"Excuse me, but how do you..."

"I have met your mother before. It was the time when the Akasha were given only to those who wish to have an extended stay. She visited here once, to ask for wisdom... I may have failed at that."

"Failed...?"

"There was a sign of miscommunication during our conversation together. I told her, that if she wanted to free her people and return all of the stolen visions to them, she has to carve her own fate. And so, she trained and became a Honorary member of the ordo you once served, purely for vengeance unbeknownst to the people of Mondstadt."

"I... I see... And you are..."

"Indeed. I am the one known as Lesser Lord Kusanali, I brought you here, away from Eremite activity to give you a warning."

"What warning is it, Lesser Lord Kusanali?"

Kusanali then handed her a folded piece of paper. Noelle unfolds it, and widened her eyes at what she sees.

"After the incident back in Inazuma gave news all the way to Snezhnaya, the Fatui has marked you for capture, dead or alive. Given the reputation of the Eremites to accept any contract of any risks, and if the pay is good, they would accept. Have you encountered any of those people?"

"I did. Lady Dehya is one of them, judging from what I've heard from her conversation with her employer's daughter."

"Dehya? I remember her. Like the rest of those mercenaries, she likes mora but yet she still has a heart, you were lucky that it was her and not most of the others. The other reason why I have warned you of those posters, is that one Eremite group at Port Ormos have accepted the hunt for you, and something important."

Noelle instinctively knows that 'something important' that Kusanali spoke of is possibly an important secret, so she decided to stay silent.

 "Your master, the traveler, is about to depart for Port Ormos. Wether you decide your fate, to follow him and getting into conflict with that Eremite group, or stay here in the city."

"If this Port Ormos that you mentioned is also filled with seedy people, I have to accompany him."

"You have chosen, Daughter of Shirogane. Now, it is best to head on back to him before he starts to worry."

Noelle bows, and said "Thank you for the warning, Lesser Lord Kusanali."

"And before you go, I advise you not to tell about my whereabouts. The time has yet to come."

"Understood."

Noelle then headed on back to the Grand Bazaar, to see Aether talking with Ayaka.

"Oh, there she is."

"Where did you go, Noelle? We are about to depart for Port Ormos." Ayaka asked.

"I went to buy some supplies for the road." Noelle replied, gesturing at the basket that she is holding, filled with some harra fruits and some other goodies.

"Well, at least that will keep Paimon occupied." Aether said, chuckling a little.

"Oh, and Lady Ayaka, do you mind if I can borrow one of your fox masks?"

"Hmm? What for?"

Noelle didn't answer, but rolled her right eye to glance towards a wall with one of the posters. Ayaka held back a gasp, and played along. She hands one of her masks over, after summoning it from the Serenitea Pot.

"I also need a change of clothes. I'll be back in a moment."

Time skip over to Port Ormos, the party walks over to the upper level of the port, towards a small community.

"Paimon knew that Noelle did want to change her clothes all of a sudden for some reason, but does it have to be that conspicuous?"

Noelle is now wearing a hooded miko's garb, which is presumably given by Yae before the party's departure from Inazuma, and wore the fox mask, hiding her face while the hood hid her hair partially.

"She kinds of reminding me of Kazari..." Aether muttered.

"Oh? Who's Kazari?" Ayaka asks.

"Forget about it."

As they walked, they didn't notice a red haired figure hiding behind a corner, looking at them from afar. A small smirk forms on the figure's face as it's body then turned into water, and traversed beneath the ground. They stopped, as Aether plans to eavesdrop on a group of Akademiya students within the area.

"You both, are we sure we're not followed?"

"Nobody has followed us along the way here, Lady Paimon."

"There's not a single soul to be seen following us."

After a while of eavesdropping, Aether turned around, and tells the group that they are going to the tavern at the bottom level of the port, to find members of the Eremite of the Ayn Al-Ahmar faction for information. Noelle has a sinking feeling that this is maybe the faction that Kusanali has told her about.

After they went there, they overheard two of the mercenaries sitting on one of the reserved seats, talking about the Scarlet King, and that Greater Lord Rukkhadevata is a traitor.

"You both, take a seat not far from where I will speak to them. Make sure that they don't pull anything rash."

"Understood, Aether." Noelle replied, while Ayaka nodded.

The both of them then sat at the table near the mercenaries, and witnessed Aether paying them half a million mora for the information... As well as an address for a merchant. Aether is about to press them for more information, but not until another figure stepped in, a regal looking man who the mercenaries recognized as a "Deranged Akademiya Lunatic". The Akademiya personnel reveals that the two mercenaries were frauds, attempting to pull Aether into their territory.

Noelle worried, that if that happened, Aether would be questioned if he knew her or not which will worsen her cover. But the man resolved the problem with a deal that he shall meet the two mercenaries at the docks one week from today, at four in the afternoon. Afterwards, the tavern's bartender complained to the personnel, who revealed his name as Alhaitham. The bartender was also struck down verbally by him, and walked away. Aether then followed him to talk, but Alhaitham is being evasive from Aether's intention to ask for something, causing both Noelle and Ayaka to be on the ready.

Alhaitham notes that the two mercenaries from before had nothing to do with Aether being a student.

"Perhaps we can also talk terms." With a snap of a finger, both Noelle and Ayaka surrounds Alhaitham.

"The traveler's really strong, as well as these two! Weren't you saying something about a 'physical exchange'? We can help with that."

"These two I don't doubt, but he does not have a vision."

