That night, the three secretaries took turns attending to him, making Su Han feel as though he had stepped into a mortal paradise.
He was thoroughly enjoying himself, but Tartaglia was in a miserable state.
On the coast near Liyue Harbor, accompanied by the constant wash of seawater, a figure slowly floated up from the ocean. His body was covered in wounds, his face deathly pale. After struggling for a long time, he finally crawled ashore.
Tartaglia collapsed onto the beach.
"Cough… what a troublesome opponent. I almost got myself killed."
Every inch of his body hurt. Ever since leaving the Abyssal rift, this was the first time Tartaglia had ended up in such a sorry state.
Thinking back on the duel earlier that day, he was actually quite satisfied. Unfortunately, Ningguang's follow-up completely exceeded his expectations. It was just an interference in a duel. Was it really necessary to use a flying fortress to bombard him?
"Liyue really is a dangerous place. After this, the Northland Bank is probably going to be targeted again. Sigh. I just hope Lord Jester does not reassign me because of this."
Tartaglia struggled to get up, but the moment he moved, a violent pain surged from within his body. Just before he lost consciousness, a figure descended from the sky. The newcomer wore a wide-brimmed hat, had a youthful build, and his eyes were filled with disdain and contempt.
"Already completely unconscious? As expected of someone so simple-minded. Letting you sit in the last seat really drags down the standards of us Harbingers. You should be grateful I happened to pass by Liyue. Otherwise, if those people found you, even if you did not die, you would end up as a prisoner."
Scaramouche hoisted Tartaglia onto his shoulder and quickly disappeared from the shoreline.
Not long after, a group of Millelith soldiers arrived nearby with lanterns in hand.
"Still can't find that guy? Could he have been eaten by sharks?"
"Stop complaining and get serious. Did you not hear the orders from above? The enemy attacked Mr. Su Han and openly showed contempt for the entire Millelith."
"Don't worry, sir. Even if we do not sleep today, we will find him."
Mr. Su Han was a great benefactor to the Millelith. Without his teachings, how could they be as strong as they were now?
For someone to dare launch a public attack like this was no different from declaring that Liyue had no one left.
The search parties were not limited to just this group. Ships were also patrolling day and night around the Guyun Stone Forest. Tartaglia's actions that day had truly stirred up a hornet's nest.
The next day.
Tartaglia woke up inside a cave. Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, he felt deeply confused.
At that moment, a contemptuous voice sounded nearby.
"You are only waking up now? Your strength is still as pathetic as ever. A few minor injuries were enough to knock you out for an entire night. Looks like you were hurt pretty badly yesterday."
"Scaramouche?"
"That's right. You should thank me. If I had not happened to pass by and pick you up yesterday, you would probably already be a prisoner. Now tell me, what exactly happened?"
"I will handle my own affairs. What are you doing here?"
Faced with Scaramouche's questioning, Tartaglia had no desire to answer. What happened yesterday was simply too embarrassing to bring up.
Seeing this, Scaramouche sneered.
"If you do not want to talk, then forget it. I am not interested in your trashy business anyway. As for why I am here, it is naturally to investigate some interesting matters."
Tartaglia looked at him in confusion.
"Interesting matters? What do you mean?"
Based on his understanding of Scaramouche, unless something genuinely caught his interest, even someone like Dottore would find it hard to order him around.
"Hmph. I have no obligation to report my affairs to you. Just remember this. You owe me a favor this time, and you will repay it sooner or later."
As cold and aloof as ever, Scaramouche dropped those words and left the cave.
Tartaglia frowned deeply, unable to figure out what the other party was planning. After a long while, he sighed.
"Forget it. I should go back and take a look first. I just hope things have not become too bad."
Even so, when he returned to the Northland Bank, bad news arrived one after another.
"My lord, as of just now, six of our operations have been completely sealed. All subordinate networks have been arrested."
"That is not all. All merchants and ships that have trade dealings with the Northland Bank have been blocked and placed under strict investigation. The Millelith claim that the vessel which attacked Liyue's upper ranks yesterday came from us. With solid evidence, we cannot resist."
"Additionally, all personnel gathering intelligence have been captured. At present, every informant has been taken."
Hearing this, Tartaglia covered his head and sighed.
"Have we been completely wiped out?"
Though unwilling, the other side held concrete evidence. Even if they protested, it would not hold up at all.
...
On the Jade Chamber.
After being thoroughly indulged, the three delicate flowers had rosy faces. Although their steps were a little awkward, they were more focused on their work than ever.
Suddenly, Ningguang raised her head and asked,
"He has already left?"
"Yes. Lord Su Han just departed. Although we tried our best to persuade him not to rush, he seemed to have other matters to attend to."
"Alright. Leaving is fine. After this, you are all considered insiders now. Do not say I did not take care of you."
"Never, Lady Ningguang."
The three secretaries blushed deeply. Being able to attend Lord Su Han for an entire night was already a blessing beyond measure. How could they dare harbor other thoughts?
Ningguang smiled and said,
"Alright. Now that you are his women, do not forget your work. There will be plenty of time for you to be together in the future."
"Yes."
The secretaries immediately returned to work. It was often said that love made people grow, and they were no exception.
Meanwhile, in the backyard of the comic shop, Su Han saw that Venti had not yet left and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good thing you did not leave. Otherwise, I would have had to find someone else to deliver the comics."
"Relax. Since I promised you, I would not break my word. Is it the latest chapter that needs to be delivered this time?"
"Yes. And besides that, I also need you to deliver this."
Seeing the item Su Han took out, Venti exclaimed in surprise.
"Wow, you actually have a communicator. Wait, was this also how Ningguang managed to command the Jade Chamber to fly over in time yesterday?"
"Yes, you guessed right. That is why I want you to deliver it to Jean. That way, if anything happens, we can discuss it easily without flying back and forth every time."
"That makes sense. But can you give me one too? This way, whenever your comic updates, I can rush over immediately."
Hearing this, Su Han gave a wry smile.
"Can you wait a bit longer? There are too few communicators right now. Once more are cultivated, I will give you one. The adepti have already started researching how to reproduce them. There should be results before long."
"They can reproduce? You should have said that earlier. Mondstadt has plenty of powerful alchemists. You could ask them for help. I roughly know the adepti's methods. When it comes to mechanisms and formations, they were unrivaled back then. But for biological modification and reproduction, Mondstadt's alchemists are absolutely superior. Whether it is Albedo or his assistant, Miss Sucrose, they should both be able to help you."
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