"Feng Yi, you don't understand this, do you? I'm speaking in Inazuman dialect. When this child returns to Tartaglia, he'll definitely think the kidnapper was from Inazuma and won't suspect us..."
Paimon's plan to shift the blame was brilliant. She'd get the money for herself and transfer the risk elsewhere. Feng Yi had never realized Paimon had such a talent before.
"Brother, sister, my name is Tock! Tock came from the faraway Snezhnaya to find my brother in Liyue, but Tock is alone and doesn't know where my brother is..."
"YoXi, you, you are from Snezhnaya, don't worry, we'll handle finding your brother for you!"
Paimon chuckled, like a big gray wolf wagging its tail. The abacus beads almost flew into Feng Yi's face.
"Hooray, hooray! Oh, right, at times like this... here, take this!"
Tock suddenly thought of something and took out a bag, handing it to Paimon.
"Hm? What is this... it's heavy... Wow, so much Mora?!"
"My brother told me to carry this with me. He said if I give this to good people, good people will be good to Tock."
"YoXi, YoXi, we are very good people, and you are a very good citizen!"
Paimon, clutching the heavy bag of Mora, grinned from ear to ear.
She seemed to understand why this child had managed to reach Liyue smoothly. Truly worthy of being Tartaglia's brother; Mora paved the way, allowing him to travel unimpeded.
However, after receiving so much Mora, Paimon suddenly felt a little guilty about kidnapping the child.
No matter what, Tock was innocent. If anyone was to be held accountable, it should be Tartaglia!
"Waaah, really! Thank you, good brother and sister, let's pinky swear!
'Pinky swear, pinky swear, never change. If you change, I'll throw you to the ice floes, where it's cold, the snow plains are frigid, and liars' tongues will freeze solid!'"
Paimon: What a cruel nursery rhyme with a distinctly Snezhnayan flavor...
If Tartaglia knew she had kidnapped Tock, would he throw her onto the Great Snezhnayan Glacier to plant potatoes?
Wouldn't that be freezing to death?
Just thinking about it sent a shiver down Paimon's spine.
For some reason, the idea of kidnapping suddenly weakened considerably.
Paimon: It's absolutely not because I'm scared!
But where could she find Tartaglia? Didn't Tartaglia return to Snezhnaya with the Eleventh Harbinger, "La Signora," a couple of days ago to report to the Cryo Archon?
It was just bad timing, Tock arriving in Liyue at the same time. It was too coincidental.
There was no other choice but to go to the Northland Bank first and see if there was any way to contact Tartaglia.
In front of the Northland Bank, as Paimon and the others were about to knock and enter, they suddenly heard the sounds of an argument from inside.
Why was it like this again? Paimon couldn't help but press her ear to the door, trying to eavesdrop.
"This isn't appropriate, Executive... How could you..."
"It's just this once, it's fine, it's fine!"
Paimon recognized the voice immediately. It was Tartaglia's.
But wasn't Tartaglia supposed to have returned to Snezhnaya? Why was he back?
"Brother, sister, it's brother's voice, brother, brother!"
Tock was overjoyed and couldn't wait to push the door open.
"Ah, this voice is... Tock! My goodness, it's Tock!"
Tartaglia's eyes widened upon hearing the familiar voice. Seeing Tock push the door open, he could hardly believe it was real.
"Hahaha... Is this a surprise you prepared for me, Tock? I thought I wouldn't see you until I returned to Snezhnaya... How are your sister Tonya and your brother Anton? Are they doing well?"
"They miss you very much. Sister Tonya prays every night before dinner for your safety..."
"Wait, that's not right, Tock! How did you get to Liyue? I didn't receive any news..."
Tartaglia suddenly realized this. If he hadn't coincidentally returned to Liyue midway due to something, wouldn't he have missed this entirely?
"Um, well... I saw a ship that looked like it was selling toys, and I thought you were on it... After getting off the ship, I walked and walked, then I met a One-Eyed Golem. The One-Eyed Golem chased away a bad guy, and then I followed good brother and sister here."
Tock: What an thrilling and bizarre adventure!
"This is too dangerous, Tock. I'm indeed very happy to see you, but promise me, you won't do such risky things again in the future."
Tartaglia was glad Tock had met Feng Yi. If he had met a bad person, he might have been tricked out of everything.
"Um... Tock understands, brother, please don't be angry with me..."
"Brother isn't angry, I'm just worried about you. If you hadn't met these people, Tock might have been in danger. Did you thank them properly?"
"Yes! Tock is very polite!"
"Finally noticed us, 'Childe' brother?"
Paimon: Stare~
However, considering the bag of Mora Tock gave her, Paimon wouldn't dwell on it too much.
"Hahahaha, I'm truly sorry. Conversations with family should always come first. Please understand. Also, although we've had some adversarial experiences before, putting aside our differing stances, haven't we gotten along quite well?"
Family was one of Tartaglia's few weaknesses. If anyone dared to bully his family, he would absolutely throw that person onto the Great Snezhnayan Glacier to dig potatoes for a lifetime!
"You still have the nerve to say that..."
Paimon rolled her eyes. She had felt a bit guilty about extorting Tartaglia earlier, but now she felt completely at ease about it.
"Haha, regarding 'that matter,' we were all merely pawns. As for the outcome of the game and the work of clearing the board, let those who are playing the game handle it. What I truly care about is only the true outcome of our battle."
"What, you want to lose again?"
Paimon asked with her hands on her hips. Although she hadn't been the one to win, she had faith in Lumine's strength. If she could defeat Tartaglia once, she could defeat him 12,581 times!
"Ha, I am Tartaglia, who grows stronger every second. Be prepared for a tough fight next time!"
Tartaglia declared that he was not the same person he was a few days ago.
He did cardio training every day, and now he could definitely last a few more seconds than before.
But he would let this go for now. With Tock present, fighting would set a bad example for the child.
Next time, he would challenge Feng Yi as well!
Feng Yi: Tartaglia, you're quite brave, aren't you?
Tartaglia: What are you kidding me? I'm super brave!