As Paimon then talked to Alhaitham about Aether, and about the thing they are looking for that the Akademiya is seeking so badly, the red haired figure from before materializes again, this time hiding behind one of the wooden crates at the port, spying on the party. When Noelle took a glance there, she sees a pair of familiar horns quickly hiding back.

'Is someone following us? Those horns just now looked familiar...'  Noelle said in her thoughts.

She is also surprised that whoever is following them knows Noelle stole a glance at their hiding spot despite Noelle wearing a mask. Whoever it is, they must be quiet skillful or if worse, powerful. She wasn't able to feel her presence as well until now.

When Noelle realized it, Alhaitham has left. Aether was given a note about passcodes to see a certain merchant. She and Ayaka then followed Aether as he followed the instructions, after meeting one of the merchants who Aether asked for Harra fruits, and congratulating him after he is told that the fruits were eaten by mice. Then the merchant asked if he will pick some fruits that will make him dizzy, to which Aether continued with "With a side of tinnitus, please", which almost lured a chuckle from Ayaka.  And finally, Aether says that he wanted the fruits to be packaged in Port Ormos style, the merchant is finally willing to lead them to Dori albeit in a more covert way by warning the party that there is the Matra.

They followed him all the way to the upper levels, and stopped at a side of a small building to see a petite figure wearing a turban, and a rather exotic merchant's outfit standing there.

"Miss Diona!?" Noelle whispered in surprise.

"Yeah, I'm surprised as you too, Noelle. She looked like Diona." Aether whispered back.

"Who's Diona, Aether?" Ayaka whispered, hand ready on the tachi's hilt.

"A little catgirl from Mondstadt, just a friend."

"Oh, that's a relief."

Aether then told the two of them to stay on guard again, as he started his transaction with the Diona look-alike who revealed her name as Dori. As they were waiting, Noelle took a quick glance to the roof of the building beside where the transaction took place. There she sees it again, but she sees red hair, and a rather bright headwear adorned with those horns. The red haired figure vanished again, and Noelle went on over to check but finds nothing.

After the transaction is finished, the group went on to find Alhaitham and they tried out the knowledge capsule, which is the type of item that they were looking for in the first place (although in reality, the real target is the divine knowledge capsule), that contains the knowledge of swordfighting techniques. However, Aether is too strong to learn more about it, which caused both Noelle and Ayaka to smile despite Paimon's disappointment over the 100 thousand mora lost. The next day the group meets Dori again, this time they buy information from her about a nearby auction that sold the divine knowledge capsule. After spending more mora, she gave Aether a picture taken by her kamera that shows a muscular Eremite mercenary in the transaction. They returned to Alhaitham with the evidence, and they set up the plan to finally confront the Ayn Al-Ahmar mercenaries which took place next week. 

Noelle was given a one week break inside the Serenitea pot, advised by Ayaka to Aether who agreed none the wiser. There, she prepared herself for the upcoming battle against the group of mercenaries at the docks while Aether and Ayaka spent their time exploring more of Sumeru, and helping Tighnari at one point.

After a week has passed, Noelle teleports over to where Aether is standing, and appears beside him.

"Not only that we get to beat the lunatic, but I think we'll also have a chance for 50 million mora! Get 'em, boys! And bring that maid alive!" Tariq, one of the Ayn Al-Ahmar mercenaries said upon seeing Noelle who is now unmasked and wearing her standard armor/maid uniform.

"50 million-- what? Noelle, what did you do!?" Paimon asked Noelle, who didn't reply back.

The Ayn Al-Ahmar mercenaries charged towards Aether, Noelle, Ayaka and Alhaitham. And not even a second later, they were sent flying back to where they charged from. However some of them managed to reach Noelle and Ayaka.

Alhaitham then watched as Noelle dealt with the mercenaries attacking her non lethally, knocking each of them out with a chop to the back of their necks, while Ayaka is outright furious. She unsheathed her tachi, and after a few slashes she sheathes it back which caused unseen slashes to land upon her attackers, putting them down to the ground.

"That maid and that Inazuma gal are monsters... All of us tried to charge in and we couldn't even dent them..." Tariq said, holding his chest in pain.

But then the leader, Mizri, appeared, walking down the pier towards the group ignoring his men's worries as he then knelt down and screamed in pain. Tariq tried to help, but Mizri then beats him up viciously. After three punches, and when the fourth punch is about to land, a hand caught his fist. He tried to yank it off but to no avail, as Noelle's eyes glowed. The golden glow in the center of her eyes instantly caused the other Ayn Al-Ahmar mercenaries to freeze in fear.

"Please, remain calm." Noelle said to Mizri, with a soft tone that hid the sharpness within.

"Cut off his connection to the Akasha!" Alhaitham shouted.

Then Noelle gently took the device off his left ear, and finally he calms down.

"He is uninjured, but the pain suffered inside his head is so severe that he needs a long rest."

"W-why are you helping us!?" Tariq asked.

Noelle didn't reply, but gave the mercenaries a warm smile, as Alhaitham then walked towards her, and secretly took the divine knowledge capsule from Mizri before storing it away, just in time as an Akademiya personnel found them, and arrested the Ayn Al-Ahmar mercenaries, Tariq and Mizri included.

Alhaitham looked at where Noelle once stood, only to find out that she vanished into thin air. She has teleported back to the Serenitea pot just as the Akademiya personnel arrived, because he was accompanied by a group of Eremite mercenaries that are not part of Ayn Al-Ahmar.

What Noelle didn't notice, is the red haired figure has witnessed everything, and gave a mysterious smile as the figure's eyes darted from Noelle to Aether.