Bonus chapter for reaching 150 powerstones! Let's do it again every reset
.....
"Yo, partner! You're finally here—thank the Archons."
Tartaglia's voice boomed like a great bell through the Northland Bank's grand hall. His smile was as warm as an autumn sun, instantly brightening the entire room.
"Huh? Partner, why are you covering your whole face with a mask?" Tartaglia leaned in curiously, inspecting Shajin's mask. A flicker of interest passed through his eyes.
"Not gonna lie… looks pretty cool."
Shajin wordlessly shoved Tartaglia's face aside and casually flopped down on the lounge sofa. A nearby Fatui agent immediately brought over a cup of tea.
Removing his mask and stowing it into the Vision space, Shajin took the tea in his right hand, and with his left, brushed aside the messy fringe covering his forehead. The way he moved was smooth, elegant, almost aristocratic.
He brought the cup up, gently blew on the surface, then took a sip—graceful and composed.
"Tartaglia, I am the 'sinner' of Liyue. Do you really think I could walk in here without a mask on?"
Shajin took another sip, shooting a teasing glance at Tartaglia.
Tartaglia scratched the back of his head, a sheepish grin on his face. "Haha… yeah, fair point. But don't worry! This is our turf—no one's laying a finger on you while you're here."
He thumped his chest In assurance, then plopped down across from Shajin.
Taking another slow sip, Shajin set his eyes on Tartaglia and casually asked,
"By the way, Tartaglia… Pantalone asked me to look into some… questionable expenses on the accounts recently."
"Questionable expenses?" Tartaglia blinked in confusion.
"Yeah," Shajin said, "like antique meal bills or something?"
Tartaglia suddenly lit up, smiling as if it all made sense now. "Oh! Those? Yeah, I paid those on behalf of the guest consultant from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—Zhongli."
Shajin raised an eyebrow. "Zhongli… the consultant from Wangsheng?"
A strange twitch tugged at the corner of his left eye, an involuntary spasm like something ominous was crawling up his spine.
Tartaglia nodded, eyes gleaming with admiration. "That guy is incredible, partner. In Liyue's words, he's someone who knows everything from the heavens above to the grains of rice in your kitchen."
His gaze shimmered like stars in the night sky—pure reverence and awe for Zhongli.
"Trust me, partner," Tartaglia said with growing excitement, "if we can get him to willingly join the Fatui, it'll pay off a hundredfold!"
Shajin's face began to twitch uncontrollably, as if he'd just swallowed a whole lemon.
You damn stone-faced, bushy-browed Archon… so this is how you're robbing Duck Bro blind, huh?!
Watching Tartaglia's dumb sincerity, Shajin stood up, firmly clapped him on the shoulder, and said in a solemn tone,
"Don't worry, Duck Bro. I'll make sure to get your money back."
Tartaglia tilted his head, puzzled. "My money? I usually just have all the bills sent to the Northland Bank."
Shajin: "…"
No wonder Pantalone insisted I come ask in person… so it was his money all along?
Well then—never mind~
He sat back down with a bored look and resumed sipping his tea, as if savoring a fine vintage.
"Anyway, partner," Tartaglia said, "you know about the plan, right?"
Shajin gave him a suspicious side-eye. "What plan?"
Rosalyne, sitting nearby, gave Shajin a strange look—equal parts confused and cautious—like she was seeing an alien.
"Wait… you didn't get Her Majesty's decree?"
"Nope."
Shajin shrugged, palms up in innocent helplessness.
"I'm telling you—I seriously don't know anything."
"Oh no… did Her Majesty forget about me?!"
…
Meanwhile, at Liyue Harbor.
Newly arrived, Lumine and Paimon flitted about like two busy bees, darting through the crowd and eagerly questioning passersby.
"The Rite of Descension? Oh right—now that you mention it, it's happening today or tomorrow, isn't it?"
At Xigu Antiques, shopkeeper Linlang slapped her forehead like she'd just been hit by a bolt of lightning, remembering something important.
"Last year, it was one of the Liyue Qixing—the Yuheng. This year, it should be Tianquan's turn, right?"
"The Liyue Qixing?" Lumine tilted her head, eyes sparkling like a curious kitten.
Paimon explained from above,
"The Qixing are basically the seven big merchants who control Liyue's economic forces—they're the real power behind the city."
Linlang chuckled, waving dismissively.
"That's what foreigners say. But to us Liyuens, the true ruler will always be our god—the Geo Archon."
Lumine hesitated for a moment before asking cautiously,
"By the way, do you know anything about the 'Gambling Saint'—Shajin—from three years ago?"
Linlang gave Lumine a strange look, her expression clouded with a touch of disdain.
"Why are you asking about that sinner?"
"Haha, it's nothing, just curious."
Lumine laughed it off quickly.
"That 'Gambling Saint'… what a tragic story," Linlang said with a sigh.
"Rumor has it his family was slaughtered by a band of Treasure Hoarders when he was a kid. He was taken as a slave, marked with a number… Later, for unknown reasons, the entire hoarder group was wiped out—and he was the sole survivor from his village."
Lumine's eyes widened in realization. So that "No. 35" on his neck… wasn't a fashion statement—it was a slave mark?!
"He came to Liyue Harbor and made his fortune through gambling. Never lost a single match, which earned him the title 'Gambling Saint'."
"He amassed vast wealth. The 'Guì Yì Pavilion' franchises found across the nations? All founded by him."
"They say the current Tianquan was personally supported by him, and he's on good terms with several other major figures."
"But instead of basking in that future, he chose to bear a grudge for the injustice of his childhood… and used the Geo Archon's absence to unseal Beisht, causing major damage to Liyue Harbor."
"His future was so bright… I still don't understand what he was thinking."
…
"Traveler, what are you thinking about?" Paimon buzzed around Lumine, curious. "Is it about your brother? You planning to ask the Geo Archon?"
"No… it's not about him," Lumine replied, shaking her head. "Shajin once said—once I've traveled the seven nations, we'll meet again. Even if I did find him now, he'd probably just dodge me."
She stared down at the Mora in her palm, her eyes unmoving.
"I've only known him for a short time, but I know—Shajin isn't the type to be bound by the past. He's not someone who would do something like that, unless…"
"Unless what?" Paimon prompted.
Lumine's gaze grew firm.
"Unless there's something else behind it all."
_
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