Snezhnaya, Palace of Ice, deepest strategic meeting room.
The long table was carved from never-melting solid ice, and a chilling aura permeated the air, yet it couldn't suppress the even more stagnant atmosphere in the room.
The Fatui Harbingers were uncharacteristically gathered here, but none of their expressions were pleasant.
The Jester, Pierro, sat silently in the main seat. No expression could be seen on his masked face, but his gaze was fixed on the four Gnosis in the center of the long table, each radiating a different elemental glow, symbolizing the authority of the worldly rulers.
The Geo Gnosis was as stable as bedrock, the Anemo Gnosis as light as a flowing breeze, the Electro Gnosis as sharp as lightning, and the God of Grass Gnosis contained infinite wisdom... They lay quietly on velvet cushions, emitting an alluring yet unsettling glow.
The Jester's silence lasted too long, so long that even the most short-tempered Harbingers were almost unable to restrain themselves.
Finally, he slowly raised his head, his gaze first falling on Tartaglia, who sat at the end, and Rosalyn, who was ashen-faced. His voice was low and carried a hint of imperceptible weariness: "Tartaglia, Rosalyn... tell me again, how exactly did you... 'acquire' these Gnosis?"
He emphasized the word "acquire."
Rosalyn's face instantly turned so dark it could drip ink, and the Delusion embedded in her chest seemed to glow faintly with her rage.
She took several deep breaths before squeezing out her words through gritted teeth, each word like a stab from an ice pick: "I... in Mondstadt... was flattened by that damned, mountain-like Electro Lawachurl!"
She practically roared the last three words, and the surrounding temperature suddenly rose several degrees.
"When I woke up... I found this thing..."
She pointed at the Anemo Gnosis with disgust.
"...on the nightstand by my hospital bed! According to the trembling reports of my useless subordinates... it was that good-for-nothing Bard, Barbatos! Who threw it over! Like charity to a stray dog!"
She bit out the word "charity" with all her might, as if it were dripping with blood.
Everyone's gaze turned to Tartaglia.
Tartaglia covered his face, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into, his voice weak and full of mortified embarrassment: "Me... as for me... in Liyue, I 'invited' those four Hilichurl ancestors... for a whole day... They said they wanted to experience Liyue's local customs, so I accompanied them... They wanted to buy every novel item they saw, eat from every delicious-looking street vendor... I paid... Mora flowed like water... I spent a whole day as a 'three-companion' (accompanying them to play, shop, and pay)..."
He sighed, resigned to his fate: "Then... that night, the Wang Sheng Funeral Parlor consultant, Mr. Zhongli... came to my door... He gave me the Geo Gnosis... and even said... 'Thank you, Childe, for providing me and my old friend with such a pleasant day of leisure. This item is of no further use to me, so I shall gift it to you.'"
Tartaglia mimicked Zhongli's calm, unperturbed tone, then shrank into his chair.
"No wonder..."
A sinister voice spoke.
Fatui Ninth Harbinger, "Regrator" Pantalone, adjusted his monocle, a gentle yet chilling smile on his face.
He leisurely picked up a stack of bills thick enough to be a brick and lightly flicked them with his slender fingers.
"Why... did the Northland Bank's Liyue branch vault... almost get emptied in one go?"
He narrowed his eyes, his gaze cutting across Tartaglia like a scalpel.
"And... why did we receive so many exorbitant bills from Wanmin Restaurant, Xinyue Kiosk, Liuli Pavilion, jewelry stores, toy stalls, and even storytelling tea houses?!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than two Debt Collectors grunted and dragged in a huge cart piled high with dense, mountain-like stacks of bills!
Tartaglia shivered violently at the sight of the "bill mountain" and quickly changed the subject: "Ha... haha... that, Sir Administrator! Oh right! How did you... 'acquire' the other two Gnosis?"
He heavily emphasized the word "acquire."
The Jester's mouth twitched uncontrollably at the question. He even subconsciously raised a hand to touch a large bump on the back of his head, hidden beneath his thick hair, which still hadn't completely subsided. The scene from that day seemed to resurface in his mind... Flashback:
He was walking normally down a Snezhnaya Palace corridor when suddenly a portal opened beside him. The Blazing Axe Mitachurl named Zane poked out half his body, holding that familiar, crackling thunder hammer, and simply said: "Hey, masked guy, catch!"
Then... then everything went black... The Jester broke free from his humiliating memory and said expressionlessly: "I was suddenly knocked out from behind by... that Blazing Axe Mitachurl named Zane. When I woke up, the God of Grass Gnosis was in my hand."
He paused, then added the remark that made him and all the Harbingers feel incredibly frustrated: "Before I lost consciousness, he seemed to... casually say: 'We eagerly await... the performance you will ultimately bring.'"
After speaking, the Jester fell silent again, and the air in the meeting room seemed to freeze.
"Performance..."
Fatui Third Harbinger, "girl" Columbina's ethereal voice resonated, carrying a strange sigh.
