He changed Tiwat

"And it wasn't just me; many people in the Grand Bazaar have received the blessings of the Little Lucky Grass King—"

“For example, Farhad said that one night he got drunk and lost his way. He fell on the road, but it seemed that someone caught him. When he woke up, he found himself sitting under a big tree not far from his home. It must have been the Little Lucky Grass King who appeared to take care of him.”

"Grandma Srimati said her granddaughter missed her deceased mother and often couldn't sleep at night, crying herself to sleep every night. But then one day, someone started talking to her until she fell asleep... Grandma Srimati also felt that it was the Little Lucky Grass King keeping her granddaughter company..."

"So everyone in the Grand Bazaar is really keen on celebrating the 'Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival,' wanting to thank the Grass Goddess for her usual care... Oh, right, and there's Miss Dina Zede over there, she's someone who has actually met the Grass Goddess..."

Nilu pointed her gaze at a young girl who was immersed in the festive atmosphere.

The girl wore a golden crown, had her brown hair styled in a bun, and possessed a calm and elegant demeanor; she certainly looked like a young lady from a wealthy family.

Han Fulai, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly asked, "Miss Nilu, the Dina Zedai you mentioned... is she the eldest daughter of the Huma family that you told me about before?"

Nilu smiled and nodded: "Yes, that's her. Although I don't know her father, I'm quite familiar with Miss Dina Zede."

“I remember, Mr. Jiang Xue wanted to represent the fleet to discuss a business deal with Lord Humayi… If we want to meet Lord Humayi, Miss Dina Zedai’s recommendation would be more convenient than Mr. Zubair’s introduction. Hmm, shall I take you to meet her?”

Han Fulai nodded outwardly without showing any emotion, but inwardly he was thinking: "It's like finding a needle in a haystack, only to have it come to me effortlessly."

He approached Nilu, sponsored the "Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival," and through this, he met the troupe manager, Sheikh Zubair, who then introduced him to Lord Humayi—all in order to meet the eldest daughter of the Humayi family, the "most devout believer of the Little Auspicious Grass King" in Nilu's words, the girl who had once met the Grass God, Dina Zede.

The Huma family is the president of the Baoshang Street Chamber of Commerce and the leader of the Chamber of Commerce in Xumi City. Their status is equivalent to the "Feiyun Chamber of Commerce" in Xumi City, and they have considerable influence even within the Academy of Religion.

As a young lady from a prominent family, Dina Zedai naturally rarely left her home, and even when she did go out, she was always surrounded by attendants, making it difficult to meet alone with Han Fulai—especially now that Han Fulai had a face that resembled that of the Treasure Thieves.

So his plan was to probe indirectly, first establishing contact with the Humayi family, and then gradually trying to extract information about the Grass God from Lord Humayi. It would be best if Lord Humayi knew about the Grass God, but even if he didn't, finding out where Dina Zedai's boudoir was would be enough…

Well, with his current strength, he could simply sneak into Dina Zede's boudoir under the cover of darkness and use the "Dream Travel Technique" on her to get the information she wanted. Although it's said that Sumeru people don't dream, the "Dream Travel Technique" doesn't require one to "sleepwalk" to use. This immortal technique is essentially a "soul-capturing technique," and it doesn't care whether you're dreaming or not.

Han Fulai never expected this young lady to come to a place like the Grand Bazaar, without any attendants. He thought of the second young lady of the "Flying Cloud Merchant Guild"... So, do young ladies from wealthy families all like to run away from home?

In this way, as "Nel's friends" and "sponsors of the Flower Festival", they should be able to easily extract information from him - it seems that things have been going particularly smoothly ever since he met up with Yingmei. Is this the luck of "Teyvat's overpowered protagonist"?

Han Fulai was deeply envious.

"I never imagined that even foreign countries have such devoted admirers of the Little Lucky Grass King!"

After Nil explained her purpose, Dina Zede was overjoyed.

Han Fulai had seen that expression many times—the same expression on the faces of the fanatical fans in Mondstadt who shouted "Barbara, go!" when they mentioned Miss Barbara.

Not only that, after hearing that Ying and Paimon had contact with a girl who resembled the Grass Goddess abroad, Dina Zede actually insisted that they tell her about that experience, just like Albert peeking at Barbara through a church window...

...Without a doubt, this Miss Dina Zede is absolutely a die-hard fan of Little Lucky Grass King.

Unable to dissuade Dina Zede, Ying and Paimon had no choice but to retell the story of their encounter with the "little bird" on the "Golden Apple Islands," omitting, of course, the parts related to the Fools.

