The Steambird
Special Edition, Issue 44
NEW– GREATEST OUTLAW IN HISTORY OF TEYVAT?
This is a story that many believed to be mere myths or an exaggerated tale, but we– The Steambird– had decided to investigate the truth of one of the latest myths to appear in modern history: the man who people argued could be referred to as "The Greatest Outlaw of Teyvat".
Ironically, the man's first appearance was traced to the Nation of Justice, Fontaine. He was first noted to have first appeared in Poisson, Fontaine, where he later met the President of the Spina di Rosula who invited him into their ranks.
"He was a homeless man with nowhere to go. He looked to be a genuinely nice man– polite, very well-mannered, well-learnt. He knew medicine and our group was lacking a decent doctor at the time, so I invited him in," Callas, the President of Spina di Rosula said when we interviewed him about the greatest outlaw. "He said he came from a place far away and that we can call him Adam. Nobody knows about his past, but we enjoyed having him around and he's very well-liked. There's no better doctor than him in all of Poisson and everyone here would have had medical consultations with him at one point in time when he was still around. I… I still do not know what drove him to commit that crime, to be perfectly honest."
"Adam saved my life," Clementine, wife to Callas and also a member of the Spina di Rosula. "I faced complications during the birth of our daughter and I would not be alive today if it wasn't for his medical expertise. I don't know what drove him to murder Marcel and Romeuf in cold blood– there really were no signs that they harboured any animosity towards each other, but I am willing to hear his reasons if he's apprehended one day. Personally, I find it hard to believe that Adam would commit such a crime without a good reason. Adam, Marcel, Romeuf; they were all good men."
During the course of the interview with other members of the Spina di Rosula and residents of Poisson, The Steambird found that many shared similar views that Callas and Clementine held. The outlaw Adam was a friendly and approachable man, not one that people would associate with a cold blooded murderer. Till date, nobody knew for what reason the former doctor had decided to murder his former colleagues Marcel and Romeuf in cold blood. The former doctor also did not confess his motives for the murder when he was tried for his crimes at the Opera Epiclese.
"I wasn't present to witness it myself, but the older folks said that they would never forget his first day in the Fortress of Meropide," the current Administrator of the Fortress of Meropide, Wriothesley, replied to the inquiries of The Steambird when we approached him for an interview. "I was not yet the Administrator and Duke when he first came in, but I had heard words of his exploits here. One famous tale being told about him was how the gardes cuffed him and he very brazenly broke his cuffs apart without any effort as if making a statement. You don't keep me here, I am here because I choose to be here– that was the kind of statement he was making."
"I met and talked to him personally on a few occasions before I became the Duke. Honestly, he's not the type of guy you would expect to commit murder in cold blood, but I'm not the Chief Justice so what do I know? This is not for me to judge. If you were to ask me, the most famous thing that the people here know him for was how he walked up to the then Administrator's office in front of everyone one fine day, knocked three times on his door, and very politely informed him that he would be making his exit from the Fortress of Meropide the next day. The most unbelievable thing as you all already knew, was that he kept to his word, and nobody had a clue how he had done it or when he had made his escape. He just disappeared into thin air, that was what my predecessor told me."
"Kukuku… look at this, even The Steambird is talking about you now."
If people were to witness the owner of the voice they probably would be very shocked to see that an abyss mage was the owner of the voice. A talking abyss mage is something that the average joe would probably never see in their entire lives but this particular abyss mage is a little unique, something that its companion had realised and easily accepted from the very moment the unlikely pair became acquainted with each other.
"The Steambird?" The outlaw took the newspaper that the abyss mage passed into his hands and took a quick glance at the aforementioned article. "Hmm, got to give them credit alright. It's mostly accurate."
"Gum gum hoo? So it's true? You murdered those fellas and made a daring jailbreak?"
"Yeah, I did," the outlaw returned the article back into the abyss mage's hands. "Shall we get going, Gumhoo?"
"My name is not Gumhoo! It's Gumgumhoobulibudochiu! We have known each other for almost a decade already so at least make an effort to remember my name!"
"Eh, it's too troublesome, Gumhoo."
Our investigations of the Greatest Outlaw then brought us to the City of Freedom, Mondstadt. We believed that Adam had fled from Fontaine to Mondstadt after his daring jailbreak from the Fortress of Meropide, where he laid low for approximately a year before he committed his next big crime: the theft and vandalism of the Holy Lyre Der Himmel.
