Chapter 133. Tsaritsa's Lament
Three days later, Scaramouche's trial would be held in Tenshukaku—a major event.
And Yae Miko had no intention of keeping it a secret. She spread the news far and wide, causing a huge uproar.
Fatui Harbinger—Scaramouche—would face trial in three days.
As for the content of the trial, it covered everything Scaramouche had done in Inazuma, and his true identity was also exposed.
He was actually a puppet created by the Shogun, and one with self-awareness at that.
Why a puppet created by the Shogun would become a Fatui Harbinger was something the people of Inazuma were very curious about.
And what kind of sins he had committed in Inazuma, the people of Inazuma were also quite curious.
But compared to the curious people of Inazuma, the Snezhnayan merchants doing business in Inazuma turned pale. They quickly sent this news back.
The capture and even trial of a Fatui Harbinger was a truly significant event.
The Snezhnayan merchants were also very clear that their ability to act recklessly in the Seven Nations relied entirely on the deterrent power of the Fatui Harbingers.
Without the Fatui and the Harbingers, their business wouldn't be so comfortable.
With this thought, news from Inazuma quickly reached Snezhnaya.
This was also why, when the Tsaritsa and Raiden Ei signed the contract, it stated that the Fatui could not enter Inazuma's territory, but Snezhnayan merchants should not be implicated.
Because Snezhnayan merchants, though not officially Fatui, could convey intelligence to Fatui soldiers.
Allowing them to use their own methods to transmit this intelligence back to Snezhnaya.
—
Snezhnaya, before the Cryo Archon's throne.
The Cryo Archon sat motionless on her throne, seemingly resting.
Beside her, Pierro stood silently, saying nothing, seemingly also waiting for something.
"It has been confirmed, La Signora is indeed dead."
Finally, the Cryo Archon spoke. Her voice showed a slight emotional fluctuation; clearly, the death of The Lady made her feel unwell.
Each Fatui Harbinger harbored ulterior motives, and most became Fatui Harbingers for the sake of "profit."
The Cryo Archon condoned this situation, but she could also sense that The Lady strived and fought for the world she envisioned.
For such a being, the Cryo Archon naturally couldn't bear her passing, so she interfered with the battle from afar, hoping to save The Lady's life.
But unexpectedly, she still passed away, which made the Tsaritsa lament somewhat, but she couldn't say anything.
After all, the one who judged The Lady was Anemo Archon, Barbatos, and The Lady was from Mondstadt.
Although she was a Fatui Harbinger, she was indeed from Mondstadt, so Barbatos had the ability to judge her.
Coupled with the many sins The Lady had committed, it also made it impossible for the Tsaritsa to intercede for her.
As the Tsaritsa lamented, the weather in Snezhnaya became even colder, and snow fell incessantly.
This phenomenon made the people and the Fatui in Snezhnaya City can't help but look up at where Her Majesty the Tsaritsa resided.
People living in Snezhnaya City naturally knew that this phenomenon could only be caused by Her Majesty the Tsaritsa's sorrow.
At this moment, the people of Snezhnaya also sincerely asked Her Majesty the Tsaritsa not to lament, as their gentle Archon had already borne too much.
—
Pierro remained silent; he wouldn't lament or grieve over The Lady's death.
At this moment, he only felt a little pity, because The Lady, among the Fatui Harbingers, although not the most outstanding in strength, was the most diligent in her work.
Her passing was a significant loss for the Fatui Harbingers.
And... the news that just came from Inazuma also indicated that Scaramouche, whom he trusted, was more or less finished.
However, compared to Scaramouche, the Tsaritsa cared more about La Signora's passing, which was also a very normal thing.
"It's time."
At this moment, the Cryo Archon spoke. She raised her head and looked forward, saying indifferently,
"Let them in. La Signora's funeral must proceed. Scaramouche cannot be given up either. The Gnosis plan should also make some progress."
Pierro bowed to the Cryo Archon. He said seriously, "As you wish, My Majesty."
Just as the Tsaritsa and Pierro finished speaking, footsteps came from not far away, and three figures appeared before them.
"Her Majesty the Tsaritsa." x3
The newcomers were two men and one woman: Dottore, The Knave, and Tartaglia.
They all bowed to the Cryo Archon.
The Cryo Archon did not speak. Her gaze fixed on the three below.
