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When the Tsaritsa announced that a new Fatui Harbinger would join their ranks, Arlecchino did not overthink it. As long as the House of the Hearth remained unharmed, she cared little for the addition of new personnel. However, upon learning that Su Ran was a researcher akin to Dottore, she grew wary.
Dottore's experiments required test subjects. When he had once attempted to lay his hands on the children of the House of the Hearth, Arlecchino had felt the urge to kill him. The problem was that Dottore possessed too many segments, and the Tsaritsa required his power. Furthermore, the gap in their strength was significant enough that Arlecchino could not simply eliminate such a dangerous individual. It was precisely because of this that she held no fondness for those obsessed with hazardous research.
Sandrone was the exception, as she focused solely on her machines. Yet, Arlecchino was unsure of what Su Ran was. Was he a researcher of dangerous biological domains, or one who only cared for machinery? Whether he would pose a threat to her children determined how she would treat him.
She had not expected their next meeting to occur at this very moment. Looking at the eight floating turrets hovering beside Su Ran, she took a small step back.
"Did you create all of this, Mr. Genius?"
Arlecchino swallowed hard as she looked at the massive crater ahead.
"Oh... I was just running data analysis on a new invention. Overall, it seems decent enough."
Decent? With this level of destructive power, even the Tsaritsa would have a difficult time weathering a hit. The capabilities of this newcomer were truly terrifying.
"It is certainly a good thing for a genius to have new inventions, but could you not choose a better time and place to conduct your experiments?"
Had it been during the day, she would not have had to rush over here in such a hurry. In the middle of the night, one would be forgiven for thinking it was an enemy attack.
"Huh? Does Snezhnaya have regulations? Like a curfew or something?"
Su Ran rubbed his chin. If such a thing truly existed, a Harbinger should at least have some privileges, right? If he did not even have that much, there would be no point in being a Harbinger at all. He might as well go to Liyue.
"Not exactly, but at this hour, the children are all asleep. Thanks to the commotion you caused, they have all been startled awake."
Arlecchino felt a twinge of frustration. Some of the children in the House of the Hearth were still toddlers. This blast had made life difficult for the caretakers who had just managed to lull them to sleep. The House of the Hearth here in Snezhnaya was quite noisy now.
It had disturbed the sleeping children. Su Ran bit his nail, feeling rather awkward. In that case, it was indeed his fault.
"Understood. I will bring some gifts tomorrow and pay a visit to apologize to those children."
He was well aware of how much Arlecchino valued the House of the Hearth. Despite being called Father, she was gentler in private than some real parents. Even when children had betrayed the House, Arlecchino had never chosen to kill them. At most, she had simply erased their memories. Su Ran naturally would not actively touch her inverse scale.
"Then, on behalf of the children, I thank Mr. Genius."
Whether it was genuine or forced, Su Ran had not shown any interest in the children of the House of the Hearth so far. To Arlecchino, this was a good thing. The only thing worse than a thief is a thief who is constantly eyeing your treasures. If Su Ran truly had no interest, that would be for the best. After all, Su Ran had directly taken Dottore's seat, meaning his power was undoubtedly greater. If it came to a critical moment, even with her protection, the House of the Hearth could not guarantee the safety of the children.
"Everyone! What happened here?"
Childe arrived on the scene rapidly. From not far away, the sound of footsteps approached as well. The Fatui's response time remained impressive.
"Just a minor experiment, nothing to worry about."
"Nothing to worry about?"
Tartaglia looked at the massive crater behind Su Ran. It still appeared to be covered in smoldering scorch marks. Even he could feel a wave of intense heat radiating from it. Was this really a minor experiment? And why perform it outside Snezhnaya City? Should he not have found somewhere further away?
"Mr. Su Ran, what did you make that has this kind of power?"
"Here."
The eight floating turrets instantly swiveled to surround Tartaglia. Their muzzles locked onto him. Arlecchino instinctively stepped away from Tartaglia. That massive pit was the best evidence of their lethality. The power of these things was no less than a full-strength strike from some gods.
"Hey, hey, hey! It is not very nice to point such terrifying things at a colleague, is it?"
Tartaglia's body went tense. If they actually fired, he doubted he would survive—he might not even leave a corpse behind.
"I was just saying hello."
Su Ran gestured, and the eight turrets quickly retracted to hover beside him.
"I heard that martial arts fanatics like to make friends through combat. I thought you would appreciate me using weapons to greet you."
"..."
Tartaglia found himself unable to retort. He could not deny it; for a battle junkie like him, combat was indeed the best way to say hello. But the least he could expect was a blade or something similar. Even a polearm would have been acceptable. What in the world were these?
"Compared to this, I prefer greetings involving fists and kicks. If Mr. Su Ran truly thinks I have the qualifications to spar with you, please, use some blades."
Tartaglia craved battles with the strong, but he was also acutely aware of the gap between himself and the second seat. Especially since this second seat had ascended to his position by killing the previous second seat in the most straightforward manner possible. Clearly, Su Ran's power was formidable. Even if he were granted the chance to challenge him, victory was unlikely. But... combat felt exhilarating. Given the chance to face someone so strong, Tartaglia would never refuse.
"Lord Harbinger, are you all right?"
Fatui soldiers arrived in scattered groups.
"It is nothing. You may return. It was just a misunderstanding."
Tartaglia signaled for them to leave. Once the soldiers had dispersed, he asked another question.
"I can understand testing new products, but... do you intend to keep holding hands like that?"
He pointed to the hands that Su Ran and Columbina were still clutching tightly together.