The moment Barbatos forced the Gnosis into Su Xuan's hand, Rosalyne's mood collapsed straight into the abyss.
She had still held onto a shred of hope—
That Su Xuan would refuse.
That he'd stand proud and unpredictable, not accepting such a blatant goodwill gesture.
But no.
A few casual words exchanged, a polite nod—
Su Xuan accepted the wind archon's Gnosis.
Rosalyne sat completely numbed on the sofa, unable to move.
And just when she tried to decipher their expressions, intentions, their words—
The diary projection vanished.
The connection cut off.
No sound.
No context.
No negotiation.
The worst-case scenario for someone who needed information.
Her heart pounded wildly.
"Calm. Calm. You must stay calm."
She repeated it like a spell.
She had commanded the Fatui for nearly five centuries.
Faced calamities—
Withstood the fall of nations—
Clawed her way up from ruin to command throne.
And yet, she had never once felt fear like this.
Because at Seirai Island, Su Xuan destroyed the Delusion Factory—
Openly.
Effortlessly.
So Rosalyne had assumed:
He holds hatred toward the Fatui.
And if that was true, then approaching him recklessly…
wasn't diplomacy.
It was suicide.
Just as her hope was thinning to a frayed thread—
The diary flickered to life again.
[Unexpected gain today: One Anemo Gnosis.]
[I'm well aware the Tsaritsa is collecting these things.]
[And Barbatos did intend to hand it over eventually.]
[But… he insisted on forcing it into my hand as thanks for helping Dvalin.]
[To be honest, it's useless to me.]
[I'm not one of the Seven. Without their divine network, a Gnosis has no power.]
[It's basically a useless decorative chess piece.]
[Originally, I planned to refuse.]
[But then I remembered the Fatui are desperately collecting them.]
[So I accepted it.]
Rosalyne froze.
"…So he took it just to spite us?"
The diary continued:
[The Gnosis is useless to me—but I can sell it.]
[Also, it can help me climb Teyvat's highest peak.]
Rosalyne: "???"
Sell it?
Use it… to climb a mountain??
Where?
Dragonspine?
Mt. Aocang?
Tsurumi's peaks?
The volcanoes of Natlan?
She thought until her head hurt.
Then gave up.
"Whatever mountain he wants to climb—so be it. Let him climb!"
She leaned back in her chair, crossing long pale legs, swirling wine in her glass, confidence resurging like a tide.
"If it's something that can be bought—then it's easy.
Money is not a problem for the Fatui."
For the first time today—she laughed.
Deep, relieved laughter.
Even the guards outside the door looked up, confused.
Their usually cold and untouchable "Lady" was laughing like a villain finally seeing sunlight again.
Meanwhile—
At Mondstadt's Cathedral
Barbara, reading the diary entry, froze.
"Wait—Lord Barbatos… steals wine?"
Her worldview cracked like glass.
"I… I… I always believed in a gentle, noble, upright god…"
She covered her face in despair.
"Maybe I should have joined Miss Alice's idol agency instead…"
Back at the hotel, Rosalyne lifted her glass:
"The moment Su Xuan finishes this mysterious mountain-climbing—
I'll contact him myself."
Her confidence returned in full.
"This time—negotiation will be on my terms."
And just then—
The diary updated again.
[The sun is setting. On my way out, I found an old Ruin Guard.]
[Perfect for testing reconstruction.]
[Reproduction successful. Next target: Dragonspine.]
[There should still be old Ruin Graders buried there. Better testing material.]
[Not returning to Mondstadt tonight.]
On Dragonspine, deep in the snow—
The Darknight Hero's younger adopted brother paused.
Albedo blinked, staring toward the mountainside.
"He's coming here?"
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