(A little announcement here.
Regarding the Bonus chapter; for now on I only posted for the membership chosen. I am really sorry.)
Thank you for your Patreonage, Mr. Michael Thunder
Chapter 101. Tartaglia: "Good riddance! Pop the champagne!"
After entrusting the Memory of Dust to Futsu Mitama, Morax returned to Liyue Harbor. His purpose in coming had been singular—to prevent Dottore from escaping.
He had not acted earlier because, if possible, he preferred not to interfere. Had Dottore obediently gone to prison, or been killed outright by Futsu Mitama and the others, Morax would not have intervened.
But to commit crimes in Liyue and then attempt to flee—this, Morax could not tolerate.
As for suicide?
Was suicide useful?
Even if one "Dottore" died, would the next "him" not still have to bear the punishment?
Il Dottore understood that his own death would end everything for him personally, but the one who would suffer afterward would inevitably be the next incarnation. It was likely that the other Dottore clones already knew this and were cursing inwardly. Yet if Snezhnaya's plans were to continue, one of them would have no choice but to step forward and be handed over to appease Morax.
Yes—this was inevitable.
If Dottore was unwilling to obey orders or defect from the Fatui, then the Cryo Archon and the Harbingers would not grant him respect. Instead, they would help him make a "dignified" exit.
With Morax gone, Futsu Mitama finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the matter had truly come to an end. He lay down on the ground without caring about appearances and casually closed the group's live broadcast.
Tired. Too tired.
He had never felt this weak before.
His recovery ability had always been exceptional—Aila could testify to that. Back then, he and Aila had sparred through an entire night in the wilderness without holding back. Aila had been utterly exhausted, while Futsu Mitama had only felt as though he had just warmed up.
But tonight, was different.
After consecutively unleashing two ultimate moves and repeatedly activating Chakra Desiderata, the fact that his body could still move at all felt like a miracle.
Musou no Hitotachi was one thing; it was an ultimate he had used many times before. That meteor was different.
This was his first time—using massive Geo Elemental power to form Planet Befall, then calling it down from the heavens to crush his enemy.
And Futsu Mitama could clearly feel it: the Planet Befall he had created was not large enough. It had not reached its theoretical limit. Just like Musou no Hitotachi, the meteor could be stronger—far stronger. He simply was not powerful enough yet to release its true might.
"I still need to become stronger," Futsu Mitama sighed.
At the same time, he finally understood why Lumine had been able to fight Tartaglia after gaining dual elements.
When one's strength had not yet undergone a qualitative leap—when a single element had not reached its peak—dual elements working together truly made everything easier.
If he had relied solely on Electro tonight, defeating Dottore would have been difficult but can be accomplished, but he would never have forced him to this extent.
It was precisely because Geo had been added to the mix that Dottore had ultimately lost the ability to fight—and even attempted to flee.
The arrogant Dottore choosing to retreat was, in itself, proof of how decisive dual elements could be.
Unfortunately, Futsu Mitama was still too weak.
Had his strength been even slightly greater, he could have fought Dottore one-on-one tonight—without Shenhe's assistance.
Of course—that was limited to this particular Dottore clone. As for the original Dottore? Forget it. That was a genuine Second Fatui Harbinger. Whether he could even steadily defeat Childe at this stage remained uncertain.
"I still need to get stronger."
Yelan glanced at him and muttered quietly, "From my perspective, the two of you are already monsters—and you're still not satisfied."
Her gaze then shifted to Dottore's corpse not far away. She shook her head lightly. "But you're not wrong. Even with strength like yours, you still couldn't kill him outright. I can understand why you feel this way."
She paused before continuing, business-like once more. "Do you need the body? If not, I'll have it sent to the Liyue Ministry of Civil Affairs. Even if he 'revives' later, he'll be under guard. We also need to investigate thoroughly how he was able to use Abyssal Power."
She was asking for their opinion.
If they wanted the body, she would leave it. If not, she would take it away. In Liyue, even a corpse could be interrogated for secrets. Humanitarian concerns no longer applied. Dottore had committed far too many crimes here. Did he truly believe death alone would settle everything?
