Chapter 98: Griseo

"I'll trust you for now." Zhongli shook his head, still somewhat hesitant, and left. This girl looked as pure as a blank sheet of paper, so she probably wouldn't do anything to harm Liyue.

If there was anything to worry about, it was whether Yun Fan might do something inappropriate. After all, this girl looked... so cute.

"Alright, little Griseo, big brother will take you to buy some new clothes. You can't go barefoot anymore. If you catch a cold or cut your feet, I'll feel bad." Yun Fan took Griseo's small hand, speaking with great affection.

"But, running around in shoes will dirty the canvas, and sleeping will dirty the blankets." Griseo said with some distress.

"It's okay, if they get dirty, big brother will buy you new ones. You must remember to wear shoes from now on, okay?" Yun Fan patiently instructed.

"Okay, Griseo understands."

For the next period of time, Yun Fan took Griseo to the largest clothing and accessory stores in Liyue Harbor, spending millions of Mora to buy her hundreds of beautifully handmade clothes.

Although Griseo was one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, at her core, she was still just an innocent, naive little girl. Like any girl, she was interested in beautiful things, as evident from the sparkle in her eyes.

While buying clothes for Griseo, Yun Fan didn't forget to buy a few for Director Hu as well. After all, he had been staying at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, eating and drinking there, so it was only right to show some appreciation.

As for Hu Tao's size, to be honest, Yun Fan didn't know, but as long as he bought small sizes, there probably wouldn't be any issues.

"Hey, it's Brother Yun Fan, how have you been lately?"

"Huh? Brother Tartaglia." Yun Fan turned around to see Tartaglia smiling and waving at him, walking over as he spoke.

"Brother Yun Fan, is this your sister?" Tartaglia asked curiously. Although the little girl looked harmless, for some reason, he felt a faint sense of danger.

'Am I just being paranoid because of that woman?' Tartaglia shook his head. How could such a cute little girl have any ill intentions?

"Yes, this is my sister Griseo." Yun Fan looked at Griseo affectionately and introduced her to Tartaglia.

"Hahaha, I have a few younger siblings too, they are the most important people to me. Little sister, your name is Griseo, right?" Tartaglia crouched down, wanting to imitate Yun Fan and ruffle Griseo's hair.

But she took a step back, leaving Tartaglia's hand hanging awkwardly in the air.

"Your aura, Griseo doesn't like it." Griseo's pupils glowed with a faint purple light. Instantly, Tartaglia felt as if he had been targeted by some ferocious beast, breaking out in a cold sweat.

'No way, this seemingly innocent little girl is at least a god-level being? Then this Brother Yun Fan wouldn't be the same, would he?'

"Brother Yun Fan, you..." Tartaglia looked at Yun Fan with a complicated expression. No wonder he couldn't outdrink him, their strengths weren't on the same level.

"Mr. Tartaglia, no need to worry, just treat me as an ordinary person." Yun Fan gently patted Griseo's little head, calming her down. This little one could see through people's hearts. She must have seen the darkness in Tartaglia's soul.

As a Fatui Harbinger, Tartaglia had blood on his hands. He was by no means a good person. But from a familial perspective, Tartaglia was definitely a good family man.

"Haha, then I'll take your word for it." Tartaglia laughed awkwardly, thinking to himself, how could he not worry?

After chatting with Yun Fan for a bit longer, Tartaglia excused himself and hurried back to the Northland Bank. The events of the day kept replaying in his mind, forcing him to ponder.

At least a god-level being, what exactly is Yun Fan's identity? Is he one of the Liyue adepti? If he is, then what about his senior, Zhongli?

As Tartaglia was deep in thought, there was a knock on the door behind him.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Andrei walked in holding a scroll, respectfully greeting Tartaglia.

"Lord Tartaglia, Her Majesty the Tsaritsa has sent a portrait. It is said to depict the never-before-seen Liyue deity." After many days of transportation, the portrait of the deity from Snezhnaya had finally arrived at the Liyue branch of the Fatui.

"Deity?" Tartaglia snatched the scroll from Andrei's hands. The moment he opened it, his pupils constricted sharply.

The person depicted on the scroll was none other than Yun Fan. Although the artist had never actually seen him, under the Tsaritsa's description, they had captured about seventy to eighty percent of his divine essence.

"So you are the deity, then Zhongli..."

Tartaglia thought of a terrifying possibility. Could Zhongli be the Geo Archon?

Thinking about it carefully, the demeanor he displayed, his unimaginable knowledge of history, all seemed to fit the image of the Geo Archon. After all, who else would know Liyue's history so well besides the Geo Archon?

If he really is the Geo Archon, then was the information about the Exuvia being hidden in the Golden House deliberately leaked? What exactly is in the Golden House?

The more Tartaglia thought about it, the more terrifying it became. He felt that Morax was playing a grand game of chess, and he might just be a pawn in it.

'No, I can't jump to conclusions yet. I need to investigate the Golden House further!' With this thought, Tartaglia turned to Andrei, who had not yet left.

"How is the replication of the Sigils of Permission going?"

"Lord Tartaglia, it's already in progress. It should take about seven more days." Andrei quickly reported.

"Spare no expense, speed it up! Make sure it's done within three days!"

——————

Wangshu Inn, top floor...

Xiao silently ate his almond tofu, a rare look of enjoyment on his face. Seeing that Xiao didn't immediately disappear this time, Paimon and Lumine, who had been running around for so long, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

They had met Xiao before, but before they could even speak, he had already vanished without a trace. Lumine never expected that the short young man she had seen at Wangshu Inn before was actually one of the adepti, the Vigilant Yaksha—Xiao.

But...

Lumine recalled Xiao's words.

'Who is the 'person' he mentioned, and what is my relationship with that 'person'?'