"Huh? You were discovered by Precious Baby?"
Aether looked at the Millelith in front of him with suspicion.
Earlier, when Aether was at Wangshu Inn, he had specifically discussed this issue with the proprietress, Philgoated.
Philgoated had assured him that her Millelith were well-trained and especially skilled in stealth operations, and would absolutely not be easily discovered.
Who would have thought that as soon as he arrived at these ruins, Aether would immediately be stopped by a Millelith.
That Millelith captain had been very thoughtful; he specifically left a Millelith to wait for Aether's arrival, to explain what had happened to Aether.
To prevent Aether from arriving and not understanding the situation, if he encountered Precious Baby, Aether might even be in danger.
"No, no, Miss Aether, we were very well hidden."
The Millelith, hearing Aether ask this, quickly shook his head like a rattle drum.
He was confident about this, and Philgoated was also right; the Millelith squad guarding Wangshu Inn were elites among elites.
Whether in terms of direct combat strength or stealth and special operations, they were far superior to their colleagues in Liyue Harbor.
"It's just that Precious Baby is a bit too cunning. We are confident we didn't show any flaws, but he still seemed to smell something amiss in the air."
The Millelith sighed helplessly.
Having played cat and mouse with the Treasure Hoarders for so long, they had also figured out the Treasure Hoarders' code of conduct.
These guys were divided into two types: one was audacious and insatiably greedy, and these were the easiest to catch.
The other type was as timid as a Wei. With even the slightest disturbance, even if it was just their imagination, these people would flee without hesitation.
While this might mean missing some opportunities, the relative risks were also much lower.
Precious Baby belonged to this type, and was especially difficult to deal with.
"Then if you weren't discovered, you should have continued to hide."
Aether frowned, saying somewhat puzzled.
Since they weren't discovered, they should have continued to hide and wait for an opportunity. Now, directly chasing them so openly wouldn't it put them in a passive position instead?
"You don't understand the Treasure Hoarders. If we don't chase now, I'm afraid it will be very difficult to catch him again in the future."
The Millelith shook his head and said.
Organizations like the Treasure Hoarders, while lacking in other abilities, were first-rate at hiding. And once they sensed a problem in a certain place, they would immediately leave and not set foot there for a long time.
Once this opportunity was missed, trying to catch him again, or even finding any clues, would be a very difficult task.
"Alright then."
Aether sighed, nodding somewhat helplessly. So much preparation and deployment, and in the end, it still turned out like this.
"Then I'll go help too."
Aether made a decision. His speed was definitely faster than the Millelith's, and he also had a special ability to locate Precious Baby, so catching him might not be difficult.
"You must be very careful. Now that the cards are on the table, that guy probably won't be very friendly towards you."
The Millelith warned with some concern.
Although Precious Baby probably wasn't aware that Aether knew his identity yet, seeing so many Millelith, that guy probably wouldn't trust Aether anymore.
"Don't worry, Precious Baby can't do anything to me."
Aether waved his hand, then followed the tracks on the ground, chasing in the direction Precious Baby had left.
It couldn't be called a failed plan yet. As long as Precious Baby could be brought back, anything was fine…
—
"Damn it, where did all these Millelith come from?"
Precious Baby crouched behind a ruin, his eyes unblinkingly fixed on the Millelith rushing past him.
As a Treasure Hoarder, escaping was definitely a mandatory course, and how to hide was the most important part of that course.
Precious Baby had been adventuring for so long and had never been discovered by the Millelith precisely because his hiding skills were superb.
He had experienced dangers like this countless times before, so at this moment, he was not flustered at all. He crouched and hid here, quietly waiting for the Millelith to leave.
At the same time, he was also wondering how he had been exposed.
This time, stealing artifacts from the ruins was his own initiative. Even among the Treasure Hoarder group he belonged to, not many people knew about it, and he had been traveling incognito all along, so there shouldn't have been any mishaps.
After coming here, she also found a local Treasure Hoarders group to cooperate with—wait, on second thought, those guys haven't appeared for a long time.
Ever since she lost the cultural relic last time, she and that group had pretty much parted ways, and she hadn't paid attention to their movements since.
Could it be that the reason they haven't appeared these days is because they were caught by the Millelith early on…
And then they sold her out. Yes, that's right.
It must be like that!
"Damn it, I knew those guys weren't reliable."
Precious Baby muttered to himself in a low voice, gnashing his teeth as he spoke.
It seems he can't stay in this place anymore. Although he hasn't found the cultural relic he's been looking for, he's at least gained something.
That pendant looks very valuable. Even if it's not as good as the previous one, as long as he doesn't return empty-handed, he can accept it.
Thinking this, Precious Baby tiptoed out from his hiding place once the Millelith had mostly moved away.
"I'm really so unwilling…"
Precious Baby looked at the nearby ruins and couldn't help but murmur softly.
So many days of effort had been wasted, and it would be impossible for him to set foot in this place again for a long time.
If he had to say what he was most reluctant to part with, it wasn't the cultural relic he hadn't found, but… that Damselette.
Precious Baby didn't know why, but Ei's figure suddenly appeared in his mind.
In reality, since the Millelith had already arrived at the place where he and Ei met, it was enough to prove that Ei had most likely known his identity all along, and had even teamed up with the Millelith to set up a trap, just waiting for him to fall into it.
From this perspective, he and Ei were actually already enemies.
However, Precious Baby didn't feel much hostility towards Ei in his heart; instead, that indescribable burning sensation grew even more intense.
"Since we're enemies… then it's okay to do something excessive to you, right?"
A pink light flashed in Precious Baby's eyes.
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