Tartaglia stared at the white-haired youth before him, shocked that the latter had so effortlessly blocked his attack.
The fighting spirit within him was instantly ignited.
To think he'd encounter such a skilled opponent here.
"How interesting."
Childe was eager for a match, ready to test his strength against this foe.
But the other party didn't seem to be looking at him—rather, his gaze was fixed on the blond-haired girl behind him.
Mu Yang, of course, was looking at Lumine.
The moment he confirmed that she had seen him, he left the Rite of Descension.
First, to mislead the players into thinking he was the one behind the incident.
Second, to ambush Tartaglia in advance and disrupt his grand entrance.
Two handsome men fighting over Lumine?
Whether the players liked it or not, Mu Yang was determined to put on this show.
Almost simultaneously, Mu Yang and Tartaglia spoke:
Mu Yang/Tartaglia: "You two, go ahead."
Mu Yang/Tartaglia: "Hm?"
Lumine: "Huh?"
Guinaifen's Livestream
When Tartaglia appeared to save the day, the audience was first struck by his looks.
"Wow, another handsome guy coming to the rescue!"
"The Traveler's so lucky~"
[Is this another new character?]
[That slender waist—I'm obsessed, hnngh~]
[Husband, please 'smash' me!]
[Hot hot hot hot hot!]
[Why shoot the Millelith with hydro arrows? Shoot me instead!]
[Those water arrows got me all wet~]
Guinaifen stared at the barrage of unhinged comments, too exhausted to react.
"Chill out, folks! The mods are twitchy little virgins—don't get my account banned!"
"Sure, he's hot, but I still prefer my Mu Yang."
Just as she thought this new character's heroic entrance would lead to fresh plot developments—
Mu Yang suddenly flew in from nowhere, blocking Tartaglia's attack with one hand.
Then, the two of them spoke in unison, telling Lumine to leave.
This scene instantly set the chat ablaze.
[WTF?! Mu Yang's here too?!]
[Mu Yang's the real culprit, right? Yet he's still looking out for the Traveler… I'm gonna cry.]
[How many factions are there? I'm so confused.]
Guinaifen sucked in a sharp breath.
Honestly, she wasn't great at analyzing the plot either.
But she blindly trusted Mu Yang.
"This new guy's obviously shady! Mu Yang must've seen through him!"
"Yeah, that's gotta be it. Go beat him up, Mu Yang!"
[Little Gui's gone full simp. What kind of 'plot analysis' is this?]
[Two hot guys fighting over me… am I dreaming?]
[Stop fighting! If you wanna fight, do it on my bed!]
[I like both… this is so hard to choose!]
[My advice? Take the blue pill.]
[Host, don't leave! They're fighting over us!]
Guinaifen was speechless.
"Look, I get it, okay? I'd love it if Mu Yang fought for me too."
"But this is an animation! It's not like I can control it!"
Lumine hesitated.
"Huh?"
The situation was too chaotic—she didn't know who to trust.
Maybe she couldn't trust either of them.
But since they both told her to leave, she might as well take the chance to escape.
She'd figure things out once she was safe.
With that thought, she sheathed her Dull Blade and exchanged a glance with Paimon.
The two vaulted over the railing behind them and made a swift getaway.
Seeing Lumine leave, Mu Yang had achieved his goal.
He sheathed his sword, ready to make his exit.
But Tartaglia wasn't about to let him go.
"A black-clad, white-haired swordsman…"
Tartaglia muttered under his breath.
"So it's you."
"'The Fair Lady' spoke highly of you."
"Perfect. Let's have a little spar!"
He assumed a combat stance, eager to cross blades with Mu Yang.
Though he couldn't gauge Mu Yang's strength, that single parry earlier proved he was worth fighting.
The original plan was already derailed—might as well enjoy himself.
Before the Millelith reinforcements arrived, even just a couple of exchanges would suffice.
Mu Yang, however, had no interest in fighting.
I'm not a battle junkie. Why waste energy on pointless clashes?
He stowed his weapon, glided past Tartaglia with his lightfoot technique, and vanished onto the rooftops.
Left standing alone, Tartaglia's mood soured.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
So what if Mu Yang refused to fight him?
But what was that line he dropped while passing by?
"The Eleventh Harbinger is too weak to challenge me"?
Tartaglia gritted his teeth.
"Oh-ho-ho, just you wait!"
By now, the disarmed Millelith had regrouped, and reinforcements arrived from above.
Tartaglia summoned a hydro smokescreen and slipped away.
Meanwhile, Lumine and Paimon fled into the streets after vaulting the railing.
The citizens remained unaware of the chaos, and news hadn't yet spread among the Millelith, who were still rushing toward Yujing Terrace.
Lumine walked calmly, pretending nothing was wrong.
Paimon, however, panted heavily, unable to match her composure.
"Huff… huff… That was exhausting…"
Lumine rolled her eyes.
"I was the one running. Which 'muscles' does magical flying even use?"
Paimon retorted, "My phantom limbs were running super hard!"
[LMAO, 'phantom limbs'?!]
[Paimon wasn't even running—she just floated down!]
[🎵 I'll play along with your performance…]
After their bickering, they still had to figure out their next move.
Paimon asked, "Lumine, what do we do now?"
"Stay calm. Let's get out of the city first."
Just then, a woman in formal attire blocked their path.
"Miss, please come with me. My superior wishes to speak with you."
Lumine stared coldly, waiting for an explanation.
The woman continued, "It's the one who helped you earlier."
"He has a way to get you out of this predicament."
Lumine asked, "Mu Yang?"
"No, the other one."
Lumine and Paimon exchanged glances.
They didn't know that guy.
But he had helped them.
And if he'd already escaped, what about Mu Yang?
Lumine was worried.
Whether this was a trap or not, it was still a lead.
She needed to verify Mu Yang's safety.
"Lead the way."
They followed the woman upstairs, took a small detour, and arrived at a storefront.
Paimon glanced at the sign.
"Northland Bank?"
"Correct. Please come in. My superior will arrive shortly."
Lumine entered the bank and was escorted to a luxurious private room.
Before long, Tartaglia walked in.
"Apologies for the wait."
"You may call me 'Childe.'"
[What kind of weird name is that? Trying to act superior?]
[Lord Childe, I am your humble servant~]
[This old servant shall retreat… and with this retreat…]
['Childe' is probably a codename, like 'the Fair Lady.']
Paimon puffed her cheeks.
"What's that supposed to mean? Are we your servants or something?"
Tartaglia sat across from Lumine and chuckled.
"Haha, no, not at all."
"A 'name' is just a label."
"For example… you've already met 'the Fair Lady' in Mondstadt, right?"
Lumine immediately stood, ready to fight.
"Fatui?!"
Her impression of the Fatui was terrible.
They'd caused her nothing but trouble and even bullied Venti right in front of her.
What were they planning now?
Tartaglia raised his hands in a placating gesture.
"Relax, I'm not here to fight."
"The Fair Lady left you with a bad impression, didn't she?"
He shook his head, making it clear he disliked her too.
"Well, let's just forget about that woman's actions for now!"
"I'm here to help you."
Even after his explanation, Lumine remained on guard, still in a combat stance.
"Help? I don't need the Fatui's help."