After the immortals left, Wang Daoyi finally relaxed and disappeared from the pavilion. His main concern for being here was the conflict between the Tianquan and the immortals. However, judging from Ningguang's arrangement, the immortals were persuaded by her.
On the pier, Lumine looked puzzledly at the distant pavilion, feeling like something was watching them from there.
However, upon closer inspection, nothing could be seen.
Withdrawing her gaze, Lumine looked at Ningguang and Keqing, "Ningguang, Keqing, since things are resolved now, we'll take our leave first. We still need to help Zhongli complete the rite of parting!"
Ningguang and Keqing nodded, not trying to detain them any further. Although the matter with the demons and immortals had been resolved, they still had many other things to attend to.
During the previous demon attack, although the MIllelith reacted quickly, many merchant ships were destroyed, and there were also numerous casualties among the soldiers defending against the sea monsters. Similarly, the Adventurers' Guild and many warriors from Liyue suffered casualties as well.
Whether it was the destruction of merchant ships, damage to the pier, or the casualties among the MIllelith and adventurers, all of these matters needed to be dealt with by the Qixing.
The two of them watched as Lumine and Paimon left, then they called the Millelith and the Secretary of General Affairs and began to address the issues after the disaster.
Lumine and Paimon left the pier.
"Oh, right, didn't the Master release the demons to force the Geo Archon to appear?" Paimon flew in the air, as if recalling something. "But the crisis was resolved by us alone, so the Geo Archon still hasn't appeared!"
Lumine shook her head, feeling a bit confused about the situation with the Geo Archon, who was originally supposed to be the main character of the ritual for sending off the immortals.
"It's quite puzzling, but the most likely clue is probably the 'Rite Of Parting' we organized!"
"Then let's go find Zhongli. Didn't he say he was heading back to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor earlier? Let's go there!"
With that, the two of them hurried towards Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Meanwhile, Wang Daoyi left the pier and first went to the Wanmin Restaurant to inform Xiangling and Chef Mao that the disaster was over and they could relax now. After being checked multiple times by Xiangling to confirm he wasn't injured, he reluctantly left the restaurant and walked alone towards Feiyun Slope.
According to Zhongli's arrangement, it was time to complete the transaction at the Northland Bank now.
Lumine and Paimon were much faster than the leisurely Wang Daoyi, and they quickly arrived at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
A ferryman stood at the entrance of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"We're here to see Zhongli, could you please inform him?" Unlike Wang Daoyi, who could come and go freely, Lumine and Paimon were not familiar with this place, so they politely asked the ferryman.
With a polite smile on her face, the ferryman shook her head, "I'm sorry, but Mr. Zhongli is not in the parlor at the moment."
"Oh, has something happened to him?" Thinking back to the battle with the demons earlier, Paimon's face showed a hint of panic.
Hearing Paimon's exclamation, the ferryman at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor couldn't help but show a hint of speechlessness on her pale face. Usually, it was them at the parlor informing others of someone's mishap, but today someone was saying that one of the parlor's clients had encountered trouble.
Although she didn't quite like Paimon's speculation, the ferryman politely provided information, "Mr. Zhongli has gone out, it seems he went to visit the Northland Bank."
"The Northland Bank?" Paimon thought for a moment and immediately remembered that place. "Isn't that the territory of the Fatui?"
Lumine also showed a hint of seriousness. During the previous battle, the endless waves of soldiers from the Fatui had caused her injuries several times. Now, Zhongli actually went to the territory of the Fatui.
Although there was no suspicion that Zhongli was in league with the Fatui, there was still some concern for his safety, fearing that he might be kidnapped or threatened by the Fatui.
Paimon also shared the same concern, "Doesn't he know that the Fatui helped the demons attack Liyue? It's very dangerous for him to go to the Fatui's territory at this time!"
Pausing for a moment, Paimon looked at Lumine, "Although it's dangerous for us too, Lumine, we can't just watch Zhongli get captured by the Fatui. We have to go check on him!"
Lumine nodded. Although they hadn't spent much time together, and even though Zhongli always refused to pay for meals, Lumine still considered Zhongli her friend and felt that they should go and rescue him.
The two of them left Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and hurried to the Northland Bank.
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was located near the edge of Feiyun Slope, while the Northland Bank, as the financial giant of Snezhnaya, was located in the most prosperous area of Feiyun Slope.
