Chapter 54: This Trainee Fatui Harbinger is Too Unreliable [54] [40 PS]
Bonus Chapter!
---
Shenhe lowered her head, looking elsewhere, as though she was unwilling to meet Luo Qing's gaze.
Though she claimed she needed to consult her master, deep down, she knew that her master had always encouraged her to reintegrate into the mortal world. Staying in Liyue wouldn't be something her master would oppose.
"Do whatever you want. Anyway, that's my request for you. You can break your word if you like."
Luo Qing rose to his feet, pulling the Millelith Spear from the sand and storing it in his system backpack. Brushing the dust off his clothes, he continued.
"If you decide to stay, you can always go to Northland Bank if you run into any trouble. They'll help you out."
With that, he turned and headed back toward Liyue.
After all, he would be leaving Liyue soon. Whether Shenhe stayed or not didn't really matter to him. He figured he would just leave a note at the Northland Bank for them to keep an eye on this clueless girl from the mountains after he was gone.
After Luo Qing's departure, Shenhe sat on the beach for a long time, gazing at the distant, dark-blue horizon.
Finally, as though she had made up her mind, she grabbed her spear and began walking in the direction of Jueyun Karst.
...
Returning to Northland Bank
The lights in Luo Qing's room were still on. When he opened the door, he saw Natalia waiting at his desk, seemingly there to greet him.
"Natalia, why are you still up this late?"
"Luo Qing, Lady La Signora sent you a letter. She said it's related to the next phase of our mission."
Natalia pointed to the envelope on the desk, still marked with the burning red moth.
"Where is she?"
"Lady La Signora left on a merchant ship for Snezhnaya this evening. She asked me to deliver the letter to you before she departed."
"Do all witches love being so mysterious?"
Luo Qing sat down, picking up the letter and glancing at it. Natalia, always intuitive, started to leave and whispered:
"Yawn... Luo Qing, I'll head to bed now if that's okay?"
Luo Qing had returned late, and Natalia had been waiting for hours. She was already exhausted. If she hadn't lost the game of rock-paper-scissors with the other three earlier, she would have been enjoying her beauty sleep by now instead of pulling an all-nighter.
A good night's sleep was key to maintaining beautiful skin!
"Go ahead."
Luo Qing absentmindedly responded, tearing open the letter and beginning to read its contents.
The letter outlined the current power dynamics in Inazuma: which factions were friendly toward the Fatui and which were hostile. It also detailed where Delusions were being distributed and areas needing deeper infiltration.
Luo Qing's task was to maintain the operations listed in the letter, ensuring they continued smoothly until La Signora returned.
"Delusion distribution... setting up a second Delusion factory... infiltrating and controlling various factions... inciting conflict between the Resistance and the Shogunate... and... investigating the one at Narukami Shrine..."
Luo Qing mumbled as he scanned through the key points, thinking to himself how truly twisted La Signora's schemes were.
After reading the letter's main contents, he flipped it over and noticed a line of small text written on the back:
"By the way, a future colleague of yours has already arrived in Inazuma ahead of you. He's quite special, so I hope you two get along~"
"..."
Luo Qing was speechless.
Of course, he knew who this "colleague" was.
And getting along with him? Sure, that'll go smoothly.
But come to think of it, with that brute's straightforward nature, it could be pretty easy to milk some frustration value out of him.
Who knows, maybe this could work in his favor...
...
A month flew by, and soon, the day of departure arrived.
During this time, since the Gnosis of the Geo Archon had already been secured, the Fatui's main objective in Liyue was complete. The control of Northland Bank had been handed back to the wealthy merchant far off in Snezhnaya.
With both La Signora and Childe having left, there was no one with a higher rank than Luo Qing left in Liyue, which meant that he and his group enjoyed a rather leisurely month (since no one dared order him around).
Theresa, who used to be stationed year-round at Guyun Stone Forest without a break, was so moved by the unexpected reprieve that she nearly cried. She almost knelt down to thank Luo Qing for giving her this rare rest.
Oddly enough, during that whole month, Luo Qing didn't run into Ganyu or Shenhe, the two sisters-in-training, not even once. It seemed like they were purposely avoiding him.
He figured one was probably busy with work and the other had returned to Jueyun Karst, so their absence wasn't unusual. Luo Qing didn't dwell on it.
He did, however, make another trip out to the ruins beneath Guyun Stone Forest to visit Osial and, while he was at it, farm some frustration value.
But Osial, apparently shocked by the overwhelming power Luo Qing had demonstrated last time, was giving up fewer and fewer frustration points.
By the end, no matter how much Luo Qing insulted Osial's family tree, the creature couldn't summon a single point of frustration. He managed to scrape together just 952 points—48 short of a full ten-pull. It seemed even Osial had become desensitized to him.
Tomorrow would be the day of his departure.
