"He's an envoy from Snezhnaya—the Fatui's Eleventh Harbinger, Childe," Zhongli briefly introduced.
Upon hearing the words "Fatui Harbinger," Jiang Bai's gaze immediately grew hostile.
"What a coincidence. I just had an encounter with your Eighth Harbinger—La Signora," Jiang Bai remarked coldly.
Childe paused briefly before quickly realizing the source of Jiang Bai's animosity.
"It seems you've had some… unpleasant interactions with Signora. Although we're both Harbingers, I can't say I particularly like that woman either," Childe replied, shrugging slightly as if distancing himself.
But Jiang Bai wasn't about to let his guard down so easily!
Having someone so dangerous appear here, especially someone acquainted with Hu Tao and Zhongli, spelled trouble. Zhongli was suspicious enough already—whatever shady dealings he had with the Fatui were one thing, but Jiang Bai refused to allow Hu Tao to be dragged into it.
Positioning himself protectively in front of Hu Tao, Jiang Bai glared vigilantly at Childe, scrutinizing his every reaction.
"Oh? In Mondstadt, she caused quite a mess under the Fatui's banner. Are you going to tell me you had no idea?" he challenged sharply.
Childe could clearly sense Jiang Bai's heightened hostility, all because of his colleague.
His eyebrows rose slightly, confusion crossing his features. "While we're all Harbingers, each of us acts independently. Could you clarify what exactly she did?"
Though the Fatui had ways of passing messages quickly, he hadn't yet heard about Signora seizing the [Gnosis]. Judging by Jiang Bai's hostility, he could guess something significant had happened, but he kept quiet about his suspicion.
Jiang Bai narrowed his eyes skeptically. "You really don't know?"
Childe scratched his head innocently. "Should I?"
Hu Tao quietly observed Jiang Bai interrogating the diplomat, staying silent.
She was extremely curious about what exactly had happened in Mondstadt—especially this "terrible incident" Jiang Bai mentioned. However, she knew she could ask him privately later, so there was no rush.
After a moment of silence, Jiang Bai sighed inwardly. La Signora had only stolen Venti's [Gnosis] earlier today, meaning news probably hadn't reached Childe yet. Even if he had similar goals, Jiang Bai wouldn't get answers from him now.
Further confrontation here was pointless. What mattered was warning Hu Tao to keep her distance from the Fatui.
Jiang Bai tugged lightly on Hu Tao's sleeve. "It's nothing. Director, let's head back."
Hu Tao nodded, grabbing the handles of Jiang Bai's wheelchair. "You two have fun—we're off!"
As Hu Tao and Jiang Bai departed, Zhongli watched them thoughtfully before turning to Childe. "I'll be taking my leave as well. Let's chat again another day."
"No problem!" Childe waved casually, smiling pleasantly.
Once everyone was out of earshot, Childe rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It seems something important happened without my knowledge… Could Signora have succeeded already?"
"Director, how did you meet that guy?" Jiang Bai asked, turning his head toward Hu Tao, who was pushing his wheelchair briskly along.
"Oh, he invited Zhongli to dinner a while ago. I tagged along, so that's how we met."
"That guy looks suspicious. Director, you should stay away from him!"
"Suspicious?" Hu Tao blinked innocently. "He's handsome and pretty nice to talk to. How's he suspicious?"
Seeing Hu Tao's dismissive reaction, Jiang Bai nearly jumped up from his wheelchair. "What part of him is handsome? Bright orange hair and a weird mask on the side of his head—how is he trustworthy at all?"
Noticing Jiang Bai's intense reaction, Hu Tao's lips curled into a teasing smile. "Oh? Really? I think he's pretty nice—he even mentioned having younger siblings."
"You even know how many siblings he has?!" Jiang Bai felt the sky collapsing above him.
"He said it himself at dinner."
Jiang Bai instantly revived. "Oh, I see… Well, how did he become acquainted with Mr. Zhongli?"
"Zhongli knows a lot of people. Who knows?"
"Are they close?" Jiang Bai still hadn't entirely dismissed the idea that Zhongli could be involved with the Fatui.
Hu Tao considered briefly. "Not really, I think."
Given Zhongli's personality, unless he truly valued someone, he treated everyone similarly. His attitude towards Childe wasn't much different from how he treated the storyteller Tian Tiezui at the teahouse.
"I see… By the way, how long has Zhongli been Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's consultant?"
"Oh, a very long time! Don't let his looks fool you—he's at least two generations older than me!"
Jiang Bai finally shelved the suspicion that Zhongli might be with the Fatui—at least for now.
At that moment, Zhongli caught up to Jiang Bai, matching their pace easily. "So how exactly were you injured? Was it that Harbinger—La Signora?"
"You guessed correctly, Mr. Zhongli," Jiang Bai replied, giving Zhongli a thumbs-up.
Technically, Jiang Bai's injuries were self-inflicted, but since they occurred during the fight against Signora, he didn't feel it misleading to pin the blame on her.
Zhongli raised an eyebrow curiously. "What did the Fatui do in Mondstadt?"
"It's a long story…" Jiang Bai hesitated.
He didn't want to reveal too much—especially details like the Anemo Archon losing his [Gnosis]. If Zhongli heard that even a god could lose something so important, wouldn't the Geo Archon himself be in danger?
But Zhongli was involved with the Fatui already—he'd probably find out soon enough anyway…
Caught between silence and confession, Jiang Bai was troubled.
"No need to rush. Let's sit down at my place and discuss this slowly," Zhongli offered calmly.
In Zhongli's courtyard, he leisurely boiled water and brewed tea with graceful, practiced movements. However, Jiang Bai was too distracted to appreciate the elegance, still conflicted about what to share.
While Jiang Bai hesitated, Hu Tao grew impatient. "Hurry up and tell us—what exactly happened? How did you end up fighting that La Signora and getting injured like this?"
Jiang Bai took the cup of tea offered by Zhongli, sipping carefully to soothe his throat before beginning.
"It all started with the recent dragon crisis in Mondstadt… Five hundred years ago, Mondstadt's guardian, the Dragon of the East, Dvalin, drank corrupted blood during a battle against a wicked dragon and was contaminated by evil energies. After sleeping for centuries, he woke recently only to be manipulated by Abyss Mages, causing chaos."
"To save Dvalin, we sought Mondstadt's treasured Holy Lyre der Himmel on the Anemo Archon's guidance—but the Fatui stole it first. They coveted the Archon's divine power, using the Lyre to find him."
Jiang Bai altered the details somewhat—after all, admitting the Anemo Archon himself had guided them in stealing the Lyre wouldn't sound very heroic.
"Then what happened?" Hu Tao leaned forward eagerly. It was rare to hear such juicy gossip involving the Archons themselves!
"Well, we eventually recovered the Lyre, defeated the Abyss Mages' monsters that attacked Mondstadt, and purified the corruption affecting Dvalin," Jiang Bai concluded, leaving out the most critical detail.