Chapter 58. La Signora Stances
Facing Black Aila, her former colleague and prey, La Signora revealed a rare look of shock. She had never expected to see Black Aila standing here again. In her understanding, Black Aila should have already died.
How was this possible?
Could it be that Aila had lost? Lost in the fusion battle?
That useless fool! Even after receiving help from Futsu Mitama, Rex Lapis, the Raiden Shogun, the Adeptus of Liyue, and so many others, she still lost?!
Clearly, in La Signora's view, Black Aila had emerged victorious in the battle of fusion and survived because of it.
Otherwise, according to the intelligence they possessed, once Aila and Black Aila met, their souls would inevitably resonate with one another, dragging them into a battle within consciousness itself.
Only the final victor could remain alive.
That was what Il Dottore had told her, and in matters like this, La Signora trusted his judgment. Il Dottore might be insane, but when it came to research and the nature of the soul, he rarely spoke without certainty.
What La Signora did not know was that the so-called fusion battle was not merely a struggle for survival, but a process of mutual devouring.
If Black Aila had truly won completely, she would no longer be able to maintain her current appearance.
Unfortunately, La Signora neither understood nor cared about such details. At present, all of her attention was focused on obtaining the Gnosis and fulfilling the Tsaritsa's will. Compared to Il Dottore, she had little interest in dissecting the principles behind these strange phenomena.
That was why she was so shaken now.
"…."
Black Aila remained silent.
Her crimson eyes stared coldly at La Signora, and within them, a faint killing intent flickered.
It was this woman who had exposed her existence. This woman who had caused the Fatui Harbingers to pursue her relentlessly through the Abyss.
Black Aila still remembered those miserable days clearly.
And now, this same person was standing here saying she should have died?
At that moment, Aila also stepped into the room. Her expression remained calm as she looked toward La Signora.
"What?!" La Signora's pupils contracted violently once more.
This time, the shock on her face became impossible to hide. It was as though she had witnessed something that should never have existed together in the same place.
"What's wrong, Lady?"
Ningguang asked calmly from the side. Though she very nearly laughed at the reaction before her, her expression remained perfectly composed.
"Why are you so unsettled today? Could it be that you are dissatisfied with the arrival of Liyue's Adeptus disciple?"
Aila's current identity was that of Cloud Retainer's disciple. In Liyue, the title of Adeptus disciple carried considerable status and significance.
La Signora's reaction after seeing Aila and Black Aila together was already bordering on disrespect.
"How is this possible…" La Signora muttered quietly.
She paid no attention whatsoever to Ningguang's words. Because the scene before her had already shattered her understanding of reality. Whether it was Aila or Black Aila, neither of them should have been able to exist alongside the other.
"?"
Tartaglia frowned slightly.
He looked at La Signora's unusually shaken expression, then glanced toward Aila and Black Aila, whose faces remained calm, before finally looking at Futsu Mitama, who still wore a faint smile.
For a moment, Tartaglia realized something.
He had definitely missed an important piece of information.
Although he disliked La Signora's methods, he acknowledged one thing: her intelligence-gathering abilities were exceptional.
She knew when to advance and when to retreat. She would fight if she could win, yield if she could not, and she was especially skilled at exploiting loopholes while remaining technically within the rules.
As a colleague, Tartaglia found her personality irritating.
But as a partner within the Fatui, she was undeniably reliable. Whatever information was needed, she could usually obtain it. Whatever support was required, she could often arrange it.
And now, the shock in her eyes told Tartaglia very clearly that something enormous had happened here.
Something he did not yet understand.
In truth, La Signora's reaction made perfect sense.
Although she did not know the true nature of the fusion battle, she knew one thing with certainty:
Once Aila and Black Aila met, the two of them should have fought to the death.
That was also why, back then, she had so "kindly" provided Futsu Mitama with all of that information without asking for anything in return.
According to Il Dottore, once Aila and Black Aila met, his experiment would definitely succeed.
Although he felt some regret over not personally witnessing the birth of Demon God Aila, he had still sounded quite pleased while speaking of her potential to reach the Archon Realm.
His tone had even resembled that of a doting father.
But what La Signora heard from those words was another meaning entirely.
Only one of the two Ailas could survive.
And the survivor would very likely step into the Archon Realm.
That was why La Signora deliberately lured Futsu Mitama and the others into The Chasm.
She knew how stubborn Black Aila's fate was. It was nearly impossible for her to die normally.
