Genshin Impact : Joining the Genius Club

Chapter 5: When the Lady Meets the Little Lady

The news of a new executive officer joining the Fatui spread quickly, boosting morale in Snezhnaya. This new officer had immediately claimed the second seat, a position of immense power.

For the people of Snezhnaya, this meant that the Fatui now had four executive officers with combat abilities on par with the Demon Gods. However, for the other seven nations of Teyvat, this was not good news. The Fatui had a notorious reputation—arrogant and secretive, often causing chaos in every country they touched.

Take Mondstadt, for example, the closest to Snezhnaya. The people of Mondstadt had been harassed by the Fatui for years. During the Grand Master's expedition, the city was left in turmoil. Not long ago, one of the Four Winds, Dvalin, had awoken, creating further troubles for Mondstadt. The Knights of Favonius struggled to cope with both the dragon and the Fatui.

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In a corner of the Ice Queen's palace stood a building with a unique architectural style. It did not resemble any of the seven nations, nor did it belong to any ancient, fallen civilization. This building was located right next to the Ice Queen's private chambers, a position that few dared to approach.

But today, a special guest had arrived.

Rosaline, also known as the "Lady," the eighth executive officer of the Fatui, approached the strange building. Su Ran, the newly appointed second seat, called this place his "workshop." As she neared the entrance, Rosaline felt a sense of caution. She had seen the horrors of Dottore's experiments, and with Su Ran now holding more power than Dottore, who knew what cruel things she might witness inside?

"Recognition successful. Welcome to Su Ran's Creative Workshop, Ms. Rosaline," a robotic voice greeted her as a green beam scanned her from head to toe. The door opened automatically.

Rosaline hesitated for a moment, baffled by the strange technology. This was unlike anything Dottore or Sandrone had ever created.

"Do you need guidance, Rosaline?" a familiar but strangely unfamiliar voice called out, catching her attention.

Looking around, she saw no one. But when she looked down, she was greeted by a tiny figure—no more than 40 cm tall—standing in front of her. It was a Q-version servant, resembling the adult Arlecchino, with the same expressionless face and features, but in a much smaller, cuter form.

"Arlecchino?!" Rosaline exclaimed. How had the fourth seat—wait, the fifth seat now—become so... cute? Was something wrong with the way she entered the workshop?

The miniature servant nodded, then shook her head. "I am Arlecchino, but not exactly. You can call me Arlecchino-chan."

"Uh... okay, Arlecchino-chan..." Rosaline replied, still reeling from the shock.

She couldn't help but wonder what kind of creation this little Arlecchino was. It didn't seem like a living child, nor did it feel like a simple doll.

"Where is the Genius? Can you take me to him?" Rosaline asked, trying to push past her confusion.

Arlecchino-chan nodded. "The great Genius master is working on something important. If you want to see him, follow me."

With that, Arlecchino-chan turned and began hopping along the hallway, her short legs making walking too slow. Despite being a Q-version servant, Arlecchino-chan still valued efficiency.

Rosaline followed, watching the tiny figure hop along the corridor. The scene was oddly cute, much more so than the real Arlecchino. In fact, Rosaline found herself starting to like this strange place.

After walking through the long corridor, they arrived at the inner part of the workshop. Arlecchino-chan led her into a reception hall.

"Ah! Stop biting my skirt!" a familiar voice shouted. Rosaline turned toward the noise and saw a Q-version of herself pushing away a Q-version of Columbina, who appeared to be chewing on her skirt.

"..."

Rosaline was speechless. This place—Su Ran's Creative Workshop—was unlike anything she had expected. The style was so out of place compared to the rest of the Fatui.

"Why don't you just lift your skirt a little higher so she can't reach it?" another voice said mockingly. Rosaline glanced up to see a Q-version of Sandrone sitting on a one-meter-high table, holding a math textbook.

"Be quiet! We have a guest!" Arlecchino-chan scolded the others, walking forward to stop the commotion. "This is Rosaline, and this is Columbina," she said, introducing the two mischievous Q-versions. Then, pointing to the one on the table, she added, "And that's Sandrone."

The tiny Sandrone barely acknowledged them, too engrossed in her studies to care about what was going on.

Rosaline squinted at the miniature version of herself. She had a strange feeling of familiarity. "Wait... why do you look so familiar?" she muttered.

"Hmph! Idiot, that's you!" Sandrone scoffed from the table, flipping a page in her book.

Rosaline stared at the Q-version of herself, slowly approaching. As she did, the tiny version of Rosaline also looked up, maintaining eye contact. But as she strained to look higher, the little Rosaline lost her balance and toppled over backward.

"Pfft..." Rosaline couldn't help but laugh at the sight of this cute, clumsy version of herself.