"But I don't believe he'd be kind enough to voluntarily give you an antidote. There must be some conspiracy..."
Ying nodded.
"Yes, caution is never a bad thing. Although I don't know his exact intentions, we won't just sit idly by."
As she spoke, Ying scratched her head with a hint of frustration.
"It's a shame I didn't seek out Albedo and Sucrose to learn some techniques when I left Mondstadt. Otherwise, I could analyze the components of this vial right now."
Ying: . . . . . .
This is hardly a complicated matter.
Shaking her head, Ying stored the test tube in her space and then lowered her head, softly calling out to the little Paimon who kept disconnecting.
"Hey~ Wake up, little lazy pig. You just finished chatting with me and you're already asleep? If you keep this up, you'll eventually get so fat you'll turn into a little Paimon."
Paimon, who was lounging on the ground enjoying herself, immediately opened her eyes in displeasure upon hearing this, pouting and grumbling unhappily.
"Hey! Host, watch what you say. I don't even have a physical form right now, how could I possibly get fat!
And even if I did get fat as a little pig, I wouldn't get as fat as Paimon! (￣へ￣)"
Ying rolled her eyes at Paimon and said faintly,
"You're so good with words. Since you're awake, quickly analyze that vial I just put in my space and figure out its components. Don't tell me you can't even do something like this, you used to be able to make invisibility cloaks."
Oh?
Upon hearing this, Paimon's eyes lit up. She curiously examined the vial and said,
"Hmm, although the energy required for manufacturing is limited, analyzing it is still possible.
But this is quite surprising. I didn't expect you to be quite so clever. I thought you'd already taken me for a short-term super-powered fighter."
Ying shrugged.
"What can I do? Compared to manufacturing an invisibility cloak, a fighter several times stronger than me who can last for an hour is obviously more appealing. Not to mention, it can help me clear daily quests."
However, since she could no longer obtain Primogems, Ying had lost interest in quests. Fortunately, there were no penalties for slacking off, otherwise, given Ying's current personality, she would have likely chosen to withdraw from the Adventurers' Guild altogether.
Tsk!
Knowing Ying was hinting at him, Paimon grumbled in impotent rage, then diligently began analyzing the components, rattling off a list of medicinal herbs that Ying had never even heard of.
"Hmm... Grind these herbs into powder, then add the previously prepared potion. Once they've fused, add a bit of Scaramouche's blood..."
"Hmm?! Hmm?!"
Both Ying and Ying reacted with confusion.
Ying was the first to inquire,
"Scaramouche's blood? What the hell is that?! Could it be used to control the person who drinks it?"
Paimon shook her head.
"Based solely on the recipe, it's difficult to say for sure. However, I have two possibilities. One, as you said, is for controlling the drinker. Two, Scaramouche's blood might be the key to unlocking this strange energy, as he himself improved it."
Ying, standing beside her, furrowed her brow. However, her thoughts weren't on the blood itself, but on the person it belonged to.
"Since he could obtain Scaramouche's blood, can we boldly speculate that perhaps Scaramouche met with the Doctor afterward, or perhaps Scaramouche is recuperating at the Doctor's place?"
Ying's eyes lit up, but after a moment of thought, she shook her head.
"That's certainly a possibility. But didn't the Childe say Scaramouche went missing after taking the Electro Gnosis, so he sent him to investigate?"
"As a Fatui Harbinger, the Doctor couldn't possibly be unaware of the Gnosis on Scaramouche. Scaramouche was in a severely weakened state after I beat him up. If he were truly with the Doctor, why wouldn't the Doctor take back the Gnosis?"
There were too many questions. Ying pondered for a long time and then had a brilliant idea.
Hmph hmph... I was wondering how to repay the Childe for feeding Paimon for the past few days...
And so...
"What?! You're saying Scaramouche is with the Doctor?!"
The Childe's jaw dropped in surprise, clearly shocked by the news.
Ying nodded, instinctively glancing at Paimon, who had fallen asleep after eating too much, and her lips twitched. She continued,
"Cough... Yes. Although I didn't see it with my own eyes, Ying deduced this information from a loophole left by the Doctor. So I'm confident that even if Scaramouche isn't there, it's definitely related to him."
The Childe pinched his chin, his expression grave.
"That being said, the Doctor's recent actions have indeed been somewhat unusual. The monster raid on the Liyue border wasn't in our initial considerations. At first, we thought it was Scaramouche's doing, but after thorough investigation, we also discovered the Doctor's involvement. Scaramouche, on the other hand, seems more like a sharp blade in his hand...
It seems necessary to probe this matter further..."
With that thought, the Childe nodded and thanked them,
"Thank you for the information. I will investigate this matter. I also wish you a speedy reunion with your brother."
Hearing the Childe's farewell, Ying waved her hand.
"It's nothing. I should thank you for saving me quite a bit on meal expenses."
Saying that, Ying took out a three-star bow and handed it to the Childe. Although she had ruined all her good swords before, she still had plenty of bows.
"Here~ Although it's not as good as the bow you're holding, its quality should still be decent. Consider it payment for these past few days."
After saying this, Ying felt it wasn't quite right and added,
"Ah... Of course, the payment is definitely more than just this. Once I'm done with my business, I'll still help you out later~"
The Childe accepted the bow and replied with a smile.
"Hahaha~ Alright, since you put it that way, I won't be polite and will accept it. I'll treat you to a meal when I have time later."
"Mhm, see you around~"
Ying waved goodbye as the Childe departed, a slight smile on her lips. She sighed,
"Ha... Although that guy is a bit annoying, he can be useful sometimes... Huh?!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Ying regretted her words, for a pair of mischievous hands had stealthily reached into her clothes.
Then, a voice filled with jealousy sounded in her ear.
"You seemed quite happy just now..."
Huh?! Huh?!
"I... I... I was just happy he saved me a lot of money..."
Ying spoke cautiously, afraid that a slip of the tongue might ignite the wicked fire behind the person.
Ying obviously knew that Ying wouldn't fall for the Childe, but her cute reaction did make her want to tease her further.
Thus, Ying's lips curved slightly as she rested her head on Ying's shoulder.
"That's what you say... but he's a guy~"
"Huh?! Huh?!"
This jealousy is simply too outrageous!!! (≧﹏≦)