Those two simple words sent the room's atmosphere plummeting to freezing. An invisible pressure suddenly weighed heavily on the hearts of everyone present.
Tartaglia's heart tightened, faint sparks of Electro flickering in his palm.
The oppressive force surged and receded swiftly, leaving the group trembling under its weight. For a moment, the room fell into a tense silence.
Zhongli's amber eyes flicked toward Tartaglia.
Tartaglia silently dispersed the Elemental Power in his hand, forcing a casual smile to ease the awkward tension.
But the movement tugged at the bruises on his face, distorting his expression into something unnatural.
"Lady Mu and I are both warriors at heart. Her injury was purely accidental, but I won't shirk responsibility. If Mr. Zhongli wishes to demand retribution for Lady Mu, I... will submit to your judgment entirely."
Before this God, renowned as the War God, Tartaglia abandoned any pretense of resistance.
That brief surge of divine presence had already left him breathless. Even his Foul Legacy Transformation would be utterly useless against such power.
He might even make things worse.
Zhongli silently stared at Tartaglia for a long moment, his gaze so intense it made the latter's scalp tingle.
"Ahem~"
La Signora, the first to crack under the oppressive atmosphere, cleared her throat lightly, reminding Zhongli:
"As agreed, I've come to claim your Gnosis, Morax."
"Morax?!" Paimon exclaimed in shock. "Zhongli is actually Morax?!"
Lumine also stared at Zhongli in equal astonishment.
Zhongli extended his hand, and the Geo Archon's Gnosis, resembling a Profound Yellow Game Piece, materialized in his palm. "The contract is fulfilled. I grant you the promised object."
La Signora took the Gnosis from Zhongli's hand. She considered voicing a complaint but ultimately refrained. Zhongli's earlier aura had left her somewhat wary.
"What exactly is going on here? Zhongli, you're the Geo Archon?!" Paimon asked, her mind reeling. "And them—the Fatui—why are you working with them?"
Zhongli didn't answer immediately. He slowly turned and nodded toward Lumine and Paimon.
Understanding his signal, Paimon fell silent, ceasing her questioning.
Before leaving the Northland Bank, Zhongli said:
"This matter will be resolved shortly. You must offer commensurate compensation for the damages you've inflicted on Liyue beyond the terms of our contract. This, too, is a kind of contract."
Several minutes after Zhongli departed, Tartaglia finally exhaled sharply, his forehead slick with sweat and his body near exhaustion.
No wonder he's the oldest God. This kind of pressure...
La Signora fared no better. She glared at Tartaglia and snapped:
"You fought Mu Qingge too?"
Tartaglia desperately wanted to ignore her, but considering Zhongli's earlier reaction, he hesitated before grudgingly admitting the truth.
"Hmph, truly siblings—both equally brainless."
"You—"
"Enough, Childe. In your current state, who could you possibly threaten?"
La Signora carefully stowed the Geo Archon's Gnosis away, her expression turning serious.
"Take me to see Angie. It's no longer safe for her to remain in Liyue."
"...Very well."
-
Player Side:
The Northland Bank plot twist stunned everyone.
[What?! So you were the Geo Archon all along!]
[Holy shit, that guy with the thick eyebrows and big eyes actually tricked us!]
[Damn it! Seeing La Signora still pisses me off!]
[Why do I suddenly feel Zhongli radiating such overwhelming authority now that I know he's the Geo Archon?]
[No, it's not your imagination. Have you seen Childe and La Signora's expressions? It's clear Zhongli is furious. And rightfully so—it's only natural to be angry when your subordinate or junior is being bullied.]
[Qingge! I want to see Qingge...]
[Childe definitely tried to run just now, right? I'm not imagining things, am I?]
[Being exposed for his actions against a god right in front of them... Childe must be sweating buckets!]
[Zhongli's glare just made my heart skip a beat. This is what true authority looks like! I swear he looked like he wanted to beat Tartaglia into a pulp.]
[Same here.]
-
Outside the Northland Bank:
"Zhongli, you're actually Rex Lapis?! Damn it, you tricked us so badly!" Paimon, as always, had no sense of the atmosphere.
Zhongli didn't respond, instead asking, "What happened to Qingge?"
He was well aware of the Fatui's activities in Liyue. Something like this shouldn't have happened.
Lumine's perspective was limited. She recounted everything, from her battle with Childe in the Golden House to their victory and Mu Qingge's sudden collapse, including all the speculations and details.
Zhongli shook his head gently.
Lumine asked, "Is there something wrong?"
Zhongli replied, "Childe has fought Qingge several times. If she were serious, he wouldn't stand a chance. Moreover, as you two described, he just endured a major battle. It couldn't possibly be him."
Paimon scratched her small head. "If it wasn't Childe, then who could it be?"
Zhongli appeared thoughtful, having already deduced the answer in his mind, though he said aloud, "Let's discuss this later. Where is Qingge now?"
"The Millelith instructors escorted her to Bubu Pharmacy," Lumine answered. "We were on our way there to check on her when we spotted Childe acting suspiciously. We followed him here secretly."
"Very well. Let's go together."
The trio set off for Bubu Pharmacy.
Along the way, Lumine couldn't contain her curiosity and asked Zhongli, "Zhongli, since you're the Geo Archon, what about everything before..."
"As you know," Zhongli replied, "I've lived over six thousand years in this world. It was three thousand seven hundred years ago that I helped establish Liyue alongside the Adepti."
"Even the unyielding bedrock, impervious to the vortex, will erode under the ceaseless current of time. Yet I've always convinced myself that the day the cracks appear hasn't come yet."
"Until a certain..."
As Zhongli spoke, he continued toward Bubu Pharmacy with a leisurely stride, while Lumine had to jog to keep up.
-
Bubu Pharmacy.
Baizhu emerged from the treatment room, his face pale and his complexion utterly drained.
"Baizhu, how are you feeling?" Changsheng asked anxiously.
Baizhu waved a dismissive hand. "I'm fine. It's just a pity I couldn't fully heal her."
"You've already done more than enough," Changsheng reassured him. "The young lady's condition merely requires more rest. She'll gradually recover with proper care."
Baizhu gently pushed open the door and stepped outside.
Outside the door, Feng Yan and another Millelith Commander stood anxiously waiting. Yelan was also conspicuously present among them.
Seeing Baizhu emerge, Feng Yan immediately stepped forward. "Doctor Baizhu, how is Lady Mu?"
"Lady Mu's injuries are severe, but she's no longer in mortal danger. She needs time to recuperate. You needn't worry."
Yelan breathed a sigh of relief at the news.
She had already suspected who had wounded Mu Qingge. In Yelan's mind, if not for her earlier warning, Mu Qingge wouldn't have confronted the Masked Man. This was partly her fault.
But... she hadn't expected the man to be so formidable that even Mu Qingge would suffer such grave injuries.
"When will she regain consciousness?"
Baizhu glanced at Yelan. "Barring complications, she should awaken tonight."
"Baizhu, you..." Yelan frowned slightly, her gaze fixed on him.
"Don't worry. I'm just a little tired from lack of rest."