Just two simple words caused the atmosphere in the room to drop to freezing point, and an invisible pressure suddenly weighed on the hearts of everyone present.
Tartaglia's heart tightened, and a faint lightning glow appeared in his hand.
This pressure came and went quickly; everyone in the room trembled under it, falling into a brief silence.
Zhongli's amber eyes glanced at Tartaglia.
Tartaglia silently dispelled the elemental power in his hand, forced a relaxed smile, and tried to ease the awkward atmosphere.
However, his movements tugged at the bruises on his face, making his expression very unnatural.
"Miss Mu and I are both pure martial artists. This accidental injury was purely an accident, but I will not shirk responsibility. If Mr. Zhongli wishes to seek justice for Miss Mu, I... I will accept Mr. Zhongli's judgment."
Before this god known as the Warrior God, Tartaglia abandoned any thought of resistance.
Just that aura earlier had suffocated him; even donning his Foul Legacy transformation would be useless.
It might even make things worse.
Zhongli quietly watched Tartaglia for a long while, until the latter felt his scalp tingle.
"Cough cough~"
Signora was the first to be unable to bear the atmosphere, coughing lightly a few times to remind Zhongli:
"As per our contract, I've come for your Gnosis, Morax."
"Morax?!"
Paimon exclaimed in surprise. Zhongli was Morax?!
Lumine also looked at Zhongli in astonishment.
Zhongli opened his hand, and a Gnosis resembling a dark yellow chess piece immediately appeared:
"The contract is made; I bestow upon you what was promised."
Signora took the Gnosis from Zhongli's hand, originally wanting to complain a few words, but ultimately did not.
She was also somewhat intimidated by the aura Zhongli had displayed earlier.
"What exactly is going on? Zhongli, you're actually the Geo Archon?"
Paimon was confused: "And them, the Fatui, how are you with them?"
Zhongli did not answer immediately. He slowly turned around and nodded at Lumine and Paimon.
The two understood, and Paimon stopped asking questions.
Before leaving Northland Bank, Zhongli said:
"Someone will come to resolve this matter later. The damages you have caused to Liyue outside of our contract should also be compensated accordingly; this too is a type of contract."
Several minutes after Zhongli left Northland Bank, Tartaglia finally let out a sigh of relief.
His forehead was covered in fine sweat, and his body was almost exhausted.
As expected of the oldest god, this pressure...
Signora was also not feeling well. She glared at Tartaglia and said unhappily:
"You even fought with Mu Qingge?"
Tartaglia really didn't want to bother with her, but considering Zhongli's reaction earlier, he hesitated for a moment before telling the truth.
"Heh, they really are siblings, both equally brainless."
"You..."
"Enough, Childe. Who can you threaten in your current state?"
The Fair Lady put away the Geo Gnosis, her expression becoming serious:
"Take me to see Anqi. She's no longer suitable to stay in Liyue."
"...Alright."
---
Player's side.
The Northland Bank plot surprised everyone.
: "What?! So you're the Geo Archon!"
: "Damn it, I was actually fooled by this guy with thick eyebrows!"
: "Ugh, I'm still so angry seeing Signora?!"
: "Why do I suddenly feel Zhongli is full of majesty after knowing he's the Geo Archon?"
: "No, that's not an illusion. Didn't you see Childe and Signora's expressions just now? It's clear Zhongli is angry. And yes, it's normal for him to be angry when his subordinates, or juniors, are bullied."
: "Qingge, ah, I want to see Qingge..."
: "Childe must have wanted to run just now, I didn't misread that, right?"
: "Being exposed to a god about what he did to them right in front of him, Childe must have been sweating profusely, right?"
: "Zhongli's appearance just now made my heart skip a beat. What is majesty? This is majesty! I feel like he wanted to beat Tartaglia up."
: "Same feeling."
---
Outside Northland Bank.
"Zhongli, you're actually Rex Lapis. Damn it, you fooled us so badly!"
Little Paimon, as usual, didn't read the room.
Zhongli didn't answer, only asked:
"What happened with Qingge?"
Zhongli was relatively aware of the Fatui's actions in Liyue; such a thing shouldn't have happened, should it?
Lumine's perspective was also limited. She recounted everything in detail, from fighting Childe in the Golden House to Mu Qingge suddenly fainting after their victory, and everyone's conjectures.
Zhongli gently shook his head.
Lumine asked: "Is something wrong?"
Zhongli: "Childe has fought Qingge several times. If Qingge were serious, he wouldn't be Qingge's match. Moreover, according to what you two said, he had just gone through a major battle, so it's even more impossible for it to be him."
Paimon scratched her little head: "If it wasn't Childe, then who was it?"
Zhongli was thoughtful, having already determined the answer in his heart, but he said aloud:
"We'll discuss this later. Where is Qingge now?"
"She was sent to Bubu Pharmacy by several Millelith captains. We were originally going to Bubu Pharmacy to visit, but on the way, we met a sneaky Childe, so we quietly followed him here."
"That's good then. Let's go together."
The three went to Bubu Pharmacy together.
On the way, Lumine couldn't resist her curiosity and asked Zhongli:
"Zhongli, since you're the Geo Archon, then everything before..."
Zhongli: "As you know, I have lived in this world for over six thousand years, and it has been three thousand seven hundred years since I established Liyue with the adepti."
"Even the unyielding bedrock that the vortex cannot shatter will erode under the washing of time. I merely kept convincing myself that the day the cracks would appear had not yet arrived."
"Until a certain..."
Zhongli spoke as he hurried towards Bubu Pharmacy, seemingly strolling leisurely, yet Lumine had to jog to keep up.
---
Bubu Pharmacy.
Baizhu, having finished the treatment, was pale and looked extremely listless.
"Baizhu, how are you feeling?"
Changsheng asked worriedly.
Baizhu waved his hand: "I'm fine, but it's a pity I couldn't completely heal her."
"You've already done very well. The little girl's condition just needs more time to rest, and she'll slowly recover."
Baizhu gently pushed open the door and walked out.
Outside the door.
Fengyan and another Millelith commander were eagerly waiting.
In addition to the two, Yelan was also present.
Seeing Baizhu come out, Fengyan immediately stepped forward and asked: "Doctor Bai, how is Lady Mu?"
"Miss Mu is seriously injured, but her life is no longer in danger. She just needs some time to recuperate. You all don't need to worry."
Upon hearing this result, Yelan also breathed a sigh of relief.
She had already guessed who had injured Mu Qingge. In Yelan's understanding, if it weren't for her previous reminder, Mu Qingge would not have confronted that masked person.
There was a reason related to her in this.
It's just...
She didn't expect that guy to be so strong, even Mu Qingge suffered such serious injuries.
"When can she wake up?"
Baizhu looked at Yelan: "If there are no surprises, she should wake up tonight."
"Baizhu, you..."
Yelan frowned slightly and looked at Baizhu.
"No need to worry, I just haven't rested well."
.
.
.
_