After noticing Ningguang and the others earlier, Tartaglia had been carefully trying to slip away.
But after reading the flood of messages in the chat group, his face slowly filled with confusion.
"Even if the heavens fall, Tartaglia must pay"?
"Today, everyone's expenses are on me, Tartaglia"?
Did they really take him for some kind of ultimate sucker?
If that was barely tolerable, then what came next was completely unacceptable.
"What?!"
"Those dragon-and-phoenix carved chopsticks are wedding items?"
"They symbolize harmony, pairing, and early children?!"
He had thought Zhongli simply found the chopsticks aesthetically pleasing.
And now you're telling him this was the meaning?
And on top of that—
He paid for them himself.
That was no longer just being taken advantage of.
That was the pinnacle of being taken advantage of.
Tartaglia went completely numb.
At that moment, it felt as if tens of thousands of unmentionable creatures were galloping through his mind.
Instinctively, he opened his mouth, ready to complain in the chat group and demand an explanation from Zhongli.
Then—
He realized something was wrong.
The people around him were staring.
All of them.
"…Damn it."
"I said that out loud."
It hit him instantly.
And given that Ningguang and the others were nearby, his heart skipped a beat.
Slowly—very slowly—he turned his head.
Sure enough.
Ningguang, Keqing, Ganyu, Yelan, and several others were all looking straight at him.
The sudden shout had completely given him away.
Their eyes met.
Yes.
Confirmed.
That was the guy they were looking for.
"Crap."
"I've been exposed."
The moment he sensed the change in their gazes, Tartaglia knew it was over.
No hesitation.
He bolted.
At full speed, sprinting toward the outskirts of Liyue Harbor.
"That's him!"
"After him!"
Ningguang gave the order immediately.
Good thing they arrived in time—another moment later and he really might've escaped.
As soon as she spoke, Keqing, Ganyu, Yelan, and the others shot forward.
Ningguang herself stayed behind with several secretaries.
They still had business at the Northland Bank.
For a moment, a bizarre scene unfolded in Liyue Harbor.
The Yuheng of the Qixing, the Qixing's secretary, Yelan, and several others were chasing a young man through the streets.
The citizens of Liyue were stunned.
Yet Keqing and the others didn't shout or call for help.
They feared the Fatui Harbinger might harm civilians.
In truth, that concern was unnecessary.
Tartaglia had no intention of doing anything like that.
At worst, if he got caught, he'd just be detained for a while.
After all, he hadn't caused chaos.
He hadn't released Osial.
The Tsaritsa would come for him.
But if he hurt Liyue civilians?
That would escalate things beyond repair.
So for now—
Running was the best option.
Seeing Tartaglia sprint harder and harder, Keqing turned to the chat group for help.
Transcendent Chat Group
Keqing:
Ganyu, Yelan, and I are currently pursuing the Fatui Harbinger Tartaglia.
Keqing:
He's very good at escaping. Hard to keep up. Requesting assistance.
No one was surprised.
After the earlier revelations, everyone had expected this to happen sooner or later.
Some had even been wondering when these two sides would finally collide.
Apparently—now.
Many capable figures in Liyue, such as Xiangling, Yanfei, and Beidou, were ready to respond—
Until one message appeared.
Xiao:
Location.
Ganyu:
Northern Liyue Harbor. He's about to leave the city.
Xiao:
I'm coming.
Tartaglia:
???
Tartaglia:
What kind of nonsense is this?! You're calling in an adeptus?! That's cheating!
Tartaglia:
Zhongli—Mr. Zhongli! I haven't done anything wrong! For the sake of being your wallet, let me return to Snezhnaya!
Pulcinella:
The Northland Bank has only one master—the Tsaritsa.
Pulcinella:
Therefore, Tartaglia is absolutely not anyone's wallet. You may arrest him, but do not misrepresent this fact.
Ningguang:
We don't care about wallets.
Ningguang:
We're merely investigating suspicious activities involving the Fatui and the Northland Bank.
Ningguang:
We hope you'll cooperate. (smile.jpg)
Pulcinella:
...
Zhongli:
Ahem. Tartaglia, since you've come all this way to Liyue, why rush back so soon? Stay a bit longer and enjoy yourself.
Tartaglia:
...
Stay longer?
Enjoy himself?
Enjoy prison?
I treated you sincerely, Mr. Zhongli—
And this is how you repay me?!
Tartaglia felt utterly wronged.
But now wasn't the time to think.
An adeptus was on the way.
That alone was reason enough to run for his life.
The chat group could wait.
He focused entirely on escaping.
Watching this unfold, the chat group sighed in unison.
If it were only the Qixing, Tartaglia might still have had a chance.
But now?
An adeptus had joined the chase.
That meant one thing—
No escape.
It was only a question of how long this cat-and-mouse game would last.
At that moment, the light screen shifted again.
Everyone immediately turned their attention back.
The Villa
"Tartaglia's getting caught?"
Seeing the chat messages, Luo Chen raised an eyebrow.
Honestly, this outcome had been predictable.
Still—better than being permanently blacklisted by Liyue in the original timeline.
Shaking his head, he continued.
"We just talked about Hu Tao and Tartaglia being wallets."
"But sometimes, wallets aren't around."
"And sometimes, they stop working."
"When that happens, even Morax has no solution."
"So one day, after eating at Wanmin Restaurant…"
"He skipped the bill."
"And earned himself a furious scolding from Xiangling."
"Let's enjoy Xiangling's eloquence."
With that, Luo Chen played the next video.