"No use," Shenhe said calmly, shaking her head. She had no interest in corpses.
Futsu Mitama shook his head as well and complained, "I'm interested in Primo Geovishap corpses because they can be sold for mora. I'm not interested in Dottore's."
Yelan smiled. "You could sell it to the Fatui. They'd pay handsomely to retrieve a Harbinger's corpse."
But Futsu Mitama replied indifferently, "I have hundreds million mora in assets now. I don't care about small change."
His chest practically puffed up as he spoke.
One hundred million mora in cash! That was an astronomical sum!
With that money, he could travel freely across the Seven Nations without worrying about expenses for the rest of his life.
"All right." Yelan chuckled at his blatant self-satisfaction. She actually enjoyed dealing with someone as straightforward—and powerful—as Futsu Mitama.
There was no need for excessive scheming. Simple negotiations were enough.
Before long, the Millelith arrived. After a brief exchange with Yelan, they began clearing the area and retrieving Dottore's corpse.
"Well then, we should be going too."
Futsu Mitama and Shenhe waved farewell to Yelan and the Millelith soldiers.
Yelan and the Millelith returned the gesture, expressing their gratitude. Without Futsu Mitama and Shenhe's intervention, the situation could have turned far worse.
Shenhe, as an Adeptus disciple, at least had a clear reason to intervene in such matters. Futsu Mitama was different. He was the Raiden Shogun's retainer—an Inazuman by origin. By all accounts, he had no obligation to intervene in Liyue's affairs.
And yet, he still came.
Regardless of his true intentions, the fact remained that he had intervened—and that he had severely injured Il Dottore. That alone was enough to earn him the respect of the Millelith soldiers.
"See you at the Rite of Descension."
Yelan looked at Futsu Mitama and chuckled softly. "If everything goes smoothly tonight, perhaps we'll meet again tomorrow."
As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward the devastated ruins, and a trace of helplessness surfaced in her expression. She could already feel the headache coming on. The ancient site—one that housed precious relics, and where Rex Lapis himself had once descended—had been reduced to ruins by Futsu Mitama's hand.
Just like the incident with the Primo Geovishap's lair, Yelan would once again need to arrange for the Millelith to clean up the aftermath. If possible, the ruins would have to be restored to the greatest extent feasible, after which Liyue's archaeologists would be dispatched to conduct excavations.
Those scholars would undoubtedly be fascinated.
The reason was simple: this place had once borne witness to the descent of the Lord of Geo.
In Liyue, the name "Rex Lapis" alone were enough to stir hearts. No archaeologist could possibly resist such temptation.
"Then I shall look forward to it." Futsu Mitama chuckled in response. He, too, was anticipating tomorrow's Rite of Descension. After all, if nothing changed, Rex Lapis would "fall from the sky" and "pass away" the following year.
Futsu Mitama and Shenhe departed together, heading toward Liyue Harbor. During Yelan's discussion with the Millelith, the two of them had taken a brief rest, recovering roughly half their strength.
At this point, even if something unexpected were to occur on the way back, they were confident they could handle it.
Before long, they returned to Liyue Harbor via fast travel.
"Aren't we going back to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor first?"
Shenhe noticed that Futsu Mitama had taken a different route. This path did not lead toward the parlor, but elsewhere.
"Hm. We're going to Northland Bank first," Futsu Mitama replied with a light chuckle. "I need to tell Tartaglia what happened tonight."
By which he meant, naturally, the news of Il Dottore's death.
After all, Tartaglia had provided him with a great deal of information—and had even treated him to two meals. Granted, both dinners had been thinly veiled attempts at probing.
Still, Futsu Mitama considered Tartaglia worth befriending at this stage. His position in Liyue was delicate, and informing him now—that the one stirring chaos behind the scenes had been dealt with—would likely please him greatly.
Because over the past few days, Futsu Mitama had come to understand Tartaglia's intentions in Liyue quite clearly.
