Inside the Northland Bank, Tartaglia sat slumped in a chair, staring idly into space.
The way things were developing had caught him somewhat off guard. The Adepti had arrived far too quickly. In his original estimations, he figured Lumine would need at least three to five days just to complete her search for them. As for the Adepti actually showing up in the city, that should have taken even longer.
And that was assuming everything went according to plan. As it stood, things were going too smoothly so smoothly that he was beginning to worry whether his own schemes could proceed as intended.
"By the way, did you get the intel I asked for? Where have the Qixing hidden the Geo Archon's body?"
A subordinate behind him spoke up with a guilty tone. "My apologies, Lord Childe... The Liyue Qixing have officially declared that since the true culprit has yet to be apprehended, no one is permitted to view the Exuvia."
"They tried to lock down the news at first," the subordinate continued, "but with the constant flow of people at the Rite of Descension, combined with a bit of help from our side, their attempt to suppress the information has completely backfired."
Tartaglia listened, his curiosity piqued. "The Geo Archon's soul has returned to the high heavens. Why are the Qixing so intent on hiding his empty shell?"
Just as he was pondering the matter, an announcement interrupted his thoughts.
"Lord Childe, the Traveler is here to see you. She's already at the bank's entrance. Our men have shown them to the drawing room."
"Oh? Back already?" Tartaglia raised an eyebrow. "Tell them to wait a moment. Also, send someone to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to notify Mr. Zhongli. Tell him I'm hosting a banquet at Liuli Pavilion and would like to meet with him."
"And... tell him I'd like to introduce him to some new friends."
Tartaglia rose to leave after giving his orders. However, when he pushed open the door to the drawing room, he couldn't help but pause. Why were there four of them?
"Well, it seems our Fatui Harbinger has finally arrived."
Su Ming looked at Tartaglia and smiled. He then shifted his gaze to Lumine, gave her a small nod, and immediately began acting like he was invisible.
Tartaglia glanced at Su Ming, quickly deducing his identity. This man in white had to be the mysterious powerhouse mentioned in last night's reports the one with no prior records in their files. Though he felt a sudden surge of desire to test his skills against such a man, the mission entrusted to him by Her Majesty temporarily suppressed his battle lust.
"Welcome back. From the looks of it, your excursion to Jueyun Karst was quite the success," Tartaglia said. "The Adepti descended upon the Jade Chamber last night. It seems your name will be cleared very soon."
In response to his greeting, Lumine only offered a polite, measured smile before asking, "And what comes next?"
"Next? Well, you might not know this, but the Qixing are using the excuse that the killer hasn't been found to bar anyone from paying their respects to the Exuvia the Geo Archon's body."
"What?" Lumine's anxiety flared.
She had embarked on this journey across the nations of the Seven specifically to find her brother. Yet, in only the second nation she had reached, the local god had died. She couldn't even get a glimpse of the body.
This was even more exasperating than finding out the Anemo Archon was actually a deadbeat drunkard who liked to dodge his bar tabs.
"That's a huge problem for me... We came here specifically to find that deity," Lumine blurted out. She then turned an anxious, desperate gaze toward Su Ming.
She knew that Su Ming was a disciple of Cloud Retainer. If an Adeptus stepped forward to demand a viewing of the Geo Archon's body, there was no way the Qixing could refuse. To say no would be to openly declare war on the Adepti, leaving no room for reconciliation.
After all, in the eyes of the Adepti, the Qixing were already the primary suspects in Rex Lapis's assassination. While they didn't believe the Qixing were strong enough to kill him, they certainly hadn't ruled out the possibility that the Qixing had played a role in the shadows.
But that line of thought was fleeting. The desperation in Lumine's eyes was instantly replaced by guilt.
What was I thinking? she scolded herself. Su Ming had treated her as a friend, looking after her and helping her the whole way. Yet here she was, ready to take advantage of him. Looking back, she had only known him for three days. Throughout those three days, he was the one taking care of her, while she hadn't done a single thing for him. How could she even think of burdening him like this?
Su Ming naturally noticed the look in her eyes and understood what was on her mind. He smiled and turned back to Tartaglia. "Lord Harbinger, I assume you aren't done speaking. Why don't you stop holding out on us?"
Tartaglia glanced at Su Ming, a trace of wariness flickering in the depths of his eyes, though he quickly regained his calm. "It seems you are quite well-informed, sir."
"Rest assured. While the Qixing have hidden the Exuvia, the pressure from the Adepti's visit must have worked. They have already begun secret preparations for the Rite of Parting. Although the news isn't public yet,
the Fatui happen to have friends in certain circles, so we learned of it early. I've already arranged a dinner at Liuli Pavilion is that the right word in the local tongue? A dinner engagement?"
Tartaglia continued, "That friend of mine might just be able to help you see the Exuvia. So, what do you say? Care to go meet him together?"
Lumine was initially overjoyed, but her excitement was quickly tempered by suspicion. "Why would you help us?"
"This isn't a free transaction." Tartaglia smiled as he looked directly at Su Ming. "In exchange, I would like to have a match with this gentleman."
Su Ming took a sip of his tea and chuckled. "I see no reason to refuse."
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