Ember looked up at Morgott. Capable people are capable wherever they are. He could thoroughly research underground systems in the sewers and directly become king on the surface.
You couldn't help but admire him.
"In that case... you're busy, I won't disturb you then." Ember looked at the bustling construction site and felt it was better not to interrupt their normal work.
"Your Majesty worries too much, I'm not busy." Morgott shook his head. He also looked up at the dam, then shouted:
"Alright, the first phase of construction ends here! You've all been to that 'Lantern Rite' festival, haven't you!"
Morgott's voice wasn't loud, but he had clones. With thousands of clones shouting in unison, the news of knocking off work quickly spread throughout the entire construction site.
"Woohoo! Long live the Lantern Rite!"
Soon, a streaking afterimage flew out from the construction site. Upon seeing Ember and Morgott, it even thoughtfully took a detour.
"Whoosh—"
After the streaking light, there was an equally swift figure, though this figure was flying.
The figure didn't say anything, just flew frantically, as if trying to escape quickly.
"Oh, impressive." Ember watched Childe and Balladeer running off quickly. No matter how fast they ran, their hard hats didn't fall off.
It seemed Morgott's safety education was very thorough, which made Ember feel very comforted.
"Those two troublemakers, I've lectured them quite a bit." Morgott sighed, watching the two figures disappear into the distance.
Those two guys were very unruly.
"Just knocking off work like that? Is that alright?" Ember asked, somewhat puzzled, as he watched the Fatui members gradually emerge from the protective netting.
"It's alright, we were going to stop anyway." Morgott smiled, then pointed at the dam and said, "Did Your Majesty not notice there are hardly any Liyue people here?"
"Because of that 'Lantern Rite' festival, all the Liyue people are off work."
"Holidays, truly a good thing." Ember sighed a few times upon hearing this. Then, as if he thought of something, he asked, "Are there any festivals in The Lands Between?"
Morgott's expression paused. He thought back, shook his head, and said, "To my recollection, there don't seem to be any."
Things like holidays don't exist in The Lands Between, where blood stains the earth.
If anything, only the days of revelry after a war victory bear some resemblance to a festival.
"If Your Majesty wishes for them, they can exist." Morgott mused, suggesting.
"The Lands Between shouldn't have much turmoil now, right?" Ember didn't answer, instead asking about the recent situation in The Lands Between.
"No, at least not until our generation of demigods dies, there shouldn't be any major turmoil." Morgott replied without hesitation.
"Then forget it. It's better for things like festivals to be born naturally from vibrant life."
Ember shook his head, ending the topic. Then his tone suddenly became mysterious.
"Heard of yokai?"
"Yokai? What are those?"
Ember's change in tone was so quick that Morgott almost couldn't react.
"Hehe, let me tell you, when we go to Inazuma, you'll just..."
In front of the deserted dam, Ember gesticulated wildly, explaining his "Inazuma infiltration plan" to Morgott!
...Night.
The crowds outside Liyue, far from shrinking due to the biting cold wind, grew even denser with the arrival of the Lantern Rite.
And Feiyun Slope and Chihu Rock, as Liyue's two largest commercial streets, were even more packed with people.
But amidst the bustling streets, there was one area where people were scarce. This was none other than the Northland Bank, whose reputation had already soured in Liyue.
Inside the Northland Bank, although the lights were still bright, there were only scattered figures, a scene of decay.
This was partly because Northland Bank's customers had almost completely disappeared, with little business, and partly because the employees had done too much physical labor during the day and had gone to bed early.
The combination of these factors made the staff seem sparse.
However, no matter what, in such a large organization, there would always be someone diligently working.
"Slap!"
"Tartaglia! Wake up!"
A fancy envelope spun through the air, popping Childe's snot bubble before smacking him hard in the face.
"&#! Are we moving bricks again? No, didn't Foreman Mong say we don't have to work for a few days during the Lantern Rite?"
Childe woke up from his slumber, muttering something under his breath.
"Yay! No more moving bricks for the next few days!" As he muttered, Childe actually jumped up excitedly.
No moving bricks tomorrow, how great!
"Are you stupid from moving bricks? Orders from Snezhnaya, both of you have them!" The Lady said, then threw an identical envelope to Balladeer.
"From Snezhnaya?" Childe opened the envelope; it was indeed an order recalling him to Snezhnaya.
Balladeer wasn't as talkative as Childe. He just broke the seal and read it silently.
"Inazuma, Evil Eye Factory, Gnosis." A few simple words, these were Balladeer's next tasks.
After reading, both Childe and Balladeer fell silent.
"Speak up? Why have both of you gone mute?" The Lady asked, somewhat impatiently, looking at the two silent figures opposite her.
"Does Snezhnaya have any support?" Balladeer burned the letter and asked.
"No." The Lady shook her head.
"Hoo..."
A snore sounded, and Childe simply lay back in his chair and fell asleep.
"Bang!"
The Lady threw a fireball at Childe, but he dodged it.
Childe got up, patted out the sparks on the chair, and shouted in exasperation: "Are those guys in Snezhnaya joking? Do they think Liyue doesn't have enough dams, so they're helping to expand the port?"
Balladeer, hearing Childe's words, also twitched the corner of his mouth. In a way, he was absolutely right.
Because those people at Yujing Terrace had indeed hinted to them about plans to expand the port; they just didn't know if it was true or just to scare them.
"Look at yourselves! Are you Harbingers?!" The Lady, seeing Childe and Balladeer's self-deprecating appearance, scolded them, frustrated that they weren't living up to expectations.
"I remember someone seemed to have run off right away? Who was it? Balladeer?" Childe feigned confusion and asked Balladeer beside him.
Childe also wanted to act like a Harbinger, but Morgott could beat him so badly he wouldn't even look human.
When he and Balladeer had aggressively confronted Morgott, Morgott almost destroyed his Foul Legacy Transformation.
Tartaglia was a martial arts fanatic, but not a fool; when faced with a powerful enemy he couldn't yet match, he would still back down.
The Lady, hearing Childe's words, felt her momentum suddenly diminish a few points.
She suddenly realized that she was probably the least qualified person to ask that question.
"Let's not talk about that. Regarding your missions, do you have any ideas?" The Lady used the tactic of "changing the subject," which was highly effective. Childe and Balladeer's faces immediately became wrinkled.
"None." Childe had completely given up now.
"Wait for the right moment." Balladeer hadn't given up completely, but he was close.
"Don't ask us, what about you?" Childe lay in his chair, asking the Lady.
Currently, among the Fatui in Liyue, only the Lady's faction, due to sufficient unrelated proof, was spared the fate of becoming beasts of burden.
It was no exaggeration to say that all the hope of the Fatui rested on the Lady's shoulders.
The Lady, hearing this, recalled her own mission: "Inazuma, civil war, Gnosis."
The words were few, but the matter was far from small.
Touching the scorch marks on her back, the Lady's face also became wrinkled.
"I have no ideas either."
"..."
"..."
A wordless silence continued. In the small meeting room, the three Harbingers looked at each other, and finally could only let out a sigh: "Alas—"
Why did the future of the Fatui feel increasingly bleak?
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