Northland Bank, second floor.
Tartaglia was currently examining a new weapon he had acquired.
These were the elemental resonance weapons forged in Liyue Harbor today.
Although he still had to wait over a month to get his own, it didn't stop Tartaglia from admiring them in advance.
This weapon was a longsword, obtained from a Snezhnayan merchant.
Of course, this was only a temporary loan.
If Tartaglia were to take it permanently, that Snezhnayan merchant would be in trouble.
If Tartaglia kept it for himself, once Liyue found out, they might categorize the merchant as part of the Fatui.
Tartaglia himself possessed a Divine Artifact, the Polar Star, given to him by the Cryo Archon.
But this didn't stop him from looking at these weapons.
Four-star weapons, while not as good as the Polar Star, were still rare in Teyvat.
At the very least, the elemental resonance aspect was quite effective for Tartaglia.
He was proficient in all weapons, using any was fine for him.
It was only because he claimed he wanted to challenge his weakness that he currently preferred using a bow and arrow.
Tartaglia was a battle maniac; he was professional in all matters related to combat.
But clearly, weapon usage and weapon forging were two different fields.
After a quick look, finding nothing particularly special, Tartaglia quickly lost interest and casually tossed the longsword to a Fatui agent beside him, instructing him to return it.
It wasn't that the longsword wasn't strong.
He had already commissioned a full set of weapons, which he would receive in a month, and that would be the real time for testing.
If this weapon wasn't returned quickly, Liyue would notice, and there would be trouble.
Under the dim firelight, Tartaglia's expression was calm.
"Confirmed?"
The Fatui agent kneeling on one knee nodded seriously.
"Yes, my lord Childe. The Fatui's internal records include surveillance of high-ranking officials from various nations."
"The individuals were definitely Jean, the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, and Diluc, from Mondstadt's Dawn Winery, as well as Lisa, the librarian."
Tartaglia nodded slightly.
"Librarian... I remember, she was marked as dangerous in the internal files, wasn't she?"
"Yes, my lord Childe. Lady Lisa is a top-tier warrior in Mondstadt, internally assessed as Archon-level."
Tartaglia raised an eyebrow, a hint of battle intent igniting within him.
But soon, it subsided.
Lisa was an Elemental Power mage, and one who was extremely skilled in large-scale ranged magic.
For him, such an opponent was not what he sought.
He wanted enemies who would fight him head-on, with real swords and guns.
Not someone who would kite him with magic.
Moreover, being rated as dangerous meant Lisa possessed power that could threaten a Harbinger.
He also heard that she was a member of the Hexenzirkel...
Tartaglia didn't want to get involved with those Hexenzirkel members whose minds were out of whack.
"Is Signora heading to Liyue?"
Tartaglia suddenly asked a seemingly random question, and the Fatui agent was momentarily stunned.
"Yes, my lord Childe. Lady Signora has already obtained the Anemo Archon's Gnosis, but..."
"Did she suffer a loss against Lady Lisa?"
Tartaglia chuckled, a playful expression on his face.
"That crazy woman, I told her long ago not to be so arrogant. Does she really think she's superior just because she has the Tsaritsa's blessing?"
The Fatui agent dared not reply.
These were matters concerning the Harbingers.
But as Tartaglia's confidant, he had naturally heard about it.
To be precise, Tartaglia had burst into laughter that day upon reading an internal letter.
He heard that Signora had just gone to Mondstadt to deal with Dvalin, but was coincidentally intercepted by Lisa, who was handling matters at the Four Winds' Temple.
The two had a fight.
Signora suffered a minor loss.
This was also why Lisa could hold off Signora alone when Jean and the others were out dealing with matters.
However, as Tartaglia's confidant, the Fatui agent still felt he should remind his superior.
"My lord Childe, regardless, Lady Signora has obtained the Gnosis and is now coming to Liyue..."
His face showed some concern, but Tartaglia waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't worry about her, let her come. Does she really think she can be arrogant just by getting one Anemo Archon's Gnosis?"
"Liyue is a treacherous place that devours people without batting an eye. It's not comparable to a small place like Mondstadt."
"If she really dares to make a fuss like she did in Mondstadt..."
Tartaglia's expression became even more playful.
He suddenly looked forward to Signora causing a scene in Liyue Harbor.
Then he would be able to see how many terrifying beasts were truly hidden within Liyue Harbor.
As for Signora achieving any results...
That was out of the question.
Even if Tartaglia admitted to being slightly weaker than Signora, she clearly hadn't reached Archon-level combat power.
The Geo Archon wouldn't even need to look at her; he could just send an Adeptus to deal with her.
Liyue was a place that could even devour Archons.
Unless the Cryo Archon and the top three Harbingers came together, perhaps then they could cause a stir.
There was a world of difference in strength between the top three Harbingers and the Harbingers ranked after them.
Even if Tartaglia disliked Pierro and Dottore, he had to admit.
Those two were among Teyvat's top existences.
Even including the Seven Archons, their strength could rank among the highest.
"My lord Childe, do we need to contact the people from Mondstadt City?"
The Fatui agent saw Tartaglia silent for a long time and, unsure of his intentions, asked.
