Alhaitham put down his book and looked up. "You never heard of me leaving, so naturally I've been investigating in the village."
"Back to the point—you're planning to leave Aaru Village to continue investigating, aren't you?"
Paimon nodded. "Yes. Staying here won't get us any more information. It's better to go out and look around."
Alhaitham turned his head and stared at the empty air beside him, saying nothing.
Paimon didn't understand what was happening. "Hey, why aren't you talking again?"
Lumine said, "Is he giving us time to think?"
Alhaitham said, "It's not just surprise. You have another companion."
[Paimon: Everyone's a counter-surveillance master here.]
[Cyno: As a master of tracking, if I didn't intentionally leave an opening, no one would be able to detect me.]
[Paimon: Wow, you're really that good?]
[Cyno: Yes.]
[Alhaitham: If I weren't deliberately baiting, no one could follow me without being noticed.]
[Dehya: Impressive. How about you two just fight it out?]
[Lumine: That's one way to resolve disputes.]
[Cyno: I won't lose to a bookworm.]
[Alhaitham: I won't lose to a fool either.]
Cyno stepped out from the direction Alhaitham had been staring at. "You've been in Aaru Village this whole time and haven't helped at all, yet you dare question our actions?"
Paimon said, "Right. Isn't that what they call 'idle chatter'?"
Alhaitham's gaze sharpened. "While you were busy investigating, I also completed my own work."
Paimon spread her hands. "Really? I don't believe it."
Alhaitham continued, "Frankly, we're not really a team. Naturally, there's no obligation for me to report my actions to any of you."
"The advantage of splitting up is that I found an important clue you missed."
Paimon asked, "A clue in the village too?"
Alhaitham nodded. "Yes."
Cyno asked, "What is it?"
Alhaitham looked at Cyno. "I'll take you to see someone later. But first, you need to understand their standpoint."
Paimon asked in confusion, "Standpoint?"
Alhaitham said, "What attitude do you think the people of Aaru Village have toward what we're doing?"
"In other words, do you think the information you've gathered is all true?"
Paimon looked at Alhaitham and asked, "Are you saying someone's been lying to us?"
Alhaitham said, "Withholding isn't necessarily lying. These people have their own standpoints."
[Lumine: Everyone has their own standpoint...]
[Alhaitham: Yes. Everyone has their own standpoint. Just like us—though we seem to be working toward the same goal, our starting points are different, aren't they?]
[Paimon: That's true. Only Lumine and I are solely focused on saving Nahida. All of you have different motivations.]
[Dehya: I consider myself someone dedicated to saving Nahida too.]
[Alhaitham: No. Nahida represents hope for the desert people to you.]
[Dehya: I admit that.]
[Paimon: I see. Because of different standpoints, the information we gather may not be entirely true.]
"As Candace said, the people living here probably don't care who rules Sumeru—whether it's King Deshret or the Dendro Archon, it doesn't matter to them anymore."
Paimon's eyes widened. "So the clue is among the people we've met?"
Alhaitham nodded. "Yes. I'm glad you noticed."
"Among the people you've spoken to, there's an informant who has been withholding information. In fact, he's been watching you outsiders' every move the entire time."