After hearing the story, Dina Zede let out a satisfied sigh: "Yes, I'm sure that 'little bird' that was talking to you was Lord Little Lucky Grass King."

"Huh, how can you be so sure?" Paimon asked curiously.

Dina Zede smiled and said, "Because birds are the embodiment of the Little Lucky Grass King!"

"Legend has it that long, long ago, a man heard a prophecy that a great calamity was about to befall him. So, filled with fear and anxiety, he sought help from the Grass Goddess, hoping that she would bestow upon him wisdom to help him escape the crisis. He crossed deserts, traversed rainforests, and endured all kinds of hardships, but still could not find the Grass Goddess."

“‘Oh, God must have abandoned me!’ he thought in despair, and then he could only sadly prepare to accept his fate. Disaster struck, but what he didn’t expect was that the things he saw and heard along the way inspired him—he successfully overcame the difficulties by his own strength.”

"Just then, a bird landed on his shoulder. It was the incarnation of the Grass Goddess. She said, 'You who seek the gods, do you understand now? You have already found me, and you have found the traces of wisdom. We are in every flower and blade of grass along the way, in the bright sunshine, and in the elusive wind. As long as you do not stop thinking, we are everywhere.'"

"That 'bird' you mentioned, didn't it also ask you: 'Rather than asking, wouldn't you like to find the answer yourself?' 'Do you feel satisfied and happy after resolving this incident?' You see, isn't that the tone of the Grass God?"

Ying and Paimon exchanged a glance and both nodded.

The "bird" on the "Golden Apple Islands" is indeed just like in the legend described by Dina Zede. It doesn't directly bestow wisdom upon people, but rather guides them to discover "wisdom" in their own lives. It seems that the mysterious girl who appeared in the "Dudu Communicator" that day really was the Little Lucky Grass King.

To be able to identify the Grass God's identity based on just a few subtle tones of voice, Dina Zede must really be very familiar with the Grass God, right?

Paimon asked hopefully, "Then you must know how to see the Grass God, right?"

Just as Dina Zede was about to speak, a commotion suddenly arose from behind the crowd. She glanced back, then, like a startled rabbit, quickly hid behind them—more precisely, behind Han Jiangxue, who appeared to be the tallest and most imposing among the group, with the broadest shoulders, enough to completely conceal a girl.

She clung to Han Fulai's sleeve, her eyes pleading, "Please, don't let them take me back..."

Han Fulai gently patted her hand, signaling her to relax: "Nilu, Ying, please take this young lady backstage and hide her there. I'll handle things here."

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Taste of a Lie [4k]

The commotion came from a group of burly men.

Their well-defined muscles, rough, sand-like skin, the curved swords at their waists, and their booming voices—all these things clearly identified them as the "Gilded Brigade."

The "Gilded Brigade" is a collective term for all mercenary organizations within the territory of Sumeru, and its name comes from the vast Red Sand Sea to the west of Sumeru City.

It is said that the blazing sun shines on that sea of ​​sand, giving it a golden hue, and the mercenary brigade living in the desert takes this as its name, calling themselves the "Gilded Brigade".

Unlike the Adventurers' Guild, the "Gilded Brigade" does not have a unified guild-like organization, nor does it have a leader or any other de facto authority.

Countless mercenary groups, large and small, operate independently on this land. Every now and then, a group's cargo becomes the target of another group's robbery, leading to bloody conflicts, numerous casualties, and even the expulsion of the entire group.

Of all the "gilded brigades," the most powerful is the "Thirty-Man Group," responsible for the defense of Sumeru City. A thousand years ago, the "Thirty-Man Group" followed the Great Tree King from the desert to the rainforest, and today, it has become the "regular army" of Sumeru, directly under the command of the Great Sage of the Order of the Church.

To distinguish themselves from other "gilded brigades," the mercenaries of the "Thirty-Man Group" were uniformly equipped with green scarves in the style of the Church Council, while the mercenaries who broke into the Grand Bazaar wore red scarves around their necks... In other words, they were not under the jurisdiction of the Church Council and were likely private armed forces hired by an employer.

As for who hired this "gilded brigade"—

"Sir, did you see a young girl with brown hair, wearing a purple top and a light blue long skirt just now?"

The loud-voiced man who had grabbed the old man on the roadside and asked him questions had already revealed his identity and purpose.

Clearly, they were bodyguards hired by the Humayi family patriarch, searching for Dina Zedai, the runaway eldest daughter of the Humayi family.

The old man, whose shoulder was suddenly grabbed, tilted his head in confusion and asked, "Huh? What did you say?"

The man raised his voice: "Have you seen my young lady?!"

The old man raised his hand to his ear: "Whose child is this?"

