Chapter 31. Black Aila in Danger?
ENDURE.
The Lady knew she could not defeat Futsu Mitama—endurance was her only option. There was no alternative; they still needed him. If she continued to cause trouble, it would only harm her own side's interests. For that same reason, she did not dwell on the matter. If she kept arguing, what if the other party cut off another one of her hands?
Futsu Mitama, meanwhile, sat on a white plastic chair and even took out several more of the same for everyone present. Kuki Shinobu took one. Sangonomiya Kokomi took one. Lumine and Paimon each took one, and Tartaglia took one as well. Only the Lady and the two Electro Cicin Mages were left standing.
It was blatant targeting and exclusion.
Veins bulged faintly on the Lady's forehead, yet she could only pretend not to notice, not even daring to show anger.
"Alright, speak—what is it you want from me?"
Seeing that the Lady neither flared up nor left, Futsu Mitama understood that she would be the one negotiating next.
He was very clear about her personality: she never acted without profit.
She would come asking for help when she needed something, and disappear when she didn't. A complete pragmatist, devoid of human warmth. If he had nothing to offer, she would either snort and slip away, or fly into a rage, issue threats, and then retreat.
In any case, she was a very sensible person. Otherwise, with that temperament, she would have long since been defeated by a stronger opponent. Aside from her strength, she was also highly skilled at [rules].
But there was a saying—rules are meant to be broken.
If not for the wrong time and place, his previous strike could have taken her head. The Lady likely understood this as well, which was why she was so well-behaved now.
"It's about The Chasm." Suppressing her anger, the Lady steadied her voice and spoke seriously, "I believe you all know about it. After all, Tartaglia, that idiot, already blurted everything out, and I can't retract his words."
As she spoke, she shot Tartaglia a glare. Information among the Fatui Harbingers was shared. Because of that, each Harbinger could obtain useful intelligence at the earliest opportunity, make choices that benefited themselves, and prevent certain fools from provoking enemies they could not defeat.
In that sense, the Fatui elites fearing Futsu Mitama was not a bad thing—no one would deliberately provoke him.
Because trying would truly lead to death!!!
"So?" Futsu Mitama still did not understand what she was getting at. Regarding The Chasm, he intended to wait a while longer.
News from Black Aila had not yet arrived. Through the box of serenity, Aila in Liyue Harbor could contact her at any time. After all, they were one entity—closer even than so-called twins.
Because of this, in recent days, whenever Lumine opened the box of serenity, her gacha pool contained only golden-glowing trash, sunsettia, strange flowers, and an expensive gemstone. The others were similar.
Futsu Mitama's pulls were no exception, though the items he obtained were somewhat peculiar—bandages that smelled of fireworks, a vaguely familiar unknown jumpsuit, sexy fishnet stockings, black stockings, white stockings, and so on.
Ahem—regardless, most people only obtained miscellaneous items from the box of serenity.
Aila, however, was different. The only thing she ever drew was Black Aila.
Although the [Abyssal aura] brought by Black Aila had triggered the defenses of Mt. Aocang more than once, even frightening Cloud Retainer into rushing back from Guyun Stone Forest under the impression that her home had been stolen.
Because of this, Black Aila and Aila had many topics to discuss, most of them concerning the space deep within The Chasm.
For certain reasons, Black Aila was still being pursued within that space. However, perhaps because she had [given up resistance], the intensity of the pursuit by the spatial consciousness deep within The Chasm had lessened.
In simple terms, its attitude had shifted—from pursuing her to the very end, to keeping her there forever.
This allowed Black Aila to breathe a slight sigh of relief, but she was still uncertain whether the space itself was stable.
Therefore, Futsu Mitama and the others chose to wait for further news before heading deep into The Chasm.
"You must go to The Chasm."
The Lady looked at Futsu Mitama and said something astonishing, "Otherwise, your maid will surely die."
"?" Futsu Mitama frowned. Saying something like that—didn't she fear being struck?
"Surely die?" Kuki Shinobu frowned slightly as she looked at the Lady.
Sangonomiya Kokomi, however, seemed to have grasped something. She spoke calmly, "Are you saying Aila will die? Why? Hasn't the fusion battle not started yet?"
"Heh." The Lady let out a cold laugh, glancing at the two of them. "You know quite a bit. But I can tell you this—Dottore has already set a contingency on that traitor. Although I don't know what you are waiting for."
"Through that contingency, we know her current state is very, very bad—on the verge of death."
At these words, Tartaglia was momentarily stunned. He turned to the Lady.
"Why don't I know about this?!"
Futsu Mitama's brows furrowed again. He looked at the Lady as if asking—are you lying?
Because according to Black Aila's consciousness within the box of serenity, her current state was perfectly fine. There was no sign that she was dying.
Aila herself had not sensed anything unusual either.
So why was the Lady so certain? Was she trying to deceive him?
It was not impossible. The Lady—or rather, the Fatui—had always seemed intent on pushing him into The Chasm. The exact reason was unclear, but there were several possibilities.
First, they wanted to find Azhdaha. For reasons unknown, they believed he was in The Chasm.
Second, there were still Fatui elites within The Chasm. For various reasons, the visible Fatui elites in Liyue Harbor were under strict watch. But those below The Chasm were different—they were currently fighting alongside the Millelith, and had formed many connections within their ranks.
This invisible network of connections was something quite common in Liyue. Saving those people could very well bring considerable returns.
Third, there was Black Aila. The Fatui had always been pursuing her, relentlessly hunting her down. On the surface, it was said that she had committed the crime of killing her colleagues. In reality, according to Black Aila herself, she simply knew too much. As a candidate for the Fatui Harbingers, she had access to an excessive amount of confidential information. Even she didn't know which piece of knowledge had triggered such persistent pursuit.
