Mr. Pantalone has no crazy plans today.

Pantalone rested his fingers on the table, his eyes flashing a white light in the illumination.

Then, at Pantalone's prompting, the Fools' officers produced a contract of agency.

After reading the contract, Grand Master Falga was also astonished by the name of the agent on it.

If it were this person, then he could indeed represent not only Mondstadt but also the Fatui as a proxy. He just didn't expect that girl to have the strength to fight as a proxy.

Before he could ponder the details, Pantalone chuckled as he watched him pause and fall into deep thought.

"What, Grand Master Falga has changed his mind? If you want to change your mind now, it's not too late."

"Since I have already said I agreed, I naturally have no intention of going back on my word."

Grand Master Falgar smiled slightly, then signed his name on the contract, affixed the Knights' official seal, and handed it to the attendant beside him.

The harmonious atmosphere between the two was just like that of close friends who had known each other for many years.

It was as if all their open and covert attacks and schemes from not long ago had vanished.

But only the two of them knew in their hearts that this was just a facade.

In each other's hearts, they both felt that the other was an eyesore and a troublesome presence. If they could just tear each other apart, they would both be happy to make the other disappear from the face of the earth.

At least, that's what Pantalone thought.

As for Falga, he probably had similar thoughts.

That's how politics works. Even if you secretly want to tear the other person to pieces, you still have to consider many factors on the surface and can't directly break off relations.

Politics is not simply a matter of right and wrong, but rather a product of compromise and balance.

As the Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius and the official representative of Mondstadt, Falgar had to consider many things, which is why he chose to tolerate even when Pantarone was practically blatantly humiliating him.

However, he didn't know that such forbearance would only cause the Knights' red line to retreat further and further.

Until the red line of the Knights of Fathom turned into a red carpet to welcome the arrival of the Fools.

With the contract signed, Pantalone smiled with satisfaction.

"Then, I wish us a pleasant cooperation."

"Pleasant to work with."

Grand Master Falgar responded with the same smile.

Chapter 118 The Frozen Flame: Ice and the Pyromaniac (5k)

On one side of the border of Mondstadt, at the other end of that endless plain.

A chase and capture are taking place at this moment. Under the pitch-black night, an extremely thin and petite girl is fleeing in panic.

Although she was wrapped in bandages all over her body and looked somewhat thin and bony, seemingly due to malnutrition, it was still clear from her petite figure and youthful appearance that she was a girl.

While dodging the search of her pursuers, she hid in a dark corner, her hands tightly covering her small, thin body, which was covered by thin clothes.

Her face was filled with panic, confusion, and helplessness. Only when she was hiding and evading the pursuit of others could she feel a moment of peace and ease the exhaustion in her heart.

Using her petite frame due to her age, Cole tried to curl up in the corner, making it difficult for anyone to spot her.

Panic, fear, helplessness, confusion, apprehension, unease, anger... all sorts of emotions filled her heart, making her thoughts incredibly chaotic.

The long and exhausting escape and hiding left her with almost no mind to think about anything else. Only now was she able to calm down a little, giving her time to think about other things.

From outside the dark and quiet jungle, the orderly footsteps, crisp and metallic, echoed as the loud voices of those searching for her resounded in all directions, calmly issuing instructions to the others in a solemn and dignified tone.

"Hurry, hurry! We can't miss any corner! We must find the 'Blackfire Arsonist' and not let him get away!"

"That arsonist has killed so many of our comrades. Only by capturing him can we give the Knights an explanation!"

"Dig three feet into the ground, we must find that 'arsonist,' this is an order from the Knights!"

As that voice gave the order, several other voices responded in kind.

"understand!"

Then, amidst the resounding thuds of countless iron boots, Cole, hiding in the corner, realized that those people were now searching for her hiding place.

This forced her to try her best to hide her presence and prevent outsiders from discovering that she was hiding in the corner of the bushes.

She knew that the people outside were there to arrest her, so she absolutely could not let them find her.

If she were discovered by outsiders, then she would have no choice but to...

A hint of hatred and murderous intent flashed in the petite girl's eyes, a faint black flame appeared on her body, and black scales appeared on the edges of her cheeks.

As the power injected into her body gradually surged forth, she suddenly awoke with a start, realizing that she had once again entertained those thoughts and ideas.

This made her realize that she was increasingly unable to control the power within her body. Every time this power surfaced, all sorts of negative emotions would arise in her mind.

This led her to kill countless people under this power, or rather, she has always been trapped in that state ever since she escaped from that place.

This made her unable to suppress those emotions and thoughts once again when she had just escaped from that snowy land and arrived in this foreign land.

The killing of those who had absolutely no grudge against her plunged her into extreme unease and fear; she could feel herself being devoured by that power.

The power within her body seemed to have a mind of its own, constantly eroding her will whenever her psychological defenses were weak. If she were to completely succumb, she would surely become a mindless, terrifying monster.