So she intentionally advanced the fusion battle ahead of time, hoping to use Aila's hand to eliminate Black Aila, this hidden danger.
Even if Aila inherited Black Aila's memories afterward, so what?
She still would not become the real Black Aila. Simply obtaining those memories would not necessarily make her act upon them.
But the final result had completely exceeded expectations.
Neither of them died.
Black Aila was still alive.
Aila was also still alive.
Damn you Dottore. Your experiment failed.
But how? How exactly had Futsu Mitama done it? Was it Morax? Or Raiden Shogun?
But even gods should not have been able to interfere with soul fusion. Could it have been some even higher-level power?
For a brief moment, countless thoughts raced through La Signora's mind.
But very quickly, she forcibly calmed herself down.
Because she noticed Tartaglia looking at her.
That brute had probably already obtained some information and simply had not shared it with her yet.
Fine.
She would deal with the current matter first, then question him afterward.
La Signora took a slow breath, deliberately avoiding Aila and Black Aila as she looked back toward Ningguang.
"Alright," she said coldly. "Let's return to the main topic."
"Oh?" Ningguang smiled faintly after seeing La Signora regain her composure. "Very well. Then let us continue."
"Our position remains unchanged. Liyue will not agree to the Fatui's demands. At most, we can provide mora compensation and certain forms of commercial cooperation."
"As for matters related to The Chasm, I already made our position clear before. That is our bottom line. There is absolutely no room for negotiation."
Ningguang's attitude remained firm.
The compensation would only go this far.
As for any interests tied to The Chasm, the Fatui could forget about them entirely.
"Good."
To everyone's surprise, La Signora agreed immediately, showing no intention of continuing the argument.
Her sudden change in attitude caused Ningguang's eyes to narrow slightly.
She instinctively felt that the other party was planning something.
"Then prepare the contract," La Signora said calmly as she looked at Ningguang. "As compensation, your unlawful detention of me must also be included."
"Do not call it being a guest."
"If this is how Liyue handles matters, then perhaps when Liyue merchants arrive in Snezhnaya, I should also invite them to become 'guests.'"
At this point, her words already carried an obvious warning.
This was La Signora's attitude.
If she suffered losses, then Liyue would also have to pay a price.
"Very well." Ningguang smiled calmly.
As long as the matter could be resolved with mora, it was not truly a problem.
What surprised her more was La Signora's sudden willingness to compromise.
Originally, Ningguang had already prepared herself for several more days of negotiation and stalemate.
She had expected to slowly drag the matter out with the other party.
Yet unexpectedly, La Signora accepted the terms so quickly.
That truly was somewhat unusual.
At Ningguang's signal, the secretaries immediately began drafting the contract, recording all the terms that had previously been discussed.
La Signora glanced over it briefly and frowned slightly.
Clearly, some of the terms did not satisfy her.
But after another look toward Black Aila, she ultimately said nothing more and silently signed her name.
Tartaglia blinked slightly.
For some reason, he suddenly felt that the atmosphere was becoming somewhat ominous. La Signora was not someone willing to suffer losses easily. It was true that she had suffered several setbacks at Futsu Mitama's hands before, but those had all been passive losses.
But now, she was actively accepting a disadvantage.
That was extremely rare.
Which also meant one thing very clearly. La Signora wanted to remove herself from this matter as quickly as possible.
"Very well," La Signora said indifferently after signing the contract. "Then this matter is settled. I hope Liyue can fulfill the contract terms as soon as possible."
"As for me, I should also take my leave."
After speaking, she stood up, clearly intending to leave together with Tartaglia.
Ningguang did not stop them.
Once this matter was settled, it meant the Fatui no longer had any excuse to interfere with affairs related to The Chasm.
As for other matters, cooperation between Liyue and Snezhnaya still had to continue for the time being.
Neither side could completely fall out with the other yet.
However, just as La Signora reached the doorway, Black Aila stepped forward and blocked her path.
Her crimson eyes calmly reflected La Signora's figure.
La Signora likewise stared directly back at her.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
"Hey, hey, hey... you two aren't planning to fight here, are you?"
Unexpectedly, Tartaglia stepped forward to smooth things over.
It was obvious that he did not want Black Aila and La Signora fighting in the Jade Chamber.
Because if they really fought here, La Signora would undoubtedly be suppressed completely by Black Aila.
There was no helping it.
Although La Signora was powerful, Black Aila was even stronger.
Moreover, this was the Jade Chamber.
The Liyue side already held very little goodwill toward the Fatui. If a conflict truly broke out, they would naturally side with their own people first.
