<h4>Chapter 45: Viin Simtor, Ch 45</h4>


    However, the girl''s attire seemed quite peculiar—almost like an overly borate cosy outfit.


    Not only that, she wore a ck eyepatch, leaving only one emerald-green eye visible, gleaming like jade.


    Of course, since she was hanging upside down, her dress wasn''t defying gravity like those you see in anime. As a result, her delicate and beautiful figure was fully exposed in front of Lucas.


    "W-where are you looking?!" The blonde girl, realizing her embarrassing situation, started to wriggle and blushed as she said, "Hurry up and release me, your princessmands it!"


    "Oh... oh, right!"


    Snapping back to reality, Lucas reached out toward the thick branch she was hanging from. With a snap, the branch—about as thick as a bowl—broke off, causing the girl to immediately fall.


    This was thanks to the [Dendro God Gene] ability within Lucas, which allowed him to control nts to a certain extent. A mere branch like this was no challenge.


    "Ahhhh!"


    The girl screamed as she fell, but Lucas quickly leaped forward and caught her safely in his arms.


    [You''ve gained 1,000 virtue points!]


    It seemed this trip wasn''t in vain after all.


    "Don''t worry," Lucas said gently. "You''re safe now."


    The girl cautiously opened her eyes, muttering, "That... that was terrifying..."


    But halfway through her sentence, she suddenly cleared her throat and, with a deeper, more dramatic voice, continued, "I, who descended from another realm, fell from the heavens unscathed. This height is nothing to someone like me..."


    "Is that so?" Lucas responded with a slightly awkward smile. "However..."


    Drip...


    Golden droplets fell from her clothes onto the ground, shattering into sparkling fragments.


    The girl stiffened and looked down at the small puddle forming beneath her. Her already flushed cheeks from hanging upside down grew even redder.


    "D-don''t misunderstand!" the girl''s face was now hot enough to fry an egg. "That''s just... just my sweat!"


    "It seems you have quite the, uh, active sweat nds," Lucas said, trying to ease her embarrassment. "There''s a spring over there. Why don''t you wash up?"


    ...


    The girl had now immersed herself in the cool spring water. Separated by arge rock, she began to exin her situation to Lucas.


    "I, Fischl, am the Prinzessin der Verurteilung, Sovereign of Immernachtreich" the girl introduced herself, her teeth slightly chattering as she spoke. "After descending into this realm, I''ve disguised myself as an investigator for the Adventurers Guild."


    As expected...


    Lucas had already guessed her identity.


    After all, with her entric outfit, eyepatch, and the way she referred to herself as "Prinzessin," it was hard not to think of Fischl from the game.


    Strangely, though, Fischl''s familiar, Oz, wasn''t with her.


    In the game, Fischl was a full-fledged "chuunibyou" (delusional teenager). She was deeply immersed in her own fantasy world, firmly believing herself to be the heroine from the fictional novel The Chronicles of the Princess Fischl.


    "So, you''re the Prinzessin?" Lucas said, ying along. "It''s an honor to meet you. My name is Lucas, and I''m from Liyue."


    "W-what did you call me?" Fischl''s voice wavered, though it was unclear whether it was from the cold or excitement.


    "Prinzessin... der Verurteilung?" Lucas repeated.


    "Y-yes! It seems you''re not like the ordinary fools," Fischl said, clearly pleased. Then, suddenly, she seemed to realize something. "Oz, look! Someone who recognizes my identity... Wait! Where''s my familiar?!"


    It was only then that Fischl realized her familiar, Oz, was nowhere to be found. She jumped out of the spring in a panic, shouting, "Oz! Where are you? Your princess summons you..."


    However, instead of Oz, what greeted her was Lucas, standing there awkwardly.


    "Um..."


    Lucas quickly averted his gaze. "Prinzessin, perhaps you should put on some clothes first. I''ve prepared clean ones—they''re right by the spring."


    Oh no...


    The Prinzessin had just been seenpletely exposed!


    In her panic, Fischl hadpletely forgotten there was a strange man nearby.


    But no, this wouldn''t do. If she screamed like any ordinary girl, he might think less of her. After all, he was one of the rare people who genuinely believed she was the Prinzessin der Verurteilung.


