"Don't worry, don't worry. Relax," Lumine hugged Paimon, gently patting her back to soothe her like a child. But in her heart, she thought:
'Ugh, if I ever bring you along for something like this again, I won't be surnamed... uh.' Lumine was about to swear, but then she paused. Her name was just a single character, after all.
"Never mind. Since you're so scared, let's head back," Lumine sighed helplessly. They had already gathered enough information, and staying longer wouldn't yield much. Plus, there was the risk of being discovered. It was better to take Paimon back and report to Ningguang to collect their reward.
'When will I ever become a big shot...' Lumine ran through the list of people she knew in her mind and sadly realized that she was probably the poorest among them.
"Really?" Paimon's eyes lit up. Finally, they could leave this dreadful place.
Lumine and Paimon quietly left the mountain they had been hiding on. However, they didn't notice that on another nearby hill, someone was watching them just as they had been watching the Fatui.
"The First Vanguard, you are responsible for causing chaos in Tianqiu Valley and inciting a Geovishap rampage. The Second Battalion, after all personnel have evacuated, you will release all the Ruin Guards from the Lingju Pass research facility.
Your mission is extremely dangerous, but it is also the most crucial part. Whether we can divert part of the Millelith's main force depends on you."
"Yes, Lord Tartaglia!" xN
This was still Liyue, and the Fatui were outnumbered here. A direct confrontation with the Millelith would be suicidal. Thus, they needed to outsmart them.
"Good!" Seeing the soldiers' enthusiasm, Tartaglia nodded in satisfaction. He then turned to Andrei behind him. "Are the things the Doctor left still here? Take a few vanguard teams and assemble them to construct a teleportation gate. Be ready at any moment."
"Yes!" Andrei saluted. "Third, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Squads, follow me!"
After Andrei left, Tartaglia pulled out a stack of paper slips from his pocket. These were the replicated Sigils of Permission. Gently touching the faint ink marks, Tartaglia felt a small sense of relief.
His injuries weren't fully healed, and even if they were, he was no match for the big shots in Liyue. With only one Harbinger in Liyue, Tartaglia could only rely on himself.
With this in mind, Tartaglia stuffed the talismans back into his pocket and addressed the remaining Fatui squads. "I need to select a few elite squads to join me in a surprise attack on the Golden House at noon the day after tomorrow. I can tell you plainly that this mission may cost us our lives, far from home. Is anyone willing to step forward voluntarily?"
"Subordinate Thunder Hammer Vanguard, willing to follow Lord Tartaglia to the end!" A Thunder Hammer soldier stepped forward, holding his massive hammer, declaring his willingness to join the suicide squad and fight alongside the Harbinger.
"Pyro Agent, willing to follow Lord Tartaglia!" "Cryo Gunner, requesting to join the battle!" "Pyro Sniper..." In a short time, twenty to thirty soldiers had stepped forward. Seeing this, Tartaglia laughed heartily.
"Hahaha! Good! Rest up, prepare your weapons, and wait for my orders!"
Although there was a high probability that the Exuvia didn't contain the Gnosis, Tartaglia was still willing to try. What if it was inside?
If the Gnosis wasn't in the Exuvia, he would use the Sigils of Permission to release two ancient gods, forcing the Divine Sovereign and the Geo Archon to reveal themselves and fight. When they were exhausted, he would seize the Gnosis in a surprise attack!
Tartaglia: A perfect plan! As expected of me, Tartaglia!
"Tartaglia sure knows how to boost morale. But I didn't expect him to conduct a war rally at Lingju Pass, so close to Liyue Harbor. That's quite careless. And Lumine, she really can't escape her fate as a worker bee..."
The person on the other hill was none other than Yun Fan. He was currently overlooking everything with great interest.
"Attacking the Golden House at noon the day after tomorrow? Not a bad idea." Generally, people would think to launch a surprise attack at night to increase their chances of success.
But since that was the common strategy, the Millelith guarding the Golden House would surely reinforce their defenses at night. Thus, Tartaglia decided to go against the grain and attack at noon, catching the Millelith off guard.
"I should warn Keqing and have her set up an ambush in advance. Let's see if this cooked duck can still fly," Yun Fan thought he had found something amusing.
Keqing vs. Tartaglia
This should be quite the spectacle, right? With that in mind, Yun Fan transformed into a bolt of lightning and left Lingju Pass, heading straight for Liyue Harbor.
Yuehai Pavilion...
"Ugh! Why is there still so much work?" After finishing a document, the purple-haired girl looked at the mountain of paperwork on her desk and let out a cute whimper, collapsing onto the table.
"Yun Fan is so annoying. He never explains things clearly. How are we supposed to prepare effectively?" Keqing pouted, her face full of frustration. Damn it, riddlers should just leave Teyvat!
"Hahaha, who made our Yuheng so angry?" A slightly teasing voice reached Keqing's ears, making her frown. She instinctively retorted, "Don't call me... Yun Fan?!"
Keqing turned around and saw that it was Yun Fan. She was pleasantly surprised, but then quickly became embarrassed.
She didn't know when Yun Fan had arrived, but since he was here, he must have heard everything she just said. This...
"I didn't hear anything. In my eyes, you're still the 'majestic' Yuheng."
Hearing the first part of Yun Fan's sentence, Keqing felt a bit relieved. But when she heard the second part, her face darkened. That meant he had heard everything.
"Master!" Keqing gritted her teeth, squeezing out the word.
"Hahaha, I'm just teasing. Let's get to business," seeing Keqing on the verge of losing her temper, Yun Fan chuckled and then put on a serious expression.
"Huh? Oh," Keqing was caught off guard by Yun Fan's sudden change and could only nod dumbly.
"The Fatui plan to launch a surprise attack on the Golden House at noon the day after tomorrow to steal the Exuvia."
"The Exuvia? Why would they steal that?" Hearing that the Fatui wanted to steal the Geo Archon's remains, Keqing was first filled with rage, then confusion. Why would they want that?