"It's so dark... Strange, where are Scaramouche and the Eleven? I remember I was dealing with them earlier... Wait... What is this?!"
Ying quickly sat up in bed, surprised to find her hands and feet bound to the headboard by chains. A familiar dark purple energy emanated from them.
"Huh?! This... There seems to be energy on the chains... If I remember correctly, Scaramouche was using this kind of power back then..."
Ying tried to activate her elemental power, but it was disrupted by this energy.
"It can even prevent me from using my elemental power?! What the hell is this..."
"Yo? Awake, are we~"
Scaramouche suddenly appeared in the room, looking at Ying on the bed with a playful smirk.
"Scaramouche?! When did you get here?!"
"Hehehe... Just now... How do you feel? This is a room I prepared especially for you~"
"Hmph... What do you want by keeping me locked up here... Ouch!"
Ying immediately stood up, ready to fight, but the chains were too short, and she was pulled back halfway.
"Tsk tsk tsk~ You're so feisty right after waking up. You should be thanking me for not taking your life immediately."
"Heh... The only reason you didn't take my life immediately is because I'm still useful to you."
"Mhmm... Quite clever, aren't we? It's not easy for a young girl to figure that out."
(He wants to use me to get to Lumine... I can't let him succeed!)
"Enough nonsense! Take this!"
Seeing Scaramouche walk towards her, Ying threw a punch, but the chains suddenly shortened, catching her off guard.
"Huh?! Why did the chains get shorter?!"
"Oh my... You almost hit me. It's a shame, but these chains have my energy. They'll be as long as I want them to be~"
"Isn't that a bit too unfair..."
"Hahaha... How is it? This power feels good, doesn't it~ As long as you accept it, it will grant you endless strength..."
"Pah! Stop trying to fool me. Anyone can feel that the energy is ominous and surely takes a heavy toll on the body."
"Hehehe... To gain something, you must lose something. This is simply an equivalent exchange."
"Hmph... In the end, you're just borrowing external power. This power isn't yours. Using it excessively will only harm you."
"Heh... You're right. Using this power too much can indeed cause great damage to a person's body. That's why they need to be used by someone more suited."
(Why is he discussing his abilities with me? Could there be a conspiracy? For now, I shouldn't follow his train of thought...)
"Hmph... I don't care about that. If you have the guts, release me and let's have a fair fight! What kind of skill is it for two Fatui Harbingers to team up and bully a girl!"
"Mhmm... If you want to die, that's no problem. But before that, you'll need to pretend to be dead outside for a while."
"Pretend to be dead? What do you mean?" Hearing Scaramouche's words, Ying's heart sank with a bad feeling.
"Hehehe... What do you think your sister will do when she hears of your death? For example... offending Liyue, causing the Geo Archon and the Fatui's plan to fail? Or charging into our base alone to seek death?"
"You?!" Hearing Scaramouche say this, Ying was enraged, wishing she could immediately beat him down.
"What? Enraged? Unfortunately, right now, you can only seethe in impotent fury~" Scaramouche flicked his hand, and the chains binding Ying rapidly shortened, securing her hands to the headboard.
(Damn it, I need to calm down, Ying. Lower his guard, think of a way to escape... Hooo...) Ying took a few deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down.
Oh? I didn't expect her to regain her composure so quickly. She's got some talent...
"You just said you want to disrupt the Geo Archon and the Fatui's plan... Aren't you part of the Fatui yourself? Are you going to betray them?"
"Mhmm... What evidence do you have that I want to betray them? Besides, I didn't say I wanted to betray them. I just saw your plan going so smoothly and wanted to add a little difficulty for you~"
(This guy... He's full of lies... I should try to get rid of him first...)
"Hmph... Ridiculous. If you weren't betraying them, how could you dare to disrupt your own plan? Your Empress would surely have you executed."
"Hehehe... Sometimes, knowing too much isn't good."
"Alright, alright, I won't ask anymore, okay? And also! I'm hungry. Go prepare some food for me."
"You little brat, are you pushing your luck?"
"Tch~ Anyway, I'm still valuable to you right now. If you have the guts, let me starve to death?"
"You! Hmph... Fine. Your silver tongue is indeed impressive. Just you wait..." Scaramouche left after saying this and turned to walk outside.
"Hooo... As expected, I still can't use elemental power... I can't summon my weapon either... Teleportation is also out..." After Scaramouche had been gone for a while, Ying finally relaxed and tried to find a way to escape.
"Damn you, Scaramouche... Once I escape, I'll have Lumine beat you so badly your own mother won't recognize you!"
"Sigh... I wonder how long I was unconscious... I promised Lumine I'd be back within a day..."
"Wait... If I remember correctly, Lumine said that if I didn't return within a day, she'd come find me at my location... And my current location..."
Ying immediately accessed her internal map. Fortunately, this function wasn't restricted, perhaps because it didn't require the use of her hands or feet...
"I'm still in that base?! This is heaven-sent... Ouch!" Ying joyfully tried to jump up, but the chains on her limbs restricted her.
"Pain, pain, pain... These damn chains, I can't even be happy for a moment. Being imprisoned feels so miserable... ≥﹏≤"
"Sigh... I hope she isn't affected by the false news of my death... Although Lumine won't give up until she sees me dead, this is just the worst-case scenario. I'd better think of a way to increase my chances of escape..."
The scene shifts to Lumine...
"Hmm... The details are all done very well... Alright, Ah-Shan Po, I'll take these pre-ordered goods now. As for the remaining payment..."
"Sigh... As soon as I hear that, I know Zhongli didn't bring any money... Let me handle it."
Lumine reluctantly opened her backpack and began counting her Mora...
"Ah, this... I don't have enough money in my wallet either... Paimon's food expenses are too high Σ(|||▽|||)"
Paimon: "Huh?! What do we do?!"
Paimon: (Shimada! Should I use the host's money to pay? But I've already gotten rid of a lot of the host's assets before... Hurry, Childe, save me ahhhh!)