It had been more than a month since the Totem of Undying first appeared.
By now, everyone had at least one Totem of Undying.
Some, like Klee and Nahida, carried even more—seven or eight Totems hanging from their waists.
Paimon, due to her small size, only had three.
But those three little ones each had their own chest, and even in Teyvat, within their personal spaces, they each kept a set of Totems of Undying.
To be honest, no one had ever actually used a Totem of Undying until now.
Even when the Osial attack happened, no one died, so naturally no one had used their Totems.
And today, the Totem of Undying was finally put to use.
Watching its incredible effect, everyone looked at the trap chest Tartaglia had triggered, which had now obliterated the entire cemetery within a hundred meters.
Clearly, it had caused a sacrificial explosion.
Tartaglia had probably been blasted by dozens of TNT charges simultaneously.
And yet, he survived.
The power of the Totem of Undying—did anyone still need to question it?
"Congratulations, Tartaglia."
Rosalyne exhaled in relief, then gave him a slightly teasing look.
"You've been here for only a short while, and you've completed an experiment that Mr. Ryen and the others hadn't managed to finish in all this time."
"Your death this time was significant. I will write to the Empress to officially commend your self-sacrificial attitude."
Tartaglia's face fell, and he glared at Rosalyne in irritation.
"You—are you trying to kick me while I'm down? I literally just got blown to bits!"
"Then why are you still jumping around and perfectly fine?"
Rosalyne pursed her lips and waved dismissively.
Tartaglia's expression stiffened as he looked at himself, completely unharmed.
He clearly remembered that, in a moment of impulse, he had opened the trap chest, and dozens of TNT charges had detonated, pulverizing him completely.
Not just in this world—if this had happened in Teyvat, being caught in such a massive explosion would have at least crippled him; his legs would have been gone.
But now?
He was perfectly fine.
As if nothing had happened.
The terrifying power of the Totem of Undying was self-evident.
Yet the stronger the Totem, the sadder Tartaglia felt.
Something so valuable for saving lives…
And he had just wasted it!
"Ryen has told us countless times to be careful. The Spooky Forest is full of dangers, and he even specifically reminded us to watch our digging just now."
"But you wouldn't listen, and went straight for the trap chest without checking for danger, right?"
Rosalyne snorted, looking at Tartaglia with disdain.
Tartaglia remained silent, then muttered quietly after a moment:
"I just… who would have thought there was so much TNT buried there!"
Keqing frowned; that had been extremely dangerous.
If the TNT's blast radius had been larger, or if it had triggered other trap chests near them, everyone would have had to waste their Totems of Undying.
Her gaze turned sharp, and she glared at Tartaglia, scolding him:
"Fortunately, it was only you who died. If it had affected everyone else, we definitely wouldn't let you step into this world again!"
Tartaglia remained silent.
Harsh as the words were, Keqing wasn't wrong.
It didn't matter if he died once. Wasting a Totem of Undying was regrettable, but it was his own fault.
But if he had damaged someone else's Totem…
Not to mention, Ryen certainly wouldn't let him continue coming here.
If the only Totem gone happened to belong to someone else, Rosalyne wouldn't hold back. That would have been the end of him.
"Sorry…"
Tartaglia awkwardly apologized.
"I'll never be careless again! If there's a next time, I won't step foot here ever!"
Hearing this, everyone stopped pursuing the matter further. After all, it was Tartaglia who had run into trouble, and it hadn't affected them.
Besides, he had practically tested the Totem of Undying for everyone.
From what they had seen, it fully matched, and even exceeded, Ryen's previous description of its effect.
Venti cheerfully patted Tartaglia's shoulder.
"Nice work, Tartaglia! Something we've all been too cautious to try, you managed to do in just a few days."
"We've seen it with our own eyes. The Totem of Undying really is incredible—the ability to be immune to death is unimaginable!"
"As expected of the Young Master of the Fatui! You effortlessly did what we couldn't!"
Tartaglia's face turned bitter, almost in tears.
"That's too much! I just died once! Considering all the times I've bought you drinks before, can't you at least mourn for me a little?"
"If you had really died, I would have sent you off with the wind!"
Venti tapped his chest calmly, waved his hands, then clapped again.
"No, wait! If you had died, I would have revived you with a Resurrection Totem and then continued teasing you!"
"…You really know how to make the most of things!"
Tartaglia, flustered and furious, slammed a nearby tree.
Albedo quietly approached him, his face brimming with curiosity.
"Tartaglia, I know you're upset, but calm down first."
"What did it feel like to die? When the Totem of Undying activated and made you immune, how did that moment feel?"
"When the Totem triggered, you were restored to your peak life, or perhaps given a completely new life. What did that feel like?"
"I've been studying the true effects of the Totem of Undying, but I never had a subject to observe."
"Now that you've died once, don't waste the opportunity. Take your time and recount the experience to me."
Tartaglia stared at Albedo in disbelief.
After a long pause, he spoke with a complicated tone:
"So, I died this time, wasting my own life and my Totem of Undying…
And in the end, I'm just a research subject, and you don't even offer a single word of comfort?"
Diluc shook his head.
"Not just that…"
Tartaglia felt a bit moved and looked at Diluc.
"Master Diluc, I didn't expect that you would be my true best…"
"You've also become a joke that made everyone happy for a while, and later will be a story people talk about."
Diluc cut off Tartaglia's declaration of friendship, speaking calmly:
"When more newcomers arrive and get a Totem of Undying, we can say this…
'Although we never used it, Tartaglia died once due to recklessness. The Totem of Undying was tested with his life.'
You will become the Totem of Undying's spokesperson. So cheer up—soon, you'll be a joke passed down through the ages."
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