221: Zhongli Busy with His Funeral, Ningguang Busy Finding a Partner

 "Lumine! It's that bad guy from the Fatui who announced his name the first time we met!"

Paimon scrunched her little face, hiding behind Lumine as she muttered warily. At the same time, she secretly pulled an alchemy potion out of her inventory.

If Tartaglia did even the slightest suspicious thing, she'd gulp it down and whip out an RPG to blast him on the spot.

Tartaglia glanced calmly at the potion in Paimon's hand.

It was a strength-enhancing type—and looked like a higher-tier version, too.

As expected, he thought inwardly.

Still, he just shrugged and smiled.

 "That kind of guarded look really hurts, you know? Compared to my colleagues, I'd say I'm the friendlier one. Why treat me like this?"

Lumine frowned slightly as she looked at Tartaglia and said softly:

 "The Geo Archon was just severely injured during the Rite of Parting. You suddenly coming to us like this—of course we'd be on guard."

 "Don't think I don't know what your Fatui are scheming when it comes to the gods!"

Paimon also chimed in fiercely:

 "Yeah, yeah! That lady colleague of yours—she hit Venti and stole his Gnosis! Don't think we didn't notice!"

 "Hmph! None of you Fatui are good people!"

Tartaglia froze awkwardly.

Things weren't really going the way he imagined…

Lumine and Paimon's wariness toward the Fatui was way too high.

---

Meanwhile, on the Jade Chamber—

The entire conversation between Lumine and Tartaglia was being monitored by Ningguang and the others.

When they heard Paimon mention that Venti's Gnosis had been stolen, Jean instantly flared up.

 "Venti! Is this true? Your Gnosis…"

Venti scratched his head a bit awkwardly.

 "Eh-heh?"

 "Venti, this is a serious matter. No matter what, you shouldn't have kept something like this from us,"

Jean scolded, visibly upset by Venti's nonchalant attitude.

Looking troubled, Venti glanced at Zhongli. After a moment of silence, he muttered:

 "It was decided a long time ago. You don't need to worry about it. The Gnosis isn't something the Archons particularly value."

 "On the contrary, to us, it might actually be more like a surveillance tool from Celestia. There's a lot involved—you don't need to know the details for now."

Jean furrowed her brow, deep in thought.

 "But Paimon said that the Lady struck you? No matter the circumstances, that's—"

Venti raised a hand to stop her, sighing with a hint of melancholy.

 "That's something I owed her…"

 "What do you mean?"

Jean looked confused, but Lisa seemed to suddenly understand.

 "So she really is the Crimson Witch of Flames from five hundred years ago…"

 "The Crimson Witch of Flames? Wasn't she one of the heroes during the Cataclysm five hundred years ago?"

Jean was stunned.

Back when the dark beasts attacked Mondstadt, the Knights of Favonius had been nearly wiped out. The city was on the brink of destruction.

The Crimson Witch had sacrificed herself, burning her life away to protect Mondstadt. After that, she vanished without a trace.

Everyone thought she had perished.

But now, it seemed there was more to the story…

 "If that's true…"

Jean sighed and slumped into her chair.

 "Then Mondstadt owes her a great debt as well…"

Things had become too complicated too quickly—Jean was having trouble keeping it all straight.

Venti sighed.

 "Times change. Who can really say what's right or wrong? In the end, the root of these disasters is Celestia's stubborn will…"

 "Anyway, there's no need to overthink it now. Mondstadt's priority should be to continue growing like Liyue did. We'll worry about the rest when the time comes."

Jean had no better answer and could only go along with what Venti said.

At that moment, Ningguang turned toward Zhongli after a moment of silence.

 "So then… Tartaglia's original purpose in coming to Liyue was to obtain your Gnosis, wasn't it?"

Zhongli remained silent under everyone's watchful gaze.

After a long pause, he shook his head and said:

 "That was part of my contract with the Tsaritsa. It's not something you need to concern yourselves with."

 "...I understand."

Ningguang sighed.

She was growing increasingly confused by the bizarre logic of these gods.

Still, from the way Venti acted, it seemed that a Gnosis truly wasn't of great importance to the Seven.

If Zhongli was willing to hand it over, they had no right to object.

After all, Zhongli was the Geo Archon not because of his Gnosis—it was his very existence that made him Liyue's protector.

As long as he lived, he would always be the Geo Archon in the hearts of the people.

---

Back in Liyue Harbor—

Tartaglia hesitated for a moment. Seeing Lumine and Paimon growing more guarded by the second—practically ready to draw weapons—he gave a helpless smile and said:

 "Alright, fine! I'll be honest. Yes, I do need the Gnosis. But I wouldn't dare pull anything at the Rite of Parting."

 "Even with the Geo Archon gravely injured, Liyue still has its Adepti. There's no way I could cause trouble—I'm not that reckless. So there's no need to be so wary."

 "The deal for the Gnosis was made before this. The Geo Archon and Her Majesty the Tsaritsa signed a contract. I'm just the middleman sent to retrieve it."

 "Once you're able to speak with the Geo Archon again, he'll explain everything himself."

Lumine went silent for a moment. Tartaglia looked pretty sincere—not like he was lying.

Reluctantly, she chose to believe him… at least a little.

 "You came to us just to say that?"

Lumine's tone was calm as she looked at him.

 "If that's all, then we really have nothing more to talk about."

Tartaglia grinned and spread his hands.

