It was a clear day, and on the slopes of Wolvendom, several bushes swayed in the wind.
Suddenly, a cluster of bushes began to tremble, and then Paimon's lazy yet impatient voice emerged from within.
"Seriously, can we really find that 'Abyss Lector' you're talking about this way?"
"Are you doubting me?" Yu Jin heard the skepticism in Paimon's tone and immediately reached out, slipping a note into the bush where Paimon and Lumine were hiding.
Paimon and Lumine's faces were pressed together as they curiously looked at the note Yu Jin had sent in. Then their curiosity turned into speechlessness.
Because the note was clearly a child's scribble. Five stick figures, the leader holding something that looked like a brick.
The five overly simplistic "people" on the note were weaving through a group of "π" symbols. It was hard to imagine how Yu Jin could deduce from this that an Abyss Lector was about to pass through Wolvendom.
"What… what is this?"
"You can tell something from this?"
Lumine and Paimon looked at the "abstract" drawing before them, utterly astonished. How could someone's drawing skills be so terrible!
"Watch out, Paimon, your leg is showing!" Yu Jin saw Paimon's chubby little leg exposed and couldn't help but remind him.
"Oh, got it," Paimon responded indifferently. Then he obediently pulled his small foot, clad in white socks, back in.
"Senior, is this information really reliable?" Lumine controlled her bush, slowly moving closer to Yu Jin.
Yu Jin glanced at Lumine, seemingly surprised that she would doubt him. He reached out, pulled the note back from Lumine's bush, and declared confidently:
"Don't you worry! I've been cultivating this informant for a long time; the information is definitely genuine!"
In truth, Yu Jin hadn't spent much time with Enjou and his group, but since Enjou had sent him a message so quickly, he felt he had to go and see.
After all, this was the first step for Enjou and his group to become good people, and Yu Jin couldn't disregard their wishes.
Even if there was a conspiracy, Yu Jin was confident he could thwart all of them. But if that happened, Enjou and his group would have to taste the fist of personality correction.
"Informant?" Diluc, not far away, frowned upon hearing Yu Jin's words. The Abyss Order could develop informants?
Lost in thought, Diluc even forgot his discomfort at being hidden in the bushes.
Normally, he operated at night, actively concealing himself in the deep darkness. Now, being forcibly stuffed into a bush by Yu Jin, and with such a crude method of concealment, made him particularly uncomfortable.
If anyone else used such a clumsy method of concealment, Diluc would surely have noticed it immediately.
Could the so-called "Abyss Lector" actually be very foolish?
Just as Diluc was lost in thought, Yu Jin heard Diluc's murmur behind him and leaned closer, saying mysteriously:
"Yes, you're in intelligence. I'll introduce you to him later."
"Is that so…" Diluc looked at Yu Jin, then said, "Then I thank you in advance. Also, don't move around carelessly while lurking! Both you and Lumine!"
Diluc's final words clearly carried some helplessness. In his view, this "ambush operation" led by Yu Jin had an absurd number of mistakes, from departure to lurking!
Was this kind of lurking really called lurking? It was more like a picnic!
"Hehe, why bother with so much? Anyway, there's no loss in waiting, not to mention we're ambushing an Abyss Lector, a monster rarely seen even once in a few centuries."
Venti heard Diluc's quiet but muffled growl and couldn't help but laugh. In his opinion, Diluc carried too much stress; often, he didn't need to be so tense.
"I think Lord Venti is indeed right. Even if there are no monsters, such a unique experience is worth remembering." Jean also leaned over at some point.
Actually, after seeing Yu Jin lie on the ground and begin his so-called "disguise," Jean had already treated this hasty operation as a form of recreation outside of work.
Now that she thought about it, it indeed matched her idea. Lying in the bushes, thinking of nothing, just letting the sunlight shine through the gaps in the leaves onto her body, surprisingly brought a different kind of ease.
And after lying there for a while, Jean was surprised to find that her fatigue of many days had significantly lessened, which pleased her.
Unbeknownst to Diluc, the bushes around him were already crowded with people. And through the dense leaves of the bushes, Diluc saw everyone's smiling faces.
"You… Hmph! Never mind." Diluc still had his perpetually poker face, but judging by the slight curve of his lips, he was clearly in a good mood.
Now Diluc had resigned himself. After treating this "lurking" as the picnic Jean had described, many unreasonable aspects became much more palatable.
He gradually lowered his guard and began to leisurely sunbathe, mimicking Jean.
While everyone else was relaxed, Yu Jin did not "degenerate" with them. Lurking should look like lurking!
Look at Paimon, his nose was bubbling. If someone were to abduct him now, he probably wouldn't even know.
Soon, under Yu Jin's full concentration, a group of figures appeared at the bottom of the slope.
Although the figures resembled humans, they were still different from them. What else could they be but monsters of the Abyss Order?
"My… my lord, what is our purpose in coming here?" In the distance, Enjou and his companions panted heavily, looking at the verdant mountains before them and the steadily burning Abyss Fire ahead, asking.
"You're already tired from such a short distance? If all of you are like this, how will The Order's plan be realized!"
Abyss Fire saw Enjou and his group behind him, gasping for breath, and said, frustrated at their lack of progress.
Enjou rolled his eyes at Abyss Fire in his mind upon hearing this. Do you dare to try without using the Abyss Passage?
He had to rush over after Abyss Fire's long-distance teleportation, and then he was scolded upon arrival. Truly, it's easy to talk when you're not the one doing the work.
"You'll get what's coming to you later!" Enjou looked at Abyss Fire's back, thinking fiercely.
He would definitely spit a few times on Abyss Fire later.
"Hmm? Why does this hillside look so strange?" Abyss Fire looked at the hill before him, feeling an indescribable sense of incongruity.
And Enjou, as a double-crosser, immediately noticed the anomaly on the hill ahead—how could such a small hill have five such dense clusters of bushes!
Just as Enjou was thinking about how to trick Abyss Fire into continuing forward, he heard Abyss Fire, who was in front of him, say, "Forget it, why think so much? Anyway, everything on the ground looks displeasing!"
As soon as Abyss Fire finished speaking, without waiting for Enjou and his group to say anything, he walked towards the slope on his own.
Enjou and his companions looked at Abyss Fire's back, feeling a sense of relief. Now they had no burden; after all, Abyss Fire was going to his death by himself.
Abyss Fire walked for a while and suddenly felt a sense of being watched. He turned his head and saw Enjou and the others standing still.
"What are you waiting for? Follow!"
"Aye! Yes, my lord." Enjou's tone was unusually relaxed, something he had never displayed when interacting with Abyss Fire before.
Anyway, Abyss Fire was going to perish, so letting him have his way for a bit was no big deal.
In fact, Abyss Fire's confidence had a reason. The Abyss Passage provided Abyss Heralds and Abyss Lectors with too much convenience.
This ability to teleport at any time using Abyss power was enough for them to retreat safely from any difficulty.
Over time, many Abyss Lectors and Abyss Heralds developed a stubborn personality. Whatever it was, just go for it.
Abyss Fire floated slightly in the air, arriving on the slope. He didn't realize he was already surrounded by a bunch of bushes.
"Halt! This is a robbery! Leave that book in your hand and the halo floating behind you!"
Yu Jin jumped out of the bushes, and then Abyss Fire found himself surrounded by a group of burly men and women.
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