The Cryo Archon grew angrier the more she thought about it.
She had already felt that Tartaglia was far too battle-hungry, even to the point of disregarding life and death.
Now that he had gone to that other world, with saturation effects and the protection of a Totem of Undying, he would surely push himself even further.
That was why she had emphasized again and again beforehand: under no circumstances was he allowed to act recklessly in that world.
Everything had to be under Ryen's command.
Tartaglia had readily agreed.
And yet, in just a few days, he had already wasted a Totem of Undying?
What did this guy think Snezhnaya was?
Some place overflowing with wealth?
Right now, Snezhnaya had only two people stationed in that world: Rosalyne and Tartaglia.
Even counting the one that Zhongli and the others had gifted her, they had only three Totems of Undying in total.
And Tartaglia, due to carelessness, had wasted one just like that…
The fact that she hadn't smashed him into the wall so hard he couldn't crawl out was mercy enough.
"Snezhnaya's power in that world hasn't even started to take root. Do you think we're Liyue?"
"You see Liyue with their abundance of Totems of Undying, and yet you don't know how to cherish ours?"
"Our people—how long will it take after they settle in before we can start acquiring Totems of Undying in batches? Did you ever think about that time cost?"
The Cryo Archon glared furiously at Tartaglia, while he kept his head down in silence.
And truth be told—she had hit the nail on the head.
He had seen Ryen's group, each person wearing four or five Totems of Undying on their belts, and had started thinking they weren't all that precious.
But on closer thought…
Ningguang's group had many because they had been exploring this world for a long time.
Jean's group had plenty because Klee opened so many Lucky Blocks.
They could spare one for him out of courtesy and alliance.
But ultimately, those were their own spoils.
There was no reason that just because they were allies, Liyue had to support Snezhnaya.
The foundation of cooperation was mutual benefit.
Otherwise, why should they even work with Snezhnaya?
Tartaglia felt guilty, but had no idea how to explain himself.
Seeing him like this, the Cryo Archon couldn't even be bothered to stay angry. She gave a cold snort and said icily:
"If this happens again, get back to Snezhnaya. If you don't want to explore properly, there are plenty of others who do!"
"If Rosalyne sends me another report saying you've been careless and ignoring orders, you're finished. I'll have Arlecchino take your place!"
Tartaglia nodded heavily, speaking in a deep voice:
"Understood. There won't be a next time!"
"It had better be so!"
The Cryo Archon withdrew her gaze and turned to Rosalyne. In an instant, her expression softened, almost tender—making Tartaglia feel all the more resentful.
"Rosalyne, what was it you said you wanted to show me?"
At those words, Rosalyne retracted her mocking look toward Tartaglia and carefully produced an ice-blue staff from her arms.
"Your Majesty, this is a staff we recovered from the Twilight Forest!"
"Its name is Frostbearer. It is an ice-element staff that increases Cryo power by forty-five percent!"
The Cryo Archon was visibly stunned.
"Such a high increase? Is it unconditional?"
Rosalyne nodded.
"We've already tested it. It truly boosts power unconditionally! Your Majesty should find this staff very useful."
The Tsaritsa hesitated for a moment, but still accepted the staff.
The instant she held it, she could feel her elemental power — even her divine strength — boiling and surging wildly.
For a moment, she lost control, and frost spread in all directions.
Zhongli lightly tapped the table, and the frost instantly vanished without a trace.
The Tsaritsa came back to her senses and gave him an apologetic look.
"Forgive me, Morax…"
"It's nothing," Zhongli said calmly, sipping his tea.
"A sudden surge of power is indeed difficult to control."
The Tsaritsa nodded slightly, staring at the staff in her hand with shock.
"A divine artifact like this exists in that world?"
Rosalyne nodded softly.
"This was obtained in the Twilight Forest. Most of us already have our own staves.
This one is only an Advanced-tier Staff, which increases elemental power by forty-five percent. Above that is the Master-tier Staff, which can boost elemental power by sixty percent — but the only one who possesses such a staff is Mr. Ryen."
The Tsaritsa clicked her tongue lightly.
"An Advanced-tier staff is already more than enough. Weapons like this… unheard of. Truly, this world is full of mysteries."
"That's not all," Rosalyne added.
"This staff comes with five built-in spells. Among them is an advanced Pyro spell — Emberfire Cloud.
And there's also a particularly powerful spell: Lich Barrier."
"Lich Barrier can forcibly negate five incoming attacks, no matter how strong they are. Even the highest-level damage will be nullified."
The Tsaritsa's gaze grew complicated. She no longer knew how to even describe the object in her hands.
In recent times, although she had read Rosalyne's letters, how much detail could a letter possibly convey?
On top of that, Snezhnaya had been restless — she had been constantly troubled by the Fatui Harbingers, the Jester and the Doctor.
So she hadn't paid much attention to matters in the other world.
Now, having finally come here to take a look, Rosalyne had given her such a gift.
The Tsaritsa sighed softly.
"You've put great thought into this… this staff is indeed very important to me."
"As long as it is of use to you," Rosalyne replied, looking slightly pleased. Then she continued:
"Your Majesty, Mondstadt has already stationed a regiment of one thousand soldiers and formally established their presence.
When will our Snezhnayan forces be deployed into that world?"
At this, the Tsaritsa's expression darkened slightly. After a pause, she answered quietly:
"This time, I brought seven hundred men. These seven hundred will be left in your charge. As for the specific arrangements, you may coordinate with Mr. Ryen.
In the short term, there will not be additional reinforcements."
Rosalyne's eyes widened in shock. She exclaimed urgently:
"Your Majesty, seven hundred is far from enough!
Just mining resources alone requires vast manpower — the Overworld, the Nether, the End, the Twilight Forest… and beyond that, we still need to arm them properly!"