 "Of course there's more. But I don't think this is the best place to talk. If you don't mind, would you come with me to the Northland Bank?"

 "Lumine!"

Paimon gasped, clearly alarmed as she looked at Lumine nervously.

The Northland Bank was the Fatui's stronghold in Liyue.

There was no way Paimon wanted Lumine walking into a place like that.

Tartaglia also noticed Paimon's unease and smiled:

 "If you're worried I'll do something to you, there's no need to be that tense."

 "The Northland Bank is currently being watched by a ton of Millelith. You know their strength very well."

 "While I don't mind having a good fight with you, I'm not planning on letting the Fatui get crushed by the Millelith just yet."

With that, Tartaglia turned and started walking ahead, tilting his head slightly as he said:

 "Coming or not? You might learn more secrets—like about your brother…"

Lumine's heart stirred. After thinking for a moment, she nodded and followed.

She wasn't particularly afraid Tartaglia was setting up an ambush. As he said, the Northland Bank was surrounded by Millelith.

Even if he wasn't afraid, he'd have to consider the consequences of causing trouble right now—especially with Liyue's full military power ready to descend.

Besides, the Fatui had their hands in all seven nations. And the Harbingers worked directly under the Tsaritsa. It was entirely possible they had information on Aether.

After weighing the risks, Lumine decided to go with Paimon and follow Tartaglia.

---

On the Jade Chamber—

Seeing that they didn't plan on chatting in Liyue Harbor, Ningguang looked a bit regretful.

If they had talked a bit longer, she might've been able to figure out more of Zhongli's arrangements.

Still, she had gathered plenty of information today already. No need to obsess over it.

Zhongli stood up calmly and headed toward the door.

 "Is it your turn to appear on stage?" Ryen asked with a cheerful grin.

Zhongli gave a slight nod.

 "It's time to begin preparing the Rite of Parting."

Ryen rolled his eyes.

 "So eager to retire, huh? You're not even dead yet, and already so excited for a send-off?"

Zhongli replied calmly:

 "As I've said, the Rite of Parting isn't just to honor the dead. The Geo Archon stepping down is, in principle, a suitable reason to hold the rite."

Zhongli wasn't planning to delay any longer. If the situation allowed it, he'd have held the rite and announced his retirement tomorrow.

After all those years of battle, wasn't he allowed to finally relax?

He stepped out the door and vanished into golden light, leaving the Jade Chamber behind.

Ningguang sighed helplessly.

 "From the moment the Rite of Parting went wrong, I suspected that Liyue Harbor would experience turmoil."

 "But I never imagined it would be even more complicated than I thought… That the Emperor himself would be guiding it all."

 "Lumine, the Fatui… What exactly is the Emperor thinking?"

Though she seemed to be speaking to herself, Ningguang's eyes were fixed on Ryen.

She knew, given Zhongli's open rapport with him, that Ryen probably knew everything.

But Ryen wasn't about to sell Zhongli out. This was a grand plan that had been in the works for a long time.

Leisurely playing with Nahida, Ryen replied softly:

 "It's like a parent testing whether their child is ready to step into the world alone—they need to face danger to prove they're capable."

 "Totally normal. But don't ask me too much. If I say too much, that petty guy will hold a grudge for a long time."

Though she knew it was futile, Ningguang still felt helpless.

After a pause, Ryen continued:

 "I'll stay in the Jade Chamber for the next few days. Got any spare rooms?"

This whole drama would play out beautifully from here—Jade Chamber was the best seat in the house. Ryen wasn't about to miss it.

Besides, to ensure someone would come to ask for his help in healing Zhongli's dragon-form body, it was better for him to lay low.

Ningguang was delighted when she heard he offered to stay on his own.

She'd just been worrying that Ganyu and Hu Tao had moved too fast, giving her no chance to make a move. And now, Ryen came knocking himself.

She immediately nodded.

 "There are plenty of rooms in the Jade Chamber. I'll arrange one for you."

Ganyu and Hu Tao exchanged glances, then both blurted out:

 "I want to stay too—"

 "No way!"

Ningguang didn't give them a chance to finish before cutting them off decisively.

She had finally seized an opportunity. If Hu Tao and Ganyu stayed here too, what would be the point?

How was she supposed to sleep listening to their antics every night?

She was trying to create an opening for herself, not torture herself.

After thinking for a moment, Ningguang offered a legitimate excuse:

 "Liyue Harbor is about to enter a period of unrest. Ganyu still has lots of administrative work to do and must oversee the city's safety."

 "Also, while the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor may not be hosting the Rite of Parting, Zhongli is still your guest consultant. This is a huge opportunity."

 "Don't you think, Hall Master Hu, that this is a perfect moment to raise the reputation of the Funeral Parlor in such a grand and unprecedented event?"

Her words left Hu Tao and Ganyu speechless.

As much as they wanted to argue, they couldn't deny her reasoning.

Helplessly, they both nodded—silently hoping Ningguang would be too busy during the chaos to make a move on Ryen.

 "Ryen, aren't you going back to that other world for a while?" Jean asked curiously.

He nodded.

 "There's nothing urgent to deal with over there. I'll return once Liyue's turmoil settles down."

 "If any of you want to visit, just come find me. But whatever you do, don't go slaying the Ender Dragon—whether the next mod can function properly depends on it."

As he spoke, Ryen shot a glance at Venti.

Venti froze and muttered indignantly:

 "What, you still don't trust me?"

Ryen replied with calm certainty:

 "Would you?"

 "…"

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