Raiden Ei still couldn't figure out what the Tsaritsa meant earlier—what "the Maiden" was supposed to be.
Before she could ask, La Signora entered, bowing respectfully.
"Your Majesty, Morax has violated the contract."
The Cryo and Electro Archons had fought to a draw—neither could overpower the other.
In the end, both had been forced to cease hostilities.
Neither could possess everything that was Su Ran.
Neither dared lose him either.
Only after the two stopped arguing did Signora finally have a chance to explain.
"Violated the contract? What contract?"
Tartaglia looked puzzled.
Had Morax—the God of Contracts—signed something with Snezhnaya?
"Naturally, the contract concerning his Gnosis," Signora replied bitterly.
"The Fatui have already fulfilled every condition he required, yet he still refuses to appear!"
Just mentioning it made her seethe.
After all this time, Morax had chosen to hide!
The so-called God of Contracts, openly breaking his own covenant!
Liyue truly was crumbling— and its god was willing to abandon his people just to keep his Gnosis?
"The Gnosis? But didn't we already obtain it?"
The Tsaritsa passed the amber back to Childe.
That amber—housing an unknown, terrifying power—had been created using Morax's Gnosis.
"Impossible!"
If they'd actually secured it, she would've been the one to bring it home.
Yet she hadn't even seen Morax, much less fought him.
So how could they already have it?
"Oh?" The Tsaritsa smiled faintly. "So you really didn't know?"
Both La Signora and Childe turned to stare at Su Ran.
"No way…" Childe muttered, unable to keep a straight face.
Could it be that the Gnosis had been in the Genius's hands all along?
Signora's heart skipped a beat too.
How did the Gnosis end up with him?!
"If we're talking about this properly," Su Ran said, taking out a golden chess piece, "we'll have to go back to the Rite of Parting. According to the contract… wasn't Morax supposed to die around then?"
The moment they saw the golden light, both Harbingers froze.
It was the Geo Gnosis—without a doubt.
Signora's scalp went numb.
For a second, she nearly drew her weapon on him.
"Why is the Gnosis in your hands?"
She'd been scheming for months, believing she was the mastermind.
Now she realized she'd been the clown all along.
"Don't look at me like that," Su Ran said innocently.
"It's not like I wanted it. Morax basically delivered it to me himself."
That smug tone made them both want to throttle him.
"Why would he give it to you?" Childe demanded.
He had gone through hell trying to track down Morax.
"Well," Su Ran said, as if recalling a minor errand, "he got trapped inside my dream realm. I happened to be passing through Liyue, and since I heard you were after this thing, I just… brought it along."
He tossed the Gnosis casually toward Signora.
She caught it, trembling.
Receiving it this way felt humiliating.
This wasn't an accomplishment— this was being played.
She had wanted to watch him look foolish and astonished.
But somehow, she was the one wearing that expression now.
"So you were just… watching us make fools of ourselves the whole time?"
She forced down her anger, mindful of the Tsaritsa's presence— but her voice still trembled.
"The process may not have gone exactly as you planned," Su Ran replied, "but you got the Gnosis in the end, didn't you?"
And really—hadn't she also been waiting to laugh at him?
Now they were even.
"Hey! That might be true for her," Childe cut in, "but it's definitely not part of my plan!"
He had been completely in the dark.
La Signora at least had been spectating from the sidelines.
The Genius, on the other hand, had rewritten the entire script.
Meanwhile, he'd been the only one actually doing the work— chasing Morax, fighting monsters, investigating clues.
How could he have known Morax had already signed a deal with Snezhnaya— and that Su Ran had taken the Gnosis long before he arrived?
The one who'd worked the hardest was also the most clueless.
If Childe weren't so easy-going,
he'd probably be even angrier than La Signora right now.
Still, seeing someone else more furious than himself— especially her— did make him feel a little better.
Sure, he'd been played… but at least he wasn't the only clown in the tent.
"What are you so angry about?" Su Ran smirked.
"Is it because you're getting old and hitting menopause?"
"Insolent!" Signora snapped.
"Are you insulting me or Her Majesty?!"
Mentioning age made her fury spike even higher.
The Tsaritsa sighed inwardly.
Thanks. I hadn't even been thinking about my age until now.
"It's fine," Su Ran said lightly. "I'm too important for the Tsaritsa to stay mad at me. Isn't that right, my little Duck~?"
He winked playfully at her.
The Tsaritsa rolled her eyes.
If she weren't worried that saying "no" might push him straight into Raiden Ei's arms,
she'd have punched him through the floor already.
Immortality did dull your sense of age— but once it was pointed out, it still stung.
"Then… what about the Electro Gnosis?"
Childe wisely changed the subject.
He could tell that teasing the Genius—or mentioning age—was suicide.
Besides, the Tsaritsa's relationship with Su Ran was clearly beyond normal.
That was way above his pay grade.
"It's… being put to good use," Su Ran said vaguely.
That immediately gave La Signora something new to latch onto.
She was about to explode again——but the Tsaritsa beat her to it.
"As long as you're happy," she said quietly.
At this point, she understood.
If she had the Genius on her side, she wouldn't need the Gnosis at all to overthrow Celestia.
He alone was worth more than all the gods combined.
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