"You're searching for the Seven Archons?"
"What for?"
Tartaglia asked curiously.
"That has nothing to do with you."
Lumine replied calmly.
"Heh… good answer."
"A knight who easily lets the Fatui pry information out of them wouldn't be a very good knight, right?"
Tartaglia laughed, clearly not offended. In fact, he seemed impressed.
"But this time…"
"I can still help you."
His tone shifted as he continued speaking.
"Eh? Really?"
Paimon tilted her head and smiled.
Tartaglia's goal, of course, was not to help Lumine and Paimon.
He simply wanted to use this opportunity to locate the Exuvia of Rex Lapis.
And then check whether the Gnosis was still inside.
Qiu Nian watched Tartaglia expressionlessly, silently thinking to himself.
"Give me some time. Just a little time to find someone."
"I will help you locate the one who can break this stalemate."
Tartaglia promised.
"Ah… how interesting."
"The calmer things appear during the setup, the more violent the chaos will be when it erupts…"
"To witness that dam bursting with my own eyes, you must make sure you stay alive long enough to meet me again."
By the end of his speech, Tartaglia looked extremely excited.
"You agree, don't you…"
"Mr. Qiu Nian?"
Tartaglia suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked toward Qiu Nian.
Although the Traveler had already explained Qiu Nian's background clearly…
Tartaglia trusted his instincts.
And his instincts told him this man was not simple.
So he decided to investigate him carefully.
A background check… or perhaps a test of strength.
Eventually, the truth would reveal itself.
"Tartaglia, you certainly have an interesting way of speaking."
Qiu Nian replied calmly.
"But someone insignificant like me…"
"As long as I avoid the undercurrents, my life shouldn't be in danger."
"And besides… as a citizen of Liyue, I believe Liyue can protect its people."
His tone was unhurried.
Tartaglia was slightly surprised by that response.
There was something strange about the calmness Qiu Nian displayed.
After all, Qiu Nian already knew who he was.
A Fatui Harbinger—and the Fatui's reputation across the Seven Nations was infamous.
Yet while speaking with him, Qiu Nian maintained that same composed expression.
"…Hmm."
"In that case, count me in as well."
"After all, as a Liyue citizen who now knows so many secrets of a Fatui Harbinger…"
"If I don't get involved, I'm afraid Mr. Tartaglia might misunderstand."
"I'll be staying in Liyue Harbor these next few days."
After saying that, Qiu Nian turned and walked away without another word.
On the parallel Blue Planet, inside Xuehua's livestream.
Many viewers had already started noticing something odd.
[Is it just me, or has Qiu Nian been way too calm the entire time?]
[Yeah… I feel like he's not simple]
[He's so handsome. That voice and aura—I'm in love]
[Even though Childe and Qiu Nian are both tall handsome men, Qiu Nian somehow feels even more handsome]
[Is nobody shipping these two?]
[What kind of weird ship is that?]
[You just don't understand]
Meanwhile, Xuehua was continuing the story while staring at both Childe and Qiu Nian's faces like a lovestruck fool.
"Interesting…"
Tartaglia watched Qiu Nian's departing figure and murmured.
"What's interesting?"
Lumine asked.
"Everything."
"Think about my identity."
"I'm a Fatui Harbinger, and right now the entire nation of Liyue considers the Fatui enemies."
"A normal citizen of Liyue would avoid me like the plague."
"But what about Mr. Qiu Nian?"
Tartaglia asked.
"Now that you mention it…"
"He really did stay calm the entire time."
Paimon recalled.
"It is a bit strange."
"For most people in Liyue, the adepti are practically legends."
"But when Qiu Nian heard that we had met several adepti in Jueyun Karst, he didn't react at all."
Lumine thought back carefully.
There was indeed something odd about him.
"Then…"
"That makes things even more interesting."
Tartaglia smiled faintly.
"For now, we'll part ways."
"Come to the Northland Bank tomorrow morning."
After saying that, he walked inside.
Just before crossing the doorway, Tartaglia turned his head slightly and left one final remark.
"As for whether we'll encounter Mr. Qiu Nian again…"
"That depends on his ability."
The livestream chat exploded again.
[What does Childe mean by that? Is he going to attack Qiu Nian?]
[Nooo! My ship is about to fight!]
[So who's the top and who's the bottom?]
[Too early to say]
[Wait, when did this conversation turn into that topic?]
[Fight! Fight! I want to see handsome men fighting!]
Xuehua was still replaying Tartaglia's cool final line in her head.
Then she glanced at the chat.
"Finally! Someone thinks like me!"
"I also want to see handsome men fight!"
She said excitedly.
"What did Tartaglia mean by that?"
"Is he going to attack Qiu Nian?"
"That's bad—we need to warn him."
Looking at the tightly closed doors of the bank, Lumine realized the seriousness of the situation.
"Qiu Nian doesn't even have a Vision."
"And he looks kind of… fragile."
"If Childe really decides to attack him…"
Paimon grew worried.
Thinking of this, the two of them hurried after the direction Qiu Nian had left.
While chasing after him, they also had to avoid the Millelith along the streets.
For some reason, Lumine and Paimon had the uneasy feeling that the soldiers had already spotted them.
However, even though their pursuit went relatively smoothly—
After searching the entire Liyue Harbor…
They still couldn't find any trace of Qiu Nian.
By then, it was already afternoon.
"Haah… haah…"
"I can't go on… where did Qiu Nian disappear to?"
Paimon panted as she floated in the air.
"…Let's just hope he's safe."
Lumine was silent for a moment before answering.
"Well…"
"At this point, let's eat first."
"Qiu Nian will definitely be fine."
Paimon nodded and rubbed her stomach.