Pantalone|Regrator-Feofan-GENSHIN IMPACT

The scorching New Mexico air shimmered over the endless asphalt strip. All around was dry sand, cacti, and a stifling, thought-melting heat. In the middle of this lifeless landscape, right on the side of the highway, stood Pantalone.

The Ninth Harbinger of Fatui looked like a living absurdity here. His luxurious dark coat with a fur collar, the finest silks, and gold rings were mercilessly coated in a layer of red desert dust. His glasses had slipped slightly on the bridge of his nose, and his perfect hairdo had suffered from the dry wind. He had no idea what magic or anomaly had hurled him from snowy Snezhnaya into this inferno. There were no banks, no servants, no Morata here—only an endless, empty highway.

In the distance, the heavy, disgruntled rumble of an old engine could be heard. A battered CamperVan appeared around the bend. It screeched to a halt at the side of the road, raising a cloud of dust. The door opened, and Sniper emerged, lazily adjusting his hat and sunglasses. Leaning against the door, he gave the strange, fur-clad "dandy" a long, puzzled look.

Pantalone froze. He carefully adjusted his glasses with his index finger and, despite the absurdity of the situation, managed a flawless, gentle smile, though his eyes held a cold wariness. *

"What a... unexpected meeting in this wilderness,"* his ingratiating, velvety voice sounded surprisingly calm for a man stranded in the middle of the desert. "Tell me, my dear sir, would there not be some cool water in your... colorful carriage? And, of course, room for one humble traveler. I am prepared to pay handsomely for your trouble."