Lumine and Paimon quickly found Charlotte in the crowd.
She was currently interviewing passersby.
Only after she finished asking did Paimon speak.
"I thought you had run off somewhere."
Charlotte put away her paper and pen, "I saw that those two had run into an old acquaintance, so I didn't want to disturb your catching up."
"Kaeya is one of the contestants in this finals. I thought you would interview him. Aren't you the journalist responsible for reporting on the competition?"
This time Paimon directly asked the question Lumine wanted to ask — she had improved.
Who would have thought Charlotte would reply confidently, "Aiya, I can write this kind of competition report with my eyes closed."
"Then why were you interviewing passersby just now..."
Charlotte gave a meaningful look.
She said softly, "Look at those two people over there."
"From earlier, I've noticed that their movements are very unnatural. They've been avoiding people's sight."
"It looks like they're preparing to do something shady."
It turned out Charlotte already had a suspected target.
The interviews she had done earlier were merely for surveillance and to cover her tracks.
Lumine continued conversing with Charlotte.
While secretly glancing with her peripheral vision.
The two people not far away were standing under a street lamp.
They were acting fidgety and awkward, no one knew what they were doing.
In broad daylight, two grown men behaving like this did make people suspicious.
[Isn't the hand movement of the person on the left a bit strange?]
[Is he managing the pipe?]
[This is probably peeing, right? It feels like Teyvat doesn't have toilets]
"Could this be the Card Thief?"
Charlotte signaled Paimon not to alert the enemy.
They would wait until there was decisive evidence, then use the Kamera in her hand — [Monsieur Verite] to capture the person.
As a result, in just a blink of an eye.
One of the two people had already disappeared without a trace.
The three hurriedly followed.
That person had very high vigilance and strong counter-reconnaissance awareness.
If Lumine hadn't often done this kind of thing, she would have been discovered long ago.
She also noticed that Charlotte's tracking skills were incredibly advanced.
She couldn't help but ask.
Charlotte was very proud, "This is nothing. The celebrities in Fontaine are each more secretive than the last with their whereabouts."
"I've even squatted in the bushes for Lady Furina before."
"Furina?"
"I forgot, you haven't been to Fontaine yet. Lady Furina is the Hydro Archon."
Lumine/Paimon: Huh???
[Amazing, is this the professionalism of a paparazzo?]
[See, this is what you call professional]
[Every nation has some ruthless people]
[So the Hydro Archon is called Furina. From today onward, I am Furina's dog]
The two didn't have time to be surprised.
The person they were tracking suddenly quickened their pace.
They chased all the way to the city gate.
Unexpectedly, the situation suddenly reversed.
The [Card Thief] they were tracking had actually been targeted by the Treasure Hoarders.
Lumine took action, rescued the person, and then began questioning.
At first, that person was still not honest.
But after seeing the Kamera at Charlotte's waist and the sword in Lumine's hand.
He finally opened up and confessed.
They had just been conducting a transaction for a card back.
This card back with a treasure chest design was very cheap, yet that person was willing to pay a sky-high price to buy it.
And even paid on the spot.
This person had only come here to secretly count the money.
Encountering the Treasure Hoarders was an 'unexpected delight'.
Fortunately, Lumine still obtained useful information.
The person who paid the sky-high price for the card back said: 'Mondstadt's have already been collected completely. Next up should be Liyue.'
Paimon asked, "What do you guys think? This sounds like someone who's just collecting rare card backs."
"Something feels off. Would someone really be willing to run around between nations and pay such high prices just to collect a set of card backs from a general store?"
After finishing her analysis, Charlotte looked toward Lumine.
Lumine didn't know how to answer.
Because she really knew someone who might do exactly that.
Adventurer Cyno taking annual leave to come to Mondstadt to play cards, just to run into Teacher Chalk and have him design a card back for himself...
[Cyno: Hello]
[If it were Cyno, he really could do something like this]
[Does anyone still remember that Cyno is the great General Mahamatra who arrests criminals?]
[Isn't he the card friend who likes telling cold jokes, the General Mahamatra?]
In the end, Lumine still preserved a bit of dignity for the General Mahamatra.
She did not reveal his deeds.
Thus, Charlotte became even more convinced that behind this set of card backs, there must be some unknown secret hidden.
"Hehe, I smell it — this is the scent of an exclusive news story."
The little money-lover Paimon also began to imagine.
That person earlier said this set of card backs featured treasure chests.
Was it possible that if all the card backs were pieced together, they would form a treasure map?
And the treasure map pointed to that treasure chest.
Charlotte thought it made sense and noted it down.
"Although I didn't clearly see that person's face, their figure and behavior were very similar to the Card Thief I saw last time. It should be the same person."
[Extremely similar, or even ninety percent similar]
[The omnipresence unique to homo]
The reason the [Card Thief] did not take direct action this time was likely also related to Kaeya being in the finals.
Many people from the Knights of Favonius had come to cheer him on.
So he chose a more secure method — purchasing at a high price.
"Knowing that his next stop is Liyue makes it easy. We can also report back to Mu Yang properly."
Paimon nodded, "Then let's go back and say goodbye to Kaeya, and then head back to Liyue."
Lumine smirked mischievously, "Actually, Paimon just wants to know if Kaeya will really lose to Timmie, right?"
"Hehe..."
As soon as the three returned to the venue, they heard the emcee loudly announce.
"The winner of this Genius Invokation TCG King Grand Prix Mondstadt region is — Timmie!"
[Great, roast pigeon to celebrate tonight!]
[I am! The TCG King!]
[Kaeya is clapping, smiling so gently. He definitely went easy]
[Taking care of a child is also understandable]
[Timmie secretly switched to Permafrost. Old Eight Kaeya couldn't move at all, it must be like that]
[Card players really don't take salt or oil]
Kaeya smiled as he walked toward the three, "Ahh, I lost, I lost. My opponent was simply too strong. You really can't let your guard down at all."
Lumine looked at him like this and couldn't tell if he had really lost or thrown the match.
She offered a few simple words of comfort.
Lumine still wanted to ask why Kaeya had mentioned earlier that the [Card Thief]'s target might not necessarily be the cards.
But Kaeya just smiled and waved his hand, saying he was only guessing blindly.
"Let's go, let's go. I still have Knights of Favonius work to do."
"The Treasure Hoarders have been getting more and more rampant lately. I need to strengthen the security around Mondstadt City."
"When you get to Liyue, work hard and make sure to catch that guy."
Paimon looked at Kaeya's departing back and stomped her feet in the air.
"That guy definitely knows something, but he just won't say it."
Lumine comforted the little one, "Forget it, Paimon. It's not like this is your first day knowing Kaeya."
"We should hurry and set off for Liyue."