What Tartaglia wanted was simple: locate a powerful Archon, force that Archon into the open, engage him in battle, and then seize the Gnosis in the ensuing chaos.
Crude. Direct. Entirely in line with Tartaglia's personality.
In the original course of events, that was exactly what he did. It just so happened that Rex Lapis and the Cryo Archon had already reached an agreement, with the Lady acting as witness.
If Tartaglia had not assisted Rex Lapis in "retiring," and if none of this had been prearranged, then given his actions alone, it would have been impossible for him to leave Liyue peacefully.
Even so, the Fatui had suffered heavy losses in Liyue, and Northland Bank had lost an enormous amount of mora. But in the eyes of the Fatui, all of that was insignificant. Obtaining the Gnosis under those circumstances was an absolute windfall.
That was why Futsu Mitama now chose to approach Tartaglia proactively, seeking cooperation. To avoid suspicion, he even mentioned the matter in the chat group and informed Zhongli.
"…?"
Shenhe, however, was puzzled. She could not quite understand why Futsu Mitama felt the need to inform Tartaglia. In her view, no matter what, Tartaglia and Il Dottore were both Fatui Harbingers—colleagues in the mortal world.
To go directly to Tartaglia's territory and tell him that his colleague had been killed by one's own hand—would Tartaglia really be pleased?
Still, Shenhe was not one for unnecessary questions. She trusted that Futsu Mitama had his reasons, and so she merely nodded in silence.
Thus, the two arrived at Northland Bank. At the entrance stood a masked young woman on duty.
"Welcome to Northland Bank. May I ask—"
Her words faltered the moment she recognized them. Her eyes widened, and she took an involuntary step back, as if she had seen something terrifying.
"You—you are—"
Futsu Mitama noticed her reaction and smiled faintly. "Since you know who I am, that makes things easier. I'm here to see Tartaglia. Could you please inform him?"
"I have information for him—private information. If it's not him personally, I won't say a word."
His tone was calm. Yet the Fatui woman's legs were trembling. In her impression, the man before her was a terrifying existence: the Raiden Shogun's retainer—Futsu Mitama.
His record included two undefeated encounters with Harbinger No. 6, Scaramouche; an undefeated battle against Harbinger No. 8, the Lady; and the annihilation of a Fatui advance detachment.
Elite operatives—Debt Collectors, Electro and Cryo Cicin Mages, even Mirror Maidens—had fallen to his blade.
And during his last encounter with Tartaglia, he had appeared entirely at ease, earning an evaluation from Tartaglia himself as an opponent not inferior to him.
Within the Fatui, Futsu Mitama was designated as an extremely dangerous individual. To die by his hand would be true death—no recourse, no intervention.
If the matter escalated, would the Fatui really confront the Raiden Shogun over a mere foot soldier?
The answer was obvious.
"I—I understand," the woman stammered. "I'll inform Lord Tartaglia immediately."
She hurried inside.
Soon after, a masked male Fatui arrived to invite Futsu Mitama and Shenhe in for tea and refreshments. Tartaglia was not presently at the bank; he had gone to enjoy the festivities surrounding the Rite of Descension.
He would need some time to return.
"I'll wait," Futsu Mitama said calmly. "But I hope it won't take too long."
"Of course. Of course," the man replied, wiping cold sweat from his brow.
They were led into a VIP room. Fine tea and assorted pastries were soon laid out upon the table. Yet many of the Fatui who passed by glanced at Futsu Mitama with undisguised fear. A few bolder ones dared to observe him in secret, eager to see just how terrifying this legendary retainer truly was.
Whenever Futsu Mitama returned their gaze, they stiffened, hastily set down whatever they were holding, and retreated at once.
"Strange." Shenhe studied him with some surprise. "Why are they so afraid of you? You're not releasing killing intent or hostility."
She found it curious. Futsu Mitama's aura was gentle—entirely unlike her own. Why did they fear him, yet look upon her more freely?
As though she were the safest person in the room. Yet Shenhe was no weakling. Without the red ropes binding her soul, her murderous intent alone would have been enough to frighten ordinary people senseless.