Dottore could clearly feel that Her Majesty's gaze was mostly focused on him, and he knew why in his heart.
After all, things in Sumeru had gone awry: two Fatui Harbingers were captured, and the electro gnosis was recovered by Futsu Mitama.
He had to take a lot of blame for this.
Tartaglia was unaware of the current situation, only knowing that he had been secretly called back two days ago, supposedly for something important.
Although he didn't know what kind of matter required a Harbinger to personally return to Snezhnaya.
But Tartaglia had no objections. His younger brother had also been clamoring to see him every day, so he would take the opportunity to see his family this time.
The Knave remained silent. From the atmosphere, she could sense that a major event had recently occurred in Snezhnaya.
This major event was very serious, otherwise Her Majesty the Tsaritsa would not have called her back from Fontaine.
One had to know that she had just gone to Fontaine, and then she was called back immediately. The Knave wouldn't believe that nothing major had happened.
"Dottore, what happened in Sumeru?"
Pierro spoke. In Snezhnaya, he was second only to the Tsaritsa. He looked at Dottore with an expressionless face and demanded,
"La Signora's death, Scaramouche's capture, what was the cause?"
This was an interrogation.
Generally speaking, Snezhnaya would not question what the Fatui Harbingers did on their own.
After all, within the Fatui, everyone looked at the results, not the process.
This was also why, although The Lady's methods were unpleasant, the final results were always good.
Her previous gamble in Mondstadt, in a sense, was not a wrong bet; it was just that her strength couldn't fully claim the fruit.
Afterward, she also went to guard the Abyss because of this matter.
And then there were Dottore and Scaramouche, who caused a huge stir in Inazuma to seize The Electro Gnosis, leading to the Raiden Shogun's personal visit to Snezhnaya.
The Tsaritsa bore this burden.
Wasn't it because Dottore got his hands on The Electro Gnosis?
But now, under Dottore's operation in Sumeru, The Electro Gnosis was gone, La Signora was dead, and Scaramouche was about to face trial in Inazuma.
This was a major event of major events, so Pierro directly questioned Dottore, asking what he had done in Sumeru to lead to such a situation.
"Oh? Is she dead?"
Dottore's voice held a hint of regret upon hearing of La Signora's death, as he, like Scaramouche, preferred her.
The latter was useless in every way except for his passable strength.
In contrast, working with La Signora was much more comfortable; no matter the task, she would handle it properly for you.
The fact that such a useful colleague had died left Dottore feeling somewhat emotional.
Although he had already guessed that she would not have a good end after falling into Futsu Mitama's hands.
But despite guessing it, Dottore was still very emotional upon learning of La Signora's death.
"Is she dead? I didn't expect someone like her to die in Sumeru. This is truly regrettable,"
Tartaglia's voice was filled with emotion. Although he disliked La Signora.
After all, their views on matters and methods of handling them differed. A warrior like Tartaglia preferred simple and brutal solutions.
La Signora, on the other hand, favored various subtle tactics, even threatening others to achieve her goals.
But upon learning of his colleague's passing, he couldn't help but sigh, then began to ponder.
How could someone as afraid of death as she was die in Sumeru? This doesn't make sense.
Back in Liyue, La Signora went to great lengths to avoid Futsu Mitama. If it weren't for the Black Aila incident, she probably wouldn't have wanted to see Futsu Mitama her entire life.
Yet, unexpectedly, someone as cautious as her died in Sumeru.
"Is she dead? This is truly surprising,"
Arlecchino, The Knave, was equally surprised. For someone who always interact with her, Arlecchino knew La Signora's demeanor.
She valued her life more than anyone, and when it was time to be reckless, she was more reckless than anyone.
Such an existence, on the continent of Teyvat, should theoretically be very difficult to kill.
Yet, unexpectedly, she died, Scaramouche was captured, and Pierro was actually questioning Dottore.
This made Arlecchino feel that things were definitely not that simple.
"Alright, the story begins with my experiment..."
Dottore concealed nothing. He began by recounting the God Creation Project experiment in Sumeru, including his cooperation with the Akademiya using The Electro Gnosis and Scaramouche.
He also mentioned La Signora's arrival later, her telling him about the Black Aila incident, and his forceful retention of her to help him with tasks.
Finally, Futsu Mitama and his group attacked them without martial ethics. He, the Demon God Realm-level "Aila," and the God of Wisdom fought a battle.
