Inside the Northland Bank, Tartaglia and Lumine had already arrived.
Considering that Lumine didn't have a favorable opinion of Rosalyne, Tartaglia specifically asked her not to show up.
Rosalyne, for her part, wasn't interested in making a special appearance to meet Lumine anyway.
Lumine sat with her arms crossed in a chair, silently staring at Tartaglia.
Just moments ago, Paimon had loudly insisted that Tartaglia was up to no good. But upon seeing the table loaded with delicious food inside the Northland Bank, she had now completely defected to the enemy.
She floated at the table, excitedly tasting each dish with gusto—much to Lumine's embarrassment.
Taking a deep breath and choosing to ignore Paimon, Lumine spoke softly:
"You said you had information about my brother."
Tartaglia shrugged.
"I wasn't lying. If I'm not mistaken, your brother also has blonde hair tied in a ponytail, with a gemstone on his chest that emits a white glow, right?"
"You two are pretty recognizable."
Lumine's heart skipped—he really had seen Aether.
"Where is he?" she asked.
Tartaglia took a sip of water and replied with a smile:
"The Abyss."
"The Abyss?!" Lumine's eyes widened as she looked at him in disbelief.
"I've no reason to lie. Honestly, I've been to the Abyss myself and I saw your brother there."
"Her Majesty the Tsaritsa is currently pursuing a plan that involves some cooperation with the Abyss. But it's not yet time for you to know more."
"Miss Lumine, let me just say this—perhaps because of your brother, your appearance in Teyvat has drawn the attention of many Archons."
"You should've noticed it already. I came to approach you on purpose. The Anemo Archon did the same, and the Geo Archon would have, too."
Lumine recalled Venti's cryptic words earlier—and suddenly, it all made sense.
She had unknowingly been pulled into a game of chess. The ones pushing the pieces might be the Seven Archons, Celestia... or even Aether himself.
But Lumine didn't care about that.
What she cared about was that tug in her blood, that connection she had felt during their brief encounter at Stormterror's Lair. It had flashed again on that beach when she first awoke.
After a long silence, Lumine softly said:
"So… he's intentionally not meeting me."
Tartaglia shrugged again.
"I don't know for sure. But your brother's identity is special now. I can't casually reveal his presence."
"He's probably under contract with the Tsaritsa, with the Anemo Archon, and even the Geo Archon. This isn't something I can influence."
"All I can tell you is—your brother is safe."
He was safe.
After all, he was the Prince of the Abyss Order, possessed power rivaling the Seven, and commanded countless Abyss forces.
What he was doing, however, was unimaginably dangerous.
Lumine wasn't stupid. After a bit of thought, she quickly pieced it together.
If her brother was involved with the Cryo, Anemo, and Geo Archons—what else could it be about?
It had to involve Celestia.
Knowing that, she could more or less understand why he hadn't contacted her.
But just because she understood didn't mean she wasn't angry.
Even if he couldn't show up in person, couldn't he at least leave her a message?
She'd gone through so much—traveling from Mondstadt to Liyue, heart set on finding him—and meanwhile, he was just lounging around in the Abyss?
Lumine swore that once she found him, she'd definitely give him a proper scolding.
She took a deep breath to calm her rising anger.
In any case, now that she had information and confirmation he was safe, that was enough—for now.
When the matter of Celestia eventually came to a head, she'd surely be involved. After all, she had her own score to settle with them.
But for now, she was still too weak. This wasn't a fight she could win just yet.
"Anyway, thanks for telling me all this today," Lumine said. "What do you want in return?"
"What if I asked you to take me to see Mister Ryen at the foot of Mt. Tianheng?" Tartaglia replied with a grin.
Lumine looked at him deeply and said:
"If you're not afraid of being hunted down by Liyue…"
"If you're confident you can survive the wrath of multiple immortals…"
"Then I don't see a problem."
"Yeah, let's not do that." Tartaglia leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head.
Eyes slightly narrowed, he fell into thought.
His original plan had been completely disrupted by Liyue's changes.
He had hoped to use the excuse that the Geo Archon was gravely injured and needed care to convince Lumine to gather the Adepti.
The Adepti, in turn, would be focused on the Qixing during such a critical time.
That way, his own movements could go unnoticed.
But now… it seemed that mysterious little courtyard was far more significant than he imagined.
The Adepti were already over there.
If Liyue Harbor was changing, did he really think he could keep it hidden from them?
The fact that they hadn't shown up yet probably meant Zhongli hadn't finished giving out his "script" for the next act.
That route was now blocked.
Tartaglia was troubled.
They had all agreed to act out this play together—why had Liyue jumped ship first?
The Geo Archon… really threw him a curveball this time…
After stewing for a bit, Tartaglia decided to just throw in the towel—and flip the whole script.
He looked straight at Lumine and laid it all out:
"Alright, since things have come to this, I'll just be honest."
"The Geo Archon and Her Majesty the Tsaritsa made a contract. We help him pass his retirement test, and he gives us the Gnosis."
"I want you to stall the Qixing for me so I can complete my mission."
Lumine's eyes narrowed sharply.
"So this so-called 'tribulation and injury'…"
Tartaglia couldn't help but chuckle.