"The Holy Lyre der Himmel is a historical artefact of great significance to Mondstadt that once belonged to our archon, Barbatos. The theft and vandalism to the holy lyre is a heavy crime that cannot be forgiven. Adam must be held responsible and tried for his crimes," Jean Gunnhildr, the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, said during our interview with her. When asked if the Knights of Favonius were aware of the reasons that drove Adam to commit such a crime, Acting Grand Master Jean Gunnhildr responded that the Knights of Favonius did not know. The Steambird also noted that the Acting Grand Master was still a knight-in-training in the year this incident occurred.
"Unfortunately, at that point in time the Knights of Favonius were not aware that Adam was a man of the run. We are deeply ashamed of the security oversight on our part and we had since stepped up on the security measures to ensure such a mistake would not be repeated. We only knew that Adam was an escaped criminal from Fontaine after the holy lyre was stolen and we started investigating the matter. We are pleased to also announce that Mondstadt has since signed several agreements with Fontaine. With those agreements, Mondstadt and Fontaine would work even more closely in sharing crucial intelligence to allow us to swiftly apprehend criminals like Adam residing in our nations in the future."
"The outlaw, Adam? Hmm, words of his exploits sure reached far and wide in Mondstadt. Yes, I do know of him. He was a semi-regular patron of the Angel's Share like me and we talked on several occasions," Venti, a wandering bard of Mondstadt, shared in our interview. "He's a genuinely nice person, even offered to cover my tab several times, I'm actually a little sad that he's no longer around to do so."
When The Steambird asked what he thinks of Adam's crimes, Venti shared: "Personally, I believe he had reasons to do what he did. Yes, a crime is a crime, I'm not trying to explain or cover up what he did, but maybe he had his difficulties that nobody knew? Or maybe he could have tried asking the Favonius Cathedral nicely if he could borrow the harp? I mean, the harp was eventually returned, albeit damaged. I guessed he probably just wanted to borrow it for, I don't know, maybe trying to help a dragon in agony?"
"So why did you really steal the lyre?" Gumhoo couldn't resist asking his companion when he read the next section of the article. The man who was seated with his back against the wall of the cave which they were at and his eyes closed for a short rest finally opened his eyes.
"Lyre?"
"They said you stole a lyre in Mondstadt," the abyss mage waved the article in his hand for further emphasis.
"Oh, that lyre," the man finally remembered. "Didn't I return it in the end?"
"I don't know, all I know is that it's being reported on The Steambird."
"Actually, I've been wanting to ask. Abyss mages know how to read?"
"Why would you think we are unable to read? Is this so surprising? And hey, answer my question!"
"An old friend of mine was hurt and in pain. I have the power to help, but I couldn't find him. The only way I could think of to locate him was to use that lyre to summon him over to my side."
"Couldn't you just ask the cathedral very nicely? Pretty please with a cherry on top?"
"You honestly think they would believe me if I asked?"
"Not even with a cherry on top?"
"You think?"
Based on The Steambird's investigations we believe that the outlaw Adam subsequently fled Mondstadt and laid low for a period of time. A huge event then took place in Liyue not long after– the attempted assassination of the Vigilant Yaksha during the nation's Rite of Descension that year. However, this crime was not associated with Adam for a long while because the perpetrator of the crime went by a different name, Xun. Today, both The Steambird and the Liyue Qixing are of the belief that Xun and Adam are one and the same person. The Greatest Outlaw did not retire from a life of crime. If anything, his crimes had gotten only even bolder.
For the readers who are unaware, the Rite of Descension is an annual event in Liyue where the Geo Archon would descend to bestow upon Liyue his divine prediction, guiding Liyuens on how to run Liyue for the coming year. While the Liyue Qixing were historically the ones in charge of the venue security for every Rite of Descension, it would seem that the adepti would also secretly send at least one of their own to ensure the safety of their archon every year. The Vigilant Yaksha was serving as Rex Lapis' bodyguard for that year's Rite of Descension.
