“Mm, see you tonight then.”
Columbina stood up, her skirt tracing a light arc.
As she walked toward the door, she looked back once more.
Sandrone turned her head back toward the workbench, fiddling nonchalantly with her equipment, though the fluster on her face had not yet completely faded.
Seeing Sandrone’s embarrassed state, Columbina smiled lightly.
She gently pulled the door shut.
Only when the laboratory returned to its usual quiet did Sandrone stop her meaningless motions, looking at the empty porcelain plate and pursing her lips.
She was right.
Eating something sweet really did help relax her mood.
But now, she was going to catch up on sleep.
After leaving Sandrone’s laboratory…
Columbina’s mind was still replaying the draft papers covered with her name crossed out, as well as Sandrone’s stubborn refusal to admit it.
The corners of her lips curved up unconsciously.
[Sandrone seems to feel pretty good about her.]
[At least Arlecchino and the others should temporarily believe that I am Columbina.]
[So the biggest problem right now is earning system coins first.]
Columbina unlocked her phone screen.
She glanced at the dazzling array of goods in the system shop.
When looking at a certain special medicine, she paused for a moment.
[Potent Blood Glucose Recovery Reagent (10 System Coins per vial)]
[Effect: After injection, restores 5 hunger points per second until reaching 80 hunger points, and will not decrease for half an hour.]
[Good stuff.
At least with this, I won’t starve to death.]
However, Columbina looked again at her wallet, which had become empty because she bought candies for the children.
Disappointment returned to her face.
[Looks like I can only look forward to the quest to duel Tartaglia.]
The reason Columbina agreed to Tartaglia’s duel was partly because she wanted to see how strong she really was, and partly because her quest list happened to have the quest to defeat “Childe.”
Isn’t this a piece of cake for her?
And so, with light steps, she set off on the path to the training grounds.
Before she even drew near, the sound of weapons cutting through the air reached her ears.
In the center of the training ground, the orange-haired youth moved like lightning, his water dual blades dancing in his hands to form a brilliant curtain of light.
With the composure of a battle-tested veteran, Tartaglia joined his dual blades into a polearm, striking a massive boulder in front of him and shattering it to pieces.
He notched an arrow and drew the bow; with a whistle through the air, the arrowhead accurately struck the flying fragments of rock.
“Clap, clap, clap!”
Just as Tartaglia finished this round of training, a cool girl in a white dress appeared in his line of sight, clapping her hands.
“Nice work, Tartaglia.”
Her ethereal voice was not loud, yet it fell clearly into the ears of everyone present.
Tartaglia looked toward the source of the voice, and upon seeing “girl,” a bright smile spread across his face.
He stowed his weapons and walked over to Columbina.
“Yo, Columbina, what a rare guest,” he laughed.
“So, did you come to stretch your muscles with me?”
Tartaglia rubbed his hands together, his face full of fighting spirit.
Ever since he suffered a defeat at the hands of the Traveler in Liyue last time, he had increased his daily training, all to reclaim his honor when he met the Traveler again someday.
And this time, the 3rd Harbinger Columbina agreeing to his challenge was undoubtedly a golden opportunity to test the results of his intense training over the past days.
Columbina looked at him and offered a friendly smile.
[As expected, Tartaglia has a near-obsessive love for battle, just like the rumors say.]
[However, for the sake of his future, I’d better not hold back.]
“Of course, but before I duel you, may I ask you a question?” Columbina looked at him earnestly.
“Ask me?” Tartaglia raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, but soon said enthusiastically, “No problem.
As long as I know, I’ll definitely tell you—whether it’s life experience or combat techniques, I can give you some advice.”
“To you, what is family?” Columbina asked directly.
“Family?” He repeated the word, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes.
“Why are you asking this suddenly?” He scratched his head.
“Are you dissatisfied with anything about the Fatui?”
“No, everyone in the Fatui is very nice,” Columbina shook her head.
“I just care about this.”
Although Arlecchino said that she, Sandrone, and herself were friends, she also faintly remembered the Tsaritsa promising her that this was her home.
So she really wanted to know: what was the difference between family and friends, after all?
Tartaglia leaned against a nearby weapon rack, arms crossed, narrowing his eyes at his mysterious colleague, seemingly giving her question serious thought.
“For me, family is something you’ll fight with everything you’ve got to protect,” he smiled.
“Every time I go home and see the smiles on my younger siblings’ faces, an indescribable happiness wells up from the bottom of my heart.
Columbina took two steps forward, looking out toward the vast snowy expanse beyond the training grounds.
[So this is what family is?]
Inside the body of this girl, she could see that she had been all alone ever since her birth.
The clansmen of the Children of the Frost Moon worshipped her like a deity, greedily demanding wishes from her.
She couldn’t feel the feeling of home there.
Here, she was ostracized by everyone due to her special identity, and only Sandrone was willing to accept her.
Later, as Arlecchino and Rosalyne joined, she finally felt the warmth of home.
[Columbina, it must have been really hard on you all these years.]
Columbina softly said to herself in her heart.
“Mm.
Thank you for your answer.” Columbina nodded slightly, raised her eyes to look at the orange-haired youth in front of her, and spoke calmly, “So, Tartaglia, let’s continue.”
She made a gesture inviting him to start.
“Columbina, I hope you won’t disappoint me.” Tartaglia picked up his weapon and stepped onto the arena ring.
For some reason, seeing Tartaglia’s confident look, Columbina suddenly felt a bit reluctant.
“So, Tartaglia, don’t you need to use your Foul Legacy?” Columbina leaped onto the stage lightly like a little dove.
“Hahaha,” Tartaglia laughed heartily.
“It’s just a spar, there’s no need to use an external power like that.”
[Mm, makes sense.
After all, in the future, others might not necessarily give him the chance to unleash his Foul Legacy anyway.]
Columbina nodded in agreement.
“Let’s begin.”
As soon as Tartaglia finished speaking, Columbina’s figure suddenly vanished from before his eyes.
She was gone.
He tensed his nerves.
As expected, Columbina was not, as the rumors suggested, granted the 3rd seat simply because she sang well.
“Can’t…
can’t move!” Tartaglia’s pupils contracted sharply the instant he saw Columbina’s figure appear.
*Thwack.*
(In less than half a minute, Tartaglia was coaxed to sleep by Columbina.)
“Lord Childe!” Seeing this scene, Tartaglia’s subordinates below the stage shouted hurriedly.
“Don’t worry, he’s just asleep,” Columbina chuckled softly.
“Send a few people to take him back, the ground is cold.”