Just as Lumine was about to respond, a brazen voice cut her off.
"Oh? Didn't think you'd actually find this place. Not bad~"
Lumine's eyes narrowed.
The man in front of her had ear-length hair, violet eyes, and wore a flamboyant outfit resembling that of a kabuki performer. On his head was a straw kasa hat typically worn by city women.
A curtain of pale gold fabric flowed from his back down to his calves. He wore a black short-sleeved top and shorts, with violet belts and black armor matching the color on his arms.
On his chest hung a round golden ornament. Slung diagonally across his back was a purple satchel emblazoned with the triple tomoe symbol of Electro and the emblem of the Fatui.
Lumine recalled what Shajin had told her—"a foul-tempered puppet." It had to be him.
This was not someone she could treat like Shajin and the others. He was dangerous.
Lumine raised her Dull Blade, pointing it directly at the man.
"Sixth of the Fatui Harbingers—The Balladeer, Scaramouche. This factory—is it your doing?!"
Scaramouche cast her a dismissive glance.
"Heh… how amusing. We just met, and you're already acting like you want to kill me."
Lumine stepped protectively in front of Paimon.
"You're the ones distributing Delusions to the resistance, aren't you?"
"Oh? So you're here about that."
Scaramouche shrugged.
"You seem to be misunderstanding something. Though I stand here, I'm merely carrying out the plan on someone else's behalf."
"Honestly, I'm surprised you'd risk your life over something so trivial."
Lumine glared at the Harbinger.
"You call this trivial?!"
Scaramouche spread his hands nonchalantly.
"Isn't it?"
"In this fleeting world, human lives are as cheap as weeds."
"Without Delusions, they'd still die. At least with them, they get a chance to realize their 'wishes.'"
"Do you even understand the value of the Vision Hunt Decree? It took quite an effort to set it in motion. Of course, we did it because it benefits us."
"But in hindsight, it was all worth it—sowing conflict, paving the way for Delusions, and letting power naturally draw the weak to seek it…"
"Heh…"
"A mere price, and in exchange, one gets the feeling of controlling the world. Trading life for ultimate power—doesn't that seem like a good deal?"
Lumine bit her lip hard.
"The Vision Hunt Decree… was your doing? So from the very beginning, you…"
Scaramouche glanced at her sideways.
"Inazuma may appear stable from the outside, but within… it's full of opportunities for us. With just a little effort, we can bring it down from the inside."
"'Eternity' may stretch time endlessly, but every moment along the way becomes increasingly fragile."
"Like your little friends in the resistance—no matter how hard they struggle, it's futile."
"They're like bubbles in water—dazzling for a moment, then destroyed the next."
"The more someone loses, the more desperate they become to gain. The more powerless they are, the more they struggle! Hahaha… what a delightful farce."
Lumine trembled with rage.
"Teppei and the others… they are not weak!"
"Turn to dust!" she shouted, slamming her foot into the ground.
In an instant, dozens of sharp spikes burst from the earth like spring shoots, hurtling toward Scaramouche at lightning speed.
But Scaramouche remained unfazed. He raised his right hand, and a blast of violet lightning erupted from his palm, effortlessly slicing through all the spikes.
The lightning didn't stop. It surged forward, bearing down on Lumine and Paimon. It was about to strike them—
When a voice rang out: "Oh? Looks like I arrived just in time~"
The next instant, to Scaramouche's shock, the two girls vanished from sight, reappearing to the side. At that same moment, a tremendous force struck the back of Scaramouche's neck.
His vision went black, and his body collapsed stiffly to the ground. Clenching his jaw, he managed to spit out one word at a time:
"Ad… ven… tu… rine!"
The surrounding Fatui didn't dare breathe. What shocked them even more was that the terrifying Scaramouche couldn't even withstand a single blow from the dreaded Gambler.
Lumine looked at Shajin with a complicated expression and whispered.
"Shajin…"
Shajin smiled and waved her hand.
"We meet again, Lumine. Got any questions for me?"
Lumine clenched her fists.
"Why… why give the resistance those Delusions that drain their life?!"
Shajin tilted her head.
"What are you saying? There's no such thing as a Delusion that doesn't drain your life."
Lumine pointed at her.
"You're lying. You all use them without any problem. Tartaglia only got a bit weak—he didn't age or anything!"
Shajin spread her hands.
"Seems you've misunderstood. The Delusions used by us Harbingers aren't just tools. They're more like authority bestowed by the Tsaritsa."
"With my strength, using them doesn't cost me anything. As for Tartaglia, he only gets weak because of the overload his body endures under intense use of that authority."
"And Rosalyne relies on her authority to suppress the 'flames' inside her. She usually takes on more of a strategist role."
She then pointed to the skirmishers standing rigidly nearby.
"As for them, they were specially modified by the Doctor in Snezhnaya to be compatible with Delusions. Even so, prolonged use still drains a good chunk of their life force."
"The Delusions given to the Inazuman resistance were made from the crystal marrow here. They're lower quality than what our soldiers get, but at least they're a little less harmful."
"If we gave them the standard Snezhnayan Delusions, most wouldn't even survive a day."
Lumine bit her lip.
"But… but…"
"Lumine."
Shajin cut her off.
"Let me be clear. I'm the one who gave the resistance their Delusions. I told them plainly—power comes at a price, and that price is lifespan."
"That's something they should've understood after using it just once."
"Lumine, you're not from Teyvat. On your journey, you've only interacted with powerful people from every nation."
"You've probably heard my story too. If someone had offered me a Delusion back then, I'd have used up my life without hesitation."
"I would've. So would Teppei. So would the resistance. Some fight for vengeance, others for glory. These are their choices."
"And you—"
"Lumine."
Shajin suddenly appeared right in front of her.
"By what right do you question me?"
"Who are you to deny their choices?"
"This… is the original sin of arrogance."
_
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