    "Don''t worry," Lucas reassured her. "I didn''t see anything."


    "Ahem, it wouldn''t matter even if you did," Fischl said, trying to suppress her embarrassment. She crossed her arms and added, "After all, it''s just a mere mortal body."


    "I get it" Lucas said,ughing awkwardly. "Please, just put on your clothes"


    Since her original outfit was soaked with "sweat," Fischl couldn''t wear it anymore. Lucas had exchanged some women''s clothes from the Virtue Points Shop.


    Fischl''sment on the new clothes was direct: "My royal attire is woven from the feathers of a thousand ck swans. This mundane fabric will only stifle my power."


    "Well, you''ll just have to make do for now, Prinzessin," Lucas shrugged, then asked, "By the way, the ''Oz'' you mentioned—is that yourpanion?"


    "Yes, he''s my most loyal familiar," Fischl replied, clenching her fists. "He must have been captured by those Hilichurls who drank the blood of demons."


    "Hilichurls who drank demon blood?" Lucas asked, puzzled. "Is that a new kind of Hilichurl?"


    "They''re a devious lot!" Fischl fumed. "Not only do they look like humans, but they also use underhanded tactics. They ambushed me while I was meditating!"


    Meditating?


    It seemed more like she''d been sleeping when they attacked...


    "But why didn''t those Hilichurls capture or hurt you? Why just tie you up here?" Lucas rubbed his chin. Then, realizing something, he eximed, "Oh no! It''s a diversion!"


    With that, he quickly bolted back toward the convoy.


    "Wait for me!" Fischl frowned and hurried after him.


    ...


    "What... what happened?"


    Lucas was stunned by what he saw when they returned to the convoy.


    The reason was simple...


    All the weapons and equipment were still there, untouched.


    But the people guarding the convoy had vanished without a trace.


    Although the cargo wasn''t gold or silver, the high-quality weapons could still fetch a hefty price.


    This indicated that the attackers true goal had been to capture people from the start.


    Lucas couldn''t help but remember the conversation he''d had with Zhang Luo earlier. Several adult men had gone missing in the area recently. Could this really be the work of Hilichurls?


    But could simple-minded Hilichurls reallye up with a n to lure them away using a fake distress call?


    "It looks like those Hilichurls were behind this," Fischl said, pointing at the footprints on the ground. "The tracks are fresh. These Hilichurls, although their bodies have changed, still don''t wear shoes."


    "Can you track them?" Lucas asked.


    "Of course! I''m Mondstadt''s best investigator!" Fischl puffed out her chest proudly. "Lucas, would you be willing to form a contract with me?"


    "A contract?" Lucas asked, confused. "What kind of contract?"


    "Temporarily be my familiar and follow my orders," Fischl said, striking a somewhat embarrassing pose. "I can help you find the Hilichurls hideout, and you''ll help me defeat them... Not that I need help, but those filthy creatures aren''t worthy of my power."


    Her words weren''t entirely boastful.


    Though she had a Vision, Fischl''sbat abilities weren''t particrly strong. However, thanks to her ability to share vision with Oz, she had a distinct advantage as an investigator.


    Many of the key intelligence reports for both the Adventurers Guild and the Knights of Favonius came from Fischl and Oz.


    Her mission at the Mondstadt border was to investigate the rumored mutated Hilichurls, but she hadn''t expected to be ambushed and used as bait—nor to lose her familiar.


    Even without Oz, Fischl''s experience as an investigator had equipped her with excellent tracking skills.


    "Very well" Lucas agreed without hesitation. "Prinzessin, I will dly serve as your ally, for now."


    "I''m looking forward to your performance," Fischl replied, her cheeks flushing slightly as she looked at Lucas''s gentle smile. "If you do well, I might even consider promoting you to a permanent position."


    As for the convoy''s equipment, Lucas considered storing it in the Serenitea Pot, but it wouldn''t go in.


    The Serenitea Pot followed its own set of "rules." For non-living items, only things that belonged to the owner could be stored inside. The convoy''s cargo clearly wasn''t Lucas''s property.


    The Serenitea Pot, being an artifact crafted by an adeptus, had rules in ce to prevent anyone from using it for malicious purposes.


    ...


