Qiu Bai followed Lumine's lead, arriving outside the Golden House.
The atmosphere was eerily unsettling. The Qianyan Army soldiers stationed outside lay motionless on the ground.
"Hurry... go inside the Golden House..."
"Someone is tampering with the Immortal Ancestor's Dharma Transformation...!"
A soldier suddenly rasped out, his weak voice startling Lumine and Paimon.
Then, just as abruptly, he collapsed again, unmoving.
Qiu Bai furrowed his brows.
With a wave of his hand, a soft white light emanated from his palm, spreading to the fallen soldiers around him.
"It looks like Childe hasn't been here for long either."
"We need to get inside, now!"
Paimon glanced at the unconscious Qianyan soldiers, then turned to Qiu Bai and Lumine urgently.
Qiu Bai nodded. Without hesitation, he led Lumine and Paimon through the doors.
...
Pushing open the doors to the Golden House, the first sight that greeted them was an endless expanse of Mora, scattered across the floor like grains of sand.
The air was warm, and the lavish surroundings resembled the grand palace of an emperor. Rows of ancient golden lanterns illuminated the space.
Several more Qianyan soldiers lay unconscious on the ground.
And at the very heart of the grand hall—
Rested the immortal remains of the Geo Archon, the Immortal Ancestor's Dharma Transformation.
"Whoa! So this is the Golden House!"
"It already looked impressive from the outside, but the inside is even more extravagant—there's Mora everywhere!"
Paimon floated forward, eyes sparkling as she admired the mounds of gold surrounding them.
"If all of this belonged to Paimon..."
"She'd never have to worry about food or money ever again!"
Lost in her fantasies, Paimon stomped her feet excitedly.
Lumine, unimpressed, cast her a sidelong glance.
"Paimon, did you already forget why we're here?"
Hands on her hips, she sighed in exasperation.
"Geez, why so serious?"
"I mean, if all the Mora in Teyvat is produced here, then taking just a little bit wouldn't make a difference, right?"
Paimon huffed, clearly unhappy with Lumine's scolding.
"If it were that simple, this place would've been ransacked ages ago, little Paimon."
Qiu Bai chuckled at the floating creature's antics and reached out to ruffle her hair.
After all, there was no way these Mora would just be left lying around like this. That alone was enough to be suspicious.
"So it's a baited trap... That was close! Good thing Qiu Bai reminded me."
Hearing his words, Paimon thought about it again. She wasn't completely clueless, after all.
"Well, if we can't take it, at least looking shouldn't hurt, right?"
"In fact, if Paimon could, she'd love to take a nap right on top of that giant pile of Mora! Bet it'd be the best sleep ever!"
Paimon twirled around, eyeing the glittering treasure around her before turning to Lumine and Qiu Bai with a bright grin.
Lumine, however, wasn't amused.
"We should focus on checking the state of the Immortal Ancestor's Dharma Transformation first."
"The Qianyan soldiers around us... their condition doesn't look good."
She scanned the fallen soldiers, brows furrowed in concern.
"Right, right! We have more important things to deal with."
With that, the three of them made their way toward the remains of the Geo Archon.
...
"I've never taken a good look at this thing before..."
"I didn't expect it to be this small."
Qiu Bai muttered as he studied the body of Morax—merely a lifeless shell. Stroking his chin, he contemplated the strange sight before him.
"But... it looks like someone familiar is approaching."
Turning around, Qiu Bai directed his gaze toward the staircase at the far end of the chamber.
At that moment, a familiar voice echoed throughout the grand hall.
"As guides, your mission should have already ended."
"So why do you insist on making trouble for yourselves?"
Lumine and Paimon immediately turned, eyes widening in confusion.
"Who's there?!"
Lumine swiftly drew her Six-Star Nameless Sword.
At the same time, Qiu Bai summoned his Ten-Star Yin-Yang Chaos Blade, keeping his divine power suppressed to near nothingness. He had to be careful—one wrong move, and he might accidentally kill the man approaching.
A duck-headed figure—no, a brown-haired man slowly emerged from the shadows.
There was no mistaking him.
Fatui Harbinger—Childe, Tartaglia.
"If you were Fatui, perhaps you'd earn a handsome reward from Her Majesty the Tsaritsa."
"But right now, you're nothing more than—"
"Worthless... nuisances."
Childe's sharp gaze had already settled on Qiu Bai.
"It's not too late to stop you!"
Lumine gripped her sword tightly, her gaze locked onto Childe.
"Hmph. The Liyue Qixing must have paid a hefty price to hide the Immortal Ancestor's Dharma Transformation—
Even at the cost of halting Mora production."
"But now, trying to stop me?"
"Don't you think it's a little too late for that?"
Childe smirked, glancing between the three people in front of him before shifting his gaze to Qiu Bai.
"...I didn't expect to see you here as well, Mr. Qiu Bai."
"Normally, I don't enjoy fighting my business partners—"
"But for the Heart of God within Morax's remains... I'm afraid I'll have to make an exception."
Childe's eyes burned with anticipation as he watched Qiu Bai, who stood unshaken, gripping his black-and-white sword.
"So you really are after the Heart of God hidden within the Immortal Ancestor's remains!"
Paimon gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
"That's— that's blasphemy!"
"As the Eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers, I carry out the will of the Tsaritsa."
"If Her Majesty desires something, we take it."
Qiu Bai nodded slightly.
So, Childe was still loyal. A rare, competent subordinate.
Unlike certain other Harbingers—Scaramouche had run off, and the Doctor refused to obey orders.
Qiu Bai's mouth twitched at the thought. Just what was the Cryo Archon thinking?
"We won't let you get anywhere near the Immortal Ancestor's Dharma Transformation."
Lumine's grip tightened on her sword, her stance unwavering.
Childe only chuckled.
"The question isn't who will let me—"
"But rather, who can stop me?"
"The time for deals and schemes is over."
"Personally, I find such petty tactics irritating, but for the Tsaritsa's sake, I endured them."
His gaze swept over the three before him.
"But now..."
"It's time for something much simpler—
Something truly enjoyable."
"...A fight!"
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
"A fight? So you're the type who just likes to brawl?"
Paimon tilted her head, baffled by his enthusiasm.
Childe turned to her, a smirk playing on his lips.
"In Mondstadt, La Signora offended the gods outside the Cathedral. Once she got what she came for, she fled without a second thought."
"She'd rather freeze her enemies in place than engage in a direct battle—because a drawn-out fight would have attracted the Knights of Favonius."
"When facing a strong opponent, she only calculates risks, weighs the outcome, and considers the consequences of her actions."
Childe explained leisurely, confident in his own strength.
"Pfft—"
Qiu Bai suddenly let out a chuckle.
Childe frowned, glancing at him in confusion.
What was so funny?
If La Signora had really been that calculating, she wouldn't have ended up as a pile of ashes at Raiden Shogun's feet.
"Ah, it's nothing, nothing. Keep going with your lines, Childe."
"I just thought of something amusing."
Qiu Bai waved a hand dismissively, suppressing his laughter.
Childe stared at him, feeling a strange sense of irritation—was he being mocked?
"Tch. Whatever. I won't kill you."
"But let's enjoy this fight together."
"If you want to play—"
"Then don't disappoint me!"