Cross through Teyvat, and you'll become stronger by taking the hits!

"Yo, it really is you, Brown."

Just as Lu Li was sitting in the hall waiting for news, a familiar voice rang out.

Lu Li immediately turned around and saw a boy wearing gray and white clothes, with short orange hair and a red mask on one side of his head.

"Ajax, you're here... Also, my name isn't Brønd, it's Lu Li."

Lu Li raised his hand in greeting.

The orange-haired boy in front of me is none other than [Young Master] Datalia, who recently became an executive officer.

He was a year older than Lu Li, but actually only about nineteen years old. He was the youngest executive officer in the Fools. The two met when they were new recruits, not long after they joined the Fools.

However, D'Artagnan is exceptionally talented and has risen through the ranks at an astonishing speed, having already been promoted to Executive Officer ahead of schedule.

"Really? But I heard that every time you stand in front of your teammates, you shout 'Stand behind Braum'? I thought that was the name you gave yourself, 'Winter'."

D'Artagnan brought it up with amusement.

He himself hadn't witnessed it firsthand, but after Lu Li joined Columbia's ranks, the two of them had far fewer opportunities to meet.

"Unlike you, I wasn't promoted to executive officer through special channels. I don't have a new name."

Lu Li could only shrug at this.

Tartaglia's real name is "Ajax". The name Tartaglia was given to him by the Ice Queen after he became an Executor.

"So you shouldn't have joined that girl's team in the first place. After you got there, you didn't even get many missions, so where did you get any military merits or promotion opportunities?"

"You may look like just a lieutenant, but you've actually been in this position for several years now. You were promoted very quickly at the beginning, just like me. If you went over there, you'd probably be promoted to executive officer too."

Tadalia said to Lu Li with some regret.

Of course, he didn't just stand and talk with Lu Li in the lobby of the Northern Bank. Instead, he led him to the reception room at the back and had the servants serve tea.

"It's alright, I don't really care about military rank."

Lu Li shook his head. If he didn't stay by Columbia's side, then his efforts would be meaningless.

Moreover, that doesn't prevent him from becoming stronger; it just means he has far fewer opportunities to go out on missions.

However, when he first awakened the system, Lu Li often took the initiative to join other teams to carry out missions, much like he went to Sandoni's mechanical research institute to help out.

Although no one gave the order, as long as he didn't leave Winter, he could still arrange some things for himself, instead of just staying by Columbia's side and singing idly in the courtyard.

"Alright, alright... By the way, what brings you to Liyue? As [the Girl's] subordinate, I heard she's never been assigned any missions by Her Majesty the Empress?"

D'Artagnan could only nod, then asked again with a puzzled look.

"No, I've come back to find my family. Actually, I retired early and am no longer a member of the Fools."

Lu Li shook his head, then picked up the tea that had just been served and took a sip.

Judging from its delicate and lingering aroma, it must be a type of tea that is quite valuable in Liyue, much better in quality than the tea that Lu Li could buy in Winter Solstice, so he didn't hold back.

"Early...retirement? Hey, I know it's uncomfortable working under a girl like that, but you're a lieutenant, you know. Is this a position where you can apply for early retirement? It's impossible for it to be approved, right?"

Tadalia picked up a teacup, intending to drink tea like Lu Li, but was startled by Lu Li's answer.

He was familiar with the situation within the Fools' Army. Known for its strict military discipline, it was not easy for anyone to leave without injury or illness; one could easily be labeled a deserter.

"Yes, my application was immediately reported to Lady Columbia, but she still approved it..."

"After that, everything in the Fatui was taken back except for the evil eye and the commemorative medals and certificates that were awarded."

Lu Li explained what had happened to D'Artagnan and took out an ice-blue evil eye hidden under his clothes, letting it hang on his chest.

Aside from this evil eye, the high-tech weaponry equipped for the Fools' elite troops was also recycled, though Lu Li didn't need it anyway.

"She approved it for you... That makes sense. After all, that girl is the third seat holder, so she should still have the power she's entitled to."