Black Aila had no intention of confronting the Fatui Harbingers head-on. Instead, she chose to hide, planning to merge with Aila, obtain power on the level of an Archon, and only then face them directly.
These three points alone were enough for Futsu Mitama to conclude that the probability of the Lady lying was extremely high.
There was also another factor—Tartaglia's reaction. His surprise had not been fake. He genuinely didn't know about this matter.
The Lady seemed to see through Futsu Mitama's thoughts and patiently explained, "The Fatui Harbingers share intelligence."
"But some matters are only discussed privately. Those involve personal secrets. To put it simply—" She paused slightly before continuing, "No matter how close you are to the Raiden Shogun, would you tell her your private matters?"
Futsu Mitama shook his head faintly. No one would do such a thing.
"So, some information is only known by a select few."
A trace of arrogance surfaced on the Lady's face. She cast a glance at Tartaglia, who stood beside her looking somewhat lost, and said coldly,
"How could this brute, who only knows how to fight all day, understand such things?"
Her tone carried an undisguised hint of disdain.
Tartaglia merely smiled and said nothing. It was the truth. He was not adept at navigating such intricate schemes. Many matters, he only grasped superficially.
"Evidence." Futsu Mitama had no interest in discussing the Fatui's internal affairs. His voice remained calm. "I only want to see evidence. If you have none, then don't say anything further. I won't trust you."
Distrust—his trust in the Lady was almost nonexistent.
Although, deep down, she did not seem like someone who would fabricate such a lie, he still chose to trust Black Aila. After all, she had never mentioned being in critical condition. If things were truly that dire, why would she remain silent?
As the Young Master, his inclination leaned toward Aila, who accompanied him. Yet Black Aila had saved him within the Abyssal.
Whether by logic or by emotion, he had reason to save her.
"Here." Upon hearing his demand, the Lady reached into her chest. A burst of icy air followed her movement.
From within, she pulled out a tiny, frozen black figure.
"This is—?!"
Kuki Shinobu and Sangonomiya Kokomi both showed visible shock. That miniature figure—it was unmistakably Black Aila.
"She's very weak," Lumine said, her gaze fixed on the frozen figure. She could clearly sense it—the presence was fragile, as though it might scatter with the slightest breeze.
"Abyssal Energy— I see." Tartaglia stroked his chin, his expression shifting to realization. "No wonder you didn't mention this in Liyue Harbor."
"If you had taken that out there, it would have caused a massive uproar."
Abyssal Energy was rejected in every nation. While the Fatui made use of Abyssal power, pure Abyssal Energy brought disaster. This was not an exaggeration.
Not everyone was like Tartaglia—someone who had fallen into the Abyss, encountered a capable master, and returned with extraordinary combat skills. Most who fell into that darkness faced only bloodthirsty, terrifying Abyssal beasts.
And those creatures moved in response to Abyssal Energy. Where such energy existed, they would follow.
If the Lady had revealed this in Liyue Harbor, there was no doubt the Fatui would have been expelled the very next day.
The Lady's gaze returned to Futsu Mitama as she spoke evenly, "You understand her uniqueness. If she dies, your maid will suffer severe damage as well. Even if she survives, the half she has lost will never return."
"That is all I have to say. I hope you bring Tartaglia to The Chasm soon, rather than wasting time here."
With that, she turned and left. Her departure was swift—almost as if she feared Futsu Mitama might stop her and strike.
Once the matter involved that maid, he would hesitate and begin to think. This tendency had already been recorded in the Fatui's internal reports.
Originally, the Lady had planned to use intelligence as leverage against him. But Tartaglia had exposed too much ahead of time, leaving her no choice but to shift to an alternative approach—using that information to secure advantage.
According to Dottore, once Futsu Mitama understood the "truth," he would inevitably stand on their side.
He was that kind of person.
Someone capable of creating such miraculous wine, someone who had ended the Inazuma rebellion, someone valued by three Archons—an existence that would inevitably draw the attention of the Heavenly Principles.
At that point, even a fool would know which side to choose.
"She's just leaving?!" Tartaglia stared in the direction the Lady had gone, clearly surprised. "She says all that, claims Black Aila is about to die, and then just leaves?"
"She's too decisive—Was her only purpose coming here to say those few things?"
"Otherwise?" Paimon placed her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "What about you? Aren't you leaving yet?"
Naturally, Tartaglia had no desire to go. The fight had barely begun. Futsu Mitama had only made two moves, and the fire of battle within him still burned intensely.
But then he noticed Futsu Mitama's expression.
A faint, oppressive aura was beginning to emanate from him.
Seeing this, Tartaglia's battle instincts cooled immediately.
"Then I'll head out first," he said. "If you're going to The Chasm, let me know."
With that, he followed after the Lady and departed as well.
He could already tell—Futsu Mitama's thoughts were in turmoil. Advancing to The Chasm ahead of schedule was almost certain now. Preparations needed to be made.
After the two Fatui Harbingers had left, silence settled over the area.
Kuki Shinobu looked at Futsu Mitama and asked, "Do you believe them?"
"It doesn't sound like a lie." Futsu Mitama's gaze drifted toward The Chasm as he spoke calmly. "Aside from the first time we used the box of serenity, we've never directly seen Black Aila's condition again."
"Perhaps she truly is on the verge of death. But with the situation in that space still unstable, given her personality, she would choose to endure."
Both Aila and Black Aila were stubborn to the core. They would never allow others to interfere before resolving matters themselves.
But—
Futsu Mitama was not "others."
He would interfere.