Not to mention Futsu Mitama was also present.
Black Aila was his maid. If someone caused trouble for his maid, there was no way he would stand aside and ignore it.
Once things escalated to that point, the situation would become extremely troublesome.
That was why Tartaglia decisively chose to play peacemaker.
No matter what, they absolutely could not fight now.
Because if they fought here, they would definitely lose.
"How could that happen?" La Signora sneered slightly as she looked at Black Aila. "I am an envoy of Snezhnaya. I naturally possess the dignity expected of one."
"I am not like certain people who completely disregard rules."
"Now move aside. Don't block my path. I'm leaving the Jade Chamber."
Black Aila narrowed her eyes slightly. But in the end, she said nothing and slowly stepped aside.
This time, she would let La Signora go. But if they met again in the wilderness someday, she would personally turn her into a dead Harbinger.
Only a dead Harbinger was a good Harbinger.
"Rules? What rules?"
At that moment, Futsu Mitama stepped forward and calmly looked toward La Signora.
"We are guests here. If you want to leave, then walk around. Do you really need to force my maid to move aside for you?"
"Or perhaps—" Futsu Mitama's tone became colder. "You want to spar with me again?"
A terrifying pressure suddenly erupted from his body and descended directly upon La Signora. Ever since stepping into the Archon Realm, Futsu Mitama's strength had risen drastically in every aspect.
The aura he released now was no longer something ordinary people could withstand.
Even someone like La Signora, one of the Fatui Harbingers, immediately felt an overwhelming pressure descend upon her body.
For an instant, she even felt unable to move.
"You—!"
La Signora's expression changed again as she glared at Futsu Mitama, her chest rising and falling violently.
Shock. Still overwhelming shock.
Only a few days ago, she had already briefly exchanged blows with him. Yet now, after only several days, he had already stepped into the Demon God Realm?
Impossible. This was absolutely impossible.
La Signora simply could not believe it.
A human reaching the Demon God Realm was already an unbelievable achievement.
But Futsu Mitama's rate of growth was even more terrifying.
Throughout history, there had never been anyone whose strength advanced at such an absurd speed.
Less than a year and a half after first appearing in view, he had already reached the Demon God Realm.
When they first met, she had still been able to suppress him casually.
But now, the one being suppressed had become her.
Even before this, although Futsu Mitama could already pressure her casually, she could at least still resist somewhat.
But now?
After stepping into the Demon God Realm, could she even withstand a serious slash from him?
La Signora understood better than most how terrifying Archon-level beings truly were.
Especially an existence like Futsu Mitama, who had reached that realm as a human.
Even without possessing divine authority, such a person might possess combat power even more frightening than Demon Gods themselves.
As for why she thought this way—
As a Fatui Harbinger, she had already seen similar existences before.
"Good. Very good."
Although La Signora was furious, she still forcibly endured it.
In this regard, she had always been extremely adaptable. Even when suffering losses, she rarely exploded emotionally on the spot. If the situation was unfavorable, she would simply leave immediately.
Tartaglia quietly let out a breath of relief after seeing this.
Fortunately, the person standing here today was La Signora and not Scaramouche.
If Scaramouche had been here instead, he would probably have fought Futsu Mitama immediately, regardless of the outcome.
Even if he lost, he would still fight to the bitter end.
"Then I shall also take my leave," Tartaglia said as well.
Originally, he had come here intending to resolve matters related to The Chasm. But unexpectedly, La Signora had already settled things beforehand.
Now that the matter was over and she was leaving, there was naturally no reason for him to remain here either.
Thus, Tartaglia and La Signora departed together.
Paimon watched the two leave, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
"So that's a Harbinger? Why do I feel like she's not actually that... cunning?"
Within the Chat Group, Paimon had become an expert lurker who constantly asked questions whenever she did not understand something.
Because of that, she had learned quite a lot.
For example, she had already heard about the Fatui Harbingers back in Mondstadt.
Previously, when Black Aila had been rescued, La Signora and Tartaglia had both been suppressed by Futsu Mitama before quickly retreating.
And now, the same thing had happened again.
It almost felt like La Signora was either running away or preparing to run away.
There was none of the terrifying cunning everyone in the Chat Group described.
"That's because all of you arrived," Ningguang explained with a light chuckle after hearing Paimon's words. "Before your arrival, negotiating with her was truly quite troublesome."
