Chapter 421: Venti is at the Bottom
Suzuki Sonoko still could not wrap her head around this entire approach. She crossed her arms, secretly muttering to herself. Can a plan like this really work? No matter how I look at it, faking a death to test your employees seems completely unreliable! Is Mr. Zhongli really so certain that the moment he steps back into the light, all the resulting chaos and crises will just magically resolve themselves?
Even her Uncle Jirokichi, a man who absolutely loved to act recklessly and put on grand theatrical displays, probably would not go so far as to do something like this to the Suzuki Corporation.
Toru Amuro stood nearby, his gaze slightly unfocused as he fell deep into thought. 'So, this is the complete, unvarnished truth behind Zhongli's so-called retirement?'His mind spun with the implications.'Also, is there something unusual going on with Cointreau's sister? Why does she specifically keep running into high-ranking members of the Teyvat Organization? And she does not just meet them; she specifically picks out the Ministers of the Teyvat Organization to befriend.'A strong, unsettling suspicion began to take root in Toru Amuro's mind.'Could it be that Cointreau's sister has already met all seven Ministers of the Teyvat Organization and caught every single one of them in her net?'The more Toru Amuro analyzed the situation, the deeper the rabbit hole went.'Then what about the boss of the Teyvat Organization? Natsume could not possibly know their supreme leader too, right? And the Teyvat Organization's unmatched generosity toward Cointreau—could that also be directly related to his sister's influence?'
"So what was the final result? How did Miss Ningguang and the others actually deal with the crisis?" Mouri Ran leaned forward, her eyes wide with anticipation as she pressed for the conclusion of this grand test. "Was Mr. Zhongli satisfied with the outcome of how Miss Ningguang and the Liyue branch handled it?"
"During the period when Zhongli suddenly disappeared, the company's internal and external situation became exceptionally tense and complex," Natsume explained, her tone shifting into a more serious, storytelling cadence. "At that critical moment, Ningguang demonstrated her extraordinary resourcefulness and absolute decisiveness. She seized the resulting power vacuum, acting with lightning speed to decisively take over the previously dispersed authority and firmly grasp it in her own hands."
Natsume paused, letting out a soft sigh before continuing. "However, internal politics was not the only crisis. Later on, Tartaglia, in a massive fit of rage, caused an unbelievable amount of trouble for Ningguang and the city. To effectively resist the various threats he unleashed, Ningguang made a startling, heartbreaking decision. She resolutely gave up her Jade Chamber, the magnificent floating palace that had cost her countless efforts and immense wealth to build! You have to understand that for Ningguang, the Jade Chamber was not just a building. It was the physical embodiment of her years of dreams, her grueling hard work, and her deepest emotional attachment. But for the sake of the bigger picture and the safety of everyone, Ningguang did not hesitate to sacrifice her personal interests, crashing it down to end the threat."
She offered a small, reassuring smile. "The Jade Chamber we see floating up there today is actually the second generation, rebuilt from scratch. Fortunately, Zhongli gave a very high appraisal and deep recognition of Ningguang and the others' performance in responding to that massive crisis."
"...Tartaglia?" Mouri Ran blinked, her expression shifting to pure blank confusion. "Natsume, didn't you just say a moment ago that Tartaglia helped you? How did it suddenly turn into him causing a lot of trouble for Ningguang later?"
At the mere mention of this specific sequence of events, Natsume could not control her overwhelming urge to complain. Her face scrunched up in annoyance. "That is because Tartaglia only helped me at first to get close to me! He used me so he could find a way to bypass the security, get close to the Exuvia—Zhongli's vessel—and take something extremely important from him."
She threw her hands up in exasperation. "I was momentarily careless and actually believed his friendly act, bringing him right to the place he wanted to go. In the end, when he reached into the vessel and did not get the item he was looking for, he actually falsely accused me of hiding it! He completely lost his temper and directly unleashed his ultimate combat form on me! It took a massive amount of effort to beat him up and force him to calm down. But the guy still would not give up. To force Zhongli to appear and hand over the item, he just disregarded all the consequences and summoned an ancient threat..."
