"Adventurine, you're a little late~"
Inside the Northland Bank, Rosalyne was trimming the nails on her left hand, the sharp click of the clippers sounding rhythmically.
Shajin shrugged. "Had to help someone—well, he's basically a person now—deliver something."
He glanced around.
Aside from Rosalyne sitting calmly in her chair and Tartaglia, who had grown bored and fallen asleep on the sofa, there wasn't a single Fatui operative in sight.
Scratching his head, Shajin turned to Rosalyne. "Rosalyne, where is everyone from the Northland Bank?"
Rosalyne set the nail clipper down on the table and replied coolly.
"The Adepti of Liyue came to demand accountability. The Liyue Qixing has proposed unified surveillance of all known Fatui members, excluding the Harbingers, to prevent us from doing anything… untoward~"
"Pfft!"
Shajin finally burst out laughing. He clutched his stomach, doubled over, laughing so hard tears welled in his eyes.
"Hahahaha… Gotta hand it to the Adepti—quick on the draw as always. Doesn't this just make things easier for us? Hahaha…"
Rosalyne's lips curled slightly, betraying a rare, subtle smile.
"Indeed. I'm starting to wonder if the Liyue Qixing is actually working with us~"
Her tone was tinged with amusement and ease.
As Shajin looked at the deeply slumbering Tartaglia, a mischievous glint sparked in his eyes.
His dreamy, iridescent gaze flicked with delight—then, without hesitation, he slapped Tartaglia's forehead and shouted:
"Tartaglia! We've got a powerful enemy incoming!!!"
The yell echoed through the Northland Bank like a thunderclap.
In an instant, Tartaglia flipped off the couch in a blur, a blue-and-white bow materializing in his hands.
A shimmering blue arrow streaked through the air—straight into the sofa.
BOOM!
The sofa exploded, stuffing scattered everywhere, and jagged cracks split the floor beneath.
Tartaglia stared blankly at the destruction before him, then turned his deadpan gaze to Shajin, who was now howling with laughter beside the sofa's "corpse."
"I swear, partner… you're even more bored than I am."
Shajin managed to rein in his laughter a bit, though the grin never left his face. He waved a hand nonchalantly. "No worries—just put it on the Pantalone's tab~"
He then spread his hands and added, "Anyway, Tartaglia—your turn in the spotlight~"
At those words, Tartaglia immediately perked up, tossing the ruined sofa from his mind.
His eyes sparkled with excitement. "Really, partner?! Where am I going this time?"
Shajin gave a relaxed smile. "Your task is to retrieve the Geo Archon's Gnosis from the Exuvia. As for where the Exuvia is… do I really need to spell it out?"
He paused, then added, "Trust me—you'll definitely find a worthy opponent there~"
A flash of battlelust lit up Tartaglia's eyes. He tightened his grip on his weapon and nodded with resolve. "Got it, partner! I'll see this mission through!"
He stowed away his bow and dashed toward the door.
But Shajin caught him by the collar, pointing to the Sigil of Permission strapped to his waist.
"Don't forget what you're really there for."
Tartaglia nodded firmly. "I know, partner! Can I go now?!"
Shajin rubbed his temples.
"Go on, go on~"
"Golden House, here I come!!!"
Tartaglia's silhouette vanished beyond the door, driven by unwavering enthusiasm and resolve as he charged off toward the Golden House.
...
Paimon furrowed her brow, trying to recall the conversation she'd just had with Philips. It felt like digging for hidden treasure in the recesses of her mind.
She muttered to herself, "Seems like all the tensions in Liyue Harbor have finally reached a breaking point~"
Then she turned to Lumine and asked, "Traveler, aren't you planning to do something?"
Lumine shook her head, replying firmly, "I'm not going to be anyone's tool."
Paimon's eyes lit up mischievously as a new idea came to her. She zipped over to Lumine's ear and whispered:
"Traveler, if you don't get involved in this, and only witness what happens… what if you don't gain any Resonance?"
That line made Lumine's eyes widen in disbelief. She shouted,
"Paimon! You've gone bad!!!"
Paimon tilted her head up proudly, giggling. "Takes one to know one~"
She then spread her arms and sighed. "Anyway, what comes next is totally up to you~"
Lumine rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed.
"Do I even have another choice?!"
Paimon zipped around her like an overexcited finch.
"So, are you gonna use your neutral status to try mediating the conflict? Or are you going to use your strength to tilt the scales?"
She frowned, a troubled expression on her face. "Neither of those options sounds easy…"
But Lumine seemed unbothered. She waved her hand casually, voice light and confident.
"Tsk tsk… Paimon, you're too green. If we want to stop an explosion from going off, we should probably start by finding the fuse."
Paimon tilted her head in confusion.
"The fuse? What's that?"
Lumine sighed and gave her a light bop on the head.
"Paimon, is your brain entirely made of food?"
Then she hinted, "Think carefully. Who would be the happiest to see Liyue fall into chaos?"
Paimon clutched her head, thinking hard—then suddenly lit up.
"Of course! I… I get it now! If anyone's thrilled about this whole city tearing itself apart, it'd be Shajin, Signora, and Childe!!!"
Lumine gave a satisfied nod.
"Mm… a promising student~"
She continued,
"Judging from what happened in Mondstadt, the Fatui's top priority is clearly to seize the Gnosis of the Seven. Now that the Geo Archon has fallen, the Gnosis is most likely inside His remains."
"In other words…"
Lumine broke into a sprint.
Paimon quickly flew after her. "Wait up, Traveler! Where are we going?!"
Without even looking back, Lumine called out:
"To where the Exuvia lies—of course, the Golden House~"
_
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