"Oh? It seems you are having a wonderful time."
Aware that Signora had arrived, Su Ran did not linger in his laboratory. He walked out holding a small, armed puppet. It was modeled after the little Bronya, though in Signora's eyes, it looked like a pint-sized version of the Tsaritsa. To her, this was nothing short of blasphemy against the Snezhnayan deity.
"If Her Majesty the Tsaritsa knew you had crafted something like this, would she not be absolutely furious?"
The Tsaritsa had been immensely kind to her, a debt of gratitude that weighed heavily on her heart. Faced with a miniature version of Su Ran himself, Signora had no complaints, even finding the little fellow somewhat amusing. But seeing a chibi-style Tsaritsa was another matter entirely; she could not be so lenient.
"Rest assured, she is quite reasonable. I even have a photo of them together."
Su Ran pulled out his phone, showing Signora a picture of the Tsaritsa from two days ago when she had visited and posed with the small Bronya puppet. Seeing the genuine smile on the Tsaritsa's face in the photograph, Signora's anger subsided.
"The plan to collect the Gnosis is beginning. We need the power to oppose Celestia. The Jester has ordered you to accompany me to Mondstadt to retrieve the Anemo Archon's Gnosis."
Acquiring the Gnosis of the Seven was a long-meditated scheme of the Fatui, perhaps their most crucial operation. If necessary, they would abandon all other preparations to secure them at any cost.
"You even covet the remains of others? Ugh, how disgusting."
Signora caught the unconcealed disgust in Su Ran's expression, yet she was powerless to change the reality. The Gnosis were, after all, the remains of the Third Descender, containing her power. Merely relying on Teyvat's local strength would never be enough to defy the Heavenly Principles; the original Elemental Dragons had already proven that. They had to crave power from beyond this world, for it was the only path to challenging Celestia.
"You know nothing of the Heavenly Principles!"
Even if they gathered all the Gnosis, they were not guaranteed to defeat Celestia. It was, at best, a desperate gamble with slim chances of survival. A Gnosis was merely a remnant, and no matter how potent its power, it was still just a scrap left behind by the Third Descender—a loser in the grand scheme. To the other Archons, the Gnosis were trivial objects that offered no real enhancement to their own strength. Yet, for the Fatui, they were their only means. Aside from these, they could only rely on the Khaenri'ah technology brought by the Jester, as well as the talents of Dottore and Sandrone. Those two were the only members of the Fatui capable of scientific research to bolster Snezhnaya's military might. Now, however, there was Su Ran, though he had yet to produce anything that provided a qualitative leap for their nation.
"And you know nothing of me."
Su Ran sighed, brushing the hair of the small puppet in his hands. "If I had the interest, I could spend a little time advancing Snezhnaya's technology by thousands of years."
Even without extra inspiration, he could at least bring Snezhnaya's development to the level of a modern spacefaring civilization.
"Do you think I am so easily fooled?"
Advancing their technology by thousands of years? What a joke. Snezhnaya had only existed as a nation for a few thousand years. If Su Ran were truly that capable, would he be acting as a mere Harbinger? He would have set his sights on becoming a god himself.
"Hmph, ignorant fool. How could someone like you understand the members of the Genius Society?"
The puppet named Sandrone put down her book, her face etched with mockery. "My very existence is the most direct proof of his formidable talent!"
She spoke with shameless narcissism. How truly identical, Signora thought, impressed by the puppet's ego. It was no wonder she was crafted after the original; the narcissism and arrogance were captured perfectly.
"I have no interest in continuing this tedious conversation. I depart for Mondstadt in three days. Are you coming or not?"
As a Harbinger of a lower rank, Signora had no authority to command Su Ran. She was merely here to inquire. If he came, they would travel together; if not, she would go alone. The mission to obtain the Anemo Gnosis was not particularly difficult, anyway. As for that cowardly Anemo Archon, she feared him not, even alone.
"Three days? I'm not particularly interested in Mondstadt, but I suppose going for a stroll is fine. Everyone here keeps themselves so bundled up every day."
Compared to his research, the so-called Gnosis was hardly worth a mention. Still, he hadn't seen people in quite some time, and it might be a pleasant change to interact with the inhabitants of other nations. After all, before he crossed over, Genshin Impact had been one of his favorite games. Getting to meet the characters inside was, in a way, a wish fulfilled.
Just then, his phone pinged. Su Ran flipped through the latest messages, feeling quite satisfied with the few new reaction stickers he had acquired.
"Since you've agreed, my purpose for coming here is satisfied."
There was no need for her to remain. Signora glanced at the various armed puppets surrounding them. "If they ever find out you've made these little toys, they'll probably all come looking for an explanation."
Direct imitations of their personas, complete with matching personalities—only the appearance was a bit cuter.
"It's fine. I don't think they'd mind, especially since you didn't have much of an issue with it yourself."
In Su Ran's experience, only Signora had a truly foul temper. The other puppet, who also wasn't exactly pleasant, was generally uninterested in the outside world. But looking at her now, she didn't seem to mind; in fact, she seemed rather fond of the puppets. There was even less need to worry about the others.
"Remember to depart in three days!"
Signora left without looking back.
"Little Rosalyne, see her out."
Having acted with exceptional grace since the arrival of the guest, the puppet Rosalyne stood up, ready to escort Signora away. Outside the room, another visitor remained. She was currently frustrated by the identification system on the door, having been stuck for quite some time.
"Identification failed. Please display an expression of sadness bordering on tears to verify."
The device on the gate made its demand once more. The young girl outside tilted her head in thought, then promptly mimicked the requested expression.