On the outskirts of Liyue, in front of the Golden House.
"Huh? A place like the Golden House, where Mora is made, doesn't even have guards?" Paimon scratched her head, puzzled.
"I don't know, but we should still be careful," Lumine shook her head. "Let's go in."
"Alright," Paimon nodded, and the two of them entered the Golden House.
"Wow! Is this the Golden House?! It looks so grand from the outside, but it's even more luxurious inside!" As soon as they entered, Paimon's eyes sparkled with gold. "What's that? That's shiny Mora! Wow! So much Mora!"
What greeted them were piles upon piles of Mora, stacked like small mountains, glittering and dazzling.
"Um… since all the Mora in the continent is made here, do you think it'd be noticed if a little bit went missing?" Paimon whispered.
"Let's not," Lumine shook her head. "Don't reach out, or you'll get caught!"
"Hehe," Paimon nodded. "Let's go check out the Exuvia of the Geo Archon."
Lumine and Paimon walked over and saw the massive dragon's body placed deep inside the Golden House.
"The Millelith guards are all knocked out!" Lumine felt a sense of unease.
"As guides, your mission is already complete. Why are you looking for trouble now?"
"If you were with the Fatui, you might have received a generous reward from the Tsaritsa."
"Who's there!" Lumine turned around, alert.
Tartaglia slowly walked up the steps.
"But now, unfortunately, you're just worthless obstacles," Tartaglia said.
"Although I'm grateful you led me here without much effort, trying to stop me now is futile."
"Ugh! It's you! I knew the Fatui were no good!" Paimon glared at Tartaglia, that jerk!
"We shouldn't have doubted Akio," Lumine said regretfully. After seeking out the adepti, they were going to hold the Qixing accountable, and might even suppress Liyue.
"Your understanding of gods is still too shallow. Their thoughts are far deeper than you imagine," Tartaglia waved his hand.
"Hmph! You got beaten to a pulp by Akio! How are you healed so quickly?" Paimon snorted. "I can't even see your injuries!"
"..." Tartaglia's mouth twitched as Paimon hit a sore spot. "Don't underestimate the recovery abilities of a Harbinger. The herbs from Bubu Pharmacy and the Fatui's medical technology are enough to heal us quickly."
"But now, the Gnosis is mine," Tartaglia smiled.
"So… you really were after the Gnosis in the Exuvia!" Paimon felt deeply betrayed.
"As Harbingers, we carry out the Tsaritsa's will," Tartaglia said calmly. "If the Tsaritsa wants it, we'll take it."
"Don't come any closer to the Exuvia!" Lumine summoned her dull blade.
"Ahahaha!" Tartaglia's fighting spirit surged. "Looks like you want to fight me! Great! Come and play with me! Let's have a good fight!"
"After getting beaten up by Akio, you still have the courage?" Paimon suddenly interjected.
"Ahem…" Tartaglia was caught off guard and glared at Paimon. "So what? Even against a god, I dare to draw my blade. Losing to a god just means I need to train harder!"
"A true warrior dares to draw their blade against anything!" Tartaglia laughed. "Come on, Traveler, let's see if you can stop me!"
Unfortunately, Tartaglia struggled a bit against Lumine, who wielded two elements, without activating his Foul Legacy Transformation. However, he managed to get close to the Exuvia.
"Hahaha! The Gnosis of the Geo Archon Morax is mine… huh?" Tartaglia reached into the Exuvia but found nothing.
Looking at his empty hand, Tartaglia turned to Lumine. "So, you're the one who got here first?"
His Foul Legacy Transformation activated, and a powerful aura erupted as Tartaglia transformed into a bolt of lightning, charging at Lumine, who barely dodged.
"Ahahaha…" A slightly maniacal laugh echoed as the lightning spear pierced the ground, shattering the entire floor. Lumine and Paimon, caught off guard, fell down in a heap.
Getting up from the ground, Lumine looked at Tartaglia in his Foul Legacy Transformation form, her expression serious. Although this guy had been beaten up by Akio while in his Foul Legacy Transformation, that didn't mean Tartaglia was weak. After all, Akio was a god who could fight the Geo Archon.
However, Lumine, as a warrior with countless years of combat experience and wielding two elements, managed to narrowly win, especially since the Foul Legacy Transformation placed a heavy burden on the user's body.
"Huff… huff…" Tartaglia deactivated his Foul Legacy Transformation, panting. "As expected, the Foul Legacy Transformation is still too much of a burden on my body."
"Clap! Clap! Clap!" Just as Lumine was about to say something, she heard applause from above.
"That was quite an exciting fight."
"Though, you've made quite a racket."
The three of them looked up and saw the white-haired, golden-eyed youth slowly descending from the air, walking as if on solid ground.
"Akio!" Paimon exclaimed.
"What are you doing here?" Lumine asked, puzzled.
"I've been here since the fight started," Akio said with interest.
"Hey! So you just watched us get beaten up by Tartaglia?" Paimon said angrily.
"Not at all, I helped you," Akio shook his head. "Think about it, when you fell from above, didn't you feel a force supporting you? And no debris hit you, right?"
"Oh… that's true," Paimon scratched her head, a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, Akio, we shouldn't have doubted you."
"You're something else," Akio looked at Tartaglia. "You healed up pretty quickly."
"Akio, why are you here!" Tartaglia looked at Akio warily. If Akio decided to stop him, he'd have no chance.
"I'm just here to watch the show," Akio waved his hand. "Go on, I won't interrupt."
"Continue your performance."
"Hmph…" Tartaglia snorted, and countless Sigils of Permission appeared around him.
"Sigils of Permission? So many? What are you planning?" Paimon exclaimed.
"To release a god," Tartaglia said calmly. "The Overlord of the Vortex, who was defeated in the Archon War and sealed beneath Guyun Stone Forest."
"What! You're insane!" Lumine's eyes widened. Releasing a god? Was he trying to destroy Liyue?
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