"Childe, the one who took the Gnosis probably isn't Qiu Nian."
"Let me put it this way…"
"When did you arrive at the Golden House?"
Lumine asked, looking at Tartaglia, who was still clearly confused.
"Obviously I arrived before you."
Tartaglia replied, puzzled.
"Exactly. And he learned about the Golden House even earlier than you did."
"With his abilities, if he really wanted the Gnosis…"
"He could have taken it silently before anyone arrived."
"So why would he wait until we were all there and take it right in front of us?"
Lumine explained calmly.
Tartaglia's eyes widened.
Why hadn't he thought of that?
"And when we were fighting earlier…"
"Paimon was standing beside Qiu Nian the whole time, right?"
Lumine looked at Paimon.
"Hehe…"
"Yeah, because it was safe there…"
Paimon scratched her head awkwardly.
"Did you ever see Qiu Nian get close to the Exuvia?"
Lumine asked with a faint smile.
Paimon shook her head immediately.
"And even if we assume Qiu Nian didn't know about the Golden House…"
"After the Geo Archon was supposedly assassinated…"
"Who in Liyue could stop a god whose power rivals Rex Lapis?"
"So why wouldn't Qiu Nian just attack Liyue directly?"
Lumine placed her hands on her hips and smiled confidently.
Wow, I'm pretty smart.
Xuehua, watching the stream, grabbed her head.
"Okay… after hearing Lumine's analysis, I don't think Qiu Nian took the Gnosis anymore."
"But why does everything feel so complicated?!"
The livestream chat erupted again.
[I understand now]
[Basically: Qiu Nian didn't assassinate Rex Lapis and didn't take the Gnosis]
[And he really is Guixu, the foreign god]
[Which means he literally took Lumine to investigate… himself]
[He even asked people about his own story]
[Don't forget the "ancestral house" excuse]
[And the "two and a half years of martial arts training"]
[His acting is legendary]
[Gods are that strong?! He one-shot Childe with one finger]
[Meanwhile Venti got his Gnosis stolen like nothing]
Hearing Lumine's reasoning—
Tartaglia lowered his head slightly.
"So that's how it is…"
"This is getting interesting…"
His fist clenched as if he had realized something.
"He didn't assassinate Rex Lapis."
"And he didn't want the Gnosis."
"If we eliminate those possibilities…"
"Then if Rex Lapis truly died…"
"And if that foreign god really wanted the Gnosis…"
"A god whose power rivals Rex Lapis could have simply conquered Liyue by force."
"That alone is already suspicious."
"If it were me…"
"I would crush the Qixing and the adepti with force and demand the Gnosis."
"It's the simplest solution."
"Anyone could understand that."
"But Mr. Qiu Nian—who might be that foreign god—didn't do that."
Tartaglia said thoughtfully.
"You mean…"
Paimon asked, confused.
But Tartaglia didn't answer.
Instead, he looked directly at Lumine.
"Although our fight was interrupted…"
"And I didn't get to enjoy a proper battle with you."
"Next time."
"People who pursue strength are friends."
"Even if that friendship takes the form of fighting."
Then his expression hardened.
"But for now…"
"I have to return to my mission."
He continued.
"If the Gnosis wasn't taken…"
"Then maybe it was never inside the Exuvia to begin with."
"And if we take that idea even further…"
"What if the Exuvia itself was just a decoy?"
Tartaglia crossed his arms.
"You're saying…"
"Rex Lapis isn't dead?"
Lumine suddenly understood.
If Rex Lapis was alive—
Then everything suddenly made sense.
"That's most likely the truth."
"If Rex Lapis never died, then all the earlier analysis about the foreign god fits perfectly."
"…Interesting."
"The guardian god of the city of contracts is quite skilled at tricks outside contracts as well."
"And that foreign god…"
"Damn it…"
Tartaglia felt like he had been played from beginning to end.
As if every move he made had been watched from a god's perspective.
Combined with the humiliation of being defeated by Qiu Nian—
He felt like a clown toyed with by the gods.
"In that case…"
"I'll have to use the backup plan."
"I didn't want to use it."
"Because it will harm the weak."
"But as a Fatui Harbinger…"
"I can't be picky about methods."
Tartaglia said bitterly, covering his face with one hand.
For someone like him—
Resorting to the backup plan felt like an insult.
The humiliation and anger burned inside him.
"So what exactly are you planning to do?"
Lumine stepped back cautiously, gripping her sword.
She remembered something—
The Mass Production of the Sigil of Permission.
"I'm going to awaken…"
"The god sleeping beneath Guyun Stone Forest."
Tartaglia said plainly.
"A god?!"
Paimon's eyes widened in shock.
"The Overlord of the Vortex — Osial."
"During the Archon War, he was defeated by the Geo Archon Morax and sealed beneath the sea with stone spears."
"If a god like that attacked Liyue Harbor, now that it has supposedly lost its Archon…"
"Do you think those two who played us—the Geo Archon and that foreign god—"
"…could just sit back and watch?"
Tartaglia's voice carried a strong sense of revenge.
Finally—
He could force the gods out into the open.
Finally—
He could see what expression a god would make.
But what Tartaglia did not realize—
Was that even his decision to release Osial…
…was already part of Morax's plan.
In other words—
Even now—
He was still moving exactly where Morax intended.
Enjoyed these chapters? Access advanced chapters 60+ahead and exclusive content by visiting my patreon.com/WillOFD129?