Pulcinella stepped forward. "Enough, Pantalone. Today we are here to mourn Rosalyn, who fell in a foreign land, not to witness your conflict with the Knight. Of course, we in Snezhnaya are willing to halt operations for half a day in her memory."
Pantalone smiled, a faint, almost amused expression, as if he had just heard the greatest joke in the world. "Ah, they say the Northland Bank deals in blood, tears, and suffering. Yet it seems, in your eyes, Rosalyn's death is worth no more than a mere half-day's work?"
Arlecchino cut them both off. "Enough, Pantalone, Pulcinella. You two heartless bastards, shut up. And Jingchen, what exactly happened to Rosalyn?"
Faced with Arlecchino's sudden interrogation, Jingchen merely waved his hand dismissively. He knew it was almost certainly Scaramouche and Dottore working together, but without proof, it was best to let it go.
Arlecchino glared at Jingchen, her eyes never leaving his. Columbina pouted, opened her eyes, and fixed her gaze on Arlecchino.
"Arlecchino, what are you staring at?!"
"Heh, what's wrong? Can't I look at Jingchen?"
"You!! Hmph, you'll pay for this sooner or later."
Seeing the two about to start arguing again, Jingchen quickly pulled Columbina behind him.
Sandrone also pulled Arlecchino aside.
Tartaglia, who had been eagerly anticipating the show, was disappointed to see the drama end before it even began.
He shook his head in resignation. He'd noticed that wherever Jingchen went, such situations were bound to arise. At first, he hadn't been particularly interested, but the more he saw, the more he found it rather amusing.
As the Jester began his speech, Columbina gently squeezed Jingchen's arm and whispered in his ear, "A'Chen, you don't have any other relationship with Arlecchino, do you?"
"Beyond being colleagues, there's nothing between Arlecchino and me."
"That's good."
As the Jester droned on, Columbina and Jingchen leaned against each other, yawning and slacking off.
Even the Jester's icy expression couldn't help but crease at the sight of these two so blatant in their laziness.
"Columbina, Jingchen, what did I just say?!"
Jingchen and Columbina startled, like students caught dozing in class, instantly snapping their heads up.
Columbina murmured softly in Jingchen's ear, her voice barely audible, "A'Chen, what did the Jester just say?"
"Ah... well, it was about mourning Rosalyn and Snezhnaya's declaration."
"Then you tell him. I'm going to rest a little longer."
Columbina snuggled closer to Jingchen, resuming her soft snoring.
Jingchen smiled awkwardly at the Jester.
"Ahem, I deeply mourn Rosalyn's passing and harbor great resentment. The Fatui should serve under the Empress, witnessing Snezhnaya's glory and strength. That should be it."
The Jester glared at Jingchen, his face dark.
The *Captain*, Capitano, broke the tense silence. "Jingchen, you have failed Her Majesty the Tsaritsa."
"What?! I've failed the Cryo Archon?!"
In an instant, Columbina was wide awake, staring at Jingchen. Her eyes seemed to scream, *Jingchen!! What's your relationship with the Cryo Archon?! And you've failed her?!*
Jingchen felt utterly wronged.
Among the Seven Archons, his only conflict was with that girl Focalors.
He had absolutely no issues with the other Archons, especially the Cryo Archon. Despite spending so long in Snezhnaya, he had only seen her from afar a few times while meeting her with Columbina. He didn't even know what she—no, what the Archon—looked like.
Columbina stood nearby, that Snezhnayan jealous king glaring daggers at him. She had already pulled out her notebook and quill.
Now, she was constantly pondering: Had Jingchen secretly contacted the Cryo Archon behind her back?
This damn *Captain* was trying to frame him!
Jingchen hurriedly explained, "Capitano, don't make baseless accusations! So many colleagues are watching. I am loyal to Snezhnaya, and even more loyal to the Cryo Archon."
Capitano's voice dripped with hatred and fury as he retorted, "Then why was the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis—the most crucial item from your Inazuma mission—lost?!"
Jingchen glanced at Dottore across from him. He knew that man understood Scaramouche's motives better than anyone.
Columbina breathed a slight sigh of relief. So it was just about the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis and the Cryo Archon.
*The Immortal Spirit, despite her losses, continued to cling to her delusions.*
Without hesitation, she transformed into a fiercely protective wife, glaring at Capitano as she retorted:
"We entrusted the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis to Rosalyn, asking her to bring it back to Snezhnaya.
After all, she's the one who brought the other two back, and Jingchen and I were confident she wouldn't encounter any trouble this time.
And Capitano, you dare raise your voice at my Jingchen again and see what happens!"
*Captain* Capitano remained dissatisfied with this answer, but he froze when Columbina added, *try raising your voice at my Jingchen again*.
The frost beneath his mask intensified, making him even more humiliated.
He cleared his throat, forcing his voice into a neutral tone as he pressed on:
"Jingchen, the loss of the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis is understandable. Do you have any means to retrieve it?"
Seeing Capitano's completely altered demeanor, Jingchen couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
*Columbina is so much better,* he thought, *she knows how to protect her husband.*
"The loss of the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis is indeed regrettable. However, on our next trip to Sumeru,
Columbina and I will definitely bring both the Raiden Shogun's and the Dendro Archon's Gnoses."
"That's good."
Suddenly, Capitano stepped forward with a box and offered it to Jingchen.
"As a fellow Harbinger, this is a gift I've prepared for your child."
Jingchen was slightly taken aback.
"A'Chen, what are you spacing out for? Just take it!"
"Oh... right."
Jingchen quickly accepted the gift from Capitano and thanked him.
Tartaglia also stepped forward, handing Jingchen several figurines of farming machines.
"Teucer really likes these. Your child will probably like them too."
"Thank you."
Jingchen accepted the farming machine figurines from Tartaglia, couldn't help but ponder.
*These farming machine figurines are probably more suited for boys. What if it's a girl?*
Seeing this, the other Harbingers also came forward and presented their gifts to Jingchen.
When it was Dottore's turn, he offered a plain gift box devoid of any elemental power.
"Jingchen, though our philosophies may differ—even be diametrically opposed—our shared ambition to serve Her Majesty the Tsaritsa is genuine. If we can set aside our prejudices and cooperate more closely, Her Majesty's grand vision might be realized sooner."
......................
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(End of Chapter)