Genshin Impact, I'm Slime

Ningguang's gaze lingered on the stiff, raised contours beneath the pale white sheet.

The courtyard was deathly silent, save for the faint sound of the evening breeze rustling the downy fur of the night-blooming jasmine shawl.

"The remains were found in a corner of the canal and the edge of Tianheng Mountain."

Ye Lan's deep voice broke the heavy silence. She stood a step away from Ning Guang, her tone unusually calm, yet every word clear.

"Shang Hua was in charge of the section of the canal behind the General Affairs Department. He retrieved more than twenty pieces of human remains from the silted-up ditch, while Wen Yuan found more than a dozen scattered pieces in the wilderness and grass in the direction of the back mountain."

Ye Lan paused briefly, as if sorting through those unbearable details, before continuing:

"The victims' fatal wounds were mostly in the throat and heart, one-shot kills, with almost no signs of resistance. After death, the body was dismembered along the joint gaps, with clean and neat cuts, typical of a professional killer."

"Irregular tears and teeth marks were found on the edges of some of the fragments, which should have been caused by being dragged and gnawed by wild animals in the mountains."

Ye Lan took half a step forward, bent down slightly, and carefully and gently lifted a corner of the white cloth covering the five bodies one by one, her movements carrying an almost ritualistic solemnity.

The mangled and roughly stitched remains, exposed to the cold moonlight, created a suffocating scene.

“We pieced together the parts we could find and barely identified four of them as Qiaoxi, Wancheng, Yunbo and Hongyu, who were missing.”

Ye Lan's fingertips lingered briefly over each cold body, confirming their identities.

"As for Atai..."

Ye Lan's voice grew even deeper as she pointed to the last body in the queue.

"...His head was missing, but after repeatedly checking the remaining clothing fragments, uniform style, and physical characteristics with several of his Thousand Rock Army colleagues who knew him well, they confirmed that it was indeed Atai himself."

Yelan straightened up, covered the headless body with the white sheet again, and looked at Ningguang, declaring each word clearly:

"At this point, all five Thousand Rock Army soldiers who guarded this place last night have perished."

After reporting the discovery and the identity of the victim, Ye Lan bent down again and pointed to the chest area of ​​the white sheet covering Hong Yu's body:
“There are fresh scratches here, which closely match the edge pattern of the copper whistle, which is standard equipment for the Qianyan Army.”

"This means the killer didn't have a perfect stealth. Hongyu must have sensed the deadly threat at the last moment and, in desperation, tried to grab the whistle on his chest to warn the killer..."

Immediately afterwards, Ye Lan's finger moved down, pointing towards the spot on Hong Yu's neck under the white cloth, her tone carrying an almost cruel precision:

"Unfortunately, the assassin was faster than him. Before the whistle could even touch his lips, a blade... or rather, something more lethal, had already precisely pierced his throat, completely silencing any sound."

Ye Lan paused for a moment, as if to mourn the despair that had flashed by in an instant, and then she reached out again to gently cover Hong Yu's lifeless face with the white cloth that symbolized the end.

Ye Lan straightened up, her gaze refocusing on Ning Guang, peeling back the layers of clues and deductions, as if examining the facts on a cold dissection table.

“Ningguang, combined with what you told me before, Ninglan’s ashes and the Eye of God were stolen during the brief time you were away. This is clearly not a coincidence, but a precisely timed operation.”

"These clues clearly prove that the enemy is well aware of the patterns of our core area's defenses, and that they possess sophisticated concealment techniques capable of evading the guards of Yiyan Palace, including some of the mechanisms."

"Most importantly... they are efficient and decisive, possessing the ambush skills of top assassins."

Ye Lan spoke slowly, each word landing heavily like a weight: "This place is right next to the heavily guarded core area of ​​the General Affairs Department. The assassins were ruthless and efficient, taking out five people almost simultaneously, leaving no survivors, and then arranging the scene to erase all traces and mislead the public..."

"Based on the existing evidence, in Liyue, the only organization capable of accurately seizing the right moment, mobilizing such professional and deadly cleaners, and possessing a deep and well-established network of infiltration is... the Fatui Enforcers led by the wealthy Pantarone, and the debt collectors under his command."

Yelan's conclusion was like a cold wedge driven into reality, but she did not stop. Instead, she turned slightly to the side, her gaze sweeping over the quiet courtyard that had once imprisoned the Salt Demon God, and continued to fill in the unspoken part.

"The on-site investigation showed that the interior furnishings of the house where Heureya once lived were basically intact, and there were no obvious traces of struggle or violent fighting on the floor or walls. The dust was also relatively evenly distributed, without any signs of being disturbed on a large scale."

Ye Lan withdrew her hand, looked around the empty courtyard under the cold moonlight, and her tone became more determined.

"More importantly, my people have searched a considerable area radiating outwards from here, but so far they have not found any trace of Herria, not bloodstains, pieces of clothing, or any elemental remnants she might have left behind... nothing."

"Given the calm in the room, the most likely scenario is that Heureia did not die on the spot, but was taken away by the Fools."

“Think about their logic. If the Fools’ purpose was simply to kill Heureia, they wouldn’t have gone to such lengths.”

"They don't need to specifically clear out the five elite Thousand Rock Army soldiers guarding the perimeter. They can directly infiltrate or launch a strong attack to eliminate Heuria with a clear objective, which is more efficient and covert."

"There is no need to risk sneaking into the heavily guarded Yiyan Palace just to steal Ning Lan's ashes and the Eye of God. These two things are of no value to a dead demon god."

Yelan's logical reasoning laid out the sequence of events clearly before Ningguang.

Ningguang listened silently, the moonlight casting cold, hard lines on her delicate profile.

The silence lasted for a long time, long enough for the turbulent waves that Ye Lan had anticipated to brew silently.

But when Ningguang finally spoke, her voice was unusually calm, revealing no trace of surprise or anger. She didn't even directly respond to Yelan's conclusion, but instead swept her gaze over the five silhouettes covered in white sheets, her tone indifferent yet carrying an undeniable authority:
"Keep the scope of this matter to a minimum, and give the fallen soldiers a proper burial."

"The compensation must be comprehensive and in place so that their families have no worries."

This was Ningguang's most direct instruction regarding the tragedy: to handle the aftermath with a calm, almost ruthless, demeanor.

This extraordinary calm may stem from the enormous wealth of over 400 billion mora that was seized from Pantalone.

Even after deducting the portion that will be compensated to the affected Liyue citizens and merchants, Ningguang still holds an astonishing surplus of over 200 billion Mora.

Under the dazzling light of such astronomical wealth, the whereabouts of Heuria, who has lost her power as a demon god and whose symbolic significance outweighs her actual threat, seems less important.

Ningguang turned around, her gaze falling on the dazzling lights of Liyue Harbor, a hint of relief even creeping into her heart.

Fortunately, the truly crucial item was not lost.

As early as when the incident first began to emerge, Ningguang had already quietly entrusted the amber that sealed the authority of the Salt of Heuria to her most trusted servant, Ganyu, for safekeeping.

This hidden move ultimately blocked the greedy hand of the Fools reaching for the Yiyan Palace.

As long as power remains intact, Heureia's fate is still within the controllable course of events. (End of Chapter)