At the outskirts of Wolvendom, Amber stopped Razor in his tracks. Having chatted with him briefly at yesterday's banquet, she knew he was Lisa's student, so she didn't immediately suspect him of commanding the wolves that attacked Springvale.
"Razor, do you know where the wolves that attacked Springvale are? I want to negotiate with them."
"Wolvendom, has no bad wolves."
"The bad wolves, have already, been driven away."
Razor's expression was anxious. He had clearly heard that wolf's cry of pain. If he didn't hurry, that wolf might be in danger of dying.
"Bad wolves? What bad wolves? Razor, explain clearly!"
"It looks like Razor is in a hurry. We should follow him and see."
Without responding to Amber, Razor turned and left. Amber stood there with an awkward expression—she'd just been ignored. Noticing her embarrassment, Paimon quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Amber, let's get moving! Maybe Razor needs our help!"
Amber snapped out of it. Right, this wasn't the time to dwell on that. If Razor was this anxious, there must be some secret hidden in Wolvendom.
After following Razor through the forest for quite some time, he finally stopped before a severely injured wolf. Beside the wolf, Su Bai was examining an arrow stained with blood. When he saw Lumine and Amber running up breathlessly, he was quite surprised. Wasn't Wolvendom a place nobody visited? What were they doing here?
"Huh? Su Bai, you're here too?"
"Su Bai, did you hear about the Wolvendom wolves attacking Springvale?"
Paimon waved at him. Naive Amber even thought Su Bai had come to assist her, a flicker of joy crossing her face—after all, more people meant more strength.
Amber's words left Su Bai bewildered. What? The Wolvendom wolves attacked Springvale? Looking at the wolf on the ground, combining what Razor had said about those unfriendly people and the Riftwolves he'd killed, Su Bai roughly pieced together the truth.
"I think there might be some misunderstanding here. Maybe you should hear Razor's explanation."
"But right now, we need to stop this wolf's bleeding. If it keeps bleeding like this, it won't be long for this world."
The wooden arrow shaft was fitted with a sharp metal tip. Such a lethal arrow suggested the shooter had no intention of showing mercy—though their aim was poor, since the shot had gone wide.
"Lupical, will not, die."
"I will, take him, to the, Wolf King."
"You, can follow. If you're lucky, the Wolf King, will explain, everything."
"Wolf King? Lupical? What are those? Hey, hey, why am I being ignored again?"
Razor gently lifted the whimpering wolf and carried it deeper into Wolvendom. Amber, with her bow slung across her back, was ignored once more. Lumine held her forehead. What a mess. Su Bai, however, stared incredulously into the depths of Wolvendom. The lord of Wolvendom, the Great Wolf King of the North, actually existed?
"Impossible, right? If he really exists, then whoever shot this wolf today is in big trouble. Wolves aren't exactly forgiving creatures."
"Then again, it's not impossible. After all, something that could drive away so many Riftwolves would have to be the Wolf King."
"Hey, Su Bai, what are you muttering about? You're being as mysterious as Razor!"
Paimon flew up to Su Bai, hands on her hips, clearly displeased. Su Bai smiled mysteriously and gestured for her to come closer. Thinking he was about to reveal the truth, Paimon eagerly leaned in.
"Paimon, it's a secret~"
"Huh?? Su Bai, you jerk, you're messing with me?"
Realizing she'd been tricked, Paimon stomped her foot in midair. Su Bai laughed heartily. So this was why he encountered so many riddle-speakers—being one yourself was actually quite fun!
"You're still laughing! Fine, I'm giving you a terrible nickname!"
"Hmm... I'll call you Big Fat Liar!"
The angry little Paimon dredged up a word from her food-obsessed mind. Su Bai didn't mind the nickname. Back in Inazuma, he'd tricked Itto into betting with him so many times that the oni started questioning his existence—no, his ghostly existence.
Speaking of which, what kind of creature was Paimon? If he could find one like her, who wouldn't want to keep such an adorable little thing?
As they ventured deeper, a wide, plaza-like clearing opened before them. Never having seen such a sight, Paimon let out an involuntary "Wow." Even Amber froze—in all her years as a reconnaissance knight, she'd never known such a place existed in Wolvendom. It wasn't even marked on any maps of Mondstadt.
Su Bai's expression differed from the others. Beyond shock, there was confusion. For some reason, he sensed the presence of divine power nearby—and it belonged to that old hag Ei.
"The wound, needs treatment. Can you, help me, pick some Wolfhooks?"
"Wolfhooks? Razor, wait a moment! I think Su Bai has some ready-made ones!"
Paimon shot Su Bai a mischievous glance, her large eyes glinting slyly. Su Bai, still unaware he was about to be fleeced by Paimon, remained lost in thought, wondering if his senses were malfunctioning.
"Did I sense wrong? Then again, Sister Miko probably wouldn't come here for no reason."
Muttering to himself, Su Bai failed to notice Paimon silently floating up behind him. With a sudden tug from her little hands, Su Bai felt a sharp pain in his tail and yelped.
"Ow, ow, ow! Which bastard pulled fur from my tail?! That hurts!"
"Ehe~ Razor, here are some fresh Wolfhooks! Fresh from Su Bai's tail!"
From my tail? Su Bai swished his three tails around. One look and he was stunned. While running through the forest earlier, Wolfhooks hidden in the grass had attached themselves to his fur. Now his tails were covered in them.
Wolfhook seeds have barbs. Herbivores aren't stupid—they eat the fruit but leave the barbed seeds exposed.
And with Su Bai's soft, fluffy tails, these Wolfhooks naturally hitched a ride. Whenever his tails swept by, they latched on, starting their journey to new territory.