Mt. Tianheng is a towering peak near Liyue. The mountain spring water that flows down from its heights runs through the entire Liyue Harbor, eventually merging into the sea.
Standing at the summit of Mt. Tianheng, one can almost overlook the entire city of Liyue.
At this moment, Tartaglia (Childe) was crouched on the mountaintop, gazing thoughtfully in the direction of Tianqiu Valley.
The beam of light from earlier had been far too dazzling to ignore. However, with the numerous adepti in Liyue, the ever-watchful Rex Lapis, and the Qixing keeping a close eye on him, Tartaglia didn't dare to rush over to investigate.
Still, he sent his subordinates to check it out.
"Lord Tartaglia!"
The Fatui agent sent by Tartaglia didn't dare to slack off. After investigating the situation, he hurried back to report.
"What's the situation?"
Tartaglia's gaze remained fixed on the direction of the light beam. The clouds that had been dispersed by the beam still hadn't reformed, leaving a gap in the sky that gave the illusion of a hole being punched through the heavens.
"The Millelith have completely sealed off the area. Half of the Liyue Qixing have arrived on the scene. Although we attempted to negotiate with the Qixing, they seemed unwilling to let us get involved."
The Fatui agent who had been sent to investigate was sweating profusely. In a sense, his mission had yielded no results, and even if Tartaglia punished him, he would have no choice but to accept it.
"Good work. Go claim your reward."
Tartaglia nodded.
"Thank you, Lord Tartaglia."
The agents breathed a sigh of relief, silently congratulating themselves. As for the so-called "reward," they didn't dare to actually claim it.
In truth, Tartaglia had known from the start that his subordinates wouldn't gain much from this mission. If the situation were reversed—if something similar had happened in Snezhnaya—they certainly wouldn't allow the Millelith or the Qixing to get involved.
Cooperation only works when both sides are on equal footing. For nations like Mondstadt or Inazuma, where the power balance is unequal, infiltration and gradual erosion are the preferred methods.
Tartaglia actually knew a bit about the situation in Tianqiu Valley, such as the presence of the Primo Geovishap and the Geovishap Hatchlings. For most of the Fatui, the only thing worth paying attention to was the Juvenile Jade on the Primo Geovishap.
But Tartaglia had noticed something else.
The legend of the Dragon King.
It was said that an ancient dragon, as massive as a mountain and as long-lived as the earth itself, once stood side by side with the Geo Archon in ages past. However, due to humans mining the Chasm and disrupting the ley lines, the dragon was enraged and ultimately sealed underground by the Geo Archon.
So... did the appearance of the Primo Geovishap mean that this ancient dragon had awakened?
Since arriving in Liyue, Tartaglia had been trying to gather information about the Geo Archon, but aside from the annual Rite of Descension, there was no opportunity to get close to the deity.
The Rite of Descension occurred only once a year, and this time, security would undoubtedly be tight. Unless he was prepared to openly clash with Liyue, there was no way he could make a move during the ceremony.
The incident with the Primo Geovishap gave Tartaglia an idea. If he could locate the Dragon King sealed underground and find a way to release it...
Would a dragon that had been sealed for so many years draw out the elusive Geo Archon? Even if the dragon had grown weak due to its long imprisonment, Tartaglia could use its life to force the Geo Archon to reveal himself.
Surely the Geo Archon wouldn't want to see an old comrade die, would he?
Unfortunately, the beam of light had caught the attention of the Liyue Qixing, and Tianqiu Valley was now heavily guarded by the Millelith. Breaking through their blockade to investigate would be extremely difficult.
But now that a crack had been found, the Fatui would inevitably widen it until the enemy crumbled and was completely destroyed.
Crouched on the mountaintop, Tartaglia felt the biting cold wind and suddenly felt a sense of loneliness that comes with standing at the top.
"Huh?"
But the next moment, he seemed to realize something and slowly lowered his head. He noticed that a red ring had appeared beneath his feet at some point.
The ring wasn't very large, only about two meters in diameter, and its edges seemed to flicker with some kind of light.
"What is this..."
"Boom—"
Scalding magma erupted from the ground, instantly engulfing Tartaglia. Although he managed to block the magma's heat with a water shield, he couldn't withstand the tremendous force of the eruption.
He was sent flying like a helpless rubber duck, tumbling down the mountainside and plummeting into the valley below.
"..."
The nearby Fatui agents were stunned for a moment but quickly snapped out of it.
"Lord Tartaglia!"
"Enemy attack! Everyone, stay alert!"
"Alert my ass! Go save him! Lord Tartaglia!"
No one knew why a volcanic vent had appeared on Tianheng Mountain, nor why it had vanished just as quickly. All they knew was that if something happened to Lord Tartaglia, they would be in deep trouble.
At the foot of Mt. Tianheng lay Bubu Pharmacy.
The weather hadn't been great today, but the adepti had apparently intervened, as a dazzling beam of light had burst forth earlier, clearing the dark clouds from the sky and even allowing the sun to peek out playfully.
Seeing that the sunlight was rather pleasant, Gui decided to feed the koi in the pond.
The dozen or so koi in the pond were recently purchased, and he had tried to buy the same breeds as before.
Thanks to the power of money, the lotus pond was beginning to regain its former appearance. No wonder Mr. Bai had said the Fatui would take care of everything.
Now, all Gui hoped was that the demon Bai Luo wouldn't return to Bubu Pharmacy.
Using his medicine pot to stew koi was bad enough, but then he used it to cook frogs. For a while now, every time Gui brewed medicine, he could smell something strange, no matter how much he scrubbed the pot.
He prayed that little Qiqi wouldn't learn bad habits from Bai Luo, or else no amount of koi would be enough to satisfy her appetite.
Sigh, better not think about it. It's all just trouble.
Gui shook his head and continued tossing fish food into the pond.
"Ah—"
Just as he threw a handful of food, Gui's attention was drawn to a sound above him. Looking up, he saw a figure falling from the mountaintop, heading straight for... the lotus pond!
"Splash—"
"My fish!"
With a mournful cry, Tartaglia crashed into the lotus pond, sending a huge wave of water splashing everywhere. Gui, standing nearby, was drenched from head to toe.
"Damn it... at least I landed in water."
Grimacing as he climbed out of the pond, Tartaglia was still in a daze. After being sent flying, he had tried to use his hydro abilities to land back on the mountainside.
But once he was airborne, he completely lost control of his body, as if he had been paralyzed. It wasn't until he hit the water that his strength returned.
So what the hell just happened?