"You've really done it now, eh Signora?" Childe jeered, mocking the one-armed witch who – even now – gripped her arm in pain, something that shouldn't be necessary for a witch whose veins ran with liquid fire.
Childe, the eleventh Fatui Harbinger, was a ginger-haired young man with a cocky smile. Unlike La Signora who wore an extravagant, sensual dress, he wore a stylized grey coat and pants that were simple and combat ready. His most notable feature was the lack of light in his eyes; they were dull and hollow, despite their sharp focus.
"Hmph… my plan was flawless. If it weren't for that… thing."
"You mean the plan to rob the gnosis in the heart of Mondstadt? Yes, flawless."
"All knights were accounted for, and my men had cleared the scene. The setting was perfect."
"And yet… you didn't account for the variable her majesty explicitly warned us to be avoid?" Another voice asked, this one much steadier and far colder.
"… you're here too, Arlecchino?" Signora whispered in horror.
'If she's here…'
"What choice did I have but to come? Your failure here has set our operations back in every region. The children are paralyzed by suspicion and regulation within their respective regions. This has become our top priority."
Arlecchino, the fourth Fatui Harbinger, was a terrifying woman. She was everything the children's stories described a vampire to be – pale, cold, and dressed in muted colors. Her hair was like white ash, which accented her eyes which – while resembling Childe's – had large blood-colored X's within. She was garbed in a tailcoat that matched her hair, which was accented by strong red colors along her back. Whereas La Signora clearly intended to leverage her sensual appeal, Arlecchino was all business.
"But I'm the-"
"The one who created this mess, yes; you are. You're also the one who Mondstadt is particularly targeting with their smear campaign. There are no acceptable solutions you could bring to the table at this point. Hence, why the Tsaritsa personally requested my presence here."
"Her majesty…?" Signora whispered in horror, truly grasping the depth of her mistake.
The Tsaritsa rarely got involved in Fatui operations directly. It was usually a combination of independent action guided by broad objectives from Pierro. For her to take action directly…
"It shouldn't be that bad, right? I mean, it's just Mondstadt…"
"You're correct in that Mondstadt is an insignificant nation on its own. It doesn't have a significant fighting force, nor does it have the resources to justify an engagement on this scale… for either party. That said… what you may have forgotten is that it is the base of Alice, one of the most dangerous witches on Teyvat. It's also the place where the fourth and fifth descenders are currently."
"And isn't that exciting." Childe eagerly replied. "Two outlanders with completely unknown skillsets. A fight like that…"
"And it's a fight you'll get… in time. But now is not that time." She turned back to Signora. "Did you forget Piero's instructions. The fourth descender is a known quantity. We are not to engage him directly. He has value alive, and this value will mature into something usable by the time he reaches Snezhnaya like his sibling before him. This has long been prophesized. The fifth descender on the other hand… "She squinted. "She's a complete unknown."
"That woman…" Signora muttered with a growl. "… she's much stronger we expected."
"…" Arlecchino didn't respond immediately, looking at Signora like she was a mewling child. The incompetence of this woman was disgusting. Arlecchino could think of hundreds of ways that would've done the same thing with much less risk. Hell, simply putting on a disguise would've minimized the fallout significantly. At least that would've given her plausible deniability. Then, it would've been a simple matter to distract and deflect the suspicion in the other nations.
But no, Signora decided to act in broad daylight without any cover whatsoever. Even if the fifth descender hadn't been there, such brazen action was far too risky. The only consolation, based on the discussions she'd spotted between the cryo and geo archons, was that Barbatos was likely all too willing to give up his gnosis without a fight. They were like useless baubles to the seven after all. Signora probably would've succeeded if the unknown hadn't interfered. He didn't seem to be putting up much of a fight, not that this hot-blooded fool could tell past her irrational hatred for the bard.
They needed to fix this, immediately. Their operations were possible only when their targets are the gnoses themselves. The archons won't simply hand them over for free, and certainly won't do so openly. They can't allow the suspicion of deicide to ingrain itself in the hearts of the other nations. By then, even if the archons don't care about their gnoses, they'll have no issue responding to the people's call to oust them with prejudice.
The recent rise in intensity of Inazuma's storms speaks to their archon's dangerous inclinations. The timing lines up… the shogun's been informed of this debacle. Years of manipulation may backfire very VERY quickly. Beezelbul is an archon that will happily purge their agents without question if she's allowed to view them as a true threat, something Roselyn's actions have made increasingly possible.
Worst case… Signora's actions here may cause the other six nations to start digging into their history of operations within their respective regions, and that couldn't happen. They'd done far too much. Whether it be the Doctor's actions at Tatarasuna, the Baladeer's subsequent actions with those poets, or even her own operations… if the nations truly started looking at them beyond their banal frustration it could mean war.
That was something they couldn't afford.
She had to admit though, Mondstadt's quick messaging campaign was brilliantly done. It was their best move and done at a speed they couldn't counter as she – The Fatui's main spymaster – simply hadn't been informed yet of the issue. Had they hesitated for just a day later, her agents could've easily intercepted those messages long enough for them to have a viable response.
'We underestimated them…' she thought, impressed.
"So, what's the plan? Who do you need me to fight?" Childe asked.
"No one for now. We will need you to test our unknown, but doing so now won't be acceptable."
"…Then what should I-" It was instant. Before Signora's words could escape her throat, it'd been severed cleanly from her shoulders.
"Nothing. You can do nothing."
*Whistle* "Kind of cold, ain't it?" Childe asked with a hint of dissatisfaction, looking annoyed at the head that now rolled on the ground. From her frustrated, but curious expression, Signora hadn't even realized that she died. He wasn't too beat up about her death, mind you. She was a bit of a bitch. However, slaying a comrade like that didn't sit right with him.