"Liyue was founded by the joint contributions of the adepti and humans. We adopt a zero tolerance policy towards anything and anyone who dared harm our adepti, especially towards one as respectable as the Vigilant Yaksha who had greatly contributed to Liyue," Ningguang, the newly elected Tianquan and also the spokesperson of the Liyue Qixing stated during our interview with her on this incident that occurred about a decade ago. "Even if this matter had occurred a decade ago, the Liyue Qixing will still strongly urge those who possess information about the outlaw Xun to come forward and assist with the investigation. We would also like to take this opportunity to assure all citizens that the Vigilant Yaksha is doing well and has made a speedy recovery since that incident, and that we would spare no effort to ensure that Xun would be arrested for his unforgivable crimes."
Further investigations from The Steambird allowed us to uncover that Adam, who went by the name of Xun in Liyue, used to work at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour for a short while before the assassination attempt.
"Xun? Of course I know him, he used to work here. Why, he even brought me out to play on several occasions when I was still a child," Hu Tao, the 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour shared when we interviewed her on this matter. "He's actually very knowledgeable and no, he showed no signs that he could be a fugitive on the run. I was more surprised by the fact that he was powerful enough to not only actually hurt a yaksha during the Rite of Descension where Rex Lapis was present, but also make a successful escape at the end of it. That's pretty unbelievable, don't you think?"
"I had worked with Xun on a few occasions as fellow colleagues. Personally, I believe that Xun is not the type of person to want to willingly hurt others. He strikes me as a gentle person who recognises and respects the sanctity of life," Zhongli, a consultant of Wangsheng Funeral Parlour shared with us during our interview. "Many view that incident as an assassination attempt but I held a differing opinion. We have to consider that while that incident was indeed witnessed by many present during the rite held at Yujing Terrace, when the incident occurred the Vigilant Yaksha was actually situated quite far away from the populace. It's impossible for anyone to clearly see what really occurred. As such, the truth is that nobody at Yujing Terrace had gotten a good look at what really happened and till date, the adepti had not come forth with an official statement either. Is that incident really an assassination on the Vigilant Yaksha– that is a question that I think ordinary folks like us should think about before arriving at a hasty judgement. I think it is also equally important to remember that what we see may not be the truth and often, we may be misguided by only seeing what's on the surface and failing to see what lies beneath it. Of course, my personal bias may be at play here since I knew and had worked with Xun personally, but I think if Liyue wants to get a better picture of what really happened during that year's Rite of Descension, shouldn't we ask the Vigilant Yaksha what really happened that day? After all, he was the party directly involved."
The Steambird did not manage to contact or obtain any statements by the Liyue adepti on this matter.
"Oh, you were quite the bold one, aren't you?" Gumhoo couldn't help but whistle after reading the next article from start to finish. Assassinating an adeptus? How gloriously brave!
And very foolish too. Seriously, how did his human friend get out of that alive?
"What nonsense did you read now?"
"About you trying to assassinate the Vigilant Yaksha?"
"Assassinate? Oh come on," the man rolled his eyes at the mention of the yaksha. "He fell and I was trying to catch him! Nobody believed me!"
"What? That was it?"
The human shrugged. How was he going to convince everyone that the truth was, he happened to spot Xiao at the Rite of Descension that day, and after he managed to somehow convince Xiao with much difficulty, was actually helping to absorb the evil karma from Xiao's body at that time. He had just completed that process but Xiao was so surprised at how the karmic debt in his body had suddenly disappeared to the point that he actually slipped and fell from the roof.
Ridiculous as that sounded, that was the truth. He tried explaining, nobody believed him, and Xiao was nowhere to be seen as usual. He doubts the adepti actually read the news either, so it's highly probable that none of them knew that he's a fugitive on the run and it was why nobody stepped up to clear his name.
Honestly, he couldn't bring himself to care either way, so it's fine.
Our investigations traced the outlaw's footsteps to Sumeru, the Land of Wisdom, where he once again hid himself under a new alias, this time going by the name of Adham, before enacting his next big crime that would go on to cement his title as the Greatest Outlaw of Teyvat:
The Burning of the Akademiya
"It was quite a miracle if you were to think back," Alhaitham, current scribe of the rebuilt Akademiya spoke during our interview with him. "An entire school was set on fire yet nobody was hurt. The only casualties were a few unimportant documents. It's like the perpetrator was here to simply set the Akademiya for fun, destroy the Akasha System in the process, knock the teeth out of our sages at a whim, and leave. Of course, something good did come out of this entire mess. The accidental discovery of the truth of how the previous sages were exploiting the citizens of Sumeru via the Akasha was something that was fortunately uncovered before more harm could be done. You cannot help but wonder if everything was planned or if everything was one big coincidence. If the former is the truth, then there's much thinking to be done."
