Angie's words instantly plunged the room into an icy silence.
"Well, you all knew this already, didn't you? Especially you, Traveler—yes, you. You should know better than anyone that the Fatui are collecting the Gnosis. This is a direct order from the noble Cryo Archon."
"I never expected you to brazenly admit it right in front of us..." Candace said, sizing up Angie. It seemed even Childe deferred to the young woman who was speaking.
Angie continued, "This is a matter between gods. We've already secured the Gnosis from Mondstadt and Liyue. Given those two Archons' power, who could possibly take their Gnosis against their will?"
Paimon: "Did you... um... make a contract with Nahida too?"
Angie: "I don't know. Probably not."
Nahida had been confined to the Sanctuary of Surasthana. Even if the Tsaritsa wanted to speak with her, it would have been impossible.
"Hah," Cyno scoffed coldly. "A contract with the Anemo and Geo Archons, but outright theft from the Dendro Archon?"
Cyno's words carried weight, but the crucial point was that the Little Dendro Archon wasn't so easily manipulated. Even the Second Seat, the Doctor, had nearly met his match against her.
Alhaitham: "You shouldn't have come to us about this. The Akademiya would be more appropriate."
Angie: "Since you already know, I'll get straight to the point. The Inazuman Gnosis was originally supposed to be retrieved by The Fair Lady, but something went wrong. The Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine handed it over to Scaramouche, who brought it to Sumeru. Moreover, the Doctor has also arrived in Sumeru..."
"In short, Scaramouche has betrayed us, and the Doctor is untrustworthy. That's why we came here."
Paimon counted on her fingers: "Scaramouche, the Doctor, Childe, and Angie... So many Fatui Harbingers have shown up!"
Alhaitham remained silent. The situation seemed to be spiraling beyond expectations.
Candace: "Is that all?"
Dehya: "At least introduce yourselves first."
Angie had just claimed not to be a Harbinger, yet Childe seemed to still take orders from her.
Angie: "Of course not. Before I tell you everything I know, let's dispel the hostility between us. After all, we didn't come here to fight."
Cyno: "I'm not feeling it."
Angie ignored Cyno's mockery and continued:
"I am the Adjutant to the First Seat of the Fatui Harbinger, 'The Captain' Capitano..."
Angie paused deliberately, waiting for everyone to stand up in shock before continuing.
"...Angie."
Dehya: "..."
Could you please not take such dramatic pauses when you're speaking, seriously?!
Lumine and Paimon knew a little about Angie's identity, having learned it from Tartaglia. However, their knowledge was limited; Tartaglia had certainly not told them the whole truth.
When Angie initially claimed to be the First Seat, they had nearly jumped out of their skins. Thankfully, that wasn't the case...
Seeing everyone standing, Angie nodded inwardly.
I've been walking all day without sitting down. Is it really too much to ask for them to stand with me for a few minutes?
"Currently, our objective is..."
Angie's words were interrupted by a bestial roar from outside.
Candace instructed everyone to rest while she went out to deal with the beasts in the sandstorm.
Paimon: "Beasts emerging from the sandstorm? Are you sure you can handle it alone?"
Candace: "Combat in these conditions requires specialized training. Those of us who've trained here recently are the only ones who can handle it. No need to trouble you."
Dehya chimed in, "Yeah, you can trust Candace with this. She's incredibly strong!"
After Candace left, Angie glanced at her brother, who was practically bouncing with impatience. Knowing he was itching for another spar, she sighed.
"If you want to go, go ahead. Just be careful."
"You bet! I've been dying to stretch my muscles."
-
After Tartaglia and Candace had departed, Angie addressed Alhaitham and the others in the room.
"All we want is the Gnosis. The Doctor has the same goal as us, but that guy is as devious as they come. I'm sure the Traveler and that little spirit have already experienced it firsthand. I can't stand him. If you want to take him down, I might be able to help..."
"As for Scaramouche, he's completely betrayed the Fatui and is trying to use the Gnosis to become a god. He's our enemy too..."
Angie revealed these truths, hoping to gain their trust.
Dehya: "Wait, you're saying... become a god?!"
Angie: "Judging by the Traveler's expression, she seems to know more about this than I do. If she explained it, would you trust her more?"
All eyes turned to Lumine.
After a moment of contemplation, Lumine decided to reveal everything she knew.
"When we were at the Akademiya..."
She repeated the same account she had given Tighnari earlier, recounting it to the entire group. As she finished, the room fell silent.
"Becoming a god... So that was the plan all along! Hmph!" Alhaitham pieced together the puzzle.
"They scorn the gods, disregard human lives, and have even forgotten the sacrifices of Rukkhadevata and the Dendro Archon! The Akademiya members deserve to be punished!"
Just then, the wind outside ceased.
The oppressive silence in the room had already made Paimon uncomfortable. At her suggestion, the group decided to go outside to assess the situation.
They could discuss the finer details later, once everyone had gathered.
For now, at least one thing was certain: they weren't currently at odds with the three Fatui members.
As for what might happen later... they'd deal with that when the time came.
The group emerged from the shelter.
Tartaglia and Candace were still battling wave after wave of the relentless beast tide.
"Whoa... Candace and them are still fighting? Have you been battling these monsters non-stop since then?"
Candace: "Yes, wave after wave. I've lost count of how many there were. Before we knew it, even the sandstorm had subsided. We owe a great deal to this friend here for easing the pressure on us."
Tartaglia finished off the last monster and nodded at Candace. "You're strong. We should spar sometime if you're up for it."
Candace smiled faintly. "If the opportunity arises, I'd be glad to oblige."
Angie rolled her eyes at her brother. This guy... he asks every girl he meets to fight him.
After chatting for a while, Uncle Anpu, the Village Chief of Aaru Village, approached the group. He first apologized for his earlier absence, then began discussing the matter of the Village Keepers.
The Village Keepers were scholars exiled here by the Akademiya. Recently, for some unknown reason, they had been disappearing one by one, leaving the villagers baffled. Uncle Anpu wanted to ask the group to investigate.
Angie had no intention of running around with the others.
"We've been here quite a while already," she said. "I do know about the Village Keepers you mentioned."