Her years on Mt. Aocang had taught her that most mortals regarded her as an unapproachable adeptus. And yet here, in enemy territory, the Fatui regarded her with awe.
"I don't know," Futsu Mitama said helplessly, shaking his head. "I really didn't do anything."
In truth, he felt the same. Most incidents had been forced upon him.
He had nearly been kidnapped by the Fatui once—self-defense had been unavoidable.
He had ruined Scaramouche's plans twice, he asked for it.
He had been forced into battle with the Lady while abroad, she was meddling too much.
Even sparring with Tartaglia in Liyue had not been his choice, that guy really was a battle junkie.
As for Il Dottore—hmm—that was different. That time, he had gone looking for trouble.
From that perspective, Il Dottore's death was not entirely undeserved.
"…?"
Shenhe tilted her head, unconvinced, but seeing no deceit in his expression, she said nothing more. She remained seated, hands folded, refusing to touch the pastries. She had no intention of becoming "the next Senior Sister Ganyu," as her master once warned.
Futsu Mitama, on the other hand, ate freely. After such prolonged fighting, hunger had long since caught up to him.
As for poisoning?
If the Fatui dared attempt such a thing, he could inform Kuki Shinobu, Aether, and Albedo through the chat group at once.
If word reached the Liyue Qixing that a Raiden Shogun's retainer had been poisoned by the Fatui, the consequences would be catastrophic. Once trust was lost, it could never be fully restored.
About half an hour later, the door opened.
Tartaglia strode in, laughing heartily. "So you finally found the time to visit Northland Bank?"
"And without warning, no less. You had me running all the way back from the south side of the city. Ms. Yun's opera is playing there—if it were anyone else, I'd have finished the performance first."
Futsu Mitama's ears twitched.
Ms. Yun. Yun Jin. (I don't know why most of the fanfic refer Yun Jin as Mr. Yun? Did I not read the story or some other anecdotes I forgot)
Come to think of it, since arriving in Liyue, he had indeed been too busy to attend her opera.
Shenhe visibly tensed when Tartaglia entered, her posture subtly shifting into readiness.
"This must be the adeptus disciple from Mt. Aocang," Tartaglia said with a genial smile. "Don't worry. I have no intention of sparring here. This place is far too important. If a fight broke out, the mora losses alone would reach the hundreds of millions."
He sat down, eyes sharpening as they met Shenhe's. "Still—my instincts tell me you're a formidable opponent. I look forward to fighting you someday. Perhaps I'll grow stronger because of it."
Shenhe remained silent, meeting his gaze evenly. The air grew heavy.
Futsu Mitama sighed inwardly.
As expected of Tartaglia. If he respected someone, he would challenge them—without hesitation.
"That's not why we're here," Futsu Mitama interjected. "We didn't come to fight you."
At his words, the tension eased.
"Of course," Tartaglia said, pouring himself tea. "So—what brings you here at this hour?"
He was genuinely curious.
Futsu Mitama set down his pastry and spoke casually.
"Il Dottore is dead."
Tartaglia's pupils contracted.
He raised a hand to cover his face. His shoulders trembled slightly.
Seeing this, Shenhe's expression immediately turned solemn. Her body tensed once more, instinctively entering a state of readiness.
Tartaglia might attack Futsu Mitama at any moment.
His reaction resembled that of someone whose emotions had overflowed following a friend's death—uncontrolled, volatile, and unpredictable. In such a state, Shenhe would not have been surprised by anything Tartaglia chose to do.
"This—this is truly saddening."
Yet even as he spoke those words, the smile tugging at Tartaglia's lips was almost impossible to suppress.
"…"
Shenhe tilted her head slightly, momentarily unable to comprehend what she was seeing. Not only was Tartaglia smiling—he seemed happier than they were.
"When did he die? Just now?" Tartaglia asked, no longer bothering to conceal his delight. "By the way, I did feel the resonance of the Electro Archon's Authority earlier."
At this point, there was no need for pretense.
