"Ah, after parting ways at Bubu Pharmacy, I had such a hard time finding you!"
With a friendly expression, Tartaglia strode forward in long strides, as if he feared that if he moved any slower, Bai Luo would disappear again.
Not satisfied with just that. He reached out and wrapped an arm tightly around Bai Luo's neck, pulling him close. The faint scent of fish lingered around him—barely noticeable but definitely there.
To chase Bai Luo down, he hadn't even changed his clothes—he came straight here, just like that.
"No choice," Bai Luo sighed, holding his red plum blossom parasol with a helpless look. "I offended some Adeptus, and they forced me to flee into the mountains to escape."
In a sense, he wasn't lying. He really had pissed off an Adeptus, and from the looks of it, it was the kind that was not to be messed with—the type that would jump up and start throwing punches at the slightest provocation.
"An Adeptus? Which one?"
Tartaglia had done some research on Liyue, so he was aware of its Adeptus. However, he had never actually met one in person.
It wasn't that he didn't want to—on the contrary, he really wanted to fight one. But these Adeptus were always secluded in the mountains, hidden behind mysterious formations. Even if he tried to seek them out, he would always end up as just another foolish mortal begging for an audience—only to be promptly chased away.
Am I really that ordinary?
"Every single one of them."
"...???"
At first, Tartaglia was a little surprised, but then he remembered Bai Luo's terrible personality.
Actually... yeah, that sounded about right.
If Bai Luo hadn't offended the Adeptus, he wouldn't be Bai Luo.
"Don't tell me... you even pissed off Morax?"
Given his personality, Tartaglia suddenly considered the possibility. So, he jokingly threw the idea out there.
But then—he noticed that Bai Luo's expression suddenly changed.
"...You didn't actually offend Morax... right?"
Damn it!
I haven't even started executing my plans in Liyue yet! Don't go messing things up for me!
And—why the hell haven't I seen Morax yet, even though I got here first?!
"Forget about that for now. I originally came back to Liyue to get a meal, but I still haven't had a single bite of hot food..."
It was true. Bai Luo had planned to eat, but at the teahouse, he only had some fruit, and later, he ended up drinking sea breeze with Morax at the shore. Now, he was still starving.
At this point, hunger wasn't even the issue anymore—he just wanted to eat something with flavor. Anything would do.
With the fishy smell on Tartaglia filling his nose, he almost felt tempted to build a fire and roast the guy on the spot.
His thoughts wandered back to the koi fish in Bubu Pharmacy's pond.
So delicious-looking.
"Let's go to Xinyue Kiosk. Their food is pretty good."
Tartaglia had no objections. As long as Bai Luo didn't run off, he was fine with anywhere.
A few minutes later, the two of them arrived at Xinyue Kiosk—with a large group of people in tow.
They reserved a private room, while Tartaglia's subordinates remained outside, standing guard. Inside the room, apart from a few of Tartaglia's trusted aides, there was no one else.
Even those trusted aides did not dare to sit down. Instead, they stood at the side, watching in silent terror as the two men ordered an absurd amount of food.
Can they even finish all this?
They had been to Xinyue Kiosk before. Being Tartaglia's inner circle, they often had merchants trying to curry favor with them, treating them to extravagant meals.
So, they knew exactly how expensive this spread was.
This single meal... could buy an entire house in Liyue Harbor for a family from Qingce Village.
As the last dish was served, the waiter hesitated and asked, "Gentlemen, your meal is ready. Now, about the bill—"
"He's paying!"
"The Ausbilder's paying!"
Both of them pointed at each other without hesitation.
But Bai Luo was sneakier—he only said "he" and didn't say Tartaglia's name directly.
This gave Bai Luo just enough of an edge to speak first, slightly faster than Tartaglia.
"Bai Luo! Haven't you already spent enough money under my name these past few days?! That red-clad Inazuman—that was you, wasn't it?!"
Tartaglia was gritting his teeth, still seething over this.
Lately, bills from all over Liyue had been pouring into the Northland Bank. The lady in charge of finances was giving him strange looks.
And then there was the matter of Chunxiang Kiln's Little Peach Fragrance. Anyone in the know would recognize it as a type of incense shop.
But for those who didn't would think that it's a brothel.
Especially when all those ladies had started giving him weird glances—eyes full of "You could have done anything to me, yet you chose to go to a place like that?"
Damn it!
Bai Luo had completely ruined his reputation!
No, he had to take responsibility!
He absolutely had to make Bai Luo pay!
"Hmm... That does sound like me."
Bai Luo admitted it casually, realizing he had been a bit careless.
But it didn't really matter—his "Inazuman identity" wasn't exactly a top-secret disguise outside of Inazuma. Letting the Fatui know about it in a controlled way wasn't a big deal.
As long as Tartaglia didn't use it to mess with him, it was fine.
"Then it's settled! You're paying today—no arguments!" Tartaglia declared loudly. "Miss, put it on the Ausbilder's tab!"
"Now, hold on!" Bai Luo countered. "This is Liyue, and you're the Fatui envoy responsible for Liyue. That means I'm technically a guest in your domain. So, naturally, it should go on your tab—Miss, put it on Childe's tab!"
"No, no, no! You're the one born and raised in Liyue! I'm the one who came to your territory. That means it goes on your tab—put it on the Ausbilder's tab!"
"You're my senior as the Eleventh Harbinger—you should be taking care of your juniors. It goes on Childe's tab."
"You're the newest Harbinger—you should respect your seniors. It goes on the Ausbilder's tab."
"You suggested coming to Xinyue Kiosk, so you should be paying. Miss, put it on Childe's tab."
"You stepped into Xinyue Kiosk first, so you should be paying. Be a dear and put it on the Ausbilder's tab."
"..."
The poor waitress, who had just been watching the two bicker endlessly, nervously spoke up:
"Um... I only serve the dishes. I don't handle billing. And, well... no matter who pays, isn't the bill just going to the Northland Bank either way?"
Bai Luo: "..."
Tartaglia: "..."
Oh.
That's right.
No matter which one of them took responsibility, the Northland Bank was paying either way.
This whole argument was pointless.
A brief silence fell between them.
Then—
"How about we put it on La Signora's tab?" Bai Luo suggested, testing the waters.
La Signora might look cold and ruthless, but she wasn't actually that bad—especially towards fellow Fatui.
Back when Bai Luo had been formally inducted, she had been one of the few who had actually smiled at him.
Sure, it was a polite smile, but still.
The others?
Some of them had wanted to punch him. (Childe)
Some looked like they wanted to dissect him. (Dottore)
And the rest just gave him fake, professional smiles. (The rest)
"...Is that really a good idea?"
Tartaglia didn't like La Signora, and he didn't particularly want to owe her anything.
"Come on, it's all Northland Bank money anyway. If we're really pushing it, we might as well just put it on the Tsaritsa's tab."
"..."
Holy sh—
Now that's next-level thinking.
Tartaglia's hand twitched slightly, suddenly feeling like Bai Luo's original suggestion wasn't so bad after all.
And so, after a quick discussion, they unanimously agreed on who the lucky person footing the bill would be.
La Signora.
. . . . .
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