Genshin Impact, Teyvat's own beloved immortal.

"Run? You created this mess, and you run away. Do you expect me to clean up your mess?"

Pantalone spread his hands and laughed, saying, "What else? My position is Minister of Finance, and you are a diplomat. Everyone has their own strengths. I am good at making money, and you are good at handling diplomatic relations. Isn't this the basic operating logic that the Fools have always followed?"

Arecino coldly questioned, "Do you know how many families have been torn apart because of you? How many children have lost their parents and become orphans?"

Pantalone looked puzzled. "So what if I know? What does that have to do with me? We are the Fools, sworn to the Queen. I'll do everything I can to get money for her. Why should I worry about the affairs of other countries? Arecino, I know you're from Fontaine! But don't get your stance straight!"

Fontaine Chapter: Chapter 169: "The Rich" - Death

"Ha! Stance?" Arecino sneered, a scythe gleaming with a terrifying edge silently appearing in her hand. "Let me tell you my stance!"

"I am first and foremost a human being, secondly a Fontaine, and only lastly an executor of the Fools!"

Pantalone finally dropped his joking demeanor and demanded sternly, "Aregino! What do you think you're doing?! Have you forgotten the rules of the Fools?! Put your weapons away! I said put your weapons away!!!"

"Are you deaf? What exactly do you want here? To take my life? To kill an executor appointed by the Queen? Heh, I almost forgot, you rose to power by killing executors. But things are different now. I am now a loyal minister by the Queen's side, in charge of the economic lifeline of the entire Winter Solstice."

"Military expenses, salaries, social welfare, and all the funds for the Fools' operations—with so many expenditures, do you think Mora will magically grow out of the ground? Without me, how could Winterfell have had the chance to become the strongest of the Seven Kingdoms?"

"Without me, where would you get a mansion to live in? Where would you get three desserts a day? You didn't say a word when you were enjoying them, but now that something's happened, you smash the bowl and start cursing! I shouldn't have agreed to allocate so much funding to your fireplace house. So much money is spent every year, and all we get is an ungrateful wretch. It's ridiculous!"

Pantalone's words were very aggressive because he was certain that Arecino wouldn't dare to touch him.

Although this woman outwardly placed the Fools last, she was actually very loyal to them.

After all, she was originally to be executed after killing the previous servant, but the clown and the queen pardoned her and allowed her to inherit the title of servant and continue to manage the House of Hearth.

For many years, Arecino has worked diligently for the Fools without ever making a mistake.

In terms of loyalty, she is one of the most loyal among the Fools' Executors.

Rosalind reached out and pressed down on Arecino's scythe, gently advising, "Calm down! Don't be impulsive! There must be a better solution. If you kill him, things will become irreversible! Don't try to make an enemy of the entire Fools. If you kill him, I will become your enemy too!"

Her best friend's words gave Arecino's racing brain a moment of calm.

Yes, no matter how much I hate Pantalone, I can't really kill him.

His death would not only plunge him into an endless vortex, but would also instantly cause the collapse of Zhidong's economic system, resulting in incalculable losses for Zhidong and the Queen.

Choosing between Fontainebleau and Winter Solstice is a difficult thing.

But the House of Hearthstone isn't just home to Fontaine's orphans; for their sake, Arecino decides to be patient.

"Get out of Fengdan right now and never come back. All those shady dealings must stop. If I find out you're still sucking Fengdan's blood again, I'll hunt you down to Zhidong and kill you!"

Pantalone sneered, adjusted his glasses, and, ignoring his meal, got up and headed outside. Halfway there, he suddenly stopped and turned back to look at Arecino.

"I will report the events that happened here today to Her Majesty truthfully."

Seeing the two sides reconcile, Lu Sheng, who was disguised as a member of the Fools and watching the show from the sidelines, became anxious.

That won't do; you can't reconcile.

Dude, I went through all that trouble to follow you here, not just to watch them make dumplings.

He immediately snatched the musket from the Fools beside him and pulled the trigger at Arecino.

This shot completely ignited the already tense atmosphere.

Then came the second and third shots.

The Fools, who belonged to Pantalone, began a fierce battle with the other two executors.

However, under the scythe of the dignified fourth servant, these worthless scoundrels were quickly wiped out.

Rosalyn, the unfortunate victim, was also forced into this battle.

She had never regretted entering this manor so much.

Moments later, Lu Sheng, the one who had sparked all of this, had already slipped away.

At a glance, there were traces of blood everywhere, and corpses lay scattered all over the restaurant, a truly gruesome sight.

Arecino pulled Pantalone out from under the dining table.

The once gentle and refined gentleman is now lying on the ground with his hair disheveled, and even his gold-rimmed glasses have been smashed.

"Are you two insane?! Look at what you've done!!!"

Arecino remained expressionless. "I clearly gave you a chance to leave, but you tried to kill me first!"

"I didn't give the order!!! You idiot!!! You've been manipulated! Wake up!"