Tartaglia was ecstatic—utterly overjoyed.
Il Dottore was finally dead.
Good riddance. That troublemaker was finally gone.
"He was killed by Morax—after a fashion," Futsu Mitama replied calmly, briefly explaining Il Dottore's scheme and his self-destructive choices.
He also told Tartaglia about Morax compelling Il Dottore to submit himself for imprisonment.
As he listened, Tartaglia's smile only grew more pronounced. Morax's actions had been aimed solely at Il Dottore. Snezhnaya would never openly endorse Il Dottore's behavior—meaning that, in the end, nothing would truly escalate.
And judging by Tartaglia's understanding of Her Majesty the Tsaritsa, this matter would conclude with Il Dottore surrendering one of his slices. As for which slice would be so unfortunate, Tartaglia did not know.
But this news was excellent—so excellent that he felt the urge to drink in celebration.
"You seem very happy," Futsu Mitama remarked, though he already knew the answer.
Even knowing how much trouble Il Dottore had caused Tartaglia—did it really warrant this level of joy?
"Why wouldn't I be?" Tartaglia rubbed his face, attempting—unsuccessfully—to rein in his excitement. He chuckled as he looked at Futsu Mitama. "You do know Il Dottore and I don't get along, right?"
Futsu Mitama nodded silently. From Tartaglia's hurried arrival earlier that morning, he had already inferred as much. There had been conflict between Tartaglia and Il Dottore—but Tartaglia had been powerless to act, forced to endure.
When Futsu Mitama had worked with Yelan earlier that night, he had specifically asked whether the Fatui in Liyue Harbor had made any suspicious moves. Yelan had shaken her head. The Fatui had remained remarkably restrained—law-abiding, even.
This had puzzled Futsu Mitama.
Logically speaking, Tartaglia should have demonstrated goodwill at such a moment, making it clear that Il Dottore was not aligned with him. That would have allowed his plan to proceed more smoothly.
And yet, Tartaglia had done nothing. Why?
"For the sake of my upcoming journey to Mondstadt, and certain intelligence matters," Futsu Mitama said evenly, "I came to see you in person."
Tartaglia took a sip of water, then let out a long breath.
"Do you know how much trouble Il Dottore caused me by coming here?"
His grievances spilled forth.
"I've poured my heart and soul into maintaining relations between Liyue and Snezhnaya. Even toward people like you—who misunderstand the Fatui Harbingers—I've done my best to explain that not all of us are like Scaramouche, Signora, or Il Dottore."
"In The Chasm, our warriors fought alongside the Millelith, risking their lives to suppress what lay beneath. They went there with honor."
"I finally managed to stabilize our standing in Liyue—and then Il Dottore arrived unannounced. Secret experiments. No explanations. No regard for consequences."
"The Harbingers in Snezhnaya tacitly approved his actions. Without Her Majesty's direct command, I couldn't interfere. Do you have any idea how suffocating that was?"
It was clear—Tartaglia had been furious. Yet he had suppressed it, choosing to weather the storm.
The Millelith and the Liyue Qixing were already watching the Fatui closely.
Had Il Dottore remained alive, the Fatui's freedom of action would have been even further constrained. And Tartaglia was still searching for the talisman of everlasting morality, as well as multiple Archon ruins.
If either plan were exposed, the Qixing would inevitably suspect him of attempting to unleash ancient gods upon Liyue Harbor.
Should that suspicion be confirmed, Tartaglia and the Fatui would be expelled before the Gnosis could ever be obtained. At that point, resistance would be meaningless.
That was why Tartaglia had been so angry.
And the one who died wasn't even the real Dottore—just a slice. Had it been the original, Tartaglia might have felt anger—but not this overwhelming sense of relief.
Listening to his complaints, Shenhe grew quietly confused. Was this truly what a Fatui Harbinger was like? A colleague had died, yet he was this pleased? Even with grievances, this reaction seemed—excessive.
She fell silent, momentarily lost in thought.
After his outburst, Tartaglia finally looked back at Futsu Mitama and smiled.