"At this point… her death was the only good she could offer. Her foolish mistake has turned all nations' eyes on us. She can no longer serve as a diplomat as none could trust her. Trust is a diplomat's bread and butter, you understand. Therefore… I don't think it's a stretch to say that if she can no longer serve her purpose and her actions are the catalyst for recent events, there is no other role she can play. Only this can fix her mistake." A chilling smile formed on Arlecchino's cold façade. "Besides… for someone as tormented as Roselyn… death is a mercy, and I'm nothing if not merciful."
"And the Tsaritsa was cool with this?" Childe uncaringly asked.
"…" Arlecchino didn't bother answering; both knew the answer to that question.
If Childe was phased in any way, he didn't show it. He just snorted, "Fine… if you weren't going to let me do the deed and you don't need my fighting skills in Mondstadt, why am I here? Not that I don't enjoy a vacation, mind you, but there's still a lot that needs done in Liyue."
"Patience. I have many uses for you here. Here's what you'll need to do…"
-
"Be honest with me, Venti. How dangerous could this be in the wrong hands? What can the Tsaritsa do with your gnosis when she gets it?"
Jean asked, hands pleated at the desk. The others stood around the desk, while she sat behind it and Venti on the other side. It wasn't an inquisition per say; they couldn't do that to their god. The bard was just shameless enough to take the only other seat before the others could enter.
She was conflicted. On the one hand, she understood Diluc's frustration at the bard. He'd kept critical information from them and planned to deprive them of a strategic resource they didn't even know they had. On the other hand, this is Barbatos, their god. Surely, he had his reasons. For someone as compassionate as him, she didn't believe this to be born purely out of cowardice. As the acting grandmaster, she had access to several restricted documents describing the end of Dragonspine, the Chasm in Liyue, and even Khaenri'ah. While it may be premature to label the floating citadel as another Decarabian or Mondstadtian blue blood, history reveals that they may not be as caring towards humans as the archons serving as their representatives.
As grandmaster, she needed to balance these different perspectives and speculations. It was fortunate that her sister wasn't here. She doubted the girl could have an objective opinion with how fervently she worships their deity.
"Not much." Venti shook his head. "I've already separated most of the anemo authority. It's mostly a shell at this point."
And wasn't that a statemen? She wanted to pry, but they didn't have the time, nor did she believe he'd divulge where he put it. Truthfully, she'd woken up mid-flight on Dvalin's back, so she had a pretty good idea where that power went; she just wouldn't confront him about it. She would ask Illya later. Maybe the same power that the outlander used to discern Venti's identity could help here.
"Would the Tsaritsa still want it if they knew?" Jean asked.
"Probably. Having just woken up, I can't speak to their end goal, but… these pieces have more value than just the authority over anemo. It's a veritable treasure box of possibilities."
Jean tapped her finger anxiously on the desk. "Do you think it's wise to hand it over? I trust your judgement."
And she truly meant that. For all his foolishness, Barbatos was still her god. She believed in him as fervently as her sister, even if she was a bit more mature about it than the young deaconess.
"Yes." Venti replied without hesitation. "It may have unforeseen consequences, but I believe in the cryo archon. I… well, I doubt anyone has seen her in years since that day. But… as long as she hasn't strayed too far from who she was, I believe she won't put Mondstadt in the line of fire."
"..." Jean thought for a moment, looking around the room. Yet, none offered their council; they'd left the decision purely in their hands.
"*Sigh…* Then it's decided. We'll sell the gnosis." Jean declared, earning a proud grin from the redhead.
"Sell?" Venti balked.
"Can you sell a gnosis!? Isn't that, you know, blasphemy!?" Paimon exclaimed.
"I've seen people sell planets far larger than Teyvat before. A bauble like a gnosis, as important as it is, isn't all that surprising." Illya unhelpfully added.
"Planets!? Wait, they do that? Can you just sell – you know what, Paimon doesn't want to know." The floating pixie turned to Jean and Venti. "Are you sure this is OK?"
Venti shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. I was just going to… lose it."
"And I believe that handing over something that valuable for free simply doesn't make sense. We may not be a mercantile nation like Liyue, but we have a great opportunity here, one that we won't get for a long time." Jean explained.
"It's basically a blank check." Diluc added. "As wealthy as Snezhnaya is – running several banks and all – combined with this recent diplomatic faux pas, we can ask for practically anything within reason."
Giant gold mora burst from Paimon's big eyes. "Oooh! How much we talking here!?" she asked excitedly.
But Diluc shook his head. "The least valuable commodity in deals like these is Mora. Mondstadt's not poor. Extra mora in our coffers isn't worth something this valuable."
"You're just saying that because your rich." Paimon indignantly replied.
"He's right." Jean stated, deflating Paimon's frustration. "Favors, resources, technologies, there are much more valuable things we can ask for. Particularly, it would be best if it was something that only the Fatui could offer."
"You already know, don't you?" Diluc asked knowingly.
She modestly smiled. "It wasn't too hard. The Fatui aren't our only problem. After Dvalin, our biggest issue is local and I'm confident people as slimy as the Fatui have just what we need to put a nail in it."
They continued their planning. By this point, both outlanders, Venti, and Aether's emergency food were completely out of the loop. They wanted to leave, but a certain buccaneer quietly asked them to stay.
A couple hours after they arrived, they heard another knock at the door. This time, Lisa's voice came from the other side. "Jean, we need you at the gate. The representatives from Snezhnaya have arrived."
All rose to their feet (if they weren't there already).
"That was fast." Jean muttered. "We're coming, Lisa. Is it another harbinger?"
"It is. She's a frightening one too. She calls herself, the Knave."