"Hmm, I agree with that as well," Zhongli said with his usual calm expression, sipping his tea slowly without refuting Yun Fan's words.
'Ugh, boring,' Yun Fan thought, curling his lips slightly.
"Hahaha, then I'll take your words to heart," Tartaglia laughed heartily, then picked up the bell placed nearby.
Ding...
The bell rang, and soon after, a servant dressed in formal attire knocked on the door and entered, bowing respectfully to the three. "Gentlemen, how may I assist you?"
"Listen carefully. Today's expenses will all be charged to the Northland Bank. Also, bring us a few more bottles of Snezhnayan liquor. I want to drink with these two brothers until we drop," Tartaglia said, his eyes glinting with a hidden sharpness as he spoke.
With the Rite of Descension approaching, Zhongli, as a consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, must already know the location of the Exuvia. Today, he planned to get them drunk and see if he could extract any information.
As for whether he could get them drunk, ha! He was from Snezhnaya—how could his alcohol tolerance be weak?
"Thoughtful of you," Yun Fan narrowed his eyes slightly, noticing Tartaglia's little scheme. However, there was no need to expose it.
Tartaglia's plan was doomed to fail. Not only was Zhongli as unyielding as stone, but Yun Fan, born in the land of Qilu, had an alcohol tolerance far beyond ordinary people. And now, having transcended mortal limits, he was even more formidable.
"Come, gentlemen, I'll drink first to show my respect!" Tartaglia raised his glass and downed it in one go.
Hiss, this liquor is strong! It's been a while since I've had something like this. Tartaglia's face immediately turned red. This was definitely authentic Snezhnayan liquor—smooth on the palate but fiery down the throat.
"Cheers," Yun Fan and Zhongli also raised their glasses and drank, their expressions unchanged.
"Hmm?" Tartaglia was puzzled. Were they drinking fake liquor? But no, it came from the same bottle.
"Mr. Tartaglia, I'll toast you as well," Yun Fan said, picking up his glass after the servant refilled their cups.
"Mr. Yun Fan, please."
Gulp—
Another glass down, and Tartaglia's face turned even redder. Seeing Yun Fan still unaffected, Tartaglia felt a sinking feeling in his heart. It seemed he had met his match this time.
The servant refilled their glasses again and again, and the three drank cup after cup. Outside, the sun rose and set, and before they knew it, they had been drinking from noon until evening.
The table was now a mess, with empty plates and scattered cups. The servant who had been pouring the wine looked at the three with a mix of fear and astonishment. These men were like Adeptus when it came to drinking. His hand was trembling from pouring so much wine, yet apart from the Northland Bank representative, the other two showed no signs of being affected.
"I, Tartaglia, am... am Snezhnaya's... best toy salesman!!" Tartaglia suddenly slammed the table and stood up, pointing at the ceiling.
Pfft— Yun Fan spat out his drink. Tartaglia's drunken antics were something else. He had to record this. With that thought, he quickly dismissed the servant and secretly pulled out his camera, snapping a close-up of Tartaglia.
"La la la..." The drunken Tartaglia didn't notice Yun Fan's actions and began humming a folk song from his homeland: "Brave child, fear not the storm..." As he sang, he even started dancing a Snezhnayan war dance, his behavior utterly shattering any sense of dignity.
"Hahaha... I can't, this is too much!" Yun Fan clutched his stomach, laughing uncontrollably while pounding his knee with his other hand.
"..." Zhongli was speechless. He had also noticed Tartaglia's plan earlier and had intended to feign drunkenness to reveal the location of the Exuvia. But Yun Fan had turned the tables and ended up getting Tartaglia drunk instead.
"Hahaha, let's call it a day. We'll take him back to the Northland Bank," Yun Fan said, appearing behind Tartaglia in a flash. With a swift chop to the neck, the lively Tartaglia's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious.
"Your turn."
Zhongli's vision darkened as he instinctively reached out to catch what Yun Fan had thrown at him. When he looked down, his mouth twitched.
What he had caught was none other than the unconscious Tartaglia.
"Sigh..." Zhongli could only sigh helplessly and hoist Tartaglia onto his shoulder. After all, Tartaglia had been his wallet for so long. This was just a small way to repay him.
...…
The next morning
"What happened to me?" Tartaglia sat up in bed, rubbing his temples. He felt dizzy and uncomfortable, with a dull ache at the back of his neck.
"This is... the Northland Bank. Last night... I was drinking with Zhongli and the others. How did I get back?" Tartaglia frowned, trying to recall the events of the previous night. Unfortunately, he couldn't remember anything.
"Someone!" Tartaglia called out.
"Lord Tartaglia, you're awake," a man dressed as an ordinary Snezhnayan merchant entered within moments, bowing respectfully to Tartaglia.
"How did I get back last night?"
"Well... you were carried back by Mr. Zhongli," Andrei hesitated but answered truthfully.
"Carried back?!" Tartaglia was stunned. Did that mean everyone saw him like that? How could he ever show his face again?
"Sigh, you may leave," Tartaglia waved his hand, signaling Andrei to leave. He just wanted some peace and quiet.
"My lord, there's one more thing to report."
"What is it?"
"My lord, when Mr. Zhongli left after bringing you back, he mentioned the Exuvia to the person with him. I overheard them saying that the Exuvia is currently stored in the Golden House by the Qixing," Andrei said quickly, not daring to delay.
"Is that true?!" Tartaglia's demeanor instantly sharpened.
"I wouldn't dare lie!"
"Hahaha, truly, 'after searching high and low, the answer comes effortlessly.' Andrei, you've done well. Hahaha..."
———
Clang, clang, clang...
On the slopes of Mt. Aocang, Lumine was hacking away at a piece of Cor Lapis with her Dull Blade. Her movements were skilled, and within a couple of minutes, she had dug it out completely.
"Traveler, with these Cor Lapis, even without Yun Fan, we can live comfortably!" Paimon rubbed her hands together excitedly, her eyes turning into Mora symbols.
"Alright, this is the last one. We need to go find Cloud Retainer now," Lumine said seriously, looking at Paimon. Digging for Cor Lapis had taken up a lot of their time.
"Mm-hmm, Paimon understands," Paimon nodded repeatedly, showing she got the message.
"Good."
As the two were talking, a cold voice interrupted their conversation.
"What are you two doing here?"