"You certainly put on quite the show, didn't you, Lord Harbinger?"
Rosalyne stepped out from the side room, her expression as cold as ice. One look was all it took for her to see through himYe Xi was an impostor!
She hadn't expected anyone to have the sheer audacity to impersonate a Fatui Harbinger. Impersonating one was bad enough, but to dare give orders to the Fatui within one of their own strongholds? If word of this got out, the Tsaritsa would become the laughingstock of every other nation! This scandal had to be smothered in its crib.
Just as she was about to strike and seize Ye Xi on the spot, a strange voice echoed in her mind.
[In a way, being a fake is actually pretty satisfying.]
[Is it too late to defect to the enemy?]
Rosalyne's brow furrowed as she scanned the room. Every member of the Fatui in the hall was on one knee with their heads bowed. Only Ye Xi stood before her, his eyes unashamedly roaming over her figure.
A chill ran down her spine. What is happening?
'Have I fallen under some kind of visual illusion?'
'What's going on? Why can I hear the voice of his heart?!'
'Damn it'
Rosalyne didn't know what was happening, so she didn't dare move recklessly. Suddenly, the voice returned.
[With a body like that, I might as well just take the Gnosis and defect.]
[Isn't Snezhnaya supposed to be cold? Why does Signora wear so little? Isn't she afraid of freezing?]
[Still, those legs really are something else]
Rosalyne froze. 'The Gnosis is in his hands?'
She immediately attempted a technique the Tsaritsa had taught her to sense the power of a Gnosis. Sure enough, there were lingering traces of its power on Ye Xi! In fact, she was certain that the Gnosis was on his person right this second!
Rosalyne's perception of Ye Xi shifted instantly.
'Morax's Gnosis... the Gnosis of the Geo Archon. How could it possibly be on a boy like him?'
'Did he strike some kind of deal with Morax?'
'If he knows the whereabouts of the Gnosis, there's no need to waste any more words on Morax. Getting it from him would be much simpler!'
With that thought, Rosalyne stepped forward. "Follow me to my office. The rest of you are dismissed!"
She gave him a sharp look. Ye Xi had assumed he'd been caught, but to his surprise, it seemed Signora hadn't exposed him yet. He breathed a sigh of relief.
Once they entered the meeting room, a few Fatui subordinates quickly served tea and snacks.
"Leave us. Do not let anyone disturb our conversation!"
Rosalyne dismissed the attendants and turned a cold, predatory gaze toward Ye Xi. Being watched like a piece of prey made Ye Xi's skin crawl.
"Ahem" He cleared his throat, feigning composure. "Rosalyne, what did you want with me?"
"You can stop acting. I know you're a fake."
"CoughEh?" Ye Xi looked at Signora in shock, but he quickly regained his calm.
[She's bluffing!]
[Wow, Signora actually broke the 'big but brainless' stereotype!]
[I almost slipped up there.]
Hearing his inner thoughts, Rosalyne's eyebrow twitched. Her face darkened. However, she didn't deny the "big" part; to her, it was a point of pride.
Seeing Ye Xi seemingly intent on continuing the act, Rosalyne said impatiently, "The Delusions of the Fatui Harbingers are granted by Her Majesty the Tsaritsa herself; they possess a singular, wondrous power. Yours, however, is nothing more than a glass ball."
"So, drop the act."
Ye Xi sighed and rubbed his forehead. He had anticipated the Delusion might give him away, but he truly had no way of obtaining a real one. Facing Rosalyne's cold stare, he laid his cards on the table. "Fine, I'll stop pretending. I am an impostor. But I suggest you don't lay a hand on me, or you'll never find the Gnosis."
Ye Xi knew exactly what Signora wanted. There was no longer any need for secrecy. Since his identity was compromised, using the Gnosis as a shield was his best move. As long as he had it, they couldn't touch him.
Rosalyne's eyes flashed with disdain. She let out a cold laugh. "Her Majesty taught me a method to precisely locate a Gnosis. Why don't you guess whether I know it's on you or not?"