"As General Mahamatra, my duty is to uphold the Akademiya's rules and punish any transgressions. While I am somewhat grateful that Adham's crimes were a reason why we could uncover a greater crime in the making, two wrongs do not make a right. I will take him to justice if and when I track him down," Cyno, General Mahamatra of the Akademiya, shared during our interview and was in fact, about to set off to resume his investigations when this interview took place.
"Adham? Yes, setting the Akademiya on fire certainly was wrong, but he doesn't feel like a bad guy to me. He's actually sort of well-known in the bazaar since he frequents the place and if you ask around, most of the folks here actually have nice things to say about him. I remember that he often helps us out, like helping to carry heavier equipment, or offering financial assistance to the needy… We still cannot believe that he did what he did. Most of us believe that he had to have reasons for doing something as unbelievable as setting the Akademiya on fire," Nilou, a dancer of the Zubayr Theater shared when our investigations led us to the Grand Bazaar of Sumeru City, where the locals mentioned that Adham was known to frequent before it was known to them that he was a fugitive.
"You are talking about the arsonist? Personally, I think Sumeru should be thankful that he exists and had helped to save everyone from the clutches of these hypocritical sages," a student of the Vahumana school of the Akademiya who only wanted to be known by the alias of Hat Guy shared with The Steambird in our interview. "Let's be real– nobody would know that the sages were up to no good if it wasn't for the arsonist. If you were to ask me, Sumeru is in his debt. Those who might have died if the sages' plan were allowed to continue should kowtow before him in gratitude."
The Steambird also had the honour to have the chance to be able to interview the Dendro Archon, Lesser Lord Kusanali.
"While I don't condone such behaviour, I won't deny that Adham's actions had indirectly helped to save Sumeru, intentionally or not. For that, he has my gratitude, but at the same time, as the Dendro Archon, I have a responsibility to set a good example to uphold the laws of Sumeru as well. Assuming that Adham would one day be captured and tried for his crimes in Sumeru, I don't believe that it's possible for him to get away scot-free, at least not entirely, but while laws are rigid, there are times that we might have to make exceptions on a case-by-case basis. If the plans of the previous sages were not uncovered and stopped when it happened, a handful of innocents with a weaker constitution might have already lost their lives and I think this is something that Sumeru's judicial system will have to take into account as well when deciding on Adham's rightful punishment."
"You know what? I was wrong. You are not just bold, you are so… so… so awe-inspiringly audacious. You are my hero!" Gumhoo couldn't believe that the man whom he had spent nearly a decade with had such a heroic past. It's like a scene out of a tale.
"What lies are you reading now?"
"How you razed the Akademiya and accidentally uncovered an even eviler scheme?"
"Oh, that," the man nodded in acknowledgement and elaborated nothing more. There's nothing to elaborate, not when the truth had been altered and erased in Irminsul in their quest to free Nahida from her cage. Any history altered within Irminsul would try to correct itself in the way it deemed to be the most logical and this was the result.
The truth was that he had set out on a quest to free Nahida but he wasn't alone. A teenage Alhaitham, a young Cyno, an even younger Nilou, Kaveh, Candace and even Scaramouche, and by that he meant the person who he was before he became Junjou; they were all accomplices as well in this cycle. However, after tampering with Irminsul in an effort to save Nahida and also Sumeru from the effects of withering by purging Rukkhadevata's consciousness, and followed by Scaramouche's attempt to reverse his past which he kept them all in the dark and nobody realised what he was trying to do behind their backs until it was too late–
This version of history was the ultimate result. Nobody remembered the truth of why he did and what he did, and he became a persecuted outlaw of Sumeru.
But it's fine. Nahida had been freed and Junjou attained his peace, that's more than he could ever ask for. He's content.
Further investigations of the outlaw led us to Caravan Ribat of Sumeru where it was believed he briefly stayed before making his escape to the desert where he eventually lost his pursuers. While very few claimed to have met Adham for the next eight years, the eremites and the dwellers of the desert who called this area their home are no strangers to his name.
