While he was out on a date, he just happened to assassinate Rex Lapis?
Childe: "...?"
The previously closed doors of the Northland Bank were suddenly pushed open. Several Fatui members stood respectfully on either side of the entrance, as if someone of immense importance was about to emerge.
Seeing this, the Head Instructor of the Millelith took on a grim expression. "Alert the men! Keep a close eye on the situation! If anything changes, strike immediately!"
"Remember, you must protect Lord Ye Xi's safety at all costs! The opponent is Signora herself. Even Lord Ye Xi might not be her match! Moreover, there is another Harbinger here called Childe!"
Following the Head Instructor's orders, a squad leader rose and began signaling the nearby plainclothes guards and patrols. Upon seeing the signal, everyone fixed their gazes on the Northland Bank.
"It looks like someone's coming out!"
"Protect Lord Ye Xi first. I can't even imagine how heartbroken Lady Ningguang would be if something happened to him!"
"I think Lady Keqing would be the most devastated!"
"Nonsense, it would clearly be Miss Ganyu!"
"I'd feel bad for Chef Xiangling!"
"Quiet, everyone! They're coming out! Focus your attention!"
As they spoke, the surrounding ranks of Millelith concentrated their focus on the bank's entrance.
Meanwhile, inside the Northland Bank.
A Fatui Skirmisher knelt before the door, blocking the path for Ye Xi and Rosalyne. He lowered his head and reported, "Lord Harbinger, several Millelith in plain clothes have been spotted outside. They think the brothers won't recognize them just because they're wearing ordinary clothes! Please be careful of an ambush, My Lords!"
Hearing the words of this Cryogunner Legionnaire, Ye Xi was slightly taken aback. Was the Ministry of Civil Affairs planning to make a move on the Northland Bank?
He understood almost immediately. Ningguang had likely arranged a temporary escort for him. After seeing him enter the bank, they must have sensed danger and dispatched a large number of Millelith to monitor the entrance.
Thinking of this, he nodded. "It's fine. Those Millelith are here to protect me. You are not to clash with them, otherwise, you'll be hurting our own."
When Ye Xi said "our own," he was referring to the Millelith. However, to the Fatui standing around him, they assumed "our own" meant the Fatui.
"The Lord Harbinger cares about us!"
"So gentle... no wonder even Lady Signora was conquered by him!"
"I'm so moved... to think a Harbinger would care about the lives of subordinates like us!"
Ye Xi's brow twitched as he overheard their whispers.
Rosalyne felt a sudden urge to screamWho was conquered?! Huh?!
Damn it! I am the Eighth of the Fatui Harbingers! How could I be conquered by a little man who isn't even twenty years old?
I am just biding my time! All for Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa! One day, I will repay this humiliation a hundredfold!!!
Despite her inner rage, she was secretly surprised. She had heard rumors yesterday that Ye Xi could get close to the Liyue Qixing. She had assumed he was just some low-level grunt running errands for them, but she hadn't expected the Qixing to value him this muchgoing so far as to deploy the Millelith specifically for his protection!
She grew more and more curious about Ye Xi's true identity. Could he really be the successor to Rex Lapis? But if so, why was he collecting the seven Gnoses?
In an instant, countless questions flooded Rosalyne's mind. She felt as though the youth before her was shrouded in infinite secrets, and those secrets fascinated her.
Upon hearing Ye Xi's command, the Cryogunner Legionnaire quickly bowed his head. "I understand, Lord Harbinger. Please, after you!"
With that, his bulky frame moved aside from the doorway.
As they watched Ye Xi and Signora depart, the Fatui couldn't help but gossip.
"As expected of the Lord Harbinger. He's managed to get himself protected by the Millelith!"
"I heard the Lord has been very close with the Liyue Qixing lately!"
"What? More than just the Tianquan?"
"Supposedly, he's on excellent terms with the Yuheng. A brother monitoring Yujing Terrace said the Harbinger carried the Yuheng back on his back, and she looked completely bashful!"
"Hiss... Lady Keqing? She's a legendary beauty! I truly admire the Lord!"
"If I could learn even one or two of the Lord's tricks for picking up women, forget the Qixingeven if I just landed a rich lady in Liyue, I'd be set for life! These Liyue people are loaded!"
