The Golden House was not only Liyue's sole mint, but the only mint in all of Teyvat. All the Mora circulating throughout the world came from here, and because of its unparalleled importance, security at the Golden House had always been exceptionally strict.
However, with the Liyue Qixing currently facing off against the adepti, they had been forced to redeploy most of the Millelith stationed here, leaving the Golden House very lightly guarded.
When Lumine and Paimon arrived at the Golden House, not a single Millelith soldier guarded its perimeter, and all the Millelith inside had already been defeated.
Above the Golden House lay the enormous remains of a dragon. Though it had been dead for some time, a terrifying pressure still lingered around it, convincing everyone who had seen it up close that this was Rex Lapis's Exuvia.
And the Fatui Harbinger Childe had already been waiting here for quite some time, resting while they made their way over.
"As guides, you've already fulfilled your duties admirably. Why come here looking for trouble?"
"So you really were planning to look for the Gnosis inside the Exuvia!"
"As one of the Eleven Harbingers, I must carry out the Tsaritsa's will. What Her Majesty wants, we come to take."
"We won't let you have your way."
"The question isn't who will allow me, but who can stop me. The time for deals and schemes is finally over. To be honest, I hate those little tricks too, but for Her Majesty, I can endure them."
Childe, Tartaglia, was the youngest of the Fatui Harbingers, and the only one to have risen through the ranks from an ordinary soldier on the strength of his exceptional combat talent. Proficient with every weapon, he was a battle fanatic and a combat genius through and through.
"Huh? Did I arrive at the wrong time? You haven't started fighting yet?"
Just then, a teasing voice came from overhead. They looked up and saw Uchiha Yucheng hanging upside down from the eaves of the Golden House in a decidedly unconventional posture.
"Yucheng, what are you doing here? And how are you hanging upside down up there?"
"You? I always thought you were skilled, and your origins were a mystery. So you're here for the same reason as me-the Gnosis?"
"The Gnosis? I'm not interested in that thing. I just heard that the Qixing had committed all their troops to the confrontation with the adepti, leaving the Golden House poorly guarded. I thought I'd see if I could grab some Mora here to tide me over."
"Huh, Yucheng, you had the same idea as me!" Paimon said, a little excited. But Lumine's expression did not relax as she looked at Yucheng. His appearance here at this particular time was enough to make her suspicious. She could not be sure whether he was friend or foe.
"How about you two get on with your fight? I'll go sort out some Mora?"
"...Come to think of it, you seem to have cost us Fatui quite a lot of money. It wasn't my money, but being taken for a sucker still leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. You look pretty capable. It would be a waste not to spar with you."
Despite Childe's tough talk, his primary target was still Lumine, who stood in front of the Exuvia. He rapidly plucked the bowstring of Polar Star in his hand, firing four Hydro-infused arrows within a single second.
Lumine swiftly dodged, narrowly avoiding the first three arrows, but the fourth left her no room to evade. A bright yellow light flashed at her chest, and a huge Geo boulder abruptly appeared before her, blocking the fourth arrow just before it struck.
After evading the four arrows, Lumine drew on her combat experience and tried to close the distance with Childe to fight him at close quarters. The bow in his hand had led her to believe that Tartaglia was an archer who specialized in ranged attacks.
But just as she was about to advance, she heard Yucheng call out from overhead, "Lumine, Childe is proficient with every weapon. The bow is the weapon he's least skilled with. He's stronger up close than at range."
At that, Lumine stopped, no longer daring to approach carelessly. Tartaglia glanced at Yucheng on the roof and frowned, sending a Hydro arrow straight at his forehead. Yucheng dodged it easily, but the way he did so puzzled everyone-he could actually walk on walls!
"Hey, Yucheng, how did you do that?"
"Want to learn? I can teach you, though I'm afraid you might not be able to pick it up."
"Then it's settled. Teach me once this is over. I'm a once-in-a-century martial arts genius, you know."
"Lumine, Childe doesn't just have Hydro abilities. He has Electro too, a gift from the Tsaritsa. He also has a special form called Foul Legacy, though it puts an enormous strain on his body. Be careful."
"Hey, hey, hey, just where did you get all this information about me?"
"What can I say? I never go into a fight unprepared. I like to investigate everything beforehand."
Lumine gritted her teeth and charged forward with her one-handed sword anyway. Electro light burst from Tartaglia's body as he formed two sharp-bladed spears from Electro and advanced with a smile. After only a few exchanges, Lumine realized that he was stronger than she was. She was already giving it everything she had, yet Tartaglia still looked entirely at ease.
In that case, I'll have to rely on a surprise attack. After Lumine and Childe fought fiercely for dozens of exchanges, she deliberately left an opening, luring Tartaglia into lunging forward with his spear aimed straight at her face. At that moment, Lumine unleashed Gale Blade, holding his spear fast in place with its suction.
Now was the perfect chance to counterattack. With her other hand, Lumine channeled Geo, forming several rocks and firing them straight at Tartaglia's face.
With his weapons held fast, Tartaglia had no choice but to abandon them. Yet he used the opportunity to leap away, vaulting straight past Lumine and successfully reaching the Exuvia's chest. Electro light gathered in his right hand, and he thrust it at the Exuvia with all his strength, plunging it straight into the dragon's body.
"Now then, I'll be taking Morax's Gnosis..."
Looking at his empty right hand, Tartaglia instantly flew into a rage, a sense of having been toyed with welling up inside him. He glared viciously at the equally bewildered Lumine and Paimon, then turned toward Yucheng, who wore a mischievous grin in the distance, and immediately found an outlet for his anger.
"So that's how it is. What a surprise. You were the one who got here first!"
Seething with rage, Tartaglia charged straight at Yucheng. As he moved, pieces of black armor appeared and encased his entire body. Violent Electro and Hydro erupted simultaneously, bringing Tartaglia's aura to its peak.
"Were you the one who got here first and took the Gnosis?" Tartaglia glared viciously at Yucheng, his eyes filled with ferocity.
Not only Tartaglia, but even Lumine believed Yucheng had taken the Gnosis before they arrived. She knew she had not taken it, and judging by Tartaglia's reaction, neither had he. By elimination, Yucheng was the only suspicious person present.
In his Foul Legacy form, Tartaglia's strength and speed both reached their peak. In a single instant, he appeared before Yucheng, and the lightning spear in his hand pierced straight through Yucheng's body.
The instant Tartaglia drove his spear into Yucheng's body, he sensed something was wrong. There was no sensation of piercing flesh.
Sure enough, the next moment, the Yucheng impaled on the lightning spear turned into a wisp of smoke and vanished with a pop.
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