"That look... You see me as prey?"
Seeing the Riftwolf's expression—the same look Paimon got when spotting delicious food—Su Bai let out a cold laugh. Truly, these brainless monsters only followed their instincts without judging the gap between enemy and self.
"With your intelligence, you don't seem like the type to think about claiming territory. Either there's a mastermind behind this, or there's a smarter dog giving orders."
While analyzing, Su Bai pulled out a fruit knife, Electro energy coiling around it. This was his first time encountering a Riftwolf. To prevent Sister Miko's clothes from getting torn, he decided to take this seriously.
"Inazuman historical records mention that Riftwolves are elusive, and wounds from their claws are difficult to stop bleeding. Quite a few Shogunate soldiers didn't die in battle but bled out after victories. I'll need to be careful—I don't want to end up as a fox pelt."
Wrapping Anemo around his feet, a sense of lightness arose. Using Anemo to increase speed felt completely different from using Electro. Electro stimulated leg muscles, inevitably causing soreness with overuse. Anemo was entirely different.
Gentle winds were more like stepping on Anemo Slimes—each movement generated wind that not only increased speed but also reduced stamina consumption. The only drawback was control could be tricky.
The Riftwolf stared blankly as its delicious-looking prey crashed into a tree. What just happened? One moment it saw a white flash; the next, this prey had smacked into a tree. Was this prey so stupid that eating it might make them dumber too?
Remembering how their leader constantly called them stupid, this recently fed Riftwolf abandoned Su Bai, who was still rubbing his forehead. It called to the Rifthound pups, preparing to continue hunting isolated wolves. Such stupid prey was better left for those dumb wolves. As noble Riftwolves, they were very clever.
"That hurts! When I get back, I need to ask Xiao to teach me how to control Anemo. Why does crashing hurt so much?"
"Hey hey hey, don't go! I wanted to study you properly—don't run away!"
"Wait, come eat me! I bathed yesterday—I smell delicious!"
Su Bai's words didn't stop the Riftwolf. Instead, it shot him a disdainful glance before disappearing into the bushes without looking back. Even if it starved to death or jumped back into the Abyss, it wouldn't eat this brain-damaged food.
Now Su Bai was dumbfounded. Didn't that history book say Riftwolves were vicious creatures that clawed anyone on sight? Fake books harm people! With no other choice, Su Bai dispelled the Anemo and switched to Electro to pursue the Riftwolf. If he let it go, the wolves of Wolvendom might be ambushed.
---
Elsewhere, in stark contrast to Wolvendom's eerie silence, Springvale was bustling with activity. Many were discussing the wolves that had attacked. By the time Lumine and Amber arrived, the wolves had already withdrawn.
They tried asking residents for information, but everyone talked over each other, quickly confusing the pair. With no better option, Lumine dragged Amber to Diona's place.
Inside, Diona was bandaging her father's and grandfather's wounds. Using Cryo's freezing effect, she'd successfully stopped the bleeding. But this was only temporary—such deep wounds still needed Barbara's treatment in Mondstadt.
"Those horrible wolves are just awful! Dad, why didn't you send for the Knights? If I hadn't come home early today, you two would have been in real danger."
"Ah, Diona, don't even mention it. I did send someone to find the Knights. When they heard flying wolves attacked Springvale, they nearly died of laughter. Then they lectured my messenger about not wasting the Knights' time with jokes."
Draff angrily slapped the table. The sudden movement reopened his wounds, the pain making this skilled hunter yelp loudly.
"Dad, be careful! I just froze that wound!"
Diona complained while tying a cute bow with the bandage around Draff's injury. Her grandfather Olaf tried to laugh at Draff but pulled his own wounds instead, his hearty chuckle transforming into a grimace.
"Mr. Draff and Mr. Olaf look seriously injured. They'll probably need to see Barbara soon—we shouldn't bother them."
From the window, Paimon spotted the bandages and covered her eyes. Hearing Paimon mention the serious injuries, Lumine and Amber decided not to trouble Diona. They'd investigate further and ask other residents first.
After some investigation, Amber was almost certain the wolves that attacked Springvale came from Wolvendom. The only place with both wolves and Wolfhook seeds was Wolvendom.
"When we find those wicked wolves, we'll pluck all their fur as punishment!"
"Little Paimon wants to make wolf-hair brushes and get rich, doesn't she? Don't think I don't know your little scheme."
"Eh? Lumine, how could you tell? I thought I was being so subtle!"
Despite Lumine's teasing, Paimon clutched a tuft of wolf fur tightly. She'd heard Amber mention that wolf-hair brushes were quite valuable in Liyue. If she could collect enough fur, maybe she'd make a small fortune when they visited Liyue.
"But if the wolves really are from Wolvendom, how would the Knights punish them? They can't exactly lock them up, can they?"
Lumine's question stumped Amber. Right—Mondstadt's laws didn't seem to have provisions regarding animal crimes. She clearly remembered the grave robbers who dug up Lawrence clan tombs being extradited to Liyue for punishment because Mondstadt lacked tomb-raiding laws.
Now with wolves attacking people, Mondstadt really had no means of punishment. Building a wall around Wolvendom wasn't feasible.
Not to mention the Mora cost—it simply wasn't realistic. Wolves were free creatures by nature. Such an action might escalate human-wolf conflict, making the wolves rebellious and ultimately harming people.
"Ah, I don't know how to handle this. Leave it to Acting Grand Master Jean to figure out."
Amber's head hurt from thinking. She really wasn't cut out for this. But even someone as clever as Captain Kaeya might struggle with this problem—the implications were too far-reaching.
"Forget it, forget it. Let's go find witnesses. Acting Grand Master Jean is probably better at this kind of thinking, anyway."