"To be honest, I saw Lord Ye Xi eating at Wanmin Restaurant with Miss Ganyu yesterday!"
"What! Even that secretary...?"
"Good heavens, just how many women does the Lord Harbinger have behind him?"
"The point isn't the womenit's their status!"
"..."
Inside, the chatter was relentless. Outside, the Millelith stood in a strict battle formation. When they saw silhouettes emerging from the Northland Bank, every man gripped his weapon tighter. The Head Instructor was poised to strike.
However, when they finally saw the figures clearly, a wave of relief washed over them.
"It's Lord Ye Xi! He wasn't given any trouble by Signora!"
The squad leaders let out a breath they hadn't known they were holding. But then they noticed the person following behind him.
"Signora! That's Signora!"
"Be careful, everyone! She might suddenlywait... why is Lord Ye Xi holding Signora's hand!?"
"This... what just happened?"
"Am I seeing things!?"
"What's the situation!?"
"Head Instructor, how... how do we handle this?"
The squad leaders were utterly blindsided by this development. They all turned to the Head Instructor, who was equally dumbfounded.
"Look, doesn't it look like Signora just finished crying?"
"She looks like she's been bullied!"
"Wait, something's not right! Why is Lord Ye Xi's clothing so disheveled!?"
"You're right! His clothes are so wrinkled!"
"Could it be..."
"No! Impossible, there's no way!"
"Signora is the Eighth of the Fatui Harbingers! The Crimson Witch of Flame! She's famous for her explosive temper!"
"I heard she has the worst personality among the Harbingers. There's no way she was conquered by Lord Ye Xi, right?"
"It's not entirely impossible. I mean, between Lady Ningguang, Lady Keqing, Miss Ganyu, and Xiangling... I don't think there's a woman in this world Lord Ye Xi can't handle!"
"Don't get carried away. I refuse to believe he could handle a god. Like the Raiden Shogun of Inazuma, for instance."
"That's true. If he could handle the Raiden Shogun, wouldn't the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya be following him around every day too?"
"How did we get on this topic? What do we do now?"
"..."
The Fatui in the bank were confused, but the Millelith outside were even more bewildered. They watched blankly as Ye Xi and Signora walked down the stairs and disappeared into the crowd. It took a long time for them to snap back to reality.
...
"So, you have to keep this a secret from Childe. Let him waste his energy fighting shadows."
Ye Xi gave a brief summary of his deal with Morax.
Rosalyne listened in a daze, subconsciously muttering, "That plan is actually perfect..."
Suddenly, she realized she was praising the villain in front of her. She let out a sharp huff. "If it were left to Her Majesty, she would surely come up with an even better plan!"
Ye Xi smiled without saying a word, changing the subject. "Where is Childe? Why isn't he around?"
At the mention of Childe, Rosalyne grew even more impatient. "I told him to get lost and go fishing. He can't handle anything right, and he forced me to rush back all the way from Mondstadt!"
Ye Xi felt a bit embarrassed for the guy. He vaguely remembered that Childe liked ice fishing. Since there was no ice in Liyue, fishing from the shore was probably his next best option.
As expected of a dedicated angler. He must be bored out of his mind.
As they chatted on the busy street, the sound of thunder suddenly rumbled through the sky. Despite the bright sunlight, lightning flashed. Every person in Liyue instinctively looked up.
"What is that!"
"A dragon! It's Rex Lapis!"
"What's going on? The Rite of Descension isn't supposed to be yet. Why has the Lord of Geo appeared early!?"
"What happened?"
"To witness the Lord's true form... what a blessing!"
"Rex Lapis, protect us! Protect my family and keep us safe!"
"..."
Pedestrians stopped in their tracks to look up, making wishes at the sight of the serpentine dragon. In the sky, the dragon circled, letting out series of roars that sounded like claps of thunder.
Suddenly, without warning, the dragon let out a mournful wail and plummeted straight down.
"What's wrong! What happened to the Lord!?"
"He's falling!"
"My God, that's Rex Lapis!"
Panic erupted among the citizens on the ground. Under their watchful eyes, the dragon crashed onto Yujing Terrace with a deafening boom. Because the ground there was lower, the crowd couldn't see the exact situation, but panic spread like wildfire.
"Lord of Geo! What happened to him!?"
"Something's happened! Something terrible!"
"Oh no, the Lord is injured!"