Rushing into the Northland Bank, Lumine heard a familiar voice filled with anxiety.
"How dare you say this is 'cooperation between executives'? True cooperation should at least involve sharing information."
Looking up, Lumine saw Tartaglia, who had fought against her in the Golden House, wounded and bandaged, looking angrily at a woman.
"Hehe. Don't dwell on these trivial matters, Master. Weren't you quite pleased with yourself after causing a scene without considering the transaction and calculations? It's quite in line with your style."
As she spoke, the woman noticed the commotion and turned to look at the door, "Wait a moment, it seems you have acquaintances coming."
"It's the Master and Zhongli, and you! You're the Fatui executive." Paimon looked into the room and recognized familiar faces, including the lady she had seen in Mondstadt.
Lumine's face turned cold, with a hint of hostility flashing in her eyes, "Madam!"
"Heh! It's you guys. We met in the MondStadt, right? Not bad, you remembered my name quite well." Upon hearing Paimon's exclamation and sensing Lumine's hostility, the lady was quite pleased. It seemed like she was back to the glorious moment of taking away Barbatos' Gnosis.
"After all, it's hard to forget the feeling of watching a friend being robbed of something important while being powerless to do anything about it, isn't it?"
As memories resurfaced and the thought of Venti being gutted by this woman clawed at her mind, Lumine's breath quickened, and the killing intent in her eyes almost overflowed. However, she forcefully suppressed it and kept telling herself to stay calm.
Tartaglia noticed that something was wrong and interrupted the woman, greeting Lumine, "Oh, it's Lumine and little Paimon, huh? Didn't expect to meet so soon! It's quite unexpected."
Looking at the arrogant woman, then at the indifferent Zhongli, and finally at the angry Lumine, Tartaglia couldn't help but feel a bit awkward, "Um, how should I put it, the atmosphere seems a bit awkward at the moment!"
"Hmph! Knowing you're a Fatui executive, we shouldn't have trusted you in the first place!" Paimon showed a disdainful look.
Lumine nodded, equally unkindly looking at Dottore, "When Daoyi warned me to be careful of you earlier, I should have believed him."
"How much bad-mouthing did Wang Daoyi do about me!" Tartaglia's pale face flushed with a hint of embarrassment and indignation, then he looked at Lumine with a hint of apology, "Haha. Except for the regrettable falling out at the end, the cooperation before was quite pleasant, wasn't it?"
Not saying anything would have been better, as Tartaglia's words only served to further infuriate Lumine. She had genuinely thought Tartaglia would become a friend, but in the end, it was all just a manipulation.
She was the one being used.
Seeing Lumine's increasingly unfriendly expression, Tartaglia could only resort to shifting blame, "Don't look at me like that. I was also being used, just like you guys. Madam and Zhongli, they really deceived me!"
Tartaglia's words shocked Lumine and Paimon.
With a hint of incredulity, Lumine looked at Zhongli, "Zhongli deceived the Master?"
Before Zhongli or the lady could respond, the woman beside them showed a hint of impatience.
"Don't waste time, if you want to chat, do it after finishing the business at hand!"
The woman turned to Zhongli, "According to the agreement, I've come to take your Gnosis, Morax!"
"Agreement? Gnosis?"
"Morax?"
Lumine and Paimon were momentarily unable to react, their faces showing shock and confusion, as if they had heard something magical.
Zhongli remained indifferent, "The contract has been fulfilled. As per your request, I shall give you what you seek!"
"Hmph, such a condescending tone!" The woman snorted disdainfully, then extended her hand, "Well then, the Gnosis?"
"Cough, it seems I arrived just in time!" The doors of the Northland Bank were pushed open, and a young man in white walked in with a smile on his face.
For a moment, everyone in the room turned to look at the young man.
"Daoyi?"
"Wang Daoyi?"
Lumine and Paimon exclaimed in confusion.
The lady and Tartaglia also looked at Wang Daoyi with surprised and doubtful eyes.
"You're here. According to the completed contract, hand over the item to this 'lady'." Only Zhongli remained indifferent, everything unfolding as he had anticipated.
Wang Daoyi nodded, and amidst the astonished gazes of everyone present, he casually took out a chess piece-shaped object from his pocket.
(End of this chapter)