With the sharp instinct of a warrior, Raiden Ei immediately noticed a little tail following behind them.
Had she not sensed no hostility, she would have already struck.
"There's a spy," she whispered to Su Ran.
"Hm?"
Su Ran turned around but saw nothing suspicious.
Still, he was surprised.
Even I didn't notice, yet she did?
As expected of a god who clawed her way through the Archon War—her senses are razor-sharp.
"That brown-haired girl with the twin tails, brown clothes and a hat—she's been following us."
With Ei's hint, Su Ran finally caught sight of the "spy."
That outfit, that hat, those twin braids… that adorable face paired with a less-than-striking figure—
The Hall of Rebirth's master, Hu Tao.
At the moment, Hu Tao wasn't approaching them.
Instead, she feigned browsing stalls, but her gaze kept drifting their way.
No wonder Ei had noticed.
"You really think a spy would be this clumsy?"
A proper spy would have acting skills and stealth.
But Hu Tao's attempt at tailing… was laughably amateur.
Maybe it was so bad I didn't even register it.
"Even so, we shouldn't be careless."
Ei thought back to how, right after arriving in Liyue, they were invited by Ningguang for "tea."
She would no longer underestimate mortals.
"Then let's lose her."
Though Hu Tao was cute, Su Ran wasn't eager to meet her just yet.
"Huh? Where'd they go?"
With just one turn, Hu Tao lost sight of them.
"Ugh… I should've just gone up to say hi."
Zhongli had been gone for some time now, with no word of his return.
If those two knew his whereabouts, Hu Tao could've at least eased her worries.
As for gifting coffins as souvenirs?
She honestly saw no issue— business was business, after all.
"Forget it. I'll just wander around. Who knows, maybe I'll bump into them."
After all, this was a grand festival.
No need to kill the mood with funeral package promotions.
Still, she wasn't used to these past days with no orders.
Without Zhongli's tabs, the Hall's accounts looked healthier— yet the place felt much emptier.
And those two…
"Could Zhongli have gone to Inazuma?"
Thinking of Ei's attire, Hu Tao grew more and more suspicious.
That excuse about "visiting an old friend" didn't sound simple.
Zhongli was a Liyue man through and through.
Could he really have acquaintances in Inazuma?
Or maybe… he heard of Liyueans missing there, and went alone to rescue them?
What started as a random guess, the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to line up.
"Don't tell me… he's gone to do something reckless?"
A chill gripped her.
She'd long grown used to life and death.
But Zhongli was still young.
The thought of black hair sending off white hair— it sat wrong with her.
"No. I have to find them and ask.
Zhongli can't just die without anyone knowing why!"
The carefree Hu Tao was gone.
She began combing the streets with rare seriousness.
But with the festival crowds so thick, even two people as distinctive as Su Ran and Ei
were hard to pick out.
Meanwhile, inside the Northland Bank—
"Rosalyne, you won't believe this. I saw the Raiden Shogun."
Tartaglia's words carried both excitement and unease.
"The Raiden Shogun? What would she be doing in Liyue?"
For the Fatui, the Archons' Gnosis were the goal.
While not all Archons' faces were known, Raiden Shogun's certainly was.
Rosalyne didn't doubt his recognition— but she could not fathom why Inazuma's deity would appear during the Rite of Descension.
Especially this year, when things were anything but ordinary.
"She was brought here by the Genius."
Tartaglia scratched his head.
Even he didn't understand how the Genius could lure the Shogun herself.
Perhaps that was why his own rank had not risen so quickly.
That title wasn't for nothing— the "Genius" truly used his brain.
Otherwise, why not just call him "the Warrior"?
He clearly could fight, after all.
"The Genius…"
Rosalyne's brows furrowed at the name.
"Then the Electro Archon's Gnosis is already in hand?"
For the Shogun to be with the Genius, rather than holding him in Inazuma, made the power dynamic plain.
From what she knew, the Raiden Shogun was not one to leave Inazuma.
If she was here— it meant she was under his control.
So even gods can be mastered by mortals?
The Electro Archon wasn't so impressive after all.
"And where are they now?"
Power was one matter.
The Gnosis was what she truly sought.
"Probably enjoying the festival.
When I saw them, he was feeding her.
But… I may have exposed his identity."
Tartaglia sighed.
The man was the Second Harbinger.
He had no authority over him, let alone the mind to decipher his schemes.
"Still, he told me to prepare a feast at Liuli Pavilion tonight.
He has other plans."
Rosalyne's expression shifted.
"Then tonight, I'll join as well."
Since arriving in Liyue, she had noticed the Geo Archon's vessel missing.
Perhaps he intended to reveal himself only after the contract was fulfilled.
But for now, meeting the Genius came first.
"…Should I inform him in advance?"
Tartaglia's voice was careful.
His earlier mistake—exposing Su Ran's identity— already weighed on him.
If another slip ruined the Genius's plan, he would never forgive himself.
~~--------------------------------------
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