It was nearly nine o'clock.
Lu Heng, Klee, Zhongli, and Venti were having breakfast at the dining table.
Meanwhile, the three big clients were busy dismantling their cards.
Ningguang was the first to start, but she would likely be the last to finish.
With 400,000 draws, the sheer number of cards pulled this time could literally form a small mountain.
Even her secretaries were sweating as they sifted through them.
After all, some one- or two-star cards might seem low-tier, but they could be crucial in a pinch!
Though the equipment slots were limited, the equipment itself had storage space, allowing for quick swaps!
As the dismantling continued, the cards turned into experience points, flooding into the equipment.
Ningguang's equipment was rapidly leveling up!
By now, it had already reached the fifth tier!
Zhongli, munching on a steamed bun, couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
Good, very good.
Now, aside from himself and the Dragon King Azhdaha, Liyue had another combatant at the Archon level.
Though Ningguang's combat experience might not be on par, her presence alone was enough to serve as a deterrent!
At the very least, Zhongli suddenly felt like heading to Guyun Stone Forest to ask Osial, lurking beneath the waves: "Still thinking about breaking free?"
What expression would Osial have? How would he respond?
At this thought, Zhongli suddenly realized his original plan was completely ruined.
Though it had already entered the execution phase, it hadn't officially started yet—and now it was aborted!
If he were to "fall from the sky" during the Rite of Descension now, would the people of Liyue even believe it?
The only plausible explanation would be that Lu Heng from the card shop had killed the Geo Archon.
But that was absurd!
If Lu Heng wanted to deal with him, why leave behind a corpse?
So... was it an ambush by a powerful card wielder?
That didn't make sense either. With the Rite of Descension still months away, and the Liyue Qixing now possessing strength rivaling the Geo Archon, why wouldn't the Archon himself go draw cards? "What are you even doing?"
Zhongli's thoughts spiraled.
The more he thought about it, the more amusing it became.
He could say with absolute certainty that his plan was completely scrapped.
And there was no need for such a plan anymore.
Others might not know he had retired, but as long as he knew, that was enough. Why bother staging a fake death?
Liyue had no shortage of clever people. If the act was too obvious, they'd see through it immediately and just play along.
Was that fun?
Not at all!
So, as long as he knew, the adepti knew, and he informed the Qixing later, that would suffice.
With this realization, Zhongli felt a wave of relief.
Seeing Keqing's equipment reach the fourth tier only deepened his smile.
Excellent!
From now on, Liyue would surely flourish!
She was the Swordmaster Supreme, a peerless master of the blade!
Regardless of other aspects... at the very least, she had the qualifications to stand in line.
"See, I told you—old man's lost his mind. One moment he's laughing, the next he's sad," Venti whispered to Lu Heng, occasionally glancing at Zhongli.
Klee also leaned in, covering her mouth with her tiny hands. "Big Brother Lu, should Klee save Big Brother Zhongli?"
Zhongli: "..."
Lu Heng didn't bother hiding his laughter and burst out chuckling.
"Sorry, couldn't hold it in," Lu Heng coughed lightly.
Zhongli sighed.
He could understand—his emotions had been rather complex just now.
There was the relief of shedding a heavy burden, the comfort of seeing his "children" grow up, and the melancholy of realizing they no longer needed their "old father."
In short, it was a mess!
"I think it's time to tell them," Zhongli said.
"Good idea," Lu Heng nodded, offering no further opinion.
Venti cared even less.
This was bound to happen eventually—it was just coming a bit sooner than expected.
"Big Brother Zhongli isn't hiding anymore?" Klee's eyes widened.
To her, the fact that her big brothers were gods was a little secret she had to keep, something she couldn't accidentally spill.
She'd been careful all this time, afraid of slipping up.
But now, Zhongli seemed to be dropping the act!
"Shh."
Zhongli raised a finger to his lips and smiled. "Only certain people can know. Like little Klee."
"Ohhh."
Klee nodded, though she didn't fully understand.
"I do have a suggestion for you," Lu Heng suddenly interjected.
It had just occurred to him.
Zhongli had protected Liyue for 3,700 years and was one of its founders.
If he retired, wouldn't a pension be perfectly reasonable?
Since there were outsiders nearby, Lu Heng phrased it metaphorically.
Zhongli's eyes lit up.
Hah!
Right!
"Thank you for the reminder!"
If not for Lu Heng, he might've genuinely forgotten.
After all, someone who'd never earned his own money before—how could he have thought of this?
His time as a consultant at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?
Teaching newcomers and giving history lessons—was that really hard work?
So, Zhongli had always lived comfortably, never imagining what it'd be like to be poor.
The concept of a pension simply hadn't crossed his mind.