Knowing he'd be in Inazuma for almost half a year, Luo Qing decided to settle some unfinished business before leaving.
In other words, he wanted to do something reckless before he left Liyue for good.
That afternoon, Luo Qing made his way to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, hoping to catch Hu Tao and Zhongli for a final meeting.
As he entered, he saw Hu Tao sitting at the counter, engrossed in a book.
Approaching her, Luo Qing noticed the title on the cover: Liyue Cuisine: From Beginner to Master.
"Hey, Hu Tao, learning to cook?"
"Why, is that a problem?"
Propping her head up with one hand, Hu Tao lazily glanced at Luo Qing and yawned. "Ahh... if you're looking for Zhongli, you're out of luck. He's not here today."
"He's not, huh..."
Luo Qing looked disappointed. Too bad. He had been planning to test his new emotion manipulation items on Zhongli before leaving. Ever since the last gacha pull, his system backpack had been filled with all sorts of emotion-related items, and he had been itching to try them out.
After all, the effects of the emotional manipulation tools couldn't be traced back to him, and he doubted Zhongli would suspect him.
If it worked... imagining Zhongli singing Learning to Meow was...
Ahem... Anyway, if it did work, it might come in handy should he inadvertently provoke a certain someone in Inazuma.
But with Zhongli absent, there was no use thinking about it now.
"Come on, Hu Tao. You don't think I came here just to see Zhongli, do you?"
"Pfft, as if. When have you ever come to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor just to see me?"
Hu Tao rolled her eyes, clearly not buying Luo Qing's act. After all, every time he visited, it was always to fish with Zhongli. Did he really think he could fool her?
As they spoke, footsteps echoed from outside.
Luo Qing turned around and saw Zhongli strolling in, hands behind his back, as if he had just returned from a leisurely walk.
Seizing the moment, Luo Qing mentally activated his system, selecting the item from his backpack: Let's Learn to Meow Card.
In an instant, the card locked onto Zhongli.
The next second, Zhongli froze in place.
He tilted his head slightly, hesitating for a few seconds before continuing his walk into the parlor.
---
If there are any mistakes let me know!
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Chapter 55: This Trainee Fatui Harbinger is Too Unreliable [55] [50 PS]
Bonus Chapter!
---
"Zhongli, why did you stop and shake your head like that? Did something sad come to mind?"
Zhongli shook his head. "No, I just felt a bit uneasy, that's all."
"Oh, I see..."
Luo Qing nodded slightly, realizing that his emotion manipulation item would only be truly effective on people with a mental strength similar to his own.
Still, the fact that Zhongli had shown even a brief moment of discomfort suggested that it could work on her—the one in Inazuma. It might not be entirely useless, after all.
"Why have you come to see me? If it's about fishing, I'm afraid today isn't a good time," Zhongli asked.
"It's not about fishing," Luo Qing shook his head. "I'm leaving tomorrow. I probably won't be back in Liyue for a long time, so I wanted to come and say goodbye to you both."
During his stay in Liyue, aside from his subordinates, he had spent most of his time with this father-daughter duo from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. They had become something akin to friends, so it felt only right to say goodbye before he left.
"Leaving? Where to?"
Hu Tao put down her book and stood up, her curiosity piqued.
"Back to Snezhnaya. I'm from Snezhnaya, remember? Now that the work here is done, it's time for me to return," Luo Qing explained.
"Oh... right."
After spending so much time with Luo Qing, Hu Tao had almost forgotten that although he had Liyue blood, he was actually from Snezhnaya.
Thinking for a moment, she spoke again with a serious tone:
"Well then, as the saying goes, eat well, drink well, and have a good journey!
Since you're leaving tomorrow, how about we have one last meal together tonight? I'll cook!"
"Uh..."
Recalling Hu Tao's previous attempt at cooking, Luo Qing couldn't help but feel a wave of dread wash over him.
"What's that look for? Are you doubting my culinary skills?"
Hu Tao put her hands on her hips, her voice feisty. "Let me tell you, I've read Liyue Cuisine: From Beginner to Master several times over. I'm sure tonight will be perfect!"
"Well... alright then."
Seeing the determined glint in Hu Tao's eyes, Luo Qing decided to trust her one more time.
...
The Next Morning
At dawn, Luo Qing woke his four subordinates, gathering them on his balcony.
A table had been set up, holding three lit incense sticks, and in front of the incense was a small, elegant box.
Natalia and the others had seen this box once before, back when they were leaving Snezhnaya. It had been a gift from Luo Qing's friend, Belov. Since then, it had never reappeared.
So why had Luo Qing taken it out now?
Did it hold some kind of secret treasure?
As they speculated, Luo Qing stood in front of the altar, facing them with a solemn expression.
"Everyone, today we set off for Inazuma. I'm sure you're all aware of what awaits us there.
So, before we leave, I've brought out a rare treasure gifted by your