Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [506]

The two roars—one small, one loud—were perfectly audible from the sky.

Gu Sanqiu casually dug a finger in his ear, unfazed. Meanwhile, Albedo gave him a look that clearly said: Where did you even find this guy?

"What are you looking at? The crimson oni of Inazuma’s oni clans—natural-born warriors. Though, in his case, I suspect a good chunk of his brainpower was rerouted into muscle growth."

Albedo nodded in agreement. "Yes. That much is obvious."

"Yo, boss!"

The moment Arataki Itto spotted Gu Sanqiu, he stood at attention and gave a crisp salute.

"Mission accomplished! Arataki Itto of the Arataki Gang has successfully completed the escort duty! Awaiting your next command, boss!"

"Mm. Well done."

Not that he doubted the others had been the actual ones making sure Klee and this blockhead didn’t fall off the airship mid-flight.

"Teacher, is this really the base of that Dodo-King?"

Barbara peered out from behind Jean. "It doesn’t look dangerous at all."

"Aside from the mist we had to pass through, I didn’t sense anything particularly threatening."

"That just shows your lack of experience!"

Arataki Itto struck a knowing pose, arms crossed, shaking his head as if imparting wisdom.

"The most dangerous places are always the ones that look harmless!"

He jabbed a thumb at himself.

"Take it from me! Back when the Tenryou Commission tried to capture me, they always set up ambushes in peaceful-looking spots, hoping I’d walk right into them!"

With a mighty thump to his chest, he declared, "Ha! As if those Tenryou Commission fools could ever take me down! I am none other than the one and oni—Arataki ‘The Undefeatable’ Itto!"

Barbara blinked, then turned to Gu Sanqiu.

"Teacher… does your underling have a criminal record?"

Even with Inazuma’s isolationist policies, people still had a general understanding of how the Tri-Commissions functioned. That was precisely why Barbara was confused.

Gu Sanqiu waved a hand. "Same category as Klee getting scolded."

Barbara immediately understood.

Ah.

So this was just an eight-pack-abs-having, oversized child. Probably not even as mature as she was.

Hmph~

Looks like it’s up to big sister Barbara to keep an eye on these two little troublemakers~

Diluc got straight to the point. "Since you chose this location to send the signal, that means you’ve already cleared at least the surrounding area, correct?"

"Yeah. We also found something interesting while we were at it."

Gu Sanqiu reached into his bag and pulled out a component that Albedo had meticulously aged to look ancient.

After all, no matter how old Maguu Kenki actually was, the fresh cut marks from dismantling it would have looked out of place.

Fortunately, Alchemy Grandmaster Extraordinaire Albedo had made quick work of that issue.

Aside from Alice—who might know what they had done—this whole operation was practically seamless.

Diluc took the piece in his hands—a sword hilt, originally part of Maguu Kenki’s weapon. The moment he noticed the streaks of red and white on it, he frowned slightly.

Not because he had figured anything out, but because the design struck him as… odd.

"If I’m not mistaken, this belonged to a massive mechanical construct."

At this, Kaeya flipped the hilt around in his hand, inspecting it. "That does seem likely. Did a battle take place here?"

Gu Sanqiu shrugged. "Don’t look at us. Aside from the traps, this was the only thing that seemed out of place when we arrived. No signs of combat anywhere."

Klee bounced excitedly, reaching for the hilt in Diluc’s hands.

"This must be Dodo-King’s weapon! It has to be!"

Arataki Itto frowned. "Hold up, lil’ Klee. If that’s Dodo-King’s weapon, then why would it be lying around here?"

Klee put her hands on her hips. "Because Dodo-King is a bad guy! And bad guys are always careless!"

"Huh. Y’know what? That actually makes sense."

Itto nodded sagely, as if enlightenment had struck.

"In that case, if we hide this hilt, then that big dummy won’t have his weapon and will be totally helpless, right?"

He turned to Gu Sanqiu, seeking confirmation. "Boss! Did you find anything else like this around here?"

"Unfortunately, no."

Gu Sanqiu spread his hands. "And your logic is a little shaky. Albedo and I thought of another possibility."

"This hilt might not belong to Dodo-King," he explained. "It could be the remains of an enemy that fought against him and lost."

"In other words," Albedo continued, "if we can find more remnants like this, we can analyze their distribution and potentially determine Dodo-King’s location."

Klee cheered. "Yeah, yeah! We’ll definitely find him and give him a big punishment!"

Diluc mulled over their reasoning.

A shattered enemy. That was… plausible.

The strange feeling he had earlier faded.

Based on everything they had gathered so far, Dodo-King didn’t seem like the type to be careless. Klee’s and Itto’s deductions were probably just childish optimism.

Then again, despite his imposing physique, Diluc still considered this Inazuman guest to be… well, a child.

Klee nodded eagerly, then immediately tried to run off.

"Dodo-King! Get ready for Klee’s ultimate justice—Gawu!"

"Careful, Klee!"

Itto caught her by the collar before she could charge ahead.

"Boss just told us there are traps around. What if you get caught in one?"

Itto’s personality was… unique.

But it was also simple in a way that made perfect sense.

When there were no children around, he became a child himself. A wild, rowdy one.

But the moment an actual child was present? He instantly became protective.

The only downside was—he still wasn’t all that bright.

"This calls for an Arataki Gang special!"

Itto planted his feet firmly, clenched his fist, and threw a mighty punch forward.

"Come forth, Ushi!"

Moo!

A small, chibi-like bull materialized before the group.

Though it wasn’t very large, the energy it radiated was anything but weak.

"This here is Ushi! He’s one of the Arataki Gang’s finest. You can just call him Ushi—or Ushi-bro, if you wanna be polite."

Itto took Klee’s hands and let her pet Ushi’s nose.

"Not only can he sniff out gaps in formations, but he’s great at detecting danger! He’s my most trusted partner for commissions in the wild."

Then, Itto got down on one knee, looking Ushi in the eyes.

"Ushi, this little girl is Klee. From now on, you stick by her side and don’t leave her. Got it?"

Moo!

Ushi let out a strong, resolute cry before standing beside Klee, as if he were her royal guardian.

"Wow! This super cute cow is gonna follow me forever?"

Klee hugged Ushi tightly and snuggled into him, before looking up at Itto with bright, grateful eyes.

"Thank you, Big Bro Itto! You’re a good person!"

"Hahahaha! Of course! I’m the great Arataki Itto! Being a good guy is only natural!"

He struck a heroic pose, then pulled out a comb and tidied his hair—purely for dramatic effect.

"Alright, that settles it! Let’s go!"

Jean let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Her gaze softened as she looked at Itto.

Klee’s love for explosives wasn’t just from her mother’s influence.

There was another reason.

She wanted attention.

Everyone was always busy. Nobody had much time to play with her.

Though she was beginning to understand, understanding was different from having had a fulfilling childhood.

And Itto—

He seemed to be the missing piece.

A friend. Someone who played with her in an ordinary way. Someone who acted as a bridge, helping her connect with other children.

Jean’s fondness for Itto grew significantly.

If he weren’t already under Gu Sanqiu’s command, she would seriously consider offering him a high-paying job at the Knights of Favonius.

Now this was a professional.

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This is a fan translation of 原神之璃月奉香人 by 淡白蛋清. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!