xian Yu?"
Charlotte knew that Xian Yu often cliffhangered at case-solving points, which was very infuriating.
But what Paimon said wasn't wrong.
He was indeed considered a colleague of Teacher Xian Yu.
Looking at the expressions of these two great heroes.
They wouldn't take it out on her just because they couldn't find Xian Yu, right?
She weakly spoke, "Y-Yes, colleagues… but none of us have met him in person."
Paimon crossed her arms, "No wonder. That guy did something so outrageous. If he dared show his face, there'd be something wrong."
Lumine wasn't as angry as Paimon.
She read books by saving up chapters.
The reason Paimon was so mad, tracing it back, wasn't actually Xian Yu's fault.
It was her own doing.
Paimon, relying on being an old book fan,
actually competed with Alhaitham in deduction during that cliffhanger chapter.
With her little tricks, how could she possibly outplay Alhaitham?
Naturally, she was utterly defeated.
She couldn't out-argue Alhaitham, so she could only curse Xian Yu to vent.
"Hmph, if Xian Yu hadn't given one less clue, would I have failed to guess it?"
[Charlotte = Charlotte · Sherlock Holmes X Professor Moriarty, start shipping!]
[Calm down, sisters, take me with you to ship]
[Haitham, using a butcher knife to kill a chicken?]
[This is what you call smart for Paimon. Rub against the porcelain a few more times, and everyone will think she's someone who can debate on the same stage as Alhaitham]
[Good good good, often losing to first place means I'm second, right]