"The indisputable King of all Eremites, that would be what any eremite you asked tell you about that legendary man if you speak of his name," Dehya, a member of the eremite brigade known as the Blazing Beasts, spoke during our interview. "This might not be common knowledge outside of Sumeru, but the term "Eremites" is simply a blanket term for all of the tribes of the desert, ignoring any of the distinctions between said tribes. For most people of Sumeru, any tribe or mercenary of the desert could be labelled as an eremite and almost everyone is free to join. Since eremite mercenaries as a whole are very loosely organised and anyone can join them, of course, that became one reason why eremites became a breeding ground for criminals to gather. That guy, Adham, he changed things."
When asked for specifics, Dehya further shared:
"There used to be an infamous eremite group known as the Deshret's Relics. I don't want to go into the specifics, but they are a no-good bunch. Adham, he's known and respected as the King of all Eremites because he took down groups like the Deshret's Relics all by himself in the years he spent wandering around the desert. Those who perpetuated evil, he would exterminate; those who required assistance, he would offer a helping hand; those who were scattered and lost, he would give them a home. I also had the honour to work alongside the man and assist him in some tasks a few years back and I saw for myself what he's really like. He's nothing like how the other nations described him to be and I refuse to believe their accusations. He never joined an eremite group but he had ties to every and any eremite tribe of the desert and made us a unified group free of the blights that gave the term "eremite" a negative connotation. I don't care what kind of crimes people say he committed in the other nations and whatever the Akademiya claimed he set on fire but here in Sumeru, and especially in the desert where us eremites dwell, I would advise that those who had other opinions about Adham to keep their thoughts to themselves unless they want to be on the receiving end of a very "warm and hospitable" welcome."
When The Steambird asked Dehya of her opinions on Adham and his involvement with the Burning of the Akademiya, she replied:
"I think it got to be some sort of misunderstanding. He's really not that type of guy, trust me. All I can say is that if anyone wants to bring Adham back to, uh, pay for his crimes or whatever. Well, you will have to first ask us eremites if we are agreeable to hand him over."
The Steambird also noted that while Adham had been active in Sumeru's deserts for the past decade, nobody had any sightings of him since two years ago. Hence, nobody is aware of how the Greatest Outlaw is currently doing but there were a few who claimed that an abyss mage could sometimes be spotted around him during his time in the desert. The truth of that claim could not be verified by The Steambird.
What had become of the Greatest Outlaw? Has he retired from a life of crime or is he lying in wait in preparation of his next groundbreaking act of felony? Only time will tell and The Steambird will be sure to report and follow up on Teyvat's Greatest Outlaw next daring act, if any.
Reported by,
Charlotte
Journalist of The Steambird
"I think I should reflect on myself."
"What brought this up this time?"
"The fact that I learnt more about you in a news article than all the years we spent wandering around the desert together," Gumhoo stated as he skipped over to the human that he had befriended. "Looking back, I couldn't believe we became friends."
"I wouldn't imagine such a thing to ever happen either," a fond smile crept up on Adham's face at the memory. Gumhoo is a very special abyss mage. His ability to hold proper conversations with a human being aside, he retained some memories of who he was before when he was still a Khaenri'ah citizen unlike many of his brethren who had descended into madness and became true monsters incapable of reasoning.
Personally, Adham enjoyed Gumhoo's company. Yes, the hydro abyss mage could be annoying at times with his antics, especially his silly little dance that he loves to do while releasing bubbles and chanting "gum gum hoo" which irritated him to no end, but there's a corner of the abyss mage's heart that's so uniquely pure and untainted despite the curse that befell him.
"Hmm, you okay? You don't look too well. Your face is rather pale."
"I would imagine it to be so," Adham agreed with a defeated sigh. The abyssal corrosion that he took on Dvalin's behalf and the karmic debt that he absorbed from Xiao had been taking a toll on him ever since he met and helped them under the guise of well-intentioned lies. He's currently trying to resist the pain and he could only wonder how his yaksha friends were able to endure this endless suffering for so long until they eventually succumbed to this madness.
Furthermore, the fact that he and Gumhoo are now at Kannazuka, Inazuma, within the Mikage Furnace where high concentrations of Tatarigami energy linger, wasn't helping things.
