TN: And we're back! sorry for the week long hiatus, it was not intentional since I had to get my right leg in a cast after tripping 3 floors down a stairwell (like an idiot ://) and be unable to use my PC setup upstairs BUT I should be OK now.
Anyways, Thanks for Arcanic Madness, WeissAkumu and WolfWTF for becoming as Supporters!
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The Court of Fontaine, Quartier Narbonnais, Hotel Bouffes d'ete.
In a place where every inch of land was worth a fortune, such an enormous manor stood out as especially eye-catching.
At this moment, a tall woman stood guard at the entrance of the manor.
Her face was expressionless, her demeanor stern, looking like someone who rarely smiled.
Judging by her attire, she was very likely an elite operative of the "Fatui · Agent" variety.
At this time, her duty was to serve as the gatekeeper of the manor, standing watch at the entrance.
Just then, Shao Yun slowly walked toward the manor.
Seeing this, the woman instantly raised her guard and swiftly stepped forward, questioning sharply, "Who are you? What business do you have here?"
Shao Yun calmly took out the greeting card and explained, "An orange-haired man gave me this."
The Fatui guard took the card and examined it carefully.
When she saw the distinctive mark left by Tartaglia on the card, the expression on her face immediately eased.
She nodded lightly and said in sudden realization, "Oh, it has Lord Childe's mark on it…"
Before her words fully fell, the Fatui agent stepped aside to clear the path, making an inviting gesture as she spoke softly, "Then please, follow me inside."
Shao Yun nodded in acknowledgment and followed her into the manor.
After entering, the first thing that came into view was a spacious and luxurious hall.
Off to one corner, several children from the House of the Hearth were happily playing together.
One of the children shouted excitedly, "Yay, I won!"
Another child, clearly unconvinced, puffed out their cheeks and muttered, "Hmph, one more round! I don't believe I can't beat you this time!"
A well-trained and courteous attendant led Shao Yun down a hallway lined with exquisite carpets, eventually stopping in front of an elegantly furnished reception room.
The attendant gently pushed open the carved wooden door and gestured for Shao Yun to enter.
The first impression of the reception room was warmth and comfort.
Several exquisite oil paintings hung on the walls, and a soft carpet covered the floor.
Two long sofas faced each other in the center of the room, with a finely crafted wooden tea table placed between them.
In addition, several vibrant green potted plants stood by the window, adding a touch of natural vitality to the space.
After Shao Yun stepped inside, the attendant bowed slightly and spoke in a gentle, respectful tone, "Please wait here for a moment. I will inform Lord Childe of the Northland Bank at once."
With that, the attendant bowed once more politely.
Upon hearing that Tartaglia was at the Northland Bank, Shao Yun exclaimed in surprise, "Wait, he lost fifty billion and still dares to go to the Northland Bank? Isn't he afraid someone will beat him to death?"
Faced with Shao Yun's question, the attendant did not respond and simply stood quietly in place.
"…"
For a moment, the atmosphere grew awkward.
Realizing he might have said too much, Shao Yun waved his hand and said, "Alright, my bad. Go on, hurry up and call Tartaglia over."
Hearing this, the attendant nodded and quietly left the reception room, leaving Shao Yun alone to wait.
Shao Yun walked over to one of the sofas with its back to the door and slowly sat down.
He had just taken out a cigar from his bag and was about to light it when he suddenly remembered that this was the House of the Hearth—a kind of "orphanage"—and smoking here probably wasn't appropriate.
After hesitating for a moment, he ultimately put the cigar away.
Leaning back against the sofa, Shao Yun closed his eyes slightly and began thinking about how he might establish contact with Freminet.
Just as he was racking his brain, a faint creak suddenly came from the door behind him…
Shao Yun assumed it was Tartaglia arriving and turned his head back while continuing to complain.
"Took you long enough. If you were any later, I'd have taken a nap right here on the sofa."
However, the instant Shao Yun turned around, the smile on his face froze solid.
Standing in the doorway was a completely unfamiliar figure.
It was a tall, middle-aged man wearing a blue mask that fully concealed the right side of his face.
He wore an Harbinger-exclusive coat from Snezhnaya, its distinctive design and refined details unmistakably marking his extraordinary status.
"Y-You… who are you?" Shao Yun asked suspiciously.
In response to Shao Yun's question, the mysterious man did not answer immediately. Instead, he calmly stepped forward, walking straight toward the sofa opposite Shao Yun.
When he reached it, he slowly sat down.
Then, he lifted his head and looked directly at Shao Yun with an expressionless face, an invisible pressure radiating from him.
"I am the Fatui Director, The Jester—Pierro."
Seeing that the person seated opposite him was Pierro, the Fatui Director, Shao Yun suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of unreality. This isn't right… is it already your turn in the script?