If he'd remembered after retiring... well, too late!
"Wait..."
Venti suddenly felt a pang of discomfort.
Bro, you were already cruising in a Land Rover, and now you're getting a pension? Are you aiming for a private jet next?
Is this fair?
Venti pondered.
If Zhongli wasn't poor anymore, wouldn't that leave him as the only broke one?
That couldn't be right!
"What's wrong?"
Zhongli feigned concern, looking at Venti. "Choking? Or did something sad happen to upset you?"
Oh, so you can be sarcastic too!
Lu Heng gave a thumbs-up.
Meanwhile, Klee, thinking Venti was genuinely upset, went to comfort him.
Venti felt even more aggrieved.
Northland Bank, Liyue Branch
How could one know when someone's phone and equipment were activated and ready for use?
Tartaglia had experience with this.
By memorizing the equipment's serial number and calling it repeatedly.
If the response was "number does not exist," it meant the equipment and phone hadn't reached the recipient yet.
If it was anything else—whether the call was declined, unanswered, or the phone was off—it meant the recipient had them but couldn't or wouldn't answer.
(Note: A dead battery was impossible. Snezhnaya had electricity—just adjust the voltage, and it'd charge in half an hour at most!)
Since morning, Tartaglia had made ten calls.
Seven times, the number didn't exist.
The other three responses: once the phone was off, once unanswered, and once outright hung up on him.
"Pantalone!"
"Bro! Big bro!"
"Answer your damn phone!"
Tartaglia was frantic.
The equipment and phone had been delivered. They could communicate across thousands of miles—so why wasn't he picking up?
What was he afraid of?
That Tartaglia would spend too much money and derail his plans for financial domination over Teyvat?
"Lord Tartaglia, we've just received news..."
Bank manager Andrei reported the latest updates from the card shop.
Hearing that Ningguang and Keqing had grown immensely powerful, Tartaglia grew even more anxious.
Bombarding Pantalone with calls was one thing—as colleagues, he wouldn't react too harshly.
But bombarding the Tsaritsa? That was a different story.
Yet, Tartaglia had no choice now.
"I need to put some pressure on the Tsaritsa!" Tartaglia declared without hesitation.
Andrei didn't sense any disrespect—in fact, he agreed wholeheartedly.
With Liyue suddenly fielding two Archon-level fighters, Snezhnaya had to keep up!
Fall behind?
Then you're asking for a beating!
Of course, falling behind didn't always mean you'd get hit—but only because others weren't in the mood to hit you yet!
"Lord Tartaglia, should I prepare some pepper spray?" Andrei suddenly suggested.
Tartaglia looked up sharply.
Pepper spray...
That was hardcore!
But after a moment's thought, he nodded. "Good. We need to go all out."
Under normal circumstances, Tartaglia would never do something like this.
But times had changed!
The squeaky wheel gets the grease!
Tartaglia was pure Snezhnayan blood!
Loyal to the Tsaritsa!
More trusted by her than those scheming Harbingers!
With trust at max and a bit of theatrics, if the Tsaritsa softened, wouldn't that mean more Mora to grow stronger?
Stronger—bliss!
Tartaglia could resist the most beautiful women.
But he couldn't resist getting stronger!
As the Raiden Shogun, Beelzebul, would say: "The rush of power is irresistible!"
Tartaglia quickly dialed the premium number he'd carefully selected for the Tsaritsa.
Voice call?
Not sincere enough!
It had to be a video call!
Ring—ring—
Within seconds, the screen displayed the Tsaritsa seated on her throne.
As always, her face was obscured, surrounded by an aura of icy mist.
Before she could speak, Tartaglia lowered his head slightly.
Then, lifting it again, his eyes were red, veins bulging from agitation.
Tears welled up as he choked out:
"Your Majesty!!"
The Tsaritsa: "..."
After a brief silence.
"What is it?"
Her voice was as cold as biting frost.
But to Tartaglia, it felt as warm as a mother's embrace—because it was filled with the promise of draws.
"Your Majesty, it's urgent!"
Tartaglia recounted the morning's events at the card shop in meticulous detail.
"Your Majesty, I don't have enough cards!"
Tartaglia wasn't exaggerating Liyue's situation.
The young man had some cunning, but not much!
So, he was utterly sincere.
After describing Liyue's developments, he shifted to his own situation.
How he'd nearly defeated Morax, and so on—all of it true.
The Tsaritsa listened in silence as Tartaglia spoke for over ten minutes, even pausing to take a sip of water when his throat dried up.
She knew this kid well.
Those ten minutes could be summarized in one sentence:
Your Majesty, we need to step up our game!
"Understood."
The Tsaritsa was brief and gave no clear stance.
But Tartaglia knew—it was settled.
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T/N:
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