9: Traveling Duck Duck

Night fell, and the Jade Chamber—usually quiet at this hour—suddenly grew lively.

At the center of the commotion was a woman sprinting through its halls.

"Miss Beidou?! Lady Ningguang, she—"

"Sorry, no time for chit-chat. I have to see her right now."

Beidou stormed past the flustered secretary Baiwen and barged straight into the central chamber of the Jade Chamber.

Inside the office, Ningguang sat behind her desk, processing a stack of official documents.

"...So that's the situation. I'll leave it to you, Yelan."

These papers detailed the finer terms of Snezhnaya–Liyue trade negotiations: joint mining operations in the Chasm, agreements with the Northland Bank, and more. Once processed and handed off to Ganyu, these agreements would be implemented fully—leading, inevitably, to fierce conflict. If pushed, all the careful diplomacy that had taken years to forge could collapse overnight.

Standing before Ningguang was a woman in a sharp black combat suit.

Her clean, shoulder-length navy hair was swept into a slanted fringe; matching eyeshadow accented her cold blue eyes. The bodysuit's openwork design from waist to thigh hugged her legs perfectly.

When Beidou burst through the doors, Yelan blinked in surprise—but only for a moment.

Then she smiled, nodded toward the stunned Ningguang, and quietly took her leave. Her task, it seemed, had ended before it had even begun.

Ningguang stood abruptly, approaching Beidou with clear disbelief.

She reached a hand out as if to touch her, to confirm she was real—but stopped midway, retracting it awkwardly.

"Hmph. I knew you wouldn't die that easily. You're too stubborn for that."

She said it coldly, but her trembling shoulders gave her away.

For once, Beidou didn't know what to say. They'd always bickered like rivals. This sudden show of sincerity had her momentarily off balance.

"Haha. Saphir said you'd probably drop the entire Jade Chamber on her head if I died, so she sent me back in one piece."

Beidou's tone was casual, but the name made Ningguang freeze.

Saphir.

The dossier had just landed on her desk:

Saphir Afurola, codename Dark Shepherd, Twelfth of the Fatui Harbingers. Background unknown. Element unknown. A rising star among the newer generation, like Tartaglia—a "young powerhouse."

"So that woman really said that?" Ningguang's voice sharpened.

"She's overestimating your value in my eyes. I'd never drop the Jade Chamber for you."

"I told her the same thing," Beidou shrugged. "But she didn't argue. Probably fishing for intel."

She then added, "That woman's dangerous, no doubt. But for some reason… she seemed open with me. Told me a lot."

Ningguang's gaze flicked to the documents she was gathering—among them was a letter starting with Confession of Guilt, written in her own hand.

Beidou saw it clearly.

She remembered Saphir's joke about Ningguang dropping the Jade Chamber.

Now, seeing that letter…

It hit her: Ningguang had actually been ready to resign from her position and take drastic measures.

"Can't believe it… you're more sentimental than I thought."

"Less talking, more drinking," Ningguang snapped.

She called in Baishi and ordered food from the Liuli Pavilion.

"A welcoming feast," she said. "Now—tell me everything. This 'Dark Shepherd'... we still know too little. You've had the closest contact with her so far. If she ever turns hostile, we need every detail."

Meanwhile, Yelan wandered the streets, feeling a little aimless.

Her trip to Fontaine had just been canceled. The Snezhnayan response strategy was being re-evaluated. Now that Beidou had returned, her own involvement might be unnecessary.

"Hmph. Maybe I should dig into that Saphir woman myself…"

If the Crux crew insisted Beidou had died, then she must have.

And now she was alive again. That wasn't something Yelan could ignore.

"'Dark Shepherd,' huh? Definitely... strange."

Back at the courtyard, Tartaglia turned to Saphir.

"I'll be leaving Liyue for a while. I'll leave things here to you."

Saphir blinked.

"…What?"

Was this guy serious? In all the canon events she knew, Tartaglia had never left Liyue. He stayed right up until things exploded. What happened to being the gold standard of 'militant overachiever'?

"You've changed, Duckhead," she said dryly. "You never skipped work before. Who are you, and what have you done with the real Tartaglia?"

Tartaglia gave a half-annoyed sigh.

"It's not unrelated to work. I struck a deal with a local informant—he gave me info on the Adepti, and I have to help him verify something."

He looked serious, even sincere.

Saphir nearly lost her composure.

He really thinks this is legit… how cute. I wanna ruffle his hair.

"So what—you're going to find an astrologer to give you a fortune reading?"

"It's not for me!" Tartaglia snapped. "You wouldn't understand. It's complicated."

Saphir suddenly had a wicked thought.

"Hey, Duckhead. You made a deal, right? Got some Adeptus clues out of it. But what if... just what if... you don't fulfill your side of the bargain?"

Tartaglia narrowed his eyes. "What are you getting at?"

"Well," she said, grinning, "maybe the Geo Archon himself would show up to give you a 'Taste of the Earth's Wrath.' Boom—face to face with Morax. Objective complete. Just tell him the info was useless and the contract's void. Double win, right?"

Tartaglia physically reeled back.

"You… what?! Are you seriously trying to scam Morax?! What are you, a lawyer?! You should skip returning to Snezhnaya and just start practicing law here.

'Fatui Harbinger #12 – Codename: The Attorney.' How's that sound?!"

Saphir smirked, eyes full of mischief.

"Duckhead, you're being mean to me. Is this because you don't love me anymore?"

He gave her a deadpan look, equal parts exasperated and amused.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Everything's been arranged. The Chasm will be handled by Pulcinella's Ninth Division—you'll need to check on their supply lines eventually.

Also, the Yanshang Teahouse. The owner has a special document—the Taboo Talisman. It's the key to reaching the Adepti. Just get your hands on that, and the door opens."

Saphir rubbed her forehead.

She could already guess who the mysterious informant was.

As for the 'astrologer' stuff—obviously just an excuse to get Tartaglia out of the way. Someone was orchestrating this.

"…So that's your move, huh, Morax?" she muttered.

For a second, she really wanted to expose him.

To grab Tartaglia, ruffle his orange duck-head hair, and shout:

"You've been played! Zhongli is Morax! He's trolling you! Go punch him! Right now!"

…But then she imagined the aftermath.

A certain someone stuffing both of them in cement barrels and dropping them into Guyun Stone Forest to play Mahjong with Osial.

She let the idea go.

"Fine. Go do your thing. Just… come back before I ruin everything beyond repair."

Tartaglia didn't seem concerned.

"You might ignore my status as your senior, but you're still my best junior. I trust you'll handle things just fine."

He gave her a half-serious respect gesture, then left for the night.

Saphir sat there alone, holding a cup of cold tea.

She took a sip.

"…Blegh. Bitter."

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