Goth Grand Hotel.
"Lord Childe, thank you for your generosity."
Rita—Su Mo—accepted the lavishly decorated treasure chest with a warm, grateful smile.
Several nearby Fatui agents glanced at one another, all wearing the same baffled expression.
Is she mocking me…? Or is she actually that sincere?
Childe stared at her, genuinely unsure.
Her expression was too natural… too genuinely appreciative.
"Miss Rita," he said with a polite, almost gentlemanly tone, "if the chance arises, I will challenge you again."
"I'll be looking forward to it.
Well then—until next time."
Rita waved lightly and left the hotel with Lumine.
The moment she disappeared—
"Lord Childe, this is…?"
"No need to ask," Childe replied.
"It's a necessary expense.
Just like what happened in Liyue."
"I understand now, my lord."
The Debt Collector nodded firmly.
Of course Childe would know what he's doing.
Of course he was acting for Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa.
How noble, how selfless…
How utterly wrong he was.
Outside the hotel.
"Lumine, help me hold onto this.
Half of it is yours."
Su Mo placed the heavy chest into Lumine's arms.
"Huh? But—"
"No buts.
Put it away for now.
I still have things to do.
Don't lose it."
"I won't."
Lumine accepted the chest, and Rita—Su Mo—vanished into the night.
"F-fifty thousand…? No—five hundred thousand!!
Lumine, let's go eat a huge meal!"
Lumine: "…"
I wonder… where Rita is going…
Ignoring Paimon's sparkle-eyed drooling, Lumine glanced toward the direction Su Mo disappeared.
Mondstadt — Statue of the Seven
As expected… The Abyss has placed people inside Mondstadt.
Su Mo sat casually on a bench at the plaza, watching a seemingly ordinary middle-aged man.
But he wasn't ordinary.
He was an Abyss Herald in disguise.
Not that anyone else could tell.
But Su Mo already knew all this—because he had planned for it.
The Abyss Order would definitely notice the Knights suddenly halted their large-scale search.
And they'd suspect the Knights had already found the "remnant power."
But soon, they'd receive intel that the Knights had begun watching for strange environmental changes:
—plants suddenly withering
—wildlife mutating
—zones of elemental distortion
Signs Su Mo made up… but believable enough for the Abyss to panic over.
They'll conclude the Knights didn't actually find the power,
but somehow learned what the power does.
Which meant—
They would send people into the city.
Right on schedule.
Su Mo sat beneath the moonlit statue of Barbatos, admiring how long the disguised Herald lingered.
You should've gone home earlier… more sensible that way.
Eventually—
Almost nothing useful tonight…
The Abyss Herald checked the time—
Humans would normally be asleep by now.
It prepared to leave the city.
It had just received new intel:
Strange withering phenomena spotted in Windrise.
Fatui is already present there.
This was major information.
It had to deliver this to the Abyss immediately.
Perfect… you got exactly what I planted for you.
Watching from above as the Herald hurried out of the city, Su Mo—now in the form of the Herrscher of Reason—smiled faintly.
Now the Knights believe in the power.
The Fatui believe in power.
The Abyss believes in power.
Only one thing left:
Make all three fight over a "power" that doesn't even exist.
Let's see… How are Fatui doing?
Su Mo shifted his gaze toward the Goth Grand Hotel.
Earlier, he planted suggestions in the minds of:
—the man who tricked Lumine
—Childe himself
As soon as Su Mo transformed into the Herrscher of Reason,
both would gain a fabricated memory:
A memory telling them the remnant power lies in Windrise.
Even better—
They were convinced the other side had taken the power already.
The only way to obtain it?
Defeat the opposition.
Who will win…? The Abyss? Or the Fatui?
Hmm… my money is on the Abyss.
But then again… the Fatui brought two Harbingers.
Eh, who cares. I'll just watch the show.
The Herrscher of Reason's figure vanished into the darkness.
Windrise
A golden-haired girl that resembles Barbatos…?
Is she truly that strong?
Childe led a group of Fatui soldiers toward Windrise, thinking back to what Signora told him.
A girl whose power surpasses even the gods…
Childe felt a thrill run down his spine.
But this wasn't the time for fantasies.
He had to retrieve that remnant power and offer it to the Tsaritsa.
It was more important than a mere Gnosis.
"Lord Childe—Abyss Order ahead!"
The shout snapped him from his thoughts.
"Defeat them.
We can't let that thing fall into their hands."
"Yes, Lord Childe!"
Abyss Order side.
"Kill those foolish humans.
Retrieve the power."
"Yes!!"
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