Genshin Impact, I'm Slime

Before Ye Lan finished speaking, her gaze, tinged with a hint of helplessness, turned to Wu Pei, who stood like an iron tower to the side.

She extended two slender fingers and gently tapped Wu Pei's strong arms, which seemed to burst through his coarse cloth jacket, her tone languid yet tinged with annoyance:

"Hey Wu Pei, can't you tone down those muscles a bit? What about your family's bone-shrinking technique? Can't you pick something less conspicuous?"

Ye Lan sighed softly, as if she was having a headache for this subordinate who was naturally incapable of stealth.

"If you just stand there, even a blind man could tell that you're a good candidate for martial arts training. You're too conspicuous."

Wu Pei's dark face immediately turned embarrassed. He subconsciously scratched the back of his head and mumbled an explanation:
"Lord Yelan, as you know, the old master didn't pass on his real skills to me. I've been training in martial arts and doing rough work since I was a child. I'm good with fists, kicks, swords, and spears, but I'm not good at the delicate work of hiding and acting like a cat or a dog..."

His tone revealed a sense of grievance that he had truly tried his best.

"This is truly not up to my comrades' standards!"

Watching the boss and subordinate engage in their daily discussion of the art of disguise, the Traveler and Paimon exchanged a knowing, barely suppressed chuckle. Taking advantage of a lull in their conversation, the Traveler quickly cut to the chase:
"Ye Lan, what are you doing here?"

The girl's gaze swept over the incense smoke curling within the Yiyan Hall, and she lowered her voice, her tone tinged with a hint of probing:

"Could it be... related to the person Paimon almost called out earlier?"

Ye Lan nodded in agreement, her expression instantly returning to its usual calm and sharpness.

“Yes,” she said succinctly, “it’s precisely for Heureia.”

"After careful consideration, Lady Ningguang believes that Heulia herself is not a guilty person, and her previous house arrest was out of necessity, especially after the Ninglan incident..." Yelan's voice was clear and steady, "and it is even more impossible to keep her imprisoned for a long time."

"So now, she is allowed to move around Liyue Harbor to a limited extent, relax, and experience the everyday life."

"Limited?" The traveler immediately caught the key phrase. "Just allowed to browse? Aren't you afraid of her..."

"Are you afraid she might suddenly attack someone, or take the opportunity to escape?"

Ye Lan smiled knowingly; the traveler's worries were clearly within her expectations.

"Rest assured, after repeated investigations by the Immortals of Jueyun and verification by the Half-Immortals of Yuehaiting, the conclusion is clear: Heuria's demonic authority has long since dissipated, and she is now no different in essence from any ordinary woman on the streets of Liyue."

"She has no power whatsoever, and poses virtually no threat. I even think that those kids running around on Tiger Rock could easily knock Heuria to the ground."

Ye Lan paused, her gaze turning towards the depths of the bustling Yiyan Temple square, where several seemingly ordinary, robust figures were subtly observing a certain direction.

"As for surveillance and protection, arrangements have naturally been made."

Ye Lan turned her gaze back, with an air of complete composure.

“Every time Heulia steps out of her residence, I or my capable subordinates will follow her closely. In this Rock-Bound Palace, there is always a team of elite Thousand Rock Army soldiers on standby to ensure that nothing goes wrong.”

Ye Lan's gaze sharpened slightly, her tone calm yet unquestionable.

"And also to ensure that no one dares to cause trouble."

As the traveler listened to Yelan's confident assurances, his tense nerves eased slightly, but when his gaze fell upon Heuria's figure in the distance, an indescribable sense of heaviness crept back into his heart.

The small box on Ningguang's desk involuntarily came to mind. As crucial evidence, Ninglan's ashes would obviously not be buried casually; perhaps Ningguang had even secretly placed them in some corner deep within the Yiyan Palace.

Meanwhile, Heureia, the "Salt Mother" whose fate was intertwined with hers, stood in the square in front of the palace, perhaps separated from the small box that held the end of life by only a thick red wall.

"Would you like to speak with Heureia, traveler?"

Ye Lan's voice broke Ying Mei's chaotic thoughts.

As the ruler of the Liyue Underworld, Yelan naturally knew the final fate of Ninglan and the people of Yinyuan Hall. Her gaze caught the complex emotions in the Traveler's eyes when he looked at Heuria, and she slightly raised her chin towards that plain figure.

"During her house arrest by the General Affairs Department, Heulia never asked about her own fate, but rather about the current situation of Ning Lan and the former subordinates of Yinyuan Hall."

Ye Lan lowered her voice even further, speaking with the calm composure characteristic of an intelligence officer, but a subtle, complex emotion flickered in her eyes.

"For reasons that you and I both understand, the people in the General Affairs Department and I had no choice but to fabricate some necessary lies."

"Although Ningguang and Keqing immediately blocked the news of the Laminariat, the horrific scene of the criminals being burned alive during transport was still spread sporadically in the dark corners of Liyue Harbor through members of the Treasure Hunting Group."

Yelan looked at Heulia's lonely figure in the distance, her emerald eyes slightly lowered, making it impossible to see her expression at that moment.

"That's why Ningguang strictly forbids Heureia from entering crowded areas of the market."

"Those rumors that she shouldn't hear, and those that might push Liyue back into the abyss, must be kept out."

Ningguang's handling of the matter was not unexpected for the traveler. After all, in the secret meeting at Yiyan Palace, Ningguang had already made it clear that she would temporarily suppress the matter of Ninglan, as if covering a burning past with a thick curtain, making it airtight.

But how long can the burning truth beneath the curtain be concealed and bound by this airtight cover?
Faced with Yelan's suggestion, the traveler felt a surge of impulse he couldn't quite understand, and he nodded almost unconsciously.

Ye Lan took in that slight nod, and a knowing smile immediately appeared on her lips. She didn't say anything, but simply raised her hand and gently gestured towards the figure standing in the incense smoke at the edge of the square, indicating that the traveler could do as he pleased.

The girl carefully tucked the envelope containing the lantern voucher into her body, then turned with a determined look and walked towards Heuria.

Despite his many doubts, Paimon, like a loyal little pendant, followed the traveler's footsteps without hesitation, getting closer and closer to that lonely and distant figure.

The moment the girl and the little mascot disappeared into the wisps of incense smoke, the faint smile on Ye Lan's face vanished without a trace, leaving only her usual coldness and the absolute focus of an observer.

She was stationed here, and Heureya was simply the most obvious target.

Those eyes, sharper than those of an eagle, were now scanning each figure stepping out of the inconspicuous back door of the exchange with almost invisible fluctuations.

More precisely, they were probing whether they possessed those tiny, yet powerful, paper vouchers, and recording the important figures who frequented the exchange.

There are naturally more than one back door to the exchange, but the one in front of us is the one that is closest to the Rock Temple and stands most prominently beside the entrance to Liyue Harbor.

The moment the traveler stepped out of that low door, Yelan's gaze locked onto him like a magnet.

The striking outline of the envelope in the girl's hand was clearly revealed the moment the light shifted.

Even this traveler, whose footsteps have traversed the mortal world and who clearly knew that the Lantern Ticket was a scam, was caught up in the raging storm sweeping across Liyue and willingly handed over Mora.
The color in Ye Lan's emerald eyes settled, becoming even more profound and unfathomable.

It seems the assessment of the potential dangers of this tiny paper coupon needs to be raised several levels. (End of Chapter)