Rahman said earnestly, "You know very well that we're allies now."
Cyno still refused. "Mercenaries value their bonds with one another, yet they don't fear sacrifice. Isn't that right? But I'm sorry—here and now, I stand alone in the desert."
Hearing this, Rahman was silent for a moment, then said, "You seem to know the desert well."
Cyno didn't answer his question directly. Instead, he looked at Lumine and Paimon, who had just arrived. "Lumine, Paimon. You should know about this too."
"Rahman's plan is for me to use my authority as a Mahamatra to join forces with the guards at Caravan Ribat to arrest them, then escort them into Sumeru City."
[Lumine: Indeed, that carries significant risk.]
[Yae Miko: It's a good way to get safely into the city.]
[Ningguang: Launching a direct assault on the city would likely result in greater losses. This is relatively the best option.]
[Paimon: I have to say, Nahida was really farsighted—telling us that the land of hope lies in the desert.]
[Keqing: But will Cyno really gain the guards' trust?]
[Alhaitham: We can only gamble on that. It's the lowest-cost option.]
The scene continued.
After hearing Cyno's words, Paimon said anxiously, "Wait, how can you involve the guards?!"
Rahman said, "You seem to have forgotten—people like us can't easily cross that wall. Caravan Ribat would never allow such a large number of unregistered Eremites to head to Sumeru City."
"The plan I proposed can both clear us of suspicion and get a large number of people into the city all at once. We don't have a better option."
Cyno nodded. "It sounds like the person who gave you this plan said the same thing."
Paimon asked Rahman, "Alhaitham knows this plan is dangerous, doesn't he?!"
Rahman said, "Oh, of course. So he told me: 'A safe method simply doesn't exist. But if the goal is just to complete the plan, this approach is feasible.'"
[Lumine: Indeed, there is no safe way. Every step in rescuing a deity is dangerous.]
[Paimon: Like in Inazuma, we also lost many people.]
"He also said that with Mahamatra Cyno and Lumine helping, the chances of success would increase significantly."
"I don't blindly trust anyone. You should know, my judgment of people has never been wrong. He was right—choosing to trust you is my own decision."
Cyno said, "If I carry out the arrests alone, I can control my strength to avoid hurting you. But the guards at Caravan Ribat won't be as careful."
"To make it look convincing, you'll have to put up some resistance. Inevitably, there will be casualties."
"If you were enemies, I wouldn't hesitate to let you die here. But you're allies. I oppose inflicting losses on our own side."
[Nilou: I never expected the stern General Mahamatra to have such a side. How surprising.]
[Nahida: Cruel to enemies, gentle to allies—that's Cyno. That's why he's earned the respect of all as the General Mahamatra.]
[Paimon: Cyno seemed really frightening before—always talking about killing.]
[Cyno: To make enemies give up resistance, psychological pressure is essential.]
[Lumine: So you were just scaring them?]
[Cyno: It depends. If they've committed a capital offense, I won't hesitate to act.]
[Furina: At the end of the day, rebellion isn't a game.]
After hearing Cyno's concerns, Rahman suddenly burst into laughter.
"I never expected a Mahamatra to care about whether we live or die. Living on the edge like this, I've rarely met anyone like you."