At the entrance of Wangshu Inn, a captivating woman holding a light novel swayed her curvaceous figure into view. Her long, flawless legs, her provocative movements, her delicate voice—her appearance immediately drew the attention of everyone in the inn.
Another powerful figure had arrived? Who was this beauty? To the people of Liyue, she was a complete stranger. But the moment they heard what she said, they could no longer remain calm.
Who was this woman? How dare she speak to three of the Seven Archons with such sarcasm? How dare she mock gods for crying? Wasn't she afraid the Raiden Shogun would raise her hand and strike her down?
Everyone looked at the woman. Behind her, they saw a familiar figure—the Harbinger from Snezhnaya, who had often been a patron of Wanmin Restaurant.
"Who is this woman? How dare she speak to the Anemo Archon, the Electro Archon, and the Geo Archon like that?"
"She's with the Harbinger. Could she be the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya?"
"How could the Tsaritsa come to Liyue? And even if she did, she wouldn't dare speak like that here."
"The Raiden Shogun came all the way from Inazuma. Why couldn't the Tsaritsa come?"
The audience speculated, but no one could be certain. To ordinary listeners, the woman's identity was a mystery. But to Barbatos and the gods present, they recognized her at once. She was La Signora, one of the Fatui Harbingers, and among the most active and high‑profile in recent years. With the backing of the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya, she had caused no small amount of trouble in Mondstadt and Liyue.
Hearing La Signora's arrogant, reckless, and disrespectful words, Barbatos's expression grew strained. Zhongli remained indifferent and unmoved. The three Electro Archons, with lightning flickering in their eyes, furrowed their brows. Anger began to kindle in their hearts.
Seeing this, Barbatos quickly patted Ei's shoulder, signaling her to calm down and not act rashly.
"Lady Signora, this is not Snezhnaya. Without your master to protect you, if you want to stay alive, I suggest you not be so arrogant. Otherwise, you will die a very ugly death."
Barbatos was unusually serious, staring gravely at the woman before him.
But La Signora merely glanced at him with disdain. "Shut up. A mouse that has lost its Gnosis—what right do you have to call yourself a god?"
Though she was only a Harbinger, she showed no fear of Barbatos, even comparing him to a mouse.
At this, Barbatos's expression darkened. Countless Anemo particles gathered around him, startling the audience. The Anemo Archon was angry.
But strangely, despite the gathering winds, Barbatos did not strike. He seemed to be hesitating.
Ei, however, let out a cold snort. "Harbinger La Signora? Even if the Tsaritsa herself were here, she would not dare behave so insolently. What does a mere Harbinger think she is? How tiresome."
With that, without even drawing her blade, she casually waved her hand. A bolt of lightning shot toward La Signora. With a deafening crash, it struck her, blasting her back dozens of meters. The entire inn shook with the impact, startling everyone. Some even rose from their seats, ready to flee.
Dozens of meters away, La Signora looked astonished. She had not expected her few words to enrage Ei so much, nor that Ei would actually strike. When she turned to face the Raiden Shogun, her expression shifted from arrogance to shock.
Three Raiden Shoguns? And they were identical? Ei had regained her physical body? Makoto had been resurrected? Could it be that the stories in the light novel were true? Though she had read it and knew every tale, she had dismissed them as mere fiction. Who could believe in reincarnation? She had never imagined that Ei would truly recover her body, nor that Makoto had genuinely been brought back.
In that moment, all of La Signora's arrogance and confidence evaporated. Her expression grew serious. But she still refused to believe that the light novel was true.
She was not the only one who noticed. Beside her, Childe also looked grave. He had read the light novel and learned about the storytelling, but he had not expected such a scene.
Not wanting to complicate matters further, he smiled and said to Zhongli, "Consultant Zhongli, for the sake of the meals I've bought you, please forgive La Signora's rudeness. We are law‑abiding citizens. We're not here to cause trouble. We came for the same reason you did—to listen to the stories."
Smiling warmly, he walked over to Zhongli like an old friend and sat down beside him without ceremony.
Ei snorted coldly. "You are also a Fatui Harbinger? Who said you could sit here?"
Childe's expression flickered. "Raiden Shogun—"
Before he could finish, Zhongli spoke slowly. "He's Childe—also known as Tartaglia. An old friend of mine. He has close ties to the Northland Bank. If I ever forget to bring Mora, I can put it on his tab."
Tartaglia: "…"
Hearing this, Ei's hostility subsided slightly. "Hmph. This is the first time I've heard that Rex Lapis of Liyue has a Fatui Harbinger as a friend."
It was clear she had no love for the Fatui Harbingers.
Barbatos chimed in with an "Eh heh." "So he's an old friend of the old man? Nice to meet you. Your name is Tartaglia, right? I'm Barbatos—you can call me Venti. May I ask, is it really true that we can put things on your tab?"
Tartaglia could only offer an awkward smile. "It would be my honor to serve the Anemo Archon."
Barbatos: "Eh heh, what a wonderful thing. Then bring another pot of fine wine. No, make it two."
Tartaglia: "…"
Zhongli: "Innkeeper, another pot of fine tea."
Raiden Shogun: "Sweet snacks. Three servings. I'm not eating them for pleasure—I simply wish to verify the truth of this matter."
Tartaglia: "…"