Pantalone roared, his eyes red with anger.

As the Minister of Finance, he single-handedly built up the entire economic system of Zhidong, transforming it from a poor and impoverished country into one of the most economically powerful nations among the seven kingdoms.

Even the commander-in-chief and the empress had to show him three degrees of respect.

Now I'm being humiliated by such a stupid woman stepping on my head!

What is this?! What is this all about?!

Unforgivable! Absolutely unforgivable! When I return to Zhidong, I must demand that the Queen revoke this foolish woman's seat! Send her back to prison! Until she dies!

However, when Pantalone saw Arecino raise the scythe in his hand, he panicked from the bottom of his heart.

"What are you going to do! You dare to kill me?!"

Arecino coldly replied, "It's not like I haven't killed an executive officer before."

"Rosalyn! Stop her!"

In that critical moment, all he could think of was relying on Rosalyn, a relatively rational colleague, to save his life.

"Arechino! No!"

Rosalind had just opened her mouth to try and persuade him when Arecino's scythe came crashing down.

Pantalone passed away peacefully.

The ninth seat of the Fools, "The Rich," represents death.

Having witnessed Pantalone's head roll off the stage, Lu Sheng watched the entire performance with satisfaction and left the manor with a lingering sense of enjoyment.

"When a scholar encounters a soldier, reason is useless."

When Lu Sheng returned to Fengdanting, a massive purge had already begun.

The Enforcement Court and the Shadow Chasing Court mobilized almost their entire forces, and based on the bribery list obtained from the Northern Bank, they arrested suspects one after another.

The black blood that had plagued Fontaine for twenty years has finally been completely eliminated.

Clarinde led her men to seize the Northern Bank of Fontaine. Having been bleed dry, all the bank's wealth had to be recalculated and repaid to the Fontaine government in order to stop the losses in time.

Of course, basic diplomatic criticism is unavoidable.

Upon learning of this, Funina was so angry that she cursed a string of profanities and demanded that the diplomatic corps, represented by Arecino, provide a reasonable explanation.

The incident escalated for several days. Every day, different bricks were smashed into the windows of the mansion, and soon an unidentified yellow substance emitting a foul odor was thrown into the smashed windows.

It wasn't until the fourth day that Arecino responded.

She placed all the blame on Pantalone, the instigator, and emphasized that it was his personal act and had nothing to do with the Winter government.

She then handed Pantalone's body over to the enraged Fontaines.

Regarding compensation, Pantalone's personal assets will be entirely transferred to the Fontaine government, and she will also mediate with the Winter government.

Arecino did not regret killing Pantalone; at least his head could prevent a war. If he had let him go that night, the Fontaines, whose anger could not be vented, might have really taken up arms and attacked Winter.

Fontaine Chapter: Chapter 170: The Moon Hunters Reappear, the Crimson Moon Descendants Captured

"Was it all worth it?" Rosalyn stared blankly at her sister, Arecino, who was one of the closest of the Fatui's executives.

The two share similar personalities and similar madness.

But Arecino's madness was clearly superior.

"Killing the rich for the sake of the children of the Hearth House will cost you your rank as an executive officer, and even your life."

Rosalind understands, but she absolutely does not support it.

Arecino remained expressionless for a long time before replying, "I will explain what happened. The killing of the rich was my doing alone, and it has nothing to do with you."

Rosalind stood up angrily and retorted, "Am I doing this for myself? I'm a Mondstadt citizen, I can quit this executive position whenever I want! I'm worried about you!"

“Since I came to Winter, I’ve been a loner and don’t have many friends. You, Arecino, are one of them.”

"I know what it feels like to lose something, so I will not let anyone take away what I care about again."

After saying that, she turned and left angrily.

Arecino called out to her, "Rosalyn, don't do anything foolish!"

"Just going out for a walk."

Rosalyn left the mansion, her mind a jumbled mess.

No one expected things to turn out this way.

The Fools have suffered too many failures in the past year or so.

Apart from Mondstadt successfully obtaining the Heart of God, all other nations ended in failure and suffered heavy losses.

Inazuma lost his scattered soldiers, and Sumeru lost both the Doctor and the Puppet. Now Fontaine is a prince and a rich man.

What's even more ridiculous is that he and his servant are about to be punished by the Fools.

As if by some unseen force, the Fools are declining at an alarming rate.

It's time to find a way out for ourselves, and also a way to survive for Arecino.

Mondstadt is out of the question, Inazuma is impossible, Sumeru is fraught with unknown risks, Fontaine now harbors deep hatred for the Fatui, and as for Nata, the strongest executive captain is right there; going there would be suicide.

Their only way out may be Liyue.

However, it is doubtful whether Tianquan Star would arrest them and hand them over to Zhidong for political reasons.

She would absolutely do that for the sake of profit.

After much deliberation, Rosalyn let out a sigh.

In this vast Teyvat, there is nowhere for her to stay. Must she and Arecino die?