"Quick! To Yujing Terrace!"
"..."
The bustling street was instantly plunged into terror. Ye Xi frowned slightly.
"I didn't expect it to happen so soon!"
"Rosalyne, go find Childe. Tell him to move according to the plan. I'm going ahead!"
With that, Ye Xi squeezed into the surging crowd.
"Wait... you bastard! You leave everything to me! How annoying!" Rosalyne stamped her foot in anger before heading in the opposite direction.
At that moment, all of Liyue was in chaos. Every citizen began racing toward Yujing Terrace.
Rex Lapis was the creator of Liyue. He had guarded the nation for over 3,700 years. Since Liyue's birth, he had accompanied its people. Countless stories had been passed down through generations, each reinforcing the people's trust, reverence, and respect for him.
Now, Rex Lapis had fallen from the heavens. How could the people not be worried? Many were already weeping as they ran. If Rex Lapis truly passed away, Liyue would lose its divine protection. The nation of gods would become a nation that had lost its faith!
At Yujing Terrace, the area was already under lockdown by the Millelith. No unauthorized personnel were permitted to approach. From a distance, many people could be seen emerging from the Yuehai Pavilion.
"That's the Tianquan and the Yuheng!"
"What on earth is happening? Does anyone know the situation!?"
"I do! I was just inside praying for blessings when a dragon suddenly fell from the sky. It hit the ground so hard it left cracks!"
"I saw it too... the Lord... he seems to have no breath left..."
"What? Rex Lapis...?"
"How could this be... how...?"
"Impossible! The Lord has protected us for thirty-seven centuries! He wouldn't just leave us like this!"
"..."
The crowd gathered outside was in tears, unable to accept the departure of their god.
Inside, Ningguang and Keqing had just finished an emergency meeting regarding the response plan for the Lord's "fake death." They hadn't even begun deploying the plan when the disturbance occurred outside. They hurried down to check the situation.
"I didn't expect it to be this fast!" Ningguang's expression was solemn. She had thought they would have at least a few more days of breathing room.
This was far too sudden!
Fortunately, Ye Xi had warned them in advance. Had they encountered this situation blindly, they would have certainly been thrown into a frantic mess. Though the situation was critical, they were at least mentally prepared.
This is all thanks to Ye Xi!
Keqing and Ganyu also rushed toward the terrace. When they saw the Exuvia lying on the ground, their hearts skipped a beat.
"Lady Tianquan, just now the Lord..." A Millelith soldier stepped forward to report.
Ningguang stepped forward to examine it. Although she knew it was a ruse, she wasn't entirely sure how to proceed with the formalities.
At that moment, Ye Xi squeezed through the crowd. The Millelith guard initially thought someone was trying to break through the line, but upon seeing it was Ye Xi, he immediately bowed. "Lord Ye Xi! Lady Tianquan is waiting for you!"
Ye Xi nodded and entered Yujing Terrace.
The surrounding Liyue citizens found the scene bizarre.
"Who is that? How can he enter Yujing Terrace without an exception?"
"Yeah, I've never seen him before."
"He looks like the son-in-law of Chef Mao's family!"
"What? The son-in-law of Wanmin Restaurant has that much power? Even the Millelith bow to him?"
"Hiss... that family found a real treasure!"
"He looks very familiar with Lady Ningguang. Doesn't that mean he's destined for wealth and status?"
"This man is definitely not simple!"
"..."
The onlookers discussed him animatedly. Most had never heard of Ye Xi before, and this was their first time seeing such a figure. Given his special treatment, they began to speculate wildly.
Meanwhile, back at the Northland Bank.
Tartaglia had heard Rosalyne's orders and rushed back to their stronghold.
"What's wrong with that woman Signora today? Why is her temper so explosive?"
"Could it be she ran into that unknown 'Harbinger' and got vent at?"
He felt quite innocent. He had been minding his own business fishing by the river when Signora suddenly gave him a verbal lashing and told him to get back to the bank. It felt like he was being used as her punching bag.
When he entered the bank, the Fatui inside were in a state of chaos. Seeing Tartaglia return, several members rushed forward to report.
"Lord Childe! While that other Lord was out on a date with Lady Signora, he conveniently killed Rex Lapis! What should we do!?"
Tartaglia: "???"
A date?!
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