"Lumine, they've all left. Where do we go next?"
"I want to go somewhere and see, follow me!"
Lumine turned towards the south. In this moment of impending storm, she wanted to verify a guess.
"Don't walk so fast, wait for me..."
Paimon was still thinking about where Lumine was going, not expecting Lumine to have already set off, and hurriedly followed with confusion.
........
"This is... the Golden House? But why aren't there any guards? It's so quiet, it feels a bit strange..."
Paimon followed Lumine all the way to the Golden House and found the atmosphere there a bit eerie.
Logically, this was where the Liyue Qixing hid the 'Ancestral Jade', and it was also the key workshop for producing Mora. It should have been heavily guarded. Why weren't there any soldiers on watch?
Weren't they afraid of someone stealing Mora?
She couldn't figure it out, not at all.
"Lumine, *gurgle~* Are we really going in?"
Standing at the door, Paimon couldn't help but swallow, her eyelids suddenly twitching violently.
"Mm."
Lumine nodded, then reached out to push the stone door of the Golden House.
*Creak—*
Just as she expected, the Golden House wasn't locked at all. With a gentle push, it opened.
"Wow... It truly lives up to its name as the Golden House. It looked grand from the outside, but the inside is even more luxurious! And... and there's Mora all over the floor!!!"
Paimon followed Lumine into the room and found that the entire room shimmered with a captivating gold. Even the stairs were made of some unknown stone, looking incredibly valuable just by sight.
What was even more outrageous was the countless amounts of Mora piled carelessly on the floor, a display of utter disregard for wealth!
"Lumine, since all the Mora in Teyvat is made here, then... wouldn't a little more or less be difficult to notice?"
Paimon suddenly had a bold idea.
"Let's make it clear beforehand, if you get caught by the Millelith and thrown in jail, I won't have any money to bail you out!"
Lumine gave Paimon a sideways glance. At a time like this, she was still thinking about Mora.
"Ah... Ahaha, I, Paimon, am a law-abiding, five-star citizen. How could I take things casually? However, even if I can't take it, it should be okay to look from up close, right?"
Paimon: If I could, I'd really want to lie down in there and sleep! Using Mora as a blanket, dreams would surely be sweeter, hehehe...
"Let's still be careful. The atmosphere here is a bit strange."
Lumine beckoned, telling Paimon not to stray too far from her. If an accident occurred, she wouldn't have time to rescue her.
"Right, right, right... I feel it too. Is it... is it too quiet here? Such an important item like the 'Ancestral Jade' surely wouldn't be left unattended, would it?"
Paimon had actually wanted to say this for a while. Logically, it shouldn't be like this.
"—Eh?! Lumine! Look quickly, what's that?! A wild Millelith soldier, but he seems to have fainted!"
Paimon suddenly noticed that behind a stone pillar lay a person, only a small part of their body visible. If she hadn't been observant, she wouldn't have found them.
"The situation is not good. Let's first go confirm if there's anything unusual with the 'Ancestral Jade'."
The development of events was getting closer and closer to her guess. Lumine signaled Paimon to be careful and to go check the 'Ancestral Jade' ahead together.
"As 'guides', your mission was clearly completed. Why do you still insist on seeking trouble?"
Just as the two approached the 'Ancestral Jade', a voice suddenly came from behind the viewing platform of the 'Ancestral Jade'.
"Ah? Who is it? Stop hiding, I, Paimon, am not afraid of you!"
Saying that, Paimon subtly hid behind Lumine, her peripheral vision constantly scanning for potential enemies in the surroundings.
"If you were Fatui, perhaps you would receive a generous reward from the Tsaritsa. But unfortunately, now, you are merely worthless nuisances..."
Tartaglia emerged from behind the viewing platform, his tone laced with regret.
Tartaglia: Then I'll be the one to claim this reward!
"Although I thank you for finding this hiding place without much effort... but now, trying to stop me is a futile effort.
Hmph... To the point of stopping the minting of Mora just to hide the 'Ancestral Jade'... The Liyue Qixing has truly spared no expense."
Tartaglia walked up to the two. For Feng Yi's sake, he would spare their lives if a fight were to break out later.
"You... you really intend to find the Gnosis within the 'Ancestral Jade'?"
Paimon finally realized that they had been manipulated by this person from the very beginning.
"As one of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, I must uphold the will of the Tsaritsa. If Her Majesty desires it, we will obtain it."
Tartaglia shrugged. As long as Her Majesty gave the order, they would brave any danger, even if the target this time was the God of Geo, who was known as the God of War during the Archon War.
"We won't let you succeed! Right, Lumine?"
Paimon stomped her foot, hands on her hips. After being toyed with like this, how could she live in Liyue in the future if she didn't do anything?
Of course, she still needed to ask for Lumine's opinion. After all, Lumine couldn't even defeat a wild boar, so how could she possibly defeat a Fatui Harbinger?
"Mm."
Lumine gripped her weapon and nodded gently. She wouldn't let the person in front of her succeed.
"You want to stop me? Heh... You can try. The time for deals and schemes is finally over... Actually, I dislike those petty tricks too, but for Her Majesty, I can endure."
Tartaglia noticed Lumine's subtle movements. Not only was he not angry, but he gradually became more excited:
"Next, we can enjoy something simple and joyful... That is: combat!"
"Combat? Are you the type who enjoys picking fights?"
"Hahaha, you could say that. I'm different from the other Fatui Harbingers. They prefer to prioritize calculations of profit, consideration of victory or defeat, and the impact of their actions... But since becoming a Harbinger, my greatest joy has been the opportunity to throw punches at more powerful individuals!"
Tartaglia laughed heartily, implying that since they couldn't win against him, there was no need to win. They just needed to enjoy the thrill of battle, just like him.
Saying that, Tartaglia took out his bow, his least proficient weapon.
"Lumine, it's up to you next. I'll cheer you on from the sidelines!"
Fearing being caught in the crossfire, Paimon uttered these words and quickly flew away, hiding herself behind a stone pillar. She peeked out with her eyes, secretly observing the battle in the arena.
Not long after the battle began, Tartaglia was satisfied with his opponent's strength. But as the fight progressed, Tartaglia felt something was off. Why was his opponent getting stronger and stronger?!