"Pi… Pi what?" Shao Yun asked after snapping back to his senses.
Seeing this, Pierro assumed Shao Yun was simply too shocked to hear him clearly.
So, he patiently repeated, "Pierro."
Shao Yun put on a serious expression and deliberately pressed further, "Which '-erro' again?"
Pierro faintly sensed that something was off, but he still suppressed his irritation and replied patiently, "Pierro…"
This time, however, Shao Yun seemed intent on pushing his buttons and continued, "Which '-ro'?"
Hearing that, Pierro finally couldn't hold it in anymore.
If anyone else had been sitting across from him instead of Shao Yun, he would have already flipped the table and thrown a punch.
Is this brat deliberately messing with me?
Seeing that it was about enough, Shao Yun leisurely leaned back against the sofa, casually sizing up the middle-aged man before him, and asked unhurriedly.
"If the Fatui wanted my life, one person wouldn't be enough, would it?"
Pierro forcibly suppressed his displeasure from being toyed with and lowered his voice. "I simply wanted to meet you and talk. I have no hostile intentions."
Hearing that it was Pierro who had invited him here, Shao Yun narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure?"
Facing Shao Yun's skepticism, Pierro took a deep breath, maintaining calm and reason. "Yes. I did indeed come here in my personal capacity to meet you."
"And in my view, aside from myself, there is currently no more suitable person to speak with you."
Hearing that he was being treated with such importance, Shao Yun couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.
"We live in a strange world, don't we? When we're as meek as little ponies, everyone wants to ride on our backs."
"But when we bare our fangs at the world, suddenly it becomes polite and gentle."
Pierro nodded in deep agreement, clearly resonating with Shao Yun's words.
"Isn't that only natural? No matter how the world operates under the rules set by the Heavenly Principles, in the end, it still comes down to the law of the jungle."
At this point, Pierro looked at Shao Yun, a trace of admiration in his eyes, and continued, "You've killed two Fatui Harbingers and destroyed the Doctor's most heavily defended segment."
"With your strength, you are fully qualified to be regarded as a true powerhouse, worthy of proper respect and treatment."
As soon as he finished speaking, Pierro seemed to recall something. His brows knit slightly as he fell into brief contemplation. After a moment, he spoke again.
"You know, a few years ago, I once encountered another rather troublesome brat."
"He had fiery red hair and caused us no small amount of trouble back then. Seeing you now inevitably reminds me of that fellow."
Hearing the description of a red-haired youth and the mention that it was years ago, an image immediately surfaced in Shao Yun's mind—Mondstadt's Pyro claymore wielder, Diluc.
He's talking about Diluc, isn't he… then the Fatui getting beaten up was entirely deserved…
Thinking of this, Shao Yun couldn't help but mock him aloud.
"You Fatui are hated by everyone—people hate you, dogs hate you. Getting beaten up is only natural, isn't it?"
Faced with Shao Yun's ridicule, Pierro did not refute him.
After all, he was well aware that the Fatui's reputation abroad had never been good.
Pierro took a deep breath and steered the conversation back on track, saying solemnly, "I have a few questions and hope to obtain answers from you."
Without a moment's hesitation, Shao Yun flatly refused.
"Why should I answer you?"
Seeing this, Pierro mistakenly believed that revealing his Fatui identity had failed to pique Shao Yun's interest or seriousness.
Thus, he decided to reveal another of his hidden identities in hopes of breaking the stalemate.
"In truth, my other identity is the last court mage of Khaenri'ah."
Shao Yun knew exactly what Pierro was getting at. After all, his brother-in-law had once lived in Khaenri'ah, and the Abyss Order's members were all descendants of Khaenri'ah—clearly an attempt to build familiarity.
However, it was obvious that Pierro had overestimated Shao Yun's current magnanimity.
"You being the last court mage of Khaenri'ah doesn't make you my father-in-law. I'm only chatting with you because I'm bored."
"I came here to see Teucer. You barged in out of nowhere and started talking for no reason. I didn't kick you out—that alone is something you should be grateful for."
Hearing Shao Yun say this, especially when he mentioned that he came to see Tartaglia's younger brother Teucer, Pierro's heart skipped a beat, sensing that something wasn't quite right.
"Hm? Weren't you invited here with an invitation letter? It should've been made very clear in the invitation."
At that point, Pierro suddenly realized an issue—he had only arrived in the Court of Fontaine that very morning and was just about to seek out Shao Yun, yet Shao Yun had appeared as if perfectly on cue.
Wasn't that a bit too much of a coincidence?
Meanwhile, Shao Yun was convinced that Tartaglia had dared to use his own younger brother Teucer as bait to deceive him.
At this thought, he clenched his fist tightly and said coldly, "Well done, Tartaglia. You really dared to use your own brother to lure me in. Looks like I overestimated you after all."
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