Chapter 49: The Lady Is Coming
"You have to trust your sister. She's very capable. Not to mention, she has Wendy and Diluc with her," Aiden reassured Barbara. Then, after a brief pause, he added, "Of course, if you're still worried, I can take you outside the city myself. At the very least, I can guarantee your safety."
"Really?" Barbara looked at Aiden with wide eyes. She had heard from Jean that Aiden traveled alone from Liyue to Mondstadt. Without formidable strength, such a feat would have been impossible.
Moreover, he was someone who had crossed worlds.
Miss Alice had told her many stories about other worlds, and as a child, Barbara had often fantasized about them.
But she also remembered Alice warning her that traveling between worlds required immense power. If one didn't possess special abilities or hadn't been accidentally transported, they would need to be incredibly strong to survive.
Even the Archons themselves might not have the ability to freely travel between worlds. Barbara couldn't help but wonder—was Aiden truly as powerful as a god? Could he really help her sister protect Mondstadt?
But at the same time, she knew she had no position or right to ask for his help.
"In that regard, I have some confidence—so long as you're willing to trust me," Aiden replied with a slight chuckle.
Aiden wasn't particularly interested in fighting monsters. He simply wanted to take a stroll and test out his newest ability—the live broadcast function in the group chat.
He had developed it yesterday when he was bored. It was still just an experiment, but if the others in the group wanted to watch, they were free to do so.
Lately, Zhongli had been busy cleansing Abyssal corruption, and Xiao was either purging demonic energy or meditating to recover. Since they had been stuck in such monotonous routines, perhaps watching the outside world through the broadcast would be refreshing for them.
"Of course I trust you, Aiden!" Barbara said without hesitation, staring at him with bright, sincere eyes. "You're a good person!"
A good person?
Was that… a good person card?!
Aiden chuckled to himself. He had never been given one before, and now, in a whole other world, here he was getting issued one.
How amusing.
"I'll protect you," Aiden said softly, placing a reassuring hand on Barbara's head.
Her eyes widened slightly. His touch was… warm.
For a brief moment, she found herself enjoying the gesture.
---
The Chat Group Gets a Surprise
About an hour later, a notification appeared in the chat group.
"Ding! Group member Aiden has started a live broadcast! Members can click to view."
Everyone was surprised and quickly joined the stream. The screen displayed Aiden and Barbara walking through Mondstadt, approaching the city gates.
Chat Group Messages:
Wendy: "Live broadcast? This is interesting. Does this mean we can all do live streams in the future?"
Aiden: "It's possible, but for now, there's no reward function. So you won't be able to earn points just by singing, Wendy."
Aiden had a feeling that most of the chat group members had already guessed that the group was linked to him in some way. They just didn't say it outright.
Since that was the case, he figured he didn't need to hide it anymore. His strength was already considerable—unless he encountered someone truly extraordinary, he had nothing to fear.
Zhongli: "This is interesting. When you return to Liyue, could you broadcast Yun Jin's opera performance? I'd like to watch it while I'm in The Chasm."
Aiden: "Actually, anyone can start a broadcast. But only one stream can run at a time. If I stop streaming, someone else can go to Yun-Han Opera Troupe and stream a performance for you. Ah… but then again, no one in Liyue has the time right now."
Jean: "Wait, Aiden… where are you taking Barbara?"
Jean had just noticed the live broadcast and immediately voiced her concern.
Aiden: "I'm just taking her outside the city to check the situation. Don't worry—I have more than enough strength to protect her. :)"
Jean, Diluc, and others in the chat fell silent for a moment.
Did Aiden just say he had "a little strength"?
If he only had a little strength, then what did that make the rest of them?!
Jean: "I see… Alright. I'll leave Barbara in your care."
Keqing: "Wait! Who's that woman entering the city?"
Her message made everyone shift their focus back to the live broadcast.
The camera captured a tall woman dressed in extravagant, black and red attire walking through Mondstadt's gates. Her aura exuded arrogance.
Diluc: "That's… La Signora. One of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers."
His expression darkened. There had been reports of her presence in Mondstadt before, but no one had been able to find her. Yet here she was, walking in openly… Why now?
Ningguang: "That woman brings nothing but trouble."
Keqing: "She looks so arrogant. It's like she doesn't even consider Mondstadt worth her time."
Wendy: "…"
Jean: "…"
Diluc: "…"
If Keqing and Ningguang weren't allies, the Mondstadt group might have suspected them of stirring up conflict.
But why had La Signora come here now?
Diluc and Jean, who were still outside clearing monsters, both turned to look at Wendy.
Wendy, silent and expressionless, suddenly sent a chill down their spines.
It seemed like La Signora's visit wasn't as simple as it appeared. Could the Cryo Archon herself be involved?!
If that were the case, it was very bad news for Mondstadt.
They needed to grow stronger—fast.
---
Aiden's Thoughts
Aiden wasn't surprised to see La Signora entering the city, but he wasn't particularly concerned either.
Her arrogance was absurd.
She thought far too highly of herself, acting as if she was entitled to command the Archons themselves. It was laughable.
Aiden wasn't one to blindly defend history, but La Signora's later actions spoke for themselves—she was blinded by her own arrogance.
What kind of fool dared to give orders to the Electro Archon herself?
Even the Cryo Archon, the very leader of the Fatui, wouldn't make such a mistake.
Of course, La Signora hadn't been entirely at fault.
She had ultimately been played—tricked by Zhongli and Wendy, with Scaramouche and Dottore playing their own roles in her downfall.
She had obtained the Geo Archon's Gnosis but never realized that her own allies had kept it a secret from her.
And in the end… she walked straight into a death trap.
How pitiful.
But none of that mattered now.
What mattered was why she was here today—and what trouble she planned to stir up next.