In the real world, Lumine frowned, her delicate brows tightening.
She really couldn't wrap her head around it—
Was this Fatui Harbinger actually mentally unwell?
"Good thing we haven't reached Liyue yet. We'll need to be extra careful around that guy."
Lumine's tone was serious as she warned Paimon.
Paimon nodded vigorously in agreement.
That Tartaglia guy definitely didn't look like a good person!
They had to stay far, far away!
[Kaeya]:@[Tartaglia]Why were you wearing an Abyss Mage's outfit?
[Venti]:You're playing with fire, my friend!
[Gu Chen]:Wow, so the Fatui and the Abyss Order are collabing now?
[Tartaglia]:I don't know! I said I don't know what's going on! (Collei·error404)
At the Northland Bank, Tartaglia himself looked utterly dumbfounded.
What kind of nonsense had his past self been pulling?
He couldn't make sense of it at all!
"Can you tell what my past self was thinking?" he asked the bank's manager, Andrei.
Andrei blinked, then shook his head firmly.
"No idea."
"Figures…" Tartaglia sighed heavily.
He could only hope the video would give him some answers.
By all logic, there was no reason for his past self to have done something so… ridiculous!
At the same time, in the Abyss Order's base, Aether finally exhaled in relief.
"See? I knew it. Since when did we have such a tall Abyss Mage? He looks more like an Abyss Herald."
He snorted. "This Tartaglia sure has guts—dragging us down with him like that."
Ha!
Aether laughed coldly.
Everyone knew the Abyss Order wasn't exactly "good,"
but that didn't mean the Fatui were saints either!
Neither side had clean hands—
but using the Abyss as a scapegoat? That was low.
"Shameless."
That was Aether's judgment.
The Abyss Heralds and Mages around him nodded solemnly in agreement.
In the video:
Outside Liyue Harbor, Gu Chen held a silver-white spear, eyes sharp and cold.
"Sir, what exactly do you gain by framing us like this?"
"Hahaha! Why, to pull you into the game, of course!"
Tartaglia smiled brightly under the sunlight,
that youthful, almost innocent face betraying none of the chaos his actions caused.
He didn't look like a villain at all—
but his behavior said otherwise.
"We want no part of your game," Gu Chen said, his voice sinking low.
"That's not your choice to make."
Tartaglia shook his head, still smiling.
"Gu Chen, I've heard about you—your deeds in Mondstadt caught my attention.
I always need a few chess pieces in my plans.
You happened to show up at the Rite of Descension, so I picked you.
I've heard you're strong—strong enough to fight the East Wind Dragon to a standstill.
I wonder… just how powerful are you really?"
There was unmistakable excitement in Tartaglia's eyes—
He craved a good fight.
"Is this guy… not right in the head?" Paimon whispered.
"Maybe a door slammed on it," Lumine muttered after a pause.
[Lumine]:I fully agree with my past self—Tartaglia doesn't look like a normal person!
[Paimon]:Yeah! What normal person does something like that?! (Baron Bunny·get outta here)
[Tartaglia]:Alright, alright, I get it. I can sort of understand what my past self was thinking… but don't worry, I'd never pull something like that in real life.
[Kaeya]:Of course not. Now that it's public, no one would fall for it twice. (lol)
[Tartaglia]:Hahaha!
[Ningguang]:@[Tartaglia] Mr. Tartaglia, I sincerely hope the Fatui will refrain from stirring up any trouble in Liyue. The times are already unstable—if you cause an incident… you'll bear the consequences yourself.
[Tartaglia]:Relax, relax! To show our sincerity—and to prove the Fatui's innocence—I can say responsibly that we have no plans to assassinate the Geo Archon. Everyone knows how powerful he is. We're not foolish enough to try something like that.
[Keqing]:You'd better be telling the truth.
[Tartaglia]:Believe it or not, that's up to you. Anyway, my past self's about to fight Mr. Gu Chen—I can't wait to see how it turns out! (Xiangling·starry eyes)
Boom!
Without warning, Gu Chen and Tartaglia clashed.
It was as if both had sensed it the moment they met—
a battle between two warriors was inevitable.
Gu Chen's spear danced like a storm,
thrust after thrust falling like endless rain.
A blur of silver filled the air,
and before long, the space before Tartaglia was riddled with spear shadows.
But the youngest of the Fatui Harbingers was no pushover.
His instincts were razor-sharp,
and he narrowly evaded strike after strike, sweat beading on his brow.
"Gu Chen! You've got this!"
Paimon floated to the side, acting as the world's loudest cheerleader.
"Don't distract him," Lumine said nervously, patting her.
"Oh—right, right!"
Paimon clasped her hands, watching intently.
Within moments, the two had exchanged over ten moves.
Tartaglia retreated, his twin Hydro blades shattering into water droplets.
Panting, he stared at Gu Chen, his face deadly serious.
"Mr. Gu Chen… you're not even fighting at full strength, are you?"
[Tartaglia]:Wait—WHAT?! That wasn't full power?! (Tartaglia·whale shocked)
"I was just wondering," Gu Chen replied calmly,
"whether I should kill you here and hand your body to the Liyue Qixing,
or let you live long enough to tell me your true plan."
"Ha… hahaha!" Tartaglia threw his head back in laughter.
Then his eyes hardened. "You really think you can kill me?"
At that instant, a sinister power erupted.
Crackling lightning tore through the air—
Tartaglia's body was wrapped in violent Electro energy.
A menacing battle armor began forming around him—
The Foul Legacy: The Delusion's true form.
Yet Gu Chen only watched him coolly,
expression unchanged.
[Venti]:Oh no, he's transforming!
[Neuvillette]:Why didn't Gu Chen interrupt him?
[Tartaglia]:Mr. Gu Chen, you're way too cocky!
[Gu Chen]:Back then, I fought with both hands in my pockets—I didn't even know what a 'rival' was.
[La Signora]:What an arrogant man.
"Then let's see how long you last!"
Tartaglia, now in his Foul Legacy armor,
moved like lightning—his speed almost imperceptible.
But Gu Chen met every strike with ease, his movements fluid and precise.
Dodging a heavy blow, Gu Chen twisted his body,
reversed his grip on the spear—
and thrust.
Pchhk!
The spear pierced straight through Tartaglia's lower back.
Before he could react, Gu Chen yanked him forward—
and with his free hand, threw a powerful punch straight into his chest.
Bang!
The impact shattered Tartaglia's Foul Legacy armor,
pieces scattering like shards of glass.
His face went deathly pale as he hung limply on Gu Chen's spear.
Gu Chen reached out, his hand closing around Tartaglia's head—
[Tartaglia]:Bro! Stop hitting me! One more hit and I'm dead! (Thoma·on knees please)
[La Signora]:Good. Die properly.
[Tartaglia]:We're colleagues, women! Ever heard of mercy?! (Tartaglia·furious)
Gu Chen rotated his wrist, grabbing Tartaglia by the collar instead.
"New place, unfamiliar faces… killing you might cause unnecessary trouble.
Now—"
his tone dropped low and cold,
"care to tell me what your real purpose is?"
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