News of a new Harbinger joining the Fatui spread quickly through Snezhnaya, lifting morale everywhere.
And the fact that this newcomer had directly seized the Second Seat?
That meant the Fatui now counted four Harbingers with godlike power among their ranks.
But for the Seven Nations beyond Snezhnaya,
this was hardly good news.
The Fatui's reputation across Teyvat was already abysmal—
oppressive in the open, scheming in the shadows,
causing headaches for every nation.
Take Mondstadt, closest to Snezhnaya.
Its people suffered constantly under Fatui meddling.
During the Grand Master's expedition, the city was left in turmoil.
Not long ago, one of the Four Winds, Dvalin, had awakened—
and brought disaster to Mond.
The Knights of Favonius were nearly powerless to stop it.
Beside the Tsaritsa's private palace,
a strange new building had appeared.
Its design belonged neither to any of the Seven Nations,
nor to the ruins of any ancient civilization.
But because it stood right beside the Tsaritsa's chambers,
few dared to linger near it.
Today, however, it received a very particular visitor—
the Eighth Harbinger, La Signora.
She stepped inside the odd building.
Su Ran had called it his Creative Workshop.
That alone was enough to put Rosalyne on guard.
She knew all too well how grotesque and cruel Dottore's laboratories were.
And now the new Second Harbinger possessed even greater power than Dottore.
Would he also prove to be more monstrous?
Perhaps the moment she entered, she would find piles of corpses.
La Signora might not be "kind," strictly speaking—
but she despised that kind of cruelty.
"Identity confirmed. Welcome to Su Ran's Creative Workshop, Lady Rosalyne."
As she approached the door, a green beam of light scanned her.
The gate opened.
"…"
What was that technology?
Confusion filled Rosalyne's mind.
This was stranger than anything Dottore or Sandrone had ever produced.
"Do you need a guide, Rosalyne?"
A voice both familiar and unfamiliar put her instantly on alert.
She glanced around but saw no one—
until she looked down.
A chibi, two-head-tall servant stood there, barely 40 centimeters high.
Expressionless, it tilted its little head up to look at her.
There was no mistaking it.
The face, the demeanor—
it was unmistakably Arlecchino.
Only… in a tiny, absurdly cute form.
"You're… Arlecchino?"
The Fourth Harbinger—well, Fifth now—
how had she become so adorable?
Had Rosalyne walked through the wrong door?
The chibi Arlecchino nodded once. Then shook her head.
"I am Arlecchino… but not entirely. You can call me Arlecchino-chan~"
"…Fine. Arlecchino-chan it is."
Rosalyne still hadn't calmed her shock.
What exactly was this little version of Arlecchino?
Too small to be a child.
A doll, perhaps?
"Where's the Genius? Can you take me to him?"
She wasn't close to the Fifth Harbinger,
but this miniature Arlecchino was far too disarming
for her to keep her usual proud, cold demeanor.
If they weren't strangers,
she might have scooped the little thing up for a hug.
"The Great Genius is forging a true ultimate weapon. If you want to see him, follow me."
Arlecchino-chan hopped ahead, leading the way.
Why hopping?
Because her legs were too short to walk quickly.
Efficiency came first, even as a chibi servant.
She couldn't stand to waste time.
So—hop, hop, hop.
Rosalyne watched her bounce down the corridor,
and couldn't help thinking:
This place… might actually be likable.
After a long passage,
they reached the inner hall.
But Su Ran was not the first thing Rosalyne saw.
"Ah!! Stop biting my dress!"
That voice—familiar beyond doubt.
Rosalyne turned her head and froze.
A chibi version of herself was scowling,
shoving away a chibi Columbina…
who was happily gnawing on her skirt.
"…"
Was this place serious?
This was Su Ran's "Creative Workshop"?
How did it feel so wildly out of step with the Fatui's grim aesthetic?
"Hmph! If you just climb somewhere higher, you wouldn't have to worry."
On a desk a full meter tall,
a chibi Sandrone sat with a book in hand,
looking down with disdain at the two squabbling dolls.
The book was… middle school mathematics.
Apparently, she had been studying until interrupted.
"Quiet! We have a guest."
Arlecchino-chan quickly intervened.
If a real Harbinger saw this chaos, how embarrassing would that be?
"Eh? Someone else?"
The chibi Rosalyne turned and froze.
There stood the real Rosalyne.
"This is Rosalyne-chan, and that's Columbina-chan,"
Arlecchino-chan introduced, pointing at the culprits.
"And that one up there is Sandrone-chan."
The little Sandrone shifted slightly in her seat,
but didn't bother engaging.
Her book was more important.
"…Strange. Why do you look so familiar?"
Rosalyne-chan squinted up at the true Rosalyne.
"Hmph, idiot. That's you,"
Sandrone-chan muttered before burying her nose back in formulas.
"…"
Rosalyne gazed at her tiny counterpart.
She stepped closer.
Rosalyne-chan lifted her chin, refusing to look away,
meeting her taller self's eyes with fierce resolve.
But—
"Ah!"
The chibi toppled backward,
having overbalanced from craning her head too far.
"Pfft…"
Looking down at this silly, clumsy version of herself,
Rosalyne couldn't hold back her laughter.