D'Artagnan nodded, though he didn't know much about [the girl].

"But if you think about it this way, it seems like I've already gone ahead of you. If I had found out you were going back to Liyue any later, I could have come to Liyue on the same ship as you."

Tartaglia, who had only been in Liyue for a short time, felt regretful.

"Don't think that way, because the boat I was on sank halfway there, and I drifted all the way to shore..."

Hearing that D'Artagnan was actually regretting such a thing, Lu Li gave him a silent reminder.

If I hadn't been so good at protecting myself and not drowning, I don't know if I would have been able to drift to Mondstadt.

"It sank? My God, thank goodness Lu Li, you're incredibly lucky."

Upon learning that the ship Lu Li was on had sunk, D'Artagnan, who had just taken a sip of tea, was quite shocked.

"Pfft... You've only been in Liyue for a short time, and you've already learned to use colloquialisms?"

Lu Li couldn't help but laugh at the colloquialism that came out of his mouth.

Afterwards, Lu Li and Tartaglia chatted and laughed over tea, talking about everything from the Winter Solstice to Liyue, and from the Eleven Executors to the Seven Stars of Liyue.

During this time, Tartaglia also inquired with Lu Li, a Liyue native, about how to meet the Geo Archon.

Lu Li could only reply that it could be seen at the "Invitation to Immortals Ceremony," but the Invitation to Immortals Ceremony was still half a month away.

D'Artagnan was somewhat disappointed, but he didn't say anything. He knew that Lu Li had always lived in Zhidong.

"Speaking of which, I came to the Northern Bank not only to see you, but also to withdraw money."

"But as I just mentioned, my luggage sank with the ship, and my cash, Mora, and account receipts are gone too. I can only ask you to help me sort them out."

After drinking several rounds of tea, Lu Li finally remembered the important matter.

Previously, I relied entirely on Mora borrowed from travelers to get by in Mondstadt, so now getting some Mora from the Northern Bank is the most important thing.

"Hey, no problem. I'll have them open a new account for you. Just let me know if you need any more Mora, and I'll get some from the vault."

D'Artagnan waved his hand dismissively.

Not to mention that he is now an executive officer, his original family was quite wealthy, so the matter concerning Mora is a minor issue.

"That's great, I'm sure the rich man won't mind."

Upon hearing this, Lu Li happily rubbed his hands together.

When dealing with the Fools, he usually addresses familiar executors by their names followed by "Sir," while those he doesn't know well are addressed by their code names followed by "Sir."

Of course, this excludes people like D'Artagnan who are particularly close, and he doesn't mind whether Lu Li calls him "Master" or not.

Then, D'Artagnan summoned the account manager from the Liyue branch of the Northern Bank and instructed him to do as he had just told him.

As a result, Lu Li quickly obtained the new account credentials.

This certificate is equivalent to a "bank card account". Lu Li can use it to withdraw or deposit money at any Northern Bank in Teyvat.

In addition, it contains 10.62 million Mora.

Of the 620,000, it was Mora from Lu Li's original account. The new voucher only helped Lu Li retrieve his original account after confirming his identity; it did not create a new one.

The ten million Mora was what D'Artagnan ordered.

Although it wasn't much, he felt it would be enough for Lu Li to use for a while, and he could just come back for more if needed.

"This should be enough. Since you just got back, you probably don't have a place to stay yet. If you run into any trouble, feel free to come to me for help."

"But as a way of repaying you, how about you come with me to practice outside sometime? It's been so long since we've fought!"

"I kind of miss the feeling of getting a solid punch into your chest!"

After giving Lu Li some instructions, Dadalia spoke expectantly.

Before acquiring the Evil Eye and the system, Lu Li's body was already very resilient, which was the "gift" that was highly regarded when he was recruited into the Fatui.

Later, when fighting with D'Artagnan, D'Artagnan discovered that his body was exceptionally sturdy, and his punches were just as hard as his own. Moreover, the solid feel of hitting him was surprisingly good.

That's why Tartaglia likes to fight with Lu Li.

……