"Um… how hard did you hit her?"
Tartaglia glanced at Kaeya, eyebrow raised. "You don't mean the kind of 'hard' that could go toe-to-toe with a Hilichurl Berserker, right?"
"Do you really think I'd do that?" Kaeya sighed, looking exasperated. "I swear, this was nowhere near what I expected."
Gu Sanqiu moved his fingers from Klee's wrist. "If I had to guess, she probably stayed up late playing last night, then rushed back at the crack of dawn and threw in a grand entrance for us, just to top it off."
Klee: Zzz
Kaeya and Tartaglia: ...
"I see," Kaeya muttered with a resigned smile. "For Klee, this is probably a rare chance to have some real fun."
He sighed. "Alright, I'll carry her. Let's head to the meeting room and get down to business."
Gu Sanqiu nodded and made to hand her over, but Klee shifted, twisting in her sleep and clinging tightly to his shirt.
"Dodo-King… hehe… Dodo-King, you got all big and tall! Taller than Klee even."
(*.-ω-)zzz
Gu Sanqiu chuckled. "Guess I'll hold her, then. It's only talking anyway."
He adjusted his hold on Klee and followed Kaeya.
"Let's not keep our hosts waiting. We may be guests here, but we're also here to collect payment."
"Ha, it's not that simple," Kaeya grinned. "To us, you're both esteemed guests of Mondstadt."
"Oh? Even I count?"
"But of course! Although… that honor is somewhat exclusive."
"Well, I'll take that as good news."
"Mr. Gu, Mr. Tartaglia, you've arrived," Jean greeted them, rising from her seat. Her gaze shifted to Klee snoozing contentedly in Gu Sanqiu's arms. Beside her, Albedo's eyes gleamed with interest—no telling what he was thinking.
"Um… what happened here?"
"It seems this little one stayed up pretty late," Gu Sanqiu said, tugging his shirt to reveal where her tiny fingers were tangled in the fabric. "Not sure I can put her down right now. She's no trouble, though. She's as light as a feather."
"Thank you, Mr. Gu," Jean said, visibly relieved, and Kaeya seemed equally thankful that Gu Sanqiu hadn't spun any exaggerated tale about Klee getting knocked out cold by a certain Cavalry Captain.
With everyone seated, a silver-haired girl in a maid's uniform approached, offering tea to both Gu Sanqiu and Tartaglia.
"A special Mondstadt blend," she said. "It includes finely milled dandelion seeds for a subtle hint of flavor. Please, enjoy."
"Thank you."
Both men expressed their gratitude, and Gu Sanqiu took a moment to study her. Noelle—Mondstadt's powerhouse, a pre-knight with the strength to rival the Geovishap King himself. Though her appearance didn't quite suggest it, he knew otherwise.
"Now, as promised, Mondstadt is prepared to offer each of you appropriate compensation for your efforts."
Jean's expression turned serious. "While this is a discussion, it's more that we're ready to hear what you both seek in return, and then we'll determine its feasibility."
Gu Sanqiu and Tartaglia exchanged glances, a silent conversation beginning.
Gu: You first?
Childe: Me first?
Gu: Fine, you start.
Tartaglia cleared his throat. "Ahem. Well, as you might be aware, it isn't me, personally, that's owed compensation, but rather the Fatui."
"Take, for example, the fool who disrupted Mondstadt's daily life in Springvale. He's already been detained by our internal task force, and we'll be paying any necessary reparations."
Mentioning that actually stung a bit; Tartaglia wasn't one to tolerate wasteful behavior, and this instance of using Fatui resources irresponsibly to harass Mondstadt's citizens was outright galling.
Though Mondstadt's main force was on expedition, there was no guarantee that Mondstadt didn't have someone like Gu Sanqiu lying in wait to handle such threats. If this incident had happened in Liyue, Gu Sanqiu would probably have already "greeted" the fool in his unique way—and then some.
The room visibly relaxed. Clearly, that idiot had caused no small amount of trouble for them. However, realizing Tartaglia had brought it up before discussing compensation had them bracing again. Whatever he asked next was likely going to be tough to swallow.
"As for Mondstadt," Tartaglia continued, "we're not asking for material wealth. Instead, I'd like the Fatui to have a reserved allotment for the domain trials."
Jean's expression remained neutral as she listened.
"Also, please reestablish normal diplomatic interactions between Mondstadt and Snezhnaya, with commercial trade privileges restored—including certain expected tax breaks."
He listed each request with steady resolve, and Noelle carefully recorded every word, ensuring nothing went overlooked.
"And finally," Tartaglia's voice hardened as if preparing for battle, "we'd like access to certain records from the West Wind Church—specifically, any historical accounts from the Archon War era."
A collective frown crossed the Knights' faces. Everything he'd requested so far was manageable, but this last one…
"On that last request," Jean said, voice firm, "I can't answer you directly. That decision lies with the Church's Cardinal, who manages such affairs."
"Understood," Tartaglia nodded. "Those are all my requests."
Gu Sanqiu merely chuckled. He had no need to overreach with his requests, and besides, the title of "Honorary Knight" alone was beyond tempting.
Each of Tartaglia's conditions had been carefully balanced. They served the Fatui's interests without stepping into illegal territory or burdening Mondstadt with unreasonable demands. In the end, each item led up to the core request—the real prize they were after.
"And now, Mr. Gu, your turn?"
With his free arm, Gu Sanqiu reached into his satchel with impressive precision, managing not to disturb Klee.
"First off, I'd like the right to pursue cross-border enforcement."
!!!
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so... turns out the weapon master can die. webnovel blocked it again for copyright stuff, so i'm not reposting it. don't wanna risk losing my other translations too.
but don't worry, the weapon master's alive and well on patreon. thinking about setting up a scribble hub for stories like this—because some battles can't be won on webnovel.
thanks for sticking with me. you're the real MVPs.
If you notice anything that feels off, just let me know—I don't mind fixing things up.
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