Genshin Impact Simulation: Starting with Melsin's Friend

The departure of the Sumeru caravan did not cause much of a stir in the market. Mu Feng continued to lead little Diona on a aimless stroll until the little girl got a little tired of playing.

The clouds burned to the orange-red of the sunset, and the hunters returned one after another, some laden with their spoils, others empty-handed.

But no matter what, the smoke from the chimneys in Qingquan Town continued to rise as usual, and Little Diona yawned for the third time.

The cat's fluffy ears drooped listlessly, and even the wagging of its tail was much smaller than before.

"...Shall I carry you home, little Diona?"

Mu Feng opened his arms at the opportune moment, and Diona blinked, nodded, and obediently let him pick her up.

The kitten curled up softly in my arms, found a comfortable position, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

The shouts from the surrounding stalls showed no signs of stopping, and Mu Feng gently raised his hand to cover little Diona's ears.

Tomorrow is the opening day of the Mondstadt Flower Festival.

He turned his gaze to the only path in front of Qingquan Town, where there were no other caravans except for the goods piled up by the Sangmahabai caravan from Xumi.

At this moment, only two or three mercenaries dressed in Sumeru Desert attire were checking the goods, and the pink-haired girl they had met in the afternoon was also there.

She seemed to sense the gaze behind her, turned around, paused slightly, and then gave a friendly wink.

Mu Feng returned a polite smile and then looked away.

He felt a vague unease. If the Grand Commander's plan went smoothly, the Fools' troops responsible for providing support should have arrived in Clear Spring Town around this time and were poised to make their move.

Are they so certain that the defenses will be weakest on the day of the Windflower Festival? Are they going to gamble everything to sneak into Mondstadt tomorrow?

This is highly illogical, or rather, they guessed wrong, there was no backup at all, and that group of people was not the Fools.

Now, Mu Feng also began to have some doubts.

No, that kind of organizational ability could never be achieved by a treasure-hunting group or a simple mercenary organization.

Or... there might be another possibility.

He glanced at the already opened reply from Diluc. In fact, even if the possibility of impersonation was ruled out, it did not completely eliminate the suspicion surrounding Morse.

However, he really didn't want to doubt his colleagues in the Knights.

After taking the sleeping Diona home, Mu Feng, out of caution, still made a detour to Morse's house.

Finding out where the other party lived was easy. As one of the few young members to join the Knights, Morse was quite famous in town, and he found the place without much trouble.

This is a small house that is no different from other hunters' houses, with white walls and red tiles, and a string of Mushrooms hanging under the eaves.

Mu Feng went up and knocked on the door, but no matter how many times he knocked, there was only one response from inside: deathly silence.

Is nobody here? Or did they just happen to go out and not come back?

However, he quickly ruled out the latter option, because judging from the unclaimed letter in the mailbox by the door, the homeowner must have not been home for a day.

The messengers from Clearspring Town usually set off in the morning to deliver mail, which means that Morse hasn't been home since the birthday party ended last night.

This is even more unusual, considering that the other party was on vacation at home. Where could they possibly go at this time?

A dark cloud settled over Mu Feng's heart. Now, whether he liked it or not, Morse had even more problems.

An unplanned holiday, at such a special time, and then disappearing without a trace—something just doesn't seem right.

But isn't this abnormality a bit too obvious?

Putting aside how the other party knew about his secret plan with the Grand Commander, if the other party really intended to tip him off, it would be no different from courting death.

After all, he was the only suspect, and no other unplanned person approached Qingquan Town during this period.

As Mu Feng was considering how to handle the situation, a faint smell of rust drifted over on the wind.

Although it was very faint, he still noticed it.

...No, and it wasn't the smell of rust, it was the smell of blood.

Mu Feng felt a chill run down his spine. He carefully followed the scent of blood and eventually found his way to the small courtyard behind Morse's house.

Behind Morse's house, against the mountain wall, was only a small space, in which a few small rush plants grew sparsely.

It looks like it has indeed been neglected for a long time.

However, as he got closer, Mu Feng realized that the source of the bloody smell was not the crime scene he had expected.

Instead, it was... a spotted cat that had been dead for a long time.

It lay on its side, pressed against the wall, its once bright fur now dull and gray as it passed away.

A flock of crows were pecking at the carrion around its body, exposing the dark flesh and blood, which gave rise to the stench.

Seeing this, Mu Feng's tense nerves relaxed a little.

It seems that he's the one who's a bit overreacting.

To express his apology, he stepped forward, waved away the crows, and simply swept some soil over the dead spotted cat, preserving the last bit of dignity for the departed creature.

May there be no crows in heaven... Good luck, goodbye.

After doing all this, Mu Feng turned and left Morse's house.

After all, staying any longer wouldn't yield any results; without evidence, the stage of suspicion had to stop there.

For now, we can only wait and see.

Back at the hotel, Mu Feng first wrote a letter to Falga and sent it as a carrier pigeon into the deep night.

He slept very restlessly that night.

It wasn't until the next day dawned and the clock on the wall pointed endlessly to nine o'clock that Mu Feng finally woke up from his sleep.

Outside the window, the noise was even louder than yesterday, all mixed together, forming the distinctive character of the Wind Flower Festival market.

Thinking of his mission, Mu Feng's sleepiness vanished almost entirely. He quickly packed his belongings, sheathed his sword, and left the inn alone.

He deliberately didn't agree to accompany Diona today, since he might have to take action at any time, and it wouldn't be safe to bring her along.

The kitten sulked for quite a while because of this.

Mu Feng continued to weave through the crowds at the market, just as he had done the previous two days, trying to minimize his presence among the people.

He didn't have any Sunset Juice on hand today, and the vendor from the day before yesterday was nowhere to be found. He probably knew that the Sunset Juice he had was completely unsuitable for the residents' tastes.

At the market, everything was as usual, which was expected.

Taking a bite of a candied Sunset Berry, Mu Feng appeared to be haggling with a merchant selling Liyue spices, but his gaze was always fixed on the only entrance and exit leading to the outside world from Springvale.

The caravan leaving now is Mahabay's, while at the same time, another caravan loaded with goods slowly drives in.

"Click."

The Sunset Fruit made a crisp sound as it ripened. Mu Feng dropped the skewer in his hand and smiled at the stall owner.

"Okay, five hundred moras it is, deal."

……