Before meeting the Genius, the top three Fatui Harbingers already possessed strength rivaling demon gods—that alone had been impressive enough.
Then she recruited him, a miraculous being from beyond Teyvat.
That was supposed to be the greatest stroke of fortune yet.
But apparently, the surprises weren't over.
Tartaglia—the last-ranked Harbinger—was now claiming he possessed power equal to a demon god?!
The Tsaritsa blinked, stunned.
Tartaglia? The man who could lose three lives to Arlecchino in a single duel and still owe her interest?
That Tartaglia?
Now he said he could match a demon god?
She took the amber from Childe's hands, studying it.
At first, she almost dismissed it—its surface radiated Geo energy, and she assumed it was some local trinket.
If Childe hadn't explained, she might have tossed it aside entirely.
But when she focused on it, her expression changed.
That "Geo shell" wasn't mere stone at all—it was compressed divine energy, the same essence found in Gnosis themselves.
And the core power inside...
It was something she had never felt before—terrifyingly potent, yet stable and clean, far purer than the corrupted rage of any demon god.
If she could wield such energy, even Baalzebul wouldn't last ten moves against her!
And this man, this Genius, had just casually handed it to Childe—as if tossing candy to a child.
Too extravagant!
For years she'd assumed the Genius was still competing with Dottore for funding—
but now she realized the truth.
Dottore? Trash. Absolute trash.
All cost, no result.
And she'd actually thought that fool was brilliant!
Was this the reason the Genius left Snezhnaya for Inazuma?
Had her poor judgment driven away the very man who could reshape reality?
Su Ran, meanwhile, noticed the Tsaritsa's expression shifting from surprise to anxiety to… existential dread.
He was baffled.
Women are impossible to read—divine or mortal, all the same.
The Tsaritsa, on the other hand, was spiraling.
Why did he look at me, then look away? Why did he sigh?
Did I do something wrong?
Within seconds, she had reached her own catastrophic conclusion:
It's over… the Genius doesn't love me anymore.
Sometimes, the smarter the woman, the deeper the overthinking.
Thankfully, Raiden Ei wasn't particularly sharp.
Aside from worrying he might leave her, she had no other complex thoughts.
But the Tsaritsa—she was calculating everything.
"Genius," she began softly, "are your research funds sufficient? I could… provide more, if needed."
Her sudden warmth made Su Ran pause mid-thought.
That tone wasn't normal.
"I don't have any major projects for now," he replied.
"Even for the orbital station, I need to survey Teyvat's mineral quality first.
If the local supply isn't enough, I'll have to import from elsewhere."
The Tsaritsa froze.
He doesn't even want to use my money anymore… He really doesn't want me, does he?
Her flawless white skin seemed to lose its color—turning as pale as her ice.
"She's overthinking again," Little Duck muttered under her breath.
"What a silly woman."
Girls should understand girls—and Little Duck understood perfectly.
Everyone assumed she was modeled after the Tsaritsa, but Su Ran had barely known the Cryo Archon when he made her.
Sure, she looked like a miniature version of the Tsaritsa, but her soul came from a different place altogether—
She was, at her core, the expressionless genius Bronya herself.
And Bronya knew exactly how to read people.
Disguises, micro-expressions, hidden emotions—child's play.
After spending so much time with the Tsaritsa, Little Duck had learned her patterns inside and out.
"Go comfort her," Su Ran sighed.
"I don't want her having another meltdown like when she got that letter."
La Signora tilted her head back, trying not to listen too closely.
Had she just heard blasphemy?
The idea that Her Majesty—the exalted Tsaritsa—had once cried and thrown a tantrum was utterly unbelievable!
Slander!
Childe, on the other hand, didn't overthink it at all.
He only wondered what Her Majesty thought about Morax's Gnosis right now.
"Genius…" The Tsaritsa's voice trembled slightly.
"You… you wouldn't abandon me, would you?"
Su Ran blinked.
That look—nervous, uncertain, almost afraid—was something he had never seen on her before.
"Uh… of course not…"
How could he abandon Big Duck?
She was a whole new breed of Duck!
"Then come back to Snezhnaya with me," she pressed,
"I'll fund you. Whatever you need."
Straight to the point, then?
"Don't be ridiculous!" Raiden Ei's calm mask cracked.
"My husband will not go to Snezhnaya—he's coming home with me! To Inazuma!"
There was no way she was letting the cornerstone of Eternity walk out of her grasp.
"Baalzebul," the Tsaritsa sneered, "you're several millennia old—older than me, in fact. Have you no shame?"
If you're that desperate for a man, go find someone else!
Don't you dare covet my Genius!
He's one of a kind in all the world!
Childe cast La Signora a knowing glance.
See? What did I tell you?
Totally domestic squabbling. Not our business.
"Ha!" Raiden Ei scoffed.
"What does Snezhnaya have anyway? A bunch of women wrapped tighter than rice dumplings?
Su Ran spent 667 days in Inazuma staring at my sister's, Yae Miko's, and Kamisato Ayaka's long, beautiful legs!"
Su Ran: "Huh?! Why are you destroying my reputation out of nowhere?!"
Childe ignored him entirely.
La Signora shot him a disgusted glare.
"Your sister's dead, isn't she?"
The Tsaritsa raised an eyebrow—not at the scandalous remark, but at the part about Baal.
Baal had died five hundred years ago in the Khaenri'ah War.
How could the Genius have been "watching her legs"?
Unless…
"Don't tell me Inazuma has yet another surprise waiting," she murmured.
"She's back now," Raiden said coldly.
"What's the problem?"
The Tsaritsa's eyes widened in sudden realization.
So that's why Baalzebul wasn't locked away in eternal solitude anymore— because the cause of her seclusion had been undone.
Inazuma now had two Archons once again—twin gods.
The Genius had revived a demon god— and never even mentioned it?!
Her expression darkened with complex emotion.
Raiden Ei noticed, and her lips curved upward.
"You don't even understand him," she said mockingly.
"So why fight me for him?"
The Tsaritsa smirked back.
"Is that so?
Well, your Inazuma may have Kamisato Ayaka...but my Snezhnaya has the Maiden."
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