At this moment, even Tartaglia could understand that the newly formed Shadow organization had likely wiped out most of the Fatui. But what could they do about it? Could they protest against Liyue?
It wasn't like the methods the Fatui had used to enter Liyue had been particularly glorious. In fact, their secret activities were enough to justify Liyue eliminating them. The only thing Tartaglia could do was caution the Fatui to be more careful in Liyue and find someone who could smooth things over. For this, he sought Zhongli's help.
After all, when he had arrived in Liyue, the Ice Queen had told him that if he ran into any trouble, he could ask Zhongli for assistance. Tartaglia had always believed that Zhongli was likely a spy sent by the Ice Queen to Liyue. So, after discovering Zhongli's true identity as Smith, Tartaglia immediately sought an opportunity to invite Smith out through Zhongli's connections.
Inside Crescent Moon Pavilion, Smith looked at Zhongli helplessly, before turning his gaze to Tartaglia. "Why did you ask me out like this?" he asked, his tone laced with mild annoyance. "You know you've brought me quite a bit of trouble."
"Trouble?" Tartaglia chuckled. Could it be that Ying had something to do with Smith? After all, Smith was also a Seven Stars consultant, much like Ganyu. If Smith led the Shadow Organization, it made sense.
"Yes, because of you, Keqing has been pestering me to practice martial arts recently," Smith said, his eyes narrowing as he glared at Tartaglia.
Tartaglia's grin widened. "Hahaha, well, this is my fault then," he said, still amused. "But as a warrior, I believe Yuhengxing should be eager for such a challenge, don't you think? It's only through fighting strong opponents that you can truly break through your own limitations."
Smith raised an eyebrow. "So, you think you're strong?"
Tartaglia didn't hesitate. "I don't think of myself as the strongest. I've encountered people much stronger than me, but I still enjoy challenging them. I've learned a lot from those battles."
Smith smirked. "Really? I hope you don't end up questioning your entire existence when that happens." He shrugged without further comment.
As for Keqing, with her three elements now strengthened by Smith's divine power, her growth had been extraordinary. In theory, her talent wasn't inferior to Tartaglia's, but while Tartaglia had gone through the trials of countless bloody battles, Keqing had only recently entered the Abyss for training.
On the other hand, Tartaglia had obtained the evil eye and had risen to the rank of executive within the Fatui. Every executive in the Fatui was a follower of the Ice Queen, but the power they were granted varied.
However, Keqing was no ordinary fighter now—she had the power to cheat her way through this.
Tartaglia, seeing Smith's knowing smile, responded with a more serious tone. "I'll wait and see. I'm curious to know how strong Yuhengxing can become."
Smith nodded, acknowledging Tartaglia's words before Tartaglia spoke again.
"By the way, I still want to ask you about the Shadow." Tartaglia's tone turned more serious.
At the mention of Shadow, Smith's expression twitched. This name had been given by Morax, and initially, Smith had wondered if it would offend Inazuma's Raiden Shogun. However, Zhongli had reassured him that it wasn't an issue.
If the organization had been named something like "Baalzebub," it might have sparked tension, but as the name "Shadow" was fairly common, even in Inazuma, it wasn't likely to cause any offense. Moreover, the organization was closely related to the concept of shadows, and Raiden Shogun wouldn't mind the name.
"The full name of Shadow is the Shadow Special Operations Team, a special intelligence and counter-espionage agency," Smith explained as he took a sip of hot tea. "This name was given by Emperor Yan Wang with the intent that the members of this agency should protect Liyue like a shadow—quiet, unnoticed, but always present and ready to act when needed."
Smith paused for a moment, considering his words. "If you don't do anything wrong, Shadow won't come after you. Those who should worry are the illegal intruders. And even then, this team operates independently from the Seven Stars and the Eight Gates. The Seven Stars don't directly manage it."
Tartaglia nodded thoughtfully. This sounded similar to what he had read in the official announcement.
Some people in Liyue speculated that the Shadow Organization might be under the command of Morax—or perhaps one of the immortals. Tartaglia believed this to be true.
But from Tartaglia's perspective, the Shadow organization appeared to be specifically targeting the Fatui.
Smith observed the shift in Tartaglia's expression and smiled. "Advisor Tartaglia, I'm sure you know that we've always been friendly to Liyue. The problem lies with the sheer number of people in our country. We can't guarantee everyone's safety, so if something goes wrong, don't hold it against us. It's certainly not our intention to cause any trouble for Liyue."
"Is that so?" Smith asked, his tone a bit skeptical. "I don't want to believe you, but for Zhongli's sake, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt—for now. I still choose to trust Zhongli's character."
Zhongli, who had been silently drinking his tea, couldn't help but glance at Smith. It was impressive that a spy planted by the Queen had gained the trust of Liyue's top officials so easily.
Tartaglia chuckled, obviously pleased with himself. "Haha, I want to become friends with Consultant Smith. I hope that some things won't affect our relationship."
Smith nodded casually. "Maybe." Then, his expression shifted slightly. "By the way, Tartaglia, do you have any good weapons in your country of Winter?"
Tartaglia blinked, slightly surprised. "Weapons? Liyue is known for producing some of the best weapons. Why would you ask me about this?"
Smith leaned forward, his expression serious. "I don't have a suitable weapon on hand. None of the weapons on the market are right for me. I was wondering if you have anything available in your country of Winter."
Tartaglia paused, slightly taken aback, before he nodded. "I see. Well, we do have some unique weapons back home. I can try to get you something if you'd like. Let me know what you're looking for."