Toru Amuro remained entirely silent. '...'Hearing about what the Fatui executive'Childe'Tartaglia had done to his own organization's Liyue department, Toru Amuro finally understood a crucial piece of the puzzle. He now realized exactly why the Fatui's popularity within the broader Teyvat Organization was so abysmally poor. It turned out these Fatui members were absolutely ruthless, willing to strike at people from other departments and cause catastrophic collateral damage just to achieve their own goals.'No wonder after Glenlivet defected from the Fatui, he could not stay anywhere within the Teyvat Organization and could only seek refuge by joining the Black Organization,' Amuro deduced internally.
"Sister Natsume, then what exactly did Tartaglia want to take from Mr. Zhongli?" Conan tugged at Natsume's sleeve, looking up at her with the wide-eyed, innocent curiosity of a child, though his mind was racing with detective work.
"Hmm..." Natsume tilted her head, tapping her chin as she thought for a moment about how to answer without revealing too much cosmic truth. "You should all know about Visions, right? Those glowing glass ornaments, like the ones Zhongli and Ningguang carry around with them."
Seeing everyone nod, indicating they had indeed noticed the elemental foci, Natsume continued her introduction. "Well, the thing Tartaglia and the Fatui wanted to get is called a Gnosis. It is a very special, highly concentrated elemental gemstone shaped exactly like a chess piece. Actually, it is not of much practical use to Zhongli in his daily life; it mainly serves a symbolic role of authority."
'A gemstone in the shape of a chess piece...'Toru Amuro's eyes narrowed imperceptibly.'Then it definitely should not be Pandora. The descriptions do not match at all.'He continued to piece the intelligence together.'Also, based on the information previously provided by Venti, this Gnosis should be the definitive proof of leadership that each Minister of the Teyvat Organization possesses. I certainly did not expect the ultimate symbol of their authority to look like a simple chess piece.''also, Vision and Gnosis... these terms sound distinctly like artifacts derived from the exact same origin. The Heart of a God? Is the Teyvat Organization really not some kind of massive, ancient religious organization?'
"So, in the end, Tartaglia failed to get that Gnosis?" Toru Amuro asked, sensing a discrepancy in the timeline. According to Venti, the ministerial proofs—the Gnosis—of both Mondstadt and Inazuma were currently held by the Fatui. There was absolutely no logical reason for the Liyue branch to be an exception if the Fatui were this aggressive.
"Tartaglia did not get the Gnosis himself," Natsume clarified, waving a hand dismissively. "But his colleague fem... cough, his female colleague—Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalter—got it. It was actually she who cooperated directly with Zhongli behind the scenes. She played Tartaglia for an absolute fool, using his rampage as a smokescreen, and successfully achieved Zhongli's retirement goal. The price for her acting services was the Gnosis in Zhongli's hand. That is exactly why I said the Gnosis isn't very useful to Zhongli anymore. Look at him, he can just use the ultimate symbol of his power to trade with others as he pleases just to secure a peaceful vacation."
"Wow, Traveler, you actually remembered La Signora's full name?!" Paimon floated upward, her tiny hands clutching her head in genuine shock. She was incredibly impressed. Even now, the little guide only remembered that the arrogant woman was called Rosalyne; she probably could not even say Mona's full name completely without biting her tongue.
"It is nothing, really," Natsume replied, feigning a deep sense of humility while looking away.
In truth, she did not know how she was able to rattle off Rosalyne's absurdly long full name with such perfect pronunciation either, especially considering she routinely stumbled over Astrologist Mona Megistus's title.
Toru Amuro caught the slip instantly. 'Fem... that specific word fragment, combined with being Tartaglia's female Fatui colleague. Natsume must be talking about the dangerous executive with the codename La Signora.'His analytical mind rapidly processed the power dynamics.'La Signora was able to directly take Venti's Gnosis by sheer physical force. But to get Zhongli's Gnosis, she did not dare attack him; she could only rely on a mutually beneficial trade. And based on previous intel, she was absolutely no match for Raiden Ei in Inazuma.'Amuro suppressed a sigh.'Looking at it this way, that Minister of Mondstadt... could it be that he really is at the absolute bottom of the barrel among all the Teyvat Ministers, just as he drunkenly complained to Gin and the others?'
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