I'm not as close to the reality of things as you're thinking.

[ Actually, he couldn't stray any further from it. Why lead Aether on? There's a reason why Signora and Zhongli duped him, why Dottore was able to catch up with Scaramouche long before a genuine opportunity ever presented itself to him. It isn't that he's wandered out of his depth; over and over, details are deliberately kept from him.

And Childe's complicit in it, as a pawn and as someone who clearly hasn't renounced his ties to the Fatui. Wherever he ends up, he'll always be a Harbinger. Perhaps he's even meant to be led astray, like some red herring in a far grander scheme. ]

So you're asking me to be truthful, but you won't give me her name?

[ Met with all of this disrespect, Childe doesn't begrudge him for it. He's known for quite a while now that the Traveler isn't so young, despite appearances to the contrary. ]

That's a little cold. What is it you're convinced I'm hiding from you?