[Xiangling Furiously Scolds Zhongli for Dining Without Paying]Wanmin Restaurant – Back Kitchen
Xiangling was stir-frying when she saw the light screen.
She froze.
She… scolded Zhongli?
The Geo Archon himself?!
Where did she even get the nerve?
At that moment, Chef Mao rushed in anxiously.
"Daughter, it's already an honor for the Geo Archon to eat here."
"Not paying is fine!"
"Please—please don't get angry!"
Xiangling sighed.
"Dad, we don't know what's going on yet."
"Let's watch the video first."
Chef Mao thought about it and nodded.
The three of them—father, daughter, and Guoba—looked up together.
Light Screen – Video Content
A news-style broadcast appeared.
Ganyu stood on the left as the anchor.
Behind her was a massive screen showing Zhongli.
At the bottom, bold text scrolled:
[Liyue Breaking News]
[Xiangling: Geneva, Pay Up!!!]
[Zhongli's Dine-and-Dash Becomes Liyue's Biggest Development Obstacle!]
[Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Stock Hits Limit Down, Liyue's Food Industry Faces Cash Crisis—Zhongli's Appetite Remains a Mystery!]
Ganyu spoke calmly.
"Zhongli's refusal to pay for meals has become Liyue's hottest topic over the past two days."
"Xiangling bluntly stated that if this continues, she'll have no choice but to stop being polite."
The scene shifted to Xiangling's interview.
"He eats meal after meal—tell me, has he ever paid?"
"Of course, Zhongli has his reasons."
The screen switched to Zhongli.
"What kind of person am I?"
"I am your ancestors' ancestor."
"What am I eating?"
"A feast."
"Can you charge Mora for eating your own feast?"
"No."
"There's no such tradition."
The scene cut back to Xiangling.
"If that's the case, then we had no choice but to go to Hu Tao."
"But Hu Tao said she could only accept payment using her shop's packages."
"And what kind of shop does she run?"
"Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!"
"What kind of packages are those?"
"Afterlife packages!"
"If I died, my entire family tree wouldn't be enough to cover Zhongli's debt!"
"But Hu Tao had her reasons too."
"I'll build the graves first. Everyone can move in one by one!"
"Wuwang Hill is full—next is Qingce Village!"
"Then Mt. Aocang, Guili Plains, Wangshu Inn…"
"No land left. We'll bury them in Tenshukaku!"
"I haven't even dated yet, but my granddaughter's grave is already built!"
"I'm numb!"
"If Zhongli doesn't learn that eating means paying—"
"I'll have Guoba roast him!"
The scene shifted.
Guoba met Zhongli.
"Ah. It's you, old friend."
Zhongli greeted warmly.
Guoba responded:
"Geneva. Pay up."
The interview returned.
"Even Guoba learned to speak from anger!"
"I'm numb!"
At that moment, Zhongli appeared behind Xiangling.
Following the logic of 'if you can't solve the problem, eliminate the source'—
He unleashed Planet Befall.
Xiangling was instantly petrified.
Problem solved.
Solved at the root.
Zhongli walked away casually.
Ganyu shed silent tears.
The video ended.
Aftermath
The chat group fell into strange silence.
They had seen countless absurd commentary videos.
But this one—
Absurd, yes.
Yet terrifyingly logical.
Every argument—from Xiangling, Zhongli, and Hu Tao—
Made unsettling sense.
Wanmin Restaurant – Back Kitchen
Xiangling stood frozen.
One thought echoed in her mind.
It's over.
She really scolded the Geo Archon.
Guoba even spoke human language and yelled "Geneva, pay up."
She didn't know what it meant.
But it definitely wasn't polite.
What would Rex Lapis do?
Even if it was an unserious commentary—
She had scolded him.
Would he really use Planet Befall like in the video?
Chef Mao, who had been panicking earlier, suddenly grew thoughtful.
"Daughter, I was thinking about what you said in the video."
"You said you haven't dated, have no partner, but your granddaughter's grave is already built."
"You sounded pretty upset."
"In that case… maybe you should start dating?"
"That way, the grave might get used someday."
Chef Mao rubbed his hands expectantly.
Xiangling: "???"
Ganyu was over three thousand years old and still single—
And she was being urged to marry at her age?!
For grave utilization?!
She was numb.
Completely numb.
She gave up arguing and looked back at the chat group.
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor
"Oh?"
"Using funeral packages to settle debts?"
Hu Tao's eyes sparkled.
That idea was brilliant!
Wasn't that just expanding business outward?
Discounted or not—it was still profit.
"Perfect!"
"If the consultant avoids spending—fewer bills."
"If he doesn't—funeral packages for debt!"
"Custom packages for different shops!"
"Win-win!"
She rushed to Zhongli, enthusiastically explaining.
Venti and Dvalin exchanged looks.
That… was some next-level thinking.
Zhongli, however, was already overwhelmed.
From seafood fear…
To public execution…
To no Mora…
And now this.
His ominous premonition had been correct.
And this wasn't even the end.
Listening to Hu Tao's plan, his mind went blank.
After a long pause, he sighed.
"Director… you truly are a genius."
"But only if you can convince the merchants."
"Otherwise, we'll really end up with entire family trees wiped out just to cover debts."
Hu Tao patted her chest confidently.
"No problem!"
"I'll build the graves first!"
"They can move in later!"
"If there are extras, they can gift them!"
"Or convert them into after-sales service!"
"One-year replacement, three-year repair!"
"Millennia-old shop—fair pricing guaranteed!"
The two gods and one dragon stared.
Then, in perfect unison—
They raised their thumbs.
Six.
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