"Gumhoo?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm taking a nap. Wake me up if you need me."
"Oh, okay. Do you want to rest your head on my shoulder? I'm very fluffy," Gumhoo gestured to his fluffy and feathery body and Adham decided, why not?
"Yeah that would be nice."
"The Tatarigami… cleared?"
"Yes, Your Excellency. We only just received word of this less than an hour ago," Kujou Sara knelt before her archon in a respectful bow. Yashiori Island and Kannazuka had always been affected by the Tatarigami ever since Orobashi's death. It's a problem that even she, the Electro Archon, was unable to resolve.
And now people are telling her that it's cleared? And nobody could tell her how and why? Not even one person from the Shogunate or her Tri-Commission? That the entire affair is "still pending investigation"?
Preposterous.
The Raiden Shogun eventually decided to make a trip to Kannazuka personally instead of choosing to wait for her subjects to finish with their investigations. Who knows how long it would take before they could report back anything useful to her. The truth that greeted her eyes did not lie to her. The Tatarigami that plagued this area of Inazuma for centuries had indeed cleared. This is good news, but very strange, and the Raiden Shogun does not like what she does not understand.
She walked down the deserted beach of Kannazuka and she eventually came across a faint mumbling. She kept her presence concealed and her approach silent. Imagine her surprise when she saw a hydro abyss mage talking to itself while facing a crudely made…
The Raiden Shogun had to narrow her eyes to get a better look in her disbelief. Was that a grave that the abyss mage had made at the foot of a cliff? She's no expert on monster behaviour but she wasn't aware that monsters like abyss mages had the awareness to make graves for their counterparts.
And a talking abyss mage? One that could talk cohesively? Not something entirely unheard of, but definitely strange and rare to encounter.
"You dummy. I told you that you would keel over and die if you went ahead and absorbed the Tatarigami. See, you are dead now. How could you? Things will be so boring without you around," the Raiden Shogun overheard the abyss mage talking to itself while facing the grave and doing a silly dance while releasing hydro bubbles all around it.
"You still haven't told me just how you purified the area simply by absorbing the Tatarigami. I mean, would it explode out of your dead body after your death or something? I have to know! How could you do something so cool like this and then leave me on a cliffhanger?! You know I will die of curiosity, you evil little thing! You are more evil than a hilichurl!"
"And for what reason had you done it anyway? Are you from Inazuma? No, you don't look like it. You did this because you are a good person? Why do I find that so unbelievable? Bah, look at me now, talking to myself like a lunatic. I blame you for this. Seriously, things are going to be so boring for me now– Wah! Who's there?!"
The hydro abyss mage jumped on its feet and retreated at least ten metres away in the blink of an eye as the Raiden Shogun stared it down.
"Oh, a human? Whew, you scared me… Wait, I am a monster, why am I acting so nice to her? She's not Adham. Uh, gum gum hoo! Wahahaha, cower in my presence, foolish human! Run! Cower and run before I kill and eat you! Gum gum hoo!"
Bubbles floated all around the Raiden Shogun, threatening to drown her in them but the Electro Archon could easily tell that the abyss mage did not possess any killing intent at all. It's just all bark and no bite and putting up a facade. For what reason it's putting up such a farce, she does not know, but she wouldn't kill someone who had no intentions to harm her without a very good reason.
She simply destroyed all of the abyss mage's bubbles with a casual wave of her naginata. The abyss mage stood rooted in shock at the display of her power.
"W-Wha… Uh oh, a powerful human. Shoot, where's Adham when you need him? Adham, Adham! I'm getting bullied! I'm going to die! Hurry and rise from your grave and save me– oh nevermind, you know what? Let me join you. Uh, miss? After you kill me would you be so nice as to bury me beside my friend?"
The Shogun ignored the eccentric abyss mage's words and instead asked it a question.
"Your friend, is he human?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah. Stupid fellow, not as bright as I am, not as handsome as I am, but still a nice guy. He… He didn't judge me differently even when I'm… like this."
"I see," the Raiden Shogun replied after a long period of tense silence for Gumhoo. "The Tatarigami, do you know why he…"
"I don't," Gumhoo admitted. "He's a secretive fella. He's always like this since I met him in the desert, always doing things behind people's backs without explaining anything and seeking nothing in return. The audacity of him, to go before I do. Hmph when I finally meet him in the afterlife I'm going to give him a piece of my mind! You can count on it! The great Gumgumhoobulibudochiu will see to it!"
