"Hey! My dear friends!"
When Tartaglia saw Lora, he smiled and waved at her. Perhaps because of the white-haired young woman following behind him, however, he did not run straight over.
Everyone stopped where they were and waited for the two to approach.
Both Lora and Zhongli's gazes fell on the young woman.
After sensing their attention, her steps clearly faltered for a moment. She quickly recovered, but her expression had grown far more solemn than before.
"Tartaglia? Why are you in Liyue at a time like this?" Paimon frowned when she saw him, then looked blankly at the person behind him. "And who's this?"
"She's not another Fatui Harbinger, is she?" Furina took a small step back, her expression turning tense.
"No. She is not a Harbinger," Lora said, shaking her head.
"Oh, she isn't? That's a relief." After hearing that, Furina let out a huge sigh. She stopped hiding behind Lora and stepped right out.
"You're not scared anymore?" Lora asked with a smile.
Furina waved a hand. "Of course not. If she's not a Harbinger, what's there to be scared of?"
"Isn't Tartaglia a Harbinger too?"
Furina continued, perfectly confident, "Tartaglia is an old friend, isn't he? Why would I be scared?"
Tartaglia, old friend of Fontaine.
Confirmed.
Hearing Furina say that, Tartaglia scratched his head awkwardly, not quite sure how to respond.
Lora, however, laughed. She turned to Focalors and said, "Focalors, hold Furina steady. Don't let her faint in a moment."
Although Focalors had no idea what was going on, she still did as Lora said and supported Furina, looking at Lora in confusion. "Lady Egeria, who exactly is this?"
Zhongli's gaze remained calm.
Lora's actions only made everyone else even more confused. None of them knew what was happening, but judging by her behavior, the white-haired young woman following Tartaglia was definitely no ordinary person.
"This isn't the first time we've met, is it?" Lora smiled at the person behind Tartaglia. "What should we call you?"
The other party looked at Lora, then at Zhongli. After a brief silence, she slowly said, "You may call me Beleth."
"The Fatui should have already told you our names, so I won't bother repeating them." Lora looked at Beleth as she spoke, her tone making it clear that she was not asking for the other party's opinion.
Beleth sensed Lora's attitude toward her and nodded. "Of course. I am very familiar with both of you."
"Welcome to Liyue," Zhongli said to her.
Tartaglia introduced her to the others, who still did not understand the situation. "Everyone! Allow me to introduce her. This is the one all of us in the Fatui serve: Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya!"
"The... Tsaritsa?"
Furina stared at Beleth in shock. Her legs went weak, and she nearly fell to the ground. Luckily, Focalors had listened to Lora and was holding her up, so she did not actually collapse.
"Don't be scared. I'm here." Lora rubbed Furina's head, soothing her shaken heart.
Then she looked back at Beleth and asked, "Since you inherited the position of Cryo Archon, I don't believe we have ever all gathered like this, have we? After the Khaenri'ah Cataclysm, you cut off contact with the other gods completely. What made you decide to come to Liyue today?"
"Uh, Her Majesty the Tsaritsa is..." Seeing that Beleth remained silent, Tartaglia took the initiative to explain.
But Lora shot him a glare. "Ducky, be quiet."
Tartaglia froze, his expression completely blank. "Huh? Ducky?"
Lora turned back to Beleth. "You're holding six Gnoses right now, so why do you look so uncertain facing us? Where did all your confidence go?"
Beleth took a deep breath. "Barbatos invited me."
"You saw Venti?" Lora asked.
Beleth nodded and said to Lora and Zhongli, "I did. He came to the Snezhnaya Palace in person and gave me an invitation, inviting me to Liyue for Lantern Rite."
"That drunken bard... he was the one who invited the group from Inazuma as well, was he not?" Zhongli said slowly, looking toward Lora at his side.
Lora nodded. "He was. Where is he now?"
Beleth shook her head. "I don't know. After giving me the invitation, he left Snezhnaya. You should understand that neither I nor the Harbingers have the power to catch the Anemo Archon."
If Venti wanted to run, the only people in all of Teyvat who could possibly trace his whereabouts were probably Sophia and Lora's group.
The former controlled Irminsul, while the latter had already gained authority nearly on par with the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.
"In any case, those who come are guests. Since this is your first time attending Liyue's Lantern Rite, do not simply stand here. Come into the city and have a look around," Zhongli said, extending an invitation to Beleth.
Beleth looked at him. After a long pause, she finally nodded. "Thank you."
Although Venti had invited her, Liyue was still Zhongli's territory. Unlike the Raiden sisters or the Dendro Archon mother and daughter, Beleth had long since grown distant from the other members of The Seven. Without Zhongli's approval, she would not casually step into Liyue Harbor.
Whether it was Zhongli or Lora, neither of them was someone she could afford to offend right now.
At that moment, every street in Liyue Harbor had been decorated for the festival. Tartaglia looked at the lively crowds coming and going, clearly eager to wander around, but with Beleth still beside him, he did not move.
Of course, how could his thoughts possibly escape Beleth's eyes?
"Go if you want," she said. "We are not carrying out a mission right now. Your time is your own."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Tartaglia nodded, looking a little excited.
"Hey, hold on. Do you have money?" Lora stopped him just as he was about to leave the group.
"Uh... Miss Lora, are you out of money again already?" After hearing her question, Tartaglia blinked and instinctively assumed she was asking him for money because she had run out.
"Tsk! What kind of thing is that to say?" Lora noticed that Beleth had already looked over after hearing Tartaglia's words, so she quickly shot back, "I meant that if you don't have any, I can lend you some."