"Tribulations and divine punishment? Please. You've met so many Adepti—have you ever heard of such a thing actually happening?"
"The Geo Archon has lived for over six thousand years. He's revered by all as the God of War, one of the strongest beings in history. Even if a tribulation existed, could it truly hurt him?"
"Besides, there are rumors in Liyue that he has countless avatars—men, women, old folks, children, even birds and beasts… how can you be sure that dragon form is even really him?"
"That story is just to trick the common folk."
Lumine's expression shifted slightly in realization, but she still looked at Tartaglia with suspicion.
"Why are you telling me this so openly?"
Tartaglia rolled his eyes.
"Please. Acting is exhausting, and I don't have the talent for it."
"They're not even following the script anymore—how am I supposed to keep up?"
"Right now, you and I are in the same position. We're both part of Zhongli's plan to test Liyue."
"We're just workers—no need to make things harder for each other. That said…"
Tartaglia looked Lumine up and down, then nodded slightly.
"Although you're still much weaker than your brother, you're a worthy opponent. If you don't mind, I'd honestly love to fight you someday."
Lumine's expression darkened, and she stood up.
"I understand. I'll find a way to temporarily draw Ningguang and the others' attention."
"But if you dare lie to me, I'll tell them everything. The Fatui will never be able to set foot in Liyue again!"
Tartaglia waved his hand nonchalantly.
"I wouldn't dare lie about something involving the Geo Archon. I fear the punishment of 'Planet Befall' more than anyone."
"Besides, you don't even need to go out of your way to draw their attention. From the moment you met me, you've already been completely watched."
"Everything you do next will naturally draw their eyes. All you need to do is keep up appearances."
Lumine nodded. Then, she looked over at Paimon, who was still munching on snacks—and instantly grew annoyed.
She grabbed Paimon and dragged her toward the exit.
"Even though I agreed to help you divert Ningguang and the others' attention, you'd better not cause any major chaos in Liyue!"
"Or else, I won't let you off either!"
Tartaglia watched Lumine leave with a quiet chuckle.
"Once this matter is over, you'll get to meet the real Geo Archon. His understanding of your brother… far surpasses mine."
Lumine paused for a second, then nodded and left.
Tartaglia turned and glanced at the food on the table. In just a short time, Paimon had eaten most of it.
He rolled his eyes.
"How can such a tiny thing eat so much…"
After calling someone to clean up, Tartaglia stood with his hands behind his back, gazing out over Liyue Harbor.
"Big trouble, huh? What counts as big?"
"The god Osial? Or maybe his wife, Beisht… or perhaps both?"
"Tch… Don't blame me. This is all per your own Archon's request…"
After a long silence, Tartaglia clapped his hands.
A Debt Collector mysteriously appeared, kneeling silently on one knee.
"Begin the operation."
"Yes, sir!"
The room once again fell into silence.
No one knew how much time had passed before a flash of golden light filled the room.
Zhongli sat calmly to one side, sipping tea.
As if he had been there the entire time, quietly listening.
Tartaglia snapped out of his thoughts and gave a bitter smile as he looked at Zhongli.
"Mr. Zhongli, your instructions really are complicated. Please don't blame me for not sticking exactly to the plan."
Zhongli remained calm, nodding slightly.
"Special matters require special methods. Even if Lumine knows, it doesn't matter. This is merely a trial for Liyue."
"We're all just actors pushing this trial forward."
To Zhongli, the outcome itself didn't really matter.
Whether Lumine and the others figured things out wasn't important either.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have told Ningguang and the others so directly.
In the end, this was simply a grand assessment before his retirement.
What he truly wanted to see… was how Liyue would respond to formidable threats.
So far, Ningguang and the others had performed quite satisfactorily.
The Tianyan system observed all corners, and the Qianyan Army was fully deployed.
Even if, in the end, Liyue proved unable to face these two major threats alone, he would step in.
His future existence and identity would be a kind of strategic deterrent—and when the time came, he wouldn't hesitate to act.
The script was now being acted out openly.
Ningguang and the others already knew that something big was about to happen—and that Zhongli was preparing to step down.
But no matter how much they speculated, they could never have imagined Zhongli would go so far…
Summoning not only one Archon-level threat—but two: a god, and a god's consort.
As long as that fine line between knowing and not knowing was kept just vague enough…
The effect might be even better.
"The Fatui have already prepared the Omnifree Talisman. The final plan should be ready to start within a day or two," Tartaglia said.
Zhongli nodded and stood.
"I'll use the Rite of Parting as a pretext to bring Lumine along and draw Ningguang and the others' attention."
"Even better," Tartaglia sighed in relief. He was about to speak again when Zhongli added:
"As for the funding for the Rite of Descension…"
Tartaglia froze, his face turning bitter.
"You… want us to pay for that?"
Zhongli gave him an approving look. Before he could refuse, Zhongli quietly left—leaving behind a golden, gleaming contract.
"You have agreed. The contract is sealed. Should you break it, you shall suffer Planet Befall."
Looking at the contract on the table, Tartaglia was almost ready to curse out loud.
The Fatui were not only being made to unseal a god…
But now they had to pay for Zhongli's retirement ceremony too?!
"Zhongli… you really are the ultimate free-loader…"
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