"After all, the Fatui in The Chasm did sacrifice themselves for Liyue. And we also placed her under house arrest. From a reasonable standpoint, Liyue did not possess much advantage in this matter."
"Fortunately, things have now been resolved smoothly. I should thank all of you for that."
As she spoke, Ningguang looked toward the still-standing group and smiled faintly.
"Please, everyone, sit down. There's no need to remain so formal."
Futsu Mitama did not refuse and directly took a seat.
Lumine and Sangonomiya Kokomi also sat down afterward.
Yelan remained standing behind Ningguang.
Meanwhile, Aila and Black Aila quietly stood behind Futsu Mitama.
Ningguang's three secretaries began serving tea and pastries.
"What exactly were her original demands?" Futsu Mitama asked curiously.
Earlier, before even entering the room, they had already heard Ningguang and La Signora arguing fiercely.
"Nothing particularly excessive," Ningguang replied lightly. "She only requested three percent of all ore extracted annually from The Chasm."
Yelan immediately raised an eyebrow.
"She really dared to ask for that?" she said sarcastically. "Is she not afraid of completely falling out with Liyue?"
Even Futsu Mitama felt the demand was rather outrageous.
Three percent of The Chasm's annual ore production was no small amount.
This was no longer merely a matter of several hundred million mora.
The total value could easily exceed one billion mora.
In other words, Liyue would effectively be handing Snezhnaya profits worth more than a billion mora every single year.
Naturally, no one could possibly agree to such conditions.
Which meant La Signora had clearly come prepared for a prolonged negotiation.
However, after Futsu Mitama and the others arrived, for some unknown reason, she suddenly lost interest in continuing the verbal struggle and directly accepted the compromise instead.
"She isn't afraid," Ningguang said calmly as she shook her head slightly. "There were too many things she could continue arguing over."
"La Signora could have simply remained in the Jade Chamber indefinitely and continued negotiating every single day. After all, regardless of the circumstances, she was still being detained by Liyue."
"On this point alone, Liyue was not entirely justified."
"But my position was equally clear. Everything else could still be discussed. Only matters concerning The Chasm were absolutely untouchable."
The Chasm had remained sealed and unmined for two entire years.
No one knew how many precious ores were hidden within it.
If the Fatui truly gained involvement there, then the question of profit distribution alone would become endlessly troublesome.
Of course, if the Fatui were willing to help unconditionally, Ningguang would naturally welcome them warmly.
"Then by all means," she said with a faint smile. "Feel free to move freely throughout The Chasm."
But clearly, relations between Liyue and Snezhnaya had not yet reached such a level.
"She's really that arrogant?" Paimon sounded somewhat surprised.
To her, Ningguang was far more terrifying than Futsu Mitama.
Yet La Signora dared to openly argue with Ningguang and repeatedly express dissatisfaction in front of her.
Meanwhile, in front of Futsu Mitama, she barely dared to say anything before immediately leaving.
"That's normal," Black Aila said calmly at that moment.
"That's simply the kind of person she is. When facing people who follow rules, she appears very confident. But when facing someone like Young Master—someone who truly kills her without hesitation. —she becomes much more restrained."
"Because if she says too much in front of him, she may genuinely die."
As a former Harbinger candidate herself, Black Aila understood La Signora extremely well.
Therefore, it was easy to imagine just how troublesome the Harbinger's personality was.
As one of the Fatui Harbingers, her methods were ruthless, her attitude overbearing, and her way of speaking particularly aggressive. Even when facing Ningguang, she still dared to pressure her step by step, refusing to yield in the slightest.
Her mouth, in particular, was exceptionally stubborn.
No matter how disadvantageous the situation became, she would never willingly lower her head first. Even if she suffered losses, she would still maintain that arrogant and mocking posture, as though she would rather force herself to endure everything than admit defeat.
However, no matter how unyielding her words were, they could never be harder than a blade.
So, when facing Ningguang, the Lady continuously pressed forward with forceful demands, showing the attitude of someone prepared to drag the negotiations into a prolonged stalemate.
Yet when facing Futsu Mitama, she instead chose silence.
Because she knew very clearly that Ningguang still followed rules, contracts, and interests. As long as both sides remained within acceptable boundaries, there was always room for negotiation.
Futsu Mitama, however, was different.
If Ningguang represented the order of Liyue, then Futsu Mitama represented absolute suppression through strength.
The moment he truly became displeased, he would not continue arguing with her at the negotiation table. He would simply draw his blade.
And once that happened, the Harbinger had no confidence that she could survive.
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