The man roared, "It's mine!"

The old man heard clearly this time: "My family's?... Oh, right, I have a granddaughter!"

The man gritted his teeth: "I'm not asking about your granddaughter, I'm asking if you saw my young lady pass by!"

The old man nodded repeatedly: "Oh, she and her parents settled in Port Omos. I haven't seen her in a long time!"

The man finally gave up: "Sigh, sir, go find somewhere cool to stay..."

The mercenaries asked some passersby, but received no satisfactory answers. They huddled together and sighed, "Strange, where did she go? She shouldn't be able to walk that fast."

"If we can't find him, we won't be able to explain it to the master and madam... How about we search this area?"

Seeing that the mercenaries seemed about to rush into the theater to search, Han Fulai stepped forward at the right time and patted one of them on the shoulder: "Brother, are you looking for a girl wearing a golden headdress and with bandages wrapped around her arm?"

The mercenary was overjoyed upon hearing this: "Yes, yes, brother, you saw it?"

Han Fulai smiled without saying a word, rubbed his fingertips together, and made an internationally recognized hand gesture to him.

The mercenary quickly pulled a small bag from his pocket, counted out a few Mora, and poured them into his palm.

Han Fulai continued to rub his fingertips with a smile.

Seeing the eager looks from his colleagues, the man gritted his teeth and stuffed the entire bag of Mora into Han Fulai's hands.

Han Fulai grinned and pointed towards the market, and several mercenaries hurriedly ran in the direction he was pointing.

"The Huma family is quite generous."

He weighed the mora bag in his hand; it contained at least 50,000 mora.

Yes, Mr. Humayi is paying for tonight's dinner.

He turned around happily, intending to go back and tell Dina Zede that he didn't need to worry about the pursuers, when suddenly a figure appeared in front of him.

The person blocking the road was a woman, a very beautiful woman.

She has captivating ice-blue eyes, honey-colored skin that seems to shimmer, and long, flowing black-gold hair—slightly curled and styled into two cat-ear-like buns on top of her head, which softens her sharp, edgy aura and adds a touch of youthful liveliness and charm.

In addition, she wore makeup.

It's not like Han Fulai's disguise to conceal his identity, but rather the kind of adornment a girl makes to showcase her beautiful appearance.

Thanks to Miss Ye Lan, Han Fulai also learned a bit about cosmetics while undergoing the disguise. He could tell that she used eyeliner powder mixed with "glossy essence," making even her eyelashes shiny. The foundation was the same as the one on his face, made of pearl powder and ice mist flower powder, which was both cooling and sun-protective. You get what you pay for; his makeup wouldn't smudge whether he sweated or got rained on.

But this elaborate makeup didn't suit her professional identity.

This lady from the desert was neither a dancer nor a songstress, but a mercenary who had risked her life on the line.

Han Fulai noticed the red silk cloth tied around her chest, as well as the gold thread and sunlight pattern on the cloth—the "gold-woven red silk" worn only by high-ranking mercenaries. The gold threads on the cloth were pure gold, indicating that the young woman in front of him was a big shot in the mercenary world.

There are three types of symbols used to distinguish status within the "Gilded Brigade": "ordinary red silk", "red silk with borders", and "red silk with gold brocade".

Ordinary young mercenaries, like the one who was just tricked out of a bag of Mora by Han Fulai, wear the most ordinary red silk around their necks; while veteran mercenaries who have accumulated some reputation in the industry and are able to lead teams on missions will embellish their red silk with a layer of gold, symbolizing the status of "captain"; only those who have reached the position of "leader" or "vice-leader" of the brigade are qualified to wear this "gold-embroidered red silk".

In Sumeru, female mercenaries are not uncommon, and there are many brigades led by female mercenaries.

The harsh desert treats men and women equally; the weak become prey for the strong. If you don't want to become "prey," you have to take up arms and become a "predator."

But this woman is probably at the very top of the desert's "food chain," evidenced by the fiery red Eye of God hanging from her waist.

“I am Desia, the ‘Blazing Beast Hunter’.”

The woman gave a brief self-introduction.

Han Fulai noticed the gilded arm guard and spiked claw-shaped gauntlets she wore on her right hand—mercenary melee equipment that could deliver more than just a "flesh-on-the-skin" blow.

They possessed thin arm armor strong enough to withstand swords and arrows, and specially designed mechanical gauntlets that wouldn't restrict joint and finger movement. These two pieces of equipment were beyond the reach of ordinary mercenaries, and even regular blacksmith shops lacked the technology to manufacture them.

