The most luxurious room in the Goethe Hotel was also Rosalyne's dedicated residence at the moment.
"The food's been eaten, the wine's been drunk."
"Now, can we discuss the matter of the Gnosis?"
Rosalyne exhaled, forcibly suppressing the rage in her heart, and asked with a forced smile.
This time, she was convinced she'd hosted him impeccably.
She'd brought out every dish and every bottle of wine from the entire Goethe Hotel for Su Xuan.
At the table, she'd brought up the Gnosis trade more than once.
Yet this man hadn't uttered a word about it, only telling her to head to her room for a private talk after he'd eaten his fill.
Rosalyne even suspected that Su Xuan was deliberately toying with her.
"You sure know how to enjoy yourself. This room is genuinely top-notch."
"I'll be staying here tonight."
Hearing Su Xuan's abrupt words, Rosalyne's mind went blank.
So this man hadn't come to her room to discuss the Gnosis trade—he was here to freeload her space.
What a pain to serve!
Should she call a few girls over to keep you company?
Rosalyne clenched her fists, grinding her teeth in hatred.
Ever since becoming a Fatui Harbinger, this was the first time she'd felt such humiliation.
"Hm?" Su Xuan suddenly turned his head, glancing at Rosalyne. "Miss Signora doesn't seem too willing."
The moment their eyes met, Rosalyne broke out in a cold sweat.
Even though Su Xuan's gaze was mild.
To her, it felt like being eyed by some terrifying monster, her body trembling uncontrollably.
"N-No... Of course, if you want to stay here tonight, stay. Naturally, not just tonight—you can stay in this room as long as you like." Rosalyne forced a smile.
Su Xuan turned and headed straight to Rosalyne's wine cabinet, grabbing a bottle of her prized vintage and two glasses without a second thought.
After filling both glasses, he lounged on the sofa and drawled, "Now, for the rest of the time, let's talk about the Gnosis trade."
*Clack!*
A crisp sound rang out as he knocked on the table.
Rosalyne looked over to see a verdant chess piece-like object placed squarely in the center.
"This is the Gnosis?" Rosalyne sat across from Su Xuan, her eyes locked hungrily on the Gnosis.
Suddenly, a horrifying thought struck her.
She remembered the diary copy's light screen showing Su Xuan saving Dvalin, where he'd used the Authority of Lexicon to conjure an identical piece out of thin air.
What if this Gnosis was just one he'd made?
Would it be any different from Barbatos's?
Rosalyne didn't understand the Gnosis's function.
But since the Tsaritsa's mission was to bring back Barbatos's Gnosis, that's the only one she wanted.
"Before that, I have to ask—is this Barbatos's Gnosis?"
"What I mean is, I know you can manifest a Gnosis with your authority, but I only want Barbatos's."
Better safe than sorry.
Rosalyne cautiously probed Su Xuan.
"This is Barbatos's Gnosis," Su Xuan chuckled. "As a diary copy holder, you should know my powers."
"A Gnosis holds no appeal for me whatsoever."
"I took it just to lure you here for this trade."
"I need it to give me a taste of the peak experience."
Rosalyne: "?"
Her mind short-circuited in that instant.
She didn't deny Su Xuan's terrifying power—his authority could even manifest divine punishment from Celestia.
With all those otherworldly forces at his disposal, he truly had no reason to care about a Gnosis.
But Rosalyne couldn't fathom what he meant by using it to trade with her.
In that moment, a very ominous feeling surged in her heart.
From the start, she'd been the target of this man's gaze.
"I... don't quite follow, heh..." Rosalyne let out a dry laugh, her throat parched with fear, like it was about to smoke.
"Besides, didn't you scale Dragonspine last night?"
Su Xuan shook his head. "The peak I mentioned in the diary wasn't a real mountain."
"I haven't measured precisely, but based on my understanding of you all, you're the tallest."
"Of course, given the chance later, I'll line you girls up by height and measure personally to crown Teyvat's true highest peak."
Rosalyne: "?"
Following Su Xuan's gaze, Rosalyne glanced down slightly.
Sure enough, two towering mountains came into view.
Her eyes widened.
The world spun in a dizzying haze.
"No..." Terrified, Rosalyne shot to her feet and shrank back. "You clearly said in the diary you'd sell me the Gnosis."
Su Xuan rolled his eyes at her. "There's an old saying back home: big chest, no brain. You embody it perfectly."
"Do I lack money?"
"I'm tight with Inazuma's Raiden Shogun, and the same with Mondstadt's Rose Witch and Dandelion Knight."
"If I were short on cash, they wouldn't let me go wanting."
"Worst case, I raid a few shady merchants I don't like—plenty to live off for ages."
"Saying I'd sell it was just bait to get you running to me."
The truth hit Rosalyne like a thunderclap, her head buzzing.
After a long pause to gather her thoughts, she stammered, "Someone like you... You're joking, right...?"
Su Xuan froze for a split second, caught off guard by her question.
Couldn't a guy like him crave women?
That logic didn't track.
"Dear Eighth Harbinger of the Fatui, Miss Signora."
"You didn't seriously think you could peep into my secrets for free, did you?"
"Even Lisa knows every fateful gift comes with a price. You've lived five centuries—surely you get that?"
Su Xuan picked up the Gnosis again, tapping it lightly before her.
"You're five hundred years old—an adult. Time to think like one."
"Since you've come knocking, I'll give you two choices."
"One: Give me a good time, then take Barbatos's Gnosis and report back."
"Two: I'll brick you into the wall and stash you in Lisa's underground lab for now. When I feel like it someday, I'll drop by."
"Choose."
Rosalyne: "!?"