Later, when he sensed something was wrong, he decisively chose to leave. Unexpectedly, Futsu Mitama was waiting for him in the spatial rift, and he was severely wounded as soon as he emerged.
Dottore concealed nothing throughout the entire incident. From a strategic perspective, they were completely caught off guard.
Whether it was Nahida's sudden attack, which prevented La Signora from leaving immediately, or "Aila" possessing Demon God Realm combat power.
And Futsu Mitama's terrifying combat prowess. At that time, Scaramouche, along with Shouki No Kami, in the Demon God Realm, was considered quite powerful.
Unexpectedly, in less than half an hour, Scaramouche was forced to self-detonate his authority and was subsequently defeated.
From the perspective of "himself" at the time, Futsu Mitama was completely unharmed, a truly terrifying individual.
Even a Dottore at his "peak" would not dare to fight him, as there was simply too little information.
This is not referring to Futsu Mitama's own information; everyone already knew that he possessed the inheritances of the Electro Archon and Geo Archon, as well as The Anemo Gnosis.
But how much of these two inheritances had he fully grasped? Could his combat power rival the Electro Archon and Geo Archon?
This information was unknown, and Dottore couldn't be sure if the strike Futsu Mitama delivered to him in the spatial rift was his limit.
If that strike was his limit, Dottore was confident he could defeat him.
If not, then Dottore felt he could lie down and wait for death.
Upon hearing the intelligence Dottore disclosed, Tartaglia's eyes flashed with a hint of battlelust.
He said, "It seems I'll have to have a good spar with Futsu Mitama the next time he comes to Liyue."
Tartaglia knew Futsu Mitama had reached the Demon God Realm, but he hadn't expected him to be so strong after reaching it.
According to Dottore, Scaramouche, combined with Shouki No Kami, was considered a decent existence within the Demon God Realm.
But Futsu Mitama fought him without a single injury, and even managed to severely wound a "peak" Dottore with a single strike.
If not for the spatial turbulence that swept him away, that "peak" fragment of his would probably have been taken down by Futsu Mitama as well.
"Don't get yourself involved,"
Arlecchino glanced at Tartaglia, signaling him to be careful.
La Signora and Scaramouche, one dead, one captured. She didn't want to see another colleague eliminated by Futsu Mitama.
After all, Liyue wasn't a good place. If Tartaglia were eliminated, then the next unlucky Harbinger would probably have to go there.
"Hahahahaha, don't worry, my relationship with Futsu Mitama and his group is still very good,"
Tartaglia revealed a confident smile. He was quite confident in his social skills.
Because he never played mind games, and his interactions with Futsu Mitama's group were primarily amicable.
It was also because of this that Tartaglia could get involved in various matters concerning Futsu Mitama.
Hmm~~ although most of the time he was used by Futsu Mitama's group, he was willing to be used.
But the result of this was that he would never be killed by Futsu Mitama's group without reason, unless he deliberately courted death.
"That's true,"
Dottore looked at Tartaglia. He was one of those foolish people who are blessed, not targeted by Futsu Mitama's group.
With "Aila's" strength, if she truly wanted to kill Tartaglia, there would have been many opportunities to do so.
But he was still alive and well, and that alone was enough to prove his good relationship with Futsu Mitama's group.
After listening to Dottore's account, Pierro remained silent, but a hint of shock flashed in his eyes.
He wasn't surprised that Futsu Mitama could reach the Demon God Realm, because ever since Inazuma announced him as the next Electro Archon.
Pierro had more or less realized that Futsu Mitama should possess combat power comparable to an Archon.
But "Aila," that existence who almost became a Fatui Harbinger alongside Scaramouche, had she also reached the Demon God Realm?
This was a serious matter. If she hadn't reached the Demon God Realm, Pierro would have issued a kill order, attempting to eliminate her.
But once she reached the Demon God Realm, that was a different story.
"La Signora died in Mondstadt."
At this moment, Her Majesty the Tsaritsa spoke. She looked at Dottore calmly and said,
"A day ago, I felt my power being unbound by the wind. At the moment the ice melted, I saw Futsu Mitama, Buer, and Barbatos."
A bomb had just dropped, shocking Pierro, Dottore, Arlecchino, and Tartaglia.
Because wasn't Barbatos sealed away?!