As far as Han Fulai knew, only "master craftsmen" who graduated from the "Mysticism School" of the Order Academy could accept such orders, and every custom-made weapon produced was a high-priced item. There were even quite a few members of the "Gilded Brigade" who ambushed and killed each other in order to seize these equipment; at least half of the heinous cases involving poisoning and murder in Sumeru City came about in this way.

Adhering to the principle of "keeping one's wealth hidden," mercenaries usually conceal these valuable items until they are fighting for their lives, at which point they will reveal their hand.

So, why is Miss Dixia wearing such conspicuous equipment in this peaceful Sumeru City? Is it because she is confident that no one will dare to lay a hand on her, or is she preparing to fight someone?

Han Fulai took a half step back, maintaining a wary posture, and asked in a rough voice, "What business does Miss Mercenary have with me?"

The mercenary named Dixia seemed to have already checked his identity using the "Void Terminal," and without hesitation, she spoke his name: "Mr. Han Jiangxue, my brothers in the group were taken care of by you just now. Thank you for showing them the way, but..."

She extended her golden "claw" towards Han Fulai, and in her hand was a small Mora bag.

“The ‘direction fee’ you just charged seems a bit too much. Brother Muruwa has only been in the group for a short time, he has little experience and not much savings. That money was meant to be sent to his family. Could you please return that bag of Mora to me? Of course, your directions were not in vain, so consider this 10,000 Mora as a personal thank you gift.”

...Exchanging 10,000 for 50,000, this Dixia certainly has a good plan.

Whether it's ten thousand or fifty thousand, it's money falling from the sky. These bodyguards from the Huma family had no grudge against him, and Han Fulai had no intention of causing them trouble, so he feigned a pained expression and agreed to Dixia's request.

Just as he reached out to take the Mora bag from Dixia, Dixia's icy blue pupils suddenly snapped upwards like a feline's, staring intently at Han Fulai's palm.

Her nostrils twitched slightly twice.

It was at this moment that Han Fulai noticed a white mark on his palm, something like "talcum powder"—he remembered that he had touched Dina Zedai's hand when she asked him for help earlier.

Dixia's lips curled up slightly, but her eyes turned cold: "...It smells like a lie."

As she spoke, the Mora bag in her hand suddenly flew out, heading straight for Han Fulai's face, while the golden claw reached out with unparalleled speed for his elbow.

The unexpected turn of events was swift, and Han Fulai's reaction was remarkably quick.

He raised his right hand to block the bag of "hidden weapons" worth 10,000 Mora, while his left hand, like an iron chain blocking a river, clashed head-on with Dixia's claws.

Their fists and claws clashed, and both of them shuddered.

Dixia couldn't help but exclaim "Huh?" She hadn't expected that this "Han Jiangxue" was actually quite skilled, able to hold her own against her.

She wasn't the strongest among the mercenaries, but she was strong enough—if you doubted that, just lift her "Reed Beacon" and you'd know what weight it was. To wield such a heavy weapon skillfully, you simply couldn't do it without considerable strength.

That claw strike was intended to capture, so Dixia didn't use her full strength. But there wasn't a single man in the entire "Blazing Beast Hunter" who could block that claw strike.

What surprised her even more was the cleverness with which Han Fulai placed his palm.

Her boxing gloves were studded with sharp spikes, and if Han Fulai's palm deflected even slightly off-target, it would leave several holes.

To be able to pinpoint the location of her attack the instant her vision was obscured by the Mora bag, and accurately intercept her claw strike—such skill is rare indeed. At least within Dixia's knowledge, only the high-ranking members of a few famous groups such as the "Thirty-Man Group," the "Legacy of the God-King," and "Thutmose" possess this level of skill.

Moreover, those people are all veterans who have been through blood and fire for decades, and this "Han Jiangxue" may not even be older than her.

Dixia sighed inwardly, but her hands moved swiftly.

With a "click," Dixia turned the mechanism in a special way, and the sharp spikes on her claws suddenly retracted into the gauntlets.

Then she clenched her right hand, turning her claw into a fist, and struck Han Fulai's chin—she had put away the spikes to avoid killing him; she still needed to get the whereabouts of Miss Dina Zede from him.

This person had physical contact with Miss Dina Zede, deceived the brothers in the troupe, and also possessed considerable martial arts skills... In Desia's eyes, Han Fulai was already a "kidnapper" who had infiltrated Sumeru City under an alias.

It's common knowledge that the Humayi family is wealthy. They kidnapped the eldest daughter of the Humayi family, hid her in the desert, and then sent a letter demanding a ransom.

As a mercenary, Dixia knew best how to exploit the loopholes in the "Void Terminal".

When you're out in the world, you give yourself your own identity.