    Fischl''s investigative skills were impressive. Using the traces left by the Hilichurls, they soon spotted a camp in the distance. The uniquely shaped watchtower was unmistakably a Hilichurl outpost.


    "Strange..." Fischl murmured, peering through binocrs. "I''ve investigated dozens of Hilichurl camps, but this one seems different. It''s muchrger, and the buildings aren''t as crude... Damn, when did these creatures learn to build with stone?"


    Before she could finish speaking, Lucas covered her mouth and pulled her into the bushes.


    "Someone''sing."


    Sure enough, two Hilichurls, armed with wooden clubs, were patrolling around the camp.


    But when Lucas saw them, his eyes widened in disbelief.


    From their masks and weapons to their gait, everything resembled typical Hilichurls. But the odd part was that their bodies were not like the usual emaciated Hilichurls. Instead, they had the figures of normal human women.


    The only difference was their slightly tanned skin, which gave them a healthy bronze hue. Moreover, their well-toned, athletic bodies had very defined curves—slim where they should be and... rather well-endowed in other areas.


    [Picture here]


    Simply put, these two Hilichurls had surprisingly attractive figures.


    "Tsk, tsk," Fischl whispered, clicking her tongue. "Where exactly are you looking? Your eyes are practically falling out."


    "N-nothing..." Lucas stammered, embarrassed. "But... are you sure these are really Hilichurls?"


    Lucas had encountered Hilichurls in this world before.


    Compared to the two in front of him, there was no real resemnce—not even close.


    In theory, there were tribal differences among Hilichurls, but those differences were usually minor. Some had darker skin, and some were more muscr.


    But these two Hilichurls? If someone told Lucas they were humans in cosy, he might believe them.


    "To be honest, I also found it unbelievable when I first saw them," Fischl nodded. "But considering that some Hilichurl tribes have unique individuals like ''Hilichurl Berserkers,'' it''s not impossible for other special forms to exist, right?"


    That was true. In Hilichurl tribes, stronger Hilichurls would grow in size, eventually bing the more powerful "Hilichurl Berserkers." It was a form of natural selection, survival of the fittest.


    But what was the point of evolving into something like this? Just to be easier on the eyes?


    "In any case, saving the people—and of course, the bird—is the priority," Lucas said, his eyes lighting up with an idea. "We don''t know the situation inside the camp yet, so why don''t we disguise ourselves and sneak in?"


    "Disguise?" Fischl asked, puzzled. "How do we do that?"


    "Wait here," Lucas said, cracking his knuckles. "I''ll go remove their helmets first."


    Without waiting for a response, Lucas silently slipped out of the bushes. Taking advantage of the Hilichurls''ck of awareness, he swiftly struck the neck of one with a chop. The Hilichurl didn''t even make a sound before copsing unconscious.


    The other Hilichurl quickly noticed something was wrong. She raised her wooden club and swung it at Lucas with all her might.


    Wooden clubs were the mostmon weapons among Hilichurls, requiring little to no craftsmanship. But the club in this Hilichurl''s hand had a dozen iron spikes embedded in it, turning it into a spiked mace.


    Although Hilichurls were generally shorter than adult humans, they possessed surprising strength. Despite the female form, this Hilichurl wielded the heavy mace with ease.


    Lucas deftly stepped back a few paces, dodging the blow. The mace mmed into the ground with a loud thud, leaving arge crater.


    However, instead of getting frustrated after missing, the Hilichurl''s eyes—hidden behind her mask—seemed to glimmer with excitement. She muttered, "Man... strong... chief likes... give to her... reward... a lot..."


    To Lucas''s surprise, the Hilichurl spoke humannguage. Though her speech was awkward and stilted, he understood the gist of it.


    She wanted to capture him for her chief.


    Before he could react, the excited Hilichurl swung her spiked mace at him again, charging forward with reckless abandon. Her attackscked any form or technique, but her immense strength and speed made her a formidable opponent.


    Unfortunately for her, that was only against ordinary humans.


    This time, instead of dodging, Lucas raised his arm and blocked her attack head-on.


    The spikes pierced his skin, and he felt a sharp pain, but thanks to the ability [Charging First], the pain transformed into something else—a sense of power, a surge of "Heroic Intent."


    -----


    Author''s Note: Hoho I wonder if game will add these hilichurls.. asking for a friend