But Tartaglia chuckled.
"Contact them? How would we contact them?"
"Among all seven nations, if there's one country that has an irreconcilable feud with the Fatui, it's Mondstadt."
"That crazy woman Signora just caused a big stir in Mondstadt, so going to their people would likely result in us being captured on the spot."
"This is Liyue, not Mondstadt. If we cause a big commotion, the Adepti will come to suppress it..."
This reminded the Fatui agent.
He sighed softly, a hint of reluctance in his voice:
"But my lord Childe, this is our best opportunity... Before, only the Qixing or the Adepti entered there, and we couldn't contact them..."
"If we miss this opportunity..."
Tartaglia slightly raised his hand, interrupting his lengthy explanation, and said softly:
"I didn't say no contact, but we can't contact the Mondstadters."
The Fatui agent was stunned. He frowned in thought for a moment, then suddenly understood:
"You mean the Traveler?"
Tartaglia was silent for a moment, looking at Lumine's file on the internal data he had privately received from the Cryo Archon.
Lumine's file was marked with an extreme importance warning.
Tartaglia said softly:
"You don't need to handle contacting the Traveler. I'll do it myself."
The Fatui agent was naturally happy that Tartaglia was willing to take on this task himself. He paused, then added:
"My lord Childe, there's one more thing..."
The Fatui agent pursed his lips.
"A message from headquarters, Lord Dottore says he lacks experimental materials..."
Before he could finish, Tartaglia's face turned cold, and he slammed his hand on the table impatiently.
"Tell him to get lost!"
"Where does he think this is? This is Liyue! He might not want to live, but I do! Damn that guy!"
"Any more letters from Dottore, burn them all!"
Cold sweat instantly broke out on the Fatui agent's back, and he quickly bowed and left.
Tartaglia snorted, his previously good mood now extremely foul.
Dottore's research was something he only learned about after becoming a Harbinger and following the Cryo Archon.
He had initially thought that most of the modified soldiers participated voluntarily, contributing to the Cryo Archon's cause.
But later, he realized that Dottore was forcibly conducting human experimentation, even involving children.
Tartaglia prided himself on not being a good person, but he deeply loved his younger siblings and would never harm the weak or children.
Dottore's experiments disgusted Tartaglia, but due to the Cryo Archon's need for his power, Tartaglia could only turn a blind eye.
"That dog!"
Tartaglia slammed his palm down, shattering the table in front of him, his Delusion emitting an eerie glow.
"When Her Majesty no longer needs you, I will make you pay!"
Taking a deep breath, he calmed his anger, and Tartaglia turned to gaze at the Jade Chamber floating in the sky.
After a long while, Tartaglia sighed faintly:
"How unpredictable fate is... Teucer, if we had been born in Liyue, I would surely have been a good older brother, wouldn't I..."
...
Jade Chamber.
Everyone had already started eating and chatting.
Suddenly, Baiwen quickly entered and whispered a few words into Ningguang's ear.
"Is that so..."
Ningguang waved her hand dismissively, saying softly:
"Don't worry about them, let them watch all they want. As long as they don't enter Mount Tianheng, it's their business."
In the past, if Ningguang had known the Fatui were watching their every move, she might have ordered an investigation.
But now...
"Go ahead and watch, what can you do anyway?"
"Bring people in?"
"Not to mention the Adepti's barrier."
"The seven or eight hundred heavy cavalry and light infantry stationed there could crush them."
Ningguang was almost hoping someone would try to provoke Liyue now, to let Teyvat see Liyue's true power.
Baiwen had clearly anticipated Ningguang's response, as her three secretaries were Ningguang's closest confidantes.
They could mostly guess Ningguang's thoughts.
She immediately bowed slightly and quietly withdrew.
Baiwen's actions didn't particularly concern the others.
The dinner had almost moved into the official chatting phase.
Paimon and Lumine, full from eating, were now lying on their chairs, rubbing their bellies.
Seeing this, Ningguang waved her hand, instructing someone to clear the table and bring out digestive teas and desserts.
Of course, special circumstances called for special treatment!
Venti would definitely still be drinking wine.
Jean sipped her tea to moisten her throat, then looked at Ningguang and said softly:
"Ningguang, I... I have some questions. Could you please help me answer them?"
"About that world?"
Jean nodded, then shook her head.
"Today, going to Jiang Xuan's world, we saw too many things."
"Abundant resources, miraculous equipment, powerful alchemy potions, and enchantments..."
"Too many dazzling things, I..."
Seeing Jean's somewhat lost expression, Ningguang chuckled:
"You saw too much and don't know where to start, is that right?"
Jean nodded.
"I understand that being overambitious will lead to a big fall, but I've carefully thought about it, and these things seem to be treasures that we desperately need."
"Resources can enrich Mondstadt's finances, equipment can arm our strong, alchemy potions can boost the Knights' combat power..."
"And these, it seems, are all that we lack..."
Saying this, Jean gave a slightly self-deprecating laugh.
"Ultimately, it's because we're too far behind. Mondstadt's overall strength is too weak, to the point where we need everything..."
"But if we start everything at once, we currently don't have enough manpower..."
"I... I really don't know what to do."
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