"I assume you didn't come just to deliver good news," he said. "You want something from me, don't you?"
Just as Futsu Mitama understood that Tartaglia's dinner invitations were never without purpose, Tartaglia knew that Futsu Mitama's visit carried intent.
Futsu Mitama was not the type to offer goodwill without reason.
"Mhm." Futsu Mitama nodded, smiling faintly. "How much do you think this information is worth?"
"Or rather—what kind of information would you be willing to trade in return?"
He was pricing it.
Tartaglia winced slightly. This was exactly the sort of thing he disliked most—negotiations, exchanges, the logic of merchants.
Yet he could not deny the value of what Futsu Mitama had brought him.
If not for this revelation, even with the Fatui's intelligence network, news of Il Dottore's death would likely not reach him until the day after tomorrow.
Tomorrow was the Rite of Descension.
He had already resolved to set all concerns aside and let everyone enjoy it. With Il Dottore alive, nothing could proceed smoothly anyway.
Time, right now, was priceless. After a moment's thought, Tartaglia made a decision.
"As long as it's not extremely confidential," he said seriously, clasping his hands before his face, "I'll tell you."
"This isn't just because of Il Dottore. It's because I believe our relationship could grow closer."
Futsu Mitama felt a chill run down his spine.
"Huh? What's that look for?" Tartaglia paused, then quickly clarified, his expression shifting. "I mean as friends."
"Look—we're already cooperating, aren't we? Mutual benefit. In Snezhnaya, friends are expected to trust one another. If you accept that, I'll make most of my information transparent to you."
Futsu Mitama studied Tartaglia's sincere gaze, hesitated briefly—
Then shook his head.
"No."
"?" Tartaglia tilted his head, clearly baffled.
Futsu Mitama spread his hands helplessly. "Honestly? I'm still uneasy about being friends with a Fatui Harbinger. Let's keep this mutually beneficial relationship."
"Friends formed through transactions are usually not truly friends."
He knew Tartaglia could be reliable—when their goals aligned. But if the Tsaritsa ever ordered the Harbingers to eliminate him, Tartaglia would not hesitate.
To avoid betrayal, Futsu Mitama chose caution.
Tartaglia sighed, helpless—but his admiration only deepened.
"Alright. I won't force it." He straightened; expression serious once more. "Still—what you did helped me greatly. I'll answer your questions."
"I only ask that you don't make things difficult for me."
Futsu Mitama nodded.
"Has Signora gone to Mondstadt?"
Tartaglia's eyes narrowed slightly. "She has."
"She said that if she meets you again, she won't hold back."
Futsu Mitama smiled faintly. Who would spare whom remained to be seen.
"Are there any of Il Dottore's slices in Mondstadt?" he continued. "Or other Harbingers?"
Tartaglia chuckled, shaking his head. "Only Signora."
"As for Il Dottore—Mondstadt used to be one of his experimental sites. If he knew you were going there," Tartaglia said meaningfully, "he'd definitely follow."
It was a warning. And a gesture of goodwill. Because among the Fatui Harbingers, for reasons unknown—
Il Dottore had always been especially interested in Futsu Mitama.
Even now, Tartaglia did not understand why Il Dottore harbored such a deep obsession with Futsu Mitama.
As for himself, his interest in Futsu Mitama was far simpler—he genuinely believed that if the other were to join the Fatui, he would become an excellent comrade.
"I understand." Futsu Mitama nodded, then continued, "Then, regarding the Fatui in Mondstadt—"
From there, Futsu Mitama began to ask his questions, and Tartaglia answered them one by one.
Watching this unusually harmonious exchange, Shenhe fell into a brief silence. They had killed his colleague earlier that very day. And now, they were even using Il Dottore's death as leverage to extract information from him.
Even though, her EQ wasn't high. She couldn't help to think—
Was this not—somewhat excessive?
Yet the most baffling part was Tartaglia himself. This Fatui Harbinger behaved as though everything were entirely normal, as if nothing about this situation felt wrong to him at all.
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