Before she finished speaking, she snapped her fingers. The room was instantly filled with a bone-chilling frost. A layer of permafrost rapidly covered every surface. Rosalyne had intended to freeze Ye Xi where he stood.
To her horror, the Cryo elemental power she summoned stopped the moment it touched him. The ice formed a perfect circle around Ye Xi, unable to harm a single hair on his head.
How is this possible?!
[Subjected to Cryo elemental attack. Immune.]
Ye Xi picked up a teacup from the table and turned it over, looking regretful. "I really wanted a sip of hot tea. What a waste."
Incredible as it was, Rosalyne was consumed by rage. She struck out with a palm packed with condensed Cryo energy. A hit like that should have encased him in a solid block of ice!
Ye Xi didn't even try to dodge; he simply let out a yawn. The strike felt like a gentle pat against his chestpainless and weightless.
The notification chimed in his mind again.
[Subjected to Cryo elemental attack. Immune.]
Rosalyne stood frozen, questioning her entire existence. She couldn't understand it! The elemental power she just used would have turned even a Stonehide Lawachurl into a pile of ice shards. How could it fail to freeze a mere human?
Frustrated and bewildered, she snapped, "Why didn't my attack work?!"
Ye Xi crossed his arms and countered, "Why should I tell you? Who do you think you are?"
"You!" Rosalyne's eyes went wide, her teeth gnashing in fury. "If elemental power won't work, I'll use brute force!"
She made a move to physically attack, but Ye Xi shouted, "Wait! You think the Gnosis is on me, right?"
"Go ahead and search me then. I won't stop you."
"If you find it, it's yours, and you can kill me."
The Gnosis was tucked away in his Spatial Backpack. Aside from him, no one could open it. Rosalyne could sense it was "on" him, but she could never actually take it. It was better to let her search openly; when she found nothing, she'd eventually give up.
It was the safest way. As long as he didn't pull it out, Signora and the Tsaritsa were powerless.
Rosalyne huffed, threatening him with a suspicious glare. "Don't you try any tricks!"
She began to pat him down, searching every inch from his sleeves to his coat pockets. An object as large as a Vision wouldn't be able to hide from such a thorough search.
When her first pass yielded nothing, Rosalyne refused to believe it. Her hands became even more meticulous.
[A little more pressure would be nice.]
[My back has been killing me these past few days.]
[This technique is great. Signora really has a talent for massage!]
Hearing that Ye Xi was actually enjoying it, Rosalyne's anger flared even hotter.
'Strange... it really isn't on him!'
'That's impossible!'
She used her detection method again, and the results pointed 100% at the man in front of her. She was more confused than ever. Had Her Majesty's method failed? Impossible.
As she pondered, her gaze landed on a specific area. Rosalyne's cold face flushed with a hint of red.
'It's all for Her Majesty!' she screamed internally, a declaration of loyalty.
She reached out toward his waist. Ye Xi's expression changed instantly. Sensing something was wrong, he grabbed her small, cold hand.
"What do you think you're doing?" He looked down at her with pure suspicion.
Rosalyne looked up at him, her eyes wide with feigned innocence. "I'm looking for the Gnosis?"
Ye Xi almost fainted from her sheer stupidity. He erupted into a tirade. "Are you out of your mind?! Would your Tsaritsa ever hide a Gnosis there?!"
Rosalyne felt a momentary sting of grievance, but remembering she held the "advantage," she snapped back, "Who knows if you'd do something so perverted! We had a deal! You said I could search you! Are you trying to back out now?"
Ye Xi was speechless. He'd just praised her for having a brain, and here she was, losing her common sense immediately. He frowned and warned, "I'm telling you, anything lower than this isn't about the Gnosis anymore! Do you really want to check?"
"Forget about the 'future' or whateverlet go and let me search!" Rosalyne's brows were knit tight, her gaze as threatening as a cat guarding its food.
Ye Xi rubbed his forehead. "Fine, I'll show it to you, alright? It's really not there!"