"If he truly was the one to cleanse the Tatarigami, then Inazuma is indebted to him. You said his name is Adham?"
"He apparently went by several names in other nations before we met. It made me wonder if I really knew his true name at all," the abyss mage shrugged helplessly. "So… are you going to kill me…? Cos if you are planning to do so can you hurry with it? Waiting is kind of making me anxious."
"No, I don't plan to since you are clearly different from the other abyss mages I had come across, but I would advise you to not appear before humans because not all are as open-minded as your friend. Can you share with me just how he purified the Tatarigami?"
"I don't really know. All I saw was that he destroyed the entire Mikage Furnace. Some of these Shogunate samurais might or might not have seen him at work too. I have to say, those explosions were glorious– ooh, I still get the shivers thinking about it. My feathers, they are ruffling in excitement at the mere thought of it."
"The Mikage Furnace was– I beg your pardon? The Mikage Furnace?"
Something is very wrong with her Tri-Commission if nobody from the Shogunate or the Tri-Commission reported to her about such an important matter.
"Yup, the Mikage Furnace. Uh, miss? Are you alright? You look kind of… scary right now…"
– Tales of a Hundred Cycles, Vol XLIV
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The Steambird
Special Edition, Issue 45
NEW– GREATEST OUTLAW OF TEYVAT NOW AT INAZUMA?
Following the last article of the Special Edition of The Steambird, we have updates on the current situation surrounding the mysterious Greatest Outlaw of Teyvat, presently going by the name of Adham, who now is very likely hiding at Inazuma.
"It had come to the Shogunate's attention that the Tatarigami plaguing the area of Yashiori Island and Kannazuka had suddenly been purified as of two weeks ago. Her Excellency, the Almighty Shogun, had personally investigated the issue due to the importance of the matter. As of today, we could confirm that while the Tatarigami had indeed mysteriously disappeared, the Mikage Furnace that held strategic importance to Inazuma had also been destroyed in the process. Based on Her Excellency's findings, the party responsible for the destruction of the Mikage Furnace went by the name of Adham," Kujou Sara, leader of the Tenryou Commission military forces, answered The Steambird's queries when we received a tipoff about the possible latest whereabouts of the Greatest Outlaw from an anonymous source.
When asked if Adham's destruction of the Mikage Furnace had anything to do with the disappearance of the Tatarigami that had been plaguing Inazuma for centuries, Kujou Sara replied:
"Her Excellency did not relay to the Shogunate any other findings and the Shogunate's current investigations did not suggest any direct correlation between the disappearance of the Tatarigami and the destruction of the Mikage Furnace. However, Her Excellency had ordered that all investigations about Adham be ceased and had since invited all representatives of the Shogunate and the Tri-Commission to discuss an important matter at the Tenshukaku. I am not allowed to divulge any further than this. The Shogunate will also announce at a later date if the Mikage Furnace will be abandoned or rebuilt. Currently, Yashiori Island and Kannazuka should be habitable with the disappearance of the Tatarigami, but the Shogunate would like to strongly urge all Inazumans to hold off heading to these areas until we could make further verifications that the area is safe."
The Steambird was not able to reach out to Her Excellency, the Raiden Shogun for her opinions on this matter.
Overall, The Steambird did find it odd that the Raiden Shogun personally ordered the stop to all investigations regarding the Greatest Outlaw Adham, but there was no denying that he was the person responsible for the destruction of the Mikage Furnace where Inazuma's famed Jade Steel was produced en masse. How the Mikage Furnace's destruction would affect the local blacksmithing industry remains to be seen at this juncture.
Is the destruction of the Mikage Furnace necessary for the disappearance of the Tatarigami or was everything a coincidence like how it was for the Burning of the Akademiya? The Steambird was unable to make further investigations with the gag order imposed on this matter by the Shogunate. We could only hope that this gag order would soon be removed in the interest of journalistic integrity but if the former was true, then what would drive the Greatest Outlaw to commit such a heroic act? Is he a misunderstood hero, or is he truly the Greatest Outlaw?
The Steambird will be back with more updates.
Reported by,
Charlotte
Journalist of The Steambird