Liyue, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Zhongli had nothing much to do today, so he quietly observed the chat group.
He had already prepared for retirement and wanted to finish his final duties properly.
Seeing Venti getting into trouble in the video, Zhongli rarely showed a faint smile.
It reminded him of the past—when Venti used to imitate his handwriting to trick people.
"So… you also have a day like this."
Recently, there had been a strange rumor—
That the four Archons together couldn't even gather one Mora.
Completely ridiculous.
He didn't know about the others, but as the Geo Archon—the creator of Mora—how could he lack money?
He just chose not to use it.
At that moment, Hu Tao stormed in.
Bang!
She slammed a paper onto Zhongli's desk.
Zhongli looked down.
A bill.
"Consultant Zhongli, why are there so many extra expenses this month?"
Hu Tao looked at him with suspicion—and a bit of grievance.
She had been happily eating hotpot earlier—
And suddenly got handed a pile of bills.
That feeling…
Unbearable.
She worked so hard to grow the business—
And Zhongli was quietly spending Mora and charging it to the parlor.
She needed an explanation.
Meanwhile, in the chat—
[Bennett]: After watching that video, I can't look at the word "best friend" the same way again.
[Cao Zhong]: @Bennett, don't worry—we're not like that normally.
Kaeya: Exactly. That video must be fake.
[Venti]: Right. True friendship is deep and noble.
Diluc: Hearing that from you three makes it sound worse.
[Cao Zhong]: What do you mean by that?
Kaeya: Pure jealousy.
[Venti]: @Diluc, how can two brothers raised together turn out so different?
At the Northland Bank—
Tartaglia watched the video and became even more confident.
Especially Cao Zhong—
He was active everywhere in the chat and clearly influential.
A perfect target for recruitment.
So Tartaglia spoke—
[Tartaglia]: Ah, your friendship moved me to tears.
Xingqiu: Does anyone actually believe that?
Barbara: I don't understand how you define friendship.
[Cao Zhong]: Being nice for no reason is suspicious. Tartaglia, you don't seem trustworthy.
[Tartaglia]: You misunderstand. I just want to be friends. And my name is Tartaglia, not something else.
[Cao Zhong]: Want to be friends? First, show some sincerity.
Tartaglia sighed internally.
For the sake of his mission, he sent another red envelope.
"User 'Tartaglia' sent a red envelope to 'Cao Zhong'."
"User 'Cao Zhong' accepted."
[Cao Zhong]: I acknowledge your strength. From now on, you're our fourth brother.
[Tartaglia]: Understood, big brother.
Kaeya: @Tartaglia, what about me? Where's my share?
[Venti]: @Tartaglia, what about me?
Tartaglia clenched his teeth.
"These guys are like dogs—smelling money and coming instantly…"
Reluctantly, he sent two more red envelopes.
"At least it's not my money…"
"User 'Tartaglia' sent red envelopes to 'Kaeya' and 'Venti'."
They accepted instantly.
Kaeya: Not bad. You've got potential.
[Venti]: If you ever come to Mondstadt, I'll protect you!
Barbara: This is too much! He's a Fatui Harbinger!
Tartaglia looked at them and felt slightly amused.
"So easy…"
Then he replied—
[Tartaglia]: Miss Barbara, you misunderstand. I simply admire their character and want to be friends.
[Ayato]: I'd rather believe the Fatui are a charity.
[Cao Zhong]: What do you mean by that?
Kaeya: We're not people who chase money.
At that moment—
"New video is about to play…"
Hu Tao: Haha, this is going to be good.
Barbara: You're all doomed.
Xingqiu: Shocking! One sentence triggers a new video—what's really going on?