Not long after the trio left, the Deputy Manager turned coldly to the two Debt Collectors who appeared behind him.
"Follow them. Find out exactly where Childe is! If possible, rescue him immediately!"
Honestly, he didn't want to rescue Childe at all. If not for the Harbinger's lofty position, he would've gladly thrown out these people who came brazenly to extort them.
Childe had caused such a huge mess in Liyue and then just left, leaving them, who were stationed here long-term, to clean up after him!
If not for the oath of loyalty he'd made to the Tsaritsa, he might've even hoped they'd just kill Childe and save him the trouble—and the enormous cost.
But there was no choice. Childe could die, but he absolutely couldn't fall into the Qixing's hands. Otherwise, the Qixing would wield him as a bargaining chip at the negotiation table, leaving them helpless due to Childe's status as a Harbinger.
After the two Debt Collectors left, the Deputy Manager called out two more people. "Go and tally up all of Childe's savings at Northland Bank over the years. Record how much is missing clearly—he'll have to pay back every Mora later!"
Northland Bank would never cover this ransom—it could only come from Childe's own pocket!
Childe himself had no idea that he was currently facing the embarrassing situation of using his own savings to ransom himself.
Zhongli had placed an adeptal restriction on him, preventing him from leaving the courtyard. Although nobody had offered to treat his wounds, he wasn't being mistreated otherwise.
Zhongli's courtyard was large enough, with everything he might need.
Tartaglia lay asleep in the spacious storeroom until late afternoon before finally awakening.
Having once fallen into the Abyss and fought endlessly there, injuries had long become commonplace for him.
External wounds healed easily; internal injuries, though, were more troublesome.
Supporting himself on some crates, Tartaglia sat up, feeling somewhat better than yesterday. Even the swelling on his face had noticeably reduced.
Because of Zhongli's adeptal spell, he couldn't leave this courtyard.
As for activating his Foul Legacy to forcefully break out, that was even less of an option.
Foul Legacy placed enormous strain on his body. Using it in his current condition would be pure suicide.
So he had no choice but to obediently remain a prisoner here.
Finding a more comfortable position, he put on his Harbinger mask, contacting Signora.
He still had many questions for that woman.
His consciousness entered the virtual space once again. Tartaglia crossed his arms, silently waiting for Signora to appear.
Perhaps annoyed by his constant disturbances, Signora soon appeared, an irritated look on her face.
"What do you want now?"
Tartaglia felt particularly annoyed at her expression. "I set up all those plans, but in the end, you're the one who benefited. Don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
Had this woman plotted from the very beginning with Zhongli to use him as Liyue's whetstone? Or had she only appeared at the end, making a deal with Morax using the Tsaritsa's contract to claim the Gnosis?
The former meant he'd been thoroughly toyed with, every move part of someone else's scheme. The latter meant she'd simply stolen the fruits of his labor. Either scenario left him deeply unwilling to accept the outcome.
Signora sneered openly, her disdain undisguised. "Hah, explanation? If not for me, do you think we would've gotten Morax's Gnosis? With that pathetically flawed plan of yours?"
"Hmph! If it was truly so flawed, then why did you appear at all?"
If she really thought his plan was worthless, she would never have gotten involved—obviously, it was just an excuse.
Signora scoffed again, her voice sharp with ridicule. "Whose fault was it for being so blind that you didn't even realize Morax was right beside you? And you even lost to some insignificant nobody, leaving me to clean up your mess."
Tartaglia was so angry he almost laughed. An insignificant nobody?
This woman really dared to say that?!
The disciple personally chosen by Morax—she considered him insignificant?
"Enough. I don't have time to waste arguing with you. The mission is complete, and I'm already aboard a ship back to Snezhnaya. Good luck surviving on your own."
Without another word, Signora disappeared from the space.
Tartaglia's expression darkened. He didn't immediately exit the space, instead calmly assessing his current predicament.
Undoubtedly, Signora hadn't bothered to rescue him when she left. He was still a captive.
As the whetstone in Zhongli's grand plan, Zhongli likely had no further intentions for him. But just because Zhongli wouldn't harm him didn't mean Jiang Bai shared that benevolence.
Jiang Bai, that fellow, had a reckless style and followed no rules—keeping him captive surely meant Jiang Bai had other motives.
Whether handing him to the Qixing or leveraging his status as a Harbinger for other purposes, none of these possibilities were good.
He needed to find a way out quickly.
If he could at least get word out that he was trapped at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, he didn't even need his soldiers to rescue him directly. Just sending some high-quality medicine would be enough. Once he recovered somewhat, this place surely wouldn't hold him.
Unfortunately, Signora was already on a ship to Snezhnaya, cutting off that potential channel of communication.
Exiting the mental space, Tartaglia searched himself, but found nothing.
Everything on him, except the Harbinger mask—which served mostly as decoration and was bound to him—had been confiscated by Jiang Bai. If not for the mask's unique binding to his identity, Jiang Bai would've taken even that.
After a moment's thought, he decided it was best to wait patiently.
Recovering his body was his immediate priority.
Closing his eyes, he entered a meditative state. Tiny currents of water quietly encircled his body, gradually repairing his damaged internal organs.
Though slow, healing like this was better than doing nothing at all.
...
As soon as Jiang Bai and Aether left Northland Bank, they immediately noticed they were being followed.
Jiang Bai wasn't overly worried about revealing Tartaglia was held at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. With a powerhouse like Zhongli sitting inside, what was there to fear?
The problem was, that great god wasn't always present at the parlor, and Hu Tao wasn't there either. Though the funeral workers knew some basic self-defense, they probably weren't enough to handle Fatui soldiers.
If possible, it was still best not to expose Tartaglia's location.
Jiang Bai and Aether exchanged a glance. Jiang Bai mouthed silently, "Leave the city." Aether nodded to indicate he understood.
They casually strolled toward the city gates. Along the way, Jiang Bai openly bought a few steamed buns, not bothering to lower his voice:
"Let's bring him some food—I'd rather not have him starve to death."
Hearing this, the two Debt Collectors quietly closed the distance.
They walked all the way to Mt. Tianheng. Jiang Bai led Aether around several twists and turns into a secluded mountain hollow, suddenly disappearing right before their pursuers' eyes.
Startled by their sudden disappearance, the two Debt Collectors had no time to react before darkness overtook their vision. In the next instant, they were violently kicked out of the shadows, crashing heavily against a stone wall.
Jiang Bai folded his arms, flashing a wicked grin. Like a true villain, he gazed down at them from above.
---
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