"Does he view all our efforts to obtain the Gnosis... and even Her Majesty the Tsaritsa's great undertaking... as merely a play... for their amusement?"
"But unfortunately, they do possess the strength to make such a judgment."
Fatui Second Harbinger, "Dottore," toyed with a test tube containing a strange liquid, his tone complex.
"My strongest segment... possessed power close to that of a god, yet it disappeared completely without a trace, unable to even send back a single message. We still don't know how he was killed, nor can we even confirm who made the move."
He rubbed his temples.
"My main body doesn't even dare to show itself easily now, it's truly... a headache."
"Hehe... perfect... so cool... this mechanical structure... this energy conduction... this elegant form..."
Fatui Seventh Harbinger, "Marionette" Sandrone, completely ignored the serious atmosphere of the meeting. She was obsessively watching a precise multi-angle video recorder in her hand, which repeatedly played a clip—
Footage of the Wolf King's transformed "Barbatos Imperial Throne Fenris Type" Gundam, transforming, fighting, cooking, and even elegantly bowing!
For her, who had created countless powerful machines, the Wolf King's existence was the ultimate romance!
In comparison, her own masterpieces seemed like children's toys.
Therefore, Sandrone was utterly convinced and even worshipful of the quartet who could create the Wolf King.
Watching Sandrone's infatuated, almost drooling expression, Fatui First Harbinger, "Capitano," shook his head helplessly.
His view of the quartet was relatively objective: they possessed power capable of overturning the world, yet they seemed to adhere to some self-imposed moral code (though difficult for ordinary people to comprehend).
Their actions might not conform to the world's "justice," but they certainly acted as they pleased, with a clear conscience.
They were extremely dangerous, yet difficult to define as "evil" entities.
"What a pity."
Fatui Fifth Harbinger, "Pulcinella," stroked his meticulously groomed beard, his tone filled with genuine regret.
"Their perception of the Fatui has clearly hit rock bottom. And, they seem to... lack nothing (military power, technology, even entertainment), otherwise, I really would want to meet them personally, perhaps to negotiate terms..."
His politician's mindset was still contemplating the possibility of a deal.
"Shut up, Pulcinella!"
An icy voice cut him off.
Fatui Fourth Harbinger, "Arlecchino," stared fixedly at Pulcinella with eyes that seemed to burn with dark fire.
"If you want to see them that badly, I can 'send' you over right now! Guaranteed the shortest path, directly to their presence!"
As for whether a complete Pulcinella would return afterward, or just a box of ashes, that was hard to say.
Arlecchino had even prepared her report: 'His Excellency Pulcinella, disregarding advice, insisted on provoking those four beings, and unfortunately perished heroically.'
"Everyone, shut up!"
The Jester slammed his hand on the ice table, interrupting the increasingly off-topic meeting. His cold gaze turned to "Dottore."
"Dottore! I ask you! Where is Balladeer?! Where is he?!"
Dottore shrugged indifferently, his tone as casual as if discussing the weather: "Oh, him... he accidentally learned some... um... 'little details' about himself, and now he hates me to the bone. He's unilaterally declared his departure from the Fatui. According to reliable sources, he's currently obediently following the Raiden Shogun around, being a 'good boy.'"
"..."
The Jester felt his blood pressure soaring. He clenched his fists tightly, just barely resisting the urge to flip the ice table into Dottore's face.
This mad scientist! If not for his technology and knowledge still being useful to the plan, the Jester would have immediately killed this bastard!
"Enough!"
The Jester forcibly suppressed his anger and announced in a tone of final resolution.
"Her Majesty the Tsaritsa's latest decree: Effective immediately, the entire Fatui organization is forbidden from any form of action targeting those four Hilichurls and their associates (including but not limited to the Traveler, the white werewolf, and the mysterious flying sprite)! Surveillance levels are to be reduced to the lowest, and avoidance is prioritized upon encounter!"
He scanned the Harbingers, whose expressions varied, and emphasized each word: "They... are not beings we can afford to provoke. Any violators will bear the consequences themselves."
The meeting ended in a suppressed atmosphere.
The Harbingers left one by one, leaving only the Jester alone in the cold meeting room.
He looked at the four Gnosis again, his gaze profound.
The process of obtaining the Gnosis was so "easy"... it was almost as if they intentionally delivered them into our hands... What exactly do they want to do? Watch a show? Or... an extremely bold, even suicidal thought suddenly flashed through his mind: Should I... try to guide those four lawless fellows... to touch the "Abyss"? Or... even try the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles? For example... that "Death Harbinger"?
But as soon as the thought emerged, it was suppressed by the throbbing bump on the back of his head.
Forget it, forget it... With the personalities of those four guys, even if they really went, they probably wouldn't go for a kill. It would likely just be another "performance"... And what if "They" found out I was guiding them from behind... The Jester seemed to already see the Blazing Axe Mitachurl named Zane, once again carrying the thunder hammer, appearing behind him with a "kind" smile... He shivered violently and shook his head hard.
No more thinking, no more thinking... Being alive is good... At least... no more getting hammered for now.