I Sell Toys in Snezhnaya

"No, is the first thing you think about when you meet someone a fight?"

"I'm Tartaglia, getting stronger every second! My goal is to master martial arts and challenge the strongest fighters from all over the world! How about it? Want to spar sometime?"

"..."

Xingsu looked at Tartaglia with a face full of black lines.

Why does this person's head look pointy?

"Alright, alright, I'm not against sparring with you, but we have to wait until I finish my mission in Liyue. You need to spend time with your brother, don't you?"

Taking advantage of the situation, Teucer tugged at Tartaglia's sleeve and softly chimed in, "Yeah, brother, you haven't been home in so long! Make time to play with me..."

"Of course, of course. Is there anything I can do to help?" Tartaglia looked at Xingsu, her expression becoming serious.

"I'm going to the Chasm. Do you have any information about that place?"

"The Chasm? It's been sealed off by Liyue. What are you going there for?"

"Soldiers are trapped inside because of the 'good deeds' you did in Liyue. The children of the House of the Hearth are inside, and their fate is unknown. I'm telling you, as the executor..."

"Shh! Shh!" Tartaglia hurriedly interrupted Xingsu, winking at him and quickly giving a signal in Teucer's direction.

"Huh? What soldiers?" Teucer, who was standing to the side, looked confused and tilted his head to ask curiously.

Tartaglia grabbed Xingsu's shoulder, turned away, and said in a low voice, "Could you please not mention the Fatui in front of my family? Although I'm Harbinger, I don't want my family to be exposed to the... dark side of Snezhnaya."

"I see. It seems you care about your family quite a bit," Xingsu said, raising an eyebrow.

"Hehe," Tartaglia scratched his head sheepishly, "In front of Teucer, I'm a toy salesman, a great job in a kid's eyes, right?"

"Hmm, so I'm the buyer who came to you to buy toys. It's perfectly reasonable to do business at the Northland Bank, right?" Xingsu continued, following his lead.

"That's right, that's right!"

The two exchanged a glance and then turned to look at Teucer, who was standing obediently in place waiting.

Xingsu Su said, "They're toy soldiers. I came to see your brother to buy a batch of toys."

"Yes, Teucer, this Mr. Xingsu is my client. We need to discuss important business matters," Tartaglia quickly interjected, gently reassuring her brother, "Just wait for me a little while, it'll be over soon, okay?"

Teucer puffed out his soft cheeks and reluctantly nodded. "Hmph, alright, then brother must come back quickly!"

"Don't worry, once I'm done with work, I'll definitely play with you a lot!"

Tartaglia smiled and agreed, then led Xingsu into the room next door.

"Alright, no one's listening here. Let's talk about the situation in the Chasm. What's the situation with those trapped soldiers?"

Xingsu looked at him, her tone tinged with a hint of helpless surprise. "So you didn't know anything at all? Did you have absolutely no intelligence about your operations in Liyue?"

Tartaglia clicked her tongue, her shoulders slumping slightly, her tone tinged with frustration. "Don't even mention it. If that ' La Signora ' Rosalyne had been willing to share even a little of the information she had with me, I wouldn't have been so thoroughly fooled in Liyue."

What are your thoughts on this?

"Those soldiers trapped in the Chasm aren't my men, and most likely not ' La Signora ' Rosalyne's. Her men wouldn't venture into such a dirty and dangerous underground mining area," Tartaglia deduced after a moment's thought.

"I'm guessing it's ' The Rooster ' Pulcinella. He's finalized quite a few mutual aid agreements with Liyue, and these soldiers are probably the ones deployed there. However, I don't know the specific details of the agreements."

"The Rooster '..." Xingsu repeated the code name in a low voice, a cold glint in his eyes. "So that's how it is. It seems that in his eyes, the lives of these soldiers are not worth as much as the cost of redeeming them."

Upon hearing this, Tartaglia frowned, his fingers unconsciously clenching. "You mean, the Rooster is planning to abandon this team altogether?"

"The higher-ups didn't send anyone to replace them, no supplies were delivered, not even a notification or order. Isn't this treating them like pawns?" Xingsu paused, then, remembering the child in the group, her voice deepened, "There's also the child from the House of the Hearth among them; she shouldn't be abandoned so hastily."

"Okay, I understand your thinking. If Teucer or Tonia were abandoned too, I would definitely fight them to the death." Tartaglia's expression was very serious.

"So, do you have any way to get into the Chasm?" Xingsu asked, getting to the point.

"Um... given the Fatui's current situation in Liyue, I can't directly help you get in. However, I know someone who can help. One of them is the famous Traveler. Finding her is simple; just post a private request at the Adventurers' Guild."

"That blonde Traveler? I've been thinking of contacting her, but from what you're saying, it seems there's another way?"

"Well, there is indeed someone who can help you, but... he has a lot of influence, so I don't really recommend you ask him for help."

"Then at least tell me his name, okay?"

"Zhongli, a guest elder of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."

"... Do you know Morax?"

"So you knew, huh? Okay, I admit I was pretty badly fooled by him. But considering I treated him to this meal, I should still have some influence with him. If I get the chance, I'd love to have a good fight with him."

"Alright, I reckon you're going to get a really bad beating from him. I'll try posting a quest at the Adventurers' Guild first, see if I can get in touch with that Traveler."

With that, Xingsu turned around and prepared to leave.

"Wait, I have a favor to ask," Tartaglia called out to him.

"Hmm? Go ahead and say it."

"Could you please look after Teucer for me? I just took on a debt collection job and really can't spare the time to be with him."

Xingsu sighed softly and shrugged, "Sigh... it's just taking care of kids, I'm good at that. There are so many little ones in the House of the Hearth, I've been practicing for a long time."

Tartaglia breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you very much! Teucer is a good boy, just very curious. I'll come back to pick him up as soon as I finish what I need to do with the Fatui. If there's anything urgent, you can find me near Qingxu Pool."

After saying that, the two left the room.

When Teucer was waiting outside, saw the two of them come out, he immediately ran up to them, his bright eyes full of anticipation as he looked at Tartaglia: "Brother, are you done with your business? Can you play with Teucer now?"

Tartaglia's heart softened. She knelt down and gently ruffled his hair, saying apologetically, "I'm sorry, Teucer, I just got a big order and have to go take care of it right away. How about I keep you Xingsu from now on?"

Before Teucer could feel disappointed, Xingsu smiled and bent down, extending her hand to the little guy. "Teucer, actually this is also my first time properly exploring Liyue Harbor. There are new things everywhere, and everything ahead is unknown. How about we go on an adventure together?"

"Yay! Let's go on an adventure!"

Teucer instantly lost his disappointment and jumped high into the air, his face full of joy and anticipation.