With a flick of his wrist, the Gnosis of the Geo Archon appeared in his palm. With another flick, it vanished.
"There. Proof enough? No Gnosis there. I do have a 'God-Stick,' though. Do you want to use that instead?"
Hearing the crude joke, Rosalyne's face turned bright red. She spat, "You silver-tongued scoundrel!" She wrenched her hand away, noticing her palm was warm from the heat of his skin.
Ye Xi sat back in his chair and said seriously, "As you saw, the Gnosis is on me. But if I don't give it to you, you'll never get it."
Rosalyne lowered her head in thought. 'So strange. Is it some kind of trick? He doesn't even have a Visionwhere is he hiding it?'
Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Show it to me again!" She looked like a cat ready to pounce, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Ye Xi looked at her, utterly unimpressed.
[Is Signora an idiot?]
[That was such an obvious lure, even a Lawachurl wouldn't fall for it!]
[I feel bad for the Tsaritsa, having a bunch of dimwits like this to rebel against the Heavenly Principles.]
[Sigh]
Rosalyne's teeth itched with rage. She wanted to stab him. But if anything happened to Ye Xi, she might lose the Gnosis forever!
Seeing her distracted, Ye Xi flicked his hand, and the Gnosis appeared in his left hand. Rosalyne lunged like a hungry tiger.
Ye Xi flicked his wrist again, and the Gnosis moved to his right hand. Rosalyne couldn't stop her momentum and slammed right into his left side.
[Hiss]
[That felt pretty good.]
Rosalyne's face burned. "You... you bastard!!"
Angry as she was, her eyes were glued to his right hand. She pounced again. Just as she thought she was about to grab it, the Gnosis vanished and reappeared in his left hand.
Left, right, left, right. Ye Xi felt like a matador toying with a bull.
[Does this woman actually have a brain?]
Hearing him mock her repeatedly, Rosalyne felt a wave of indignation. Finally, she grabbed his arm with both hands and reached for the other.
Ye Xi simply raised his hand high above his head. Rosalyne jumped, but although she was tall, Ye Xi was taller. No matter how much she hopped, she couldn't reach it.
Ye Xi finally lost it. He put the Gnosis away and doubled over in laughter. "Rosalyne, are you a cat spirit or something?"
"You remind me of a cat I used to have. You look exactly like it when I would play with it!"
"Hahaha..."
Seeing him laugh until he was breathless, Rosalyne felt an overwhelming sense of shame. "You!"
She was truly helpless! If she pushed him too far and he hid the Gnosis, she wouldn't be able to report back to the Tsaritsa. But she couldn't get it from him either!
Rosalyne grew more frustrated by the second. "What will it take for you to hand it over?!"
"Good question!" Ye Xi breathed out, glad to have the conversation back on track. He snapped his fingers in imitation of her, and a wave of Pyro and Anemo energy combined into a heatwave that melted the ice and dried the room.
He flopped down onto a nearby stool. "First, give me a shoulder rub. You seem to have a natural talent for it."
"In your dreams!" Rosalyne was on the verge of a breakdown. In this entire world, who besides the Tsaritsa would dare command her to give a massage?! Anyone else who tried ended up dead!
Ye Xi frowned. "Fine, forget it. You have no sincerity."
"I..." Rosalyne stomped her foot. But thinking that she might get the Gnosis after the rub, she decided that enduring this humiliation was worth it. She took a deep breath, calming herself. 'Calm down! Calm down! It's all for Her Majesty!'
Ye Xi chuckled inwardly. Soon, he felt two small, cold hands on his shoulders.
"Tch, use a bit more strength. Haven't you eaten?"
"You! Bastard!" Rosalyne increased the pressure in a fit of pique.
Ye Xi immediately complained again. "Hissare you trying to kill me? Not that much strength!"
"Ahhh!!! You bastard!!" Rosalyne roared, though her hands continued the massage obediently.
However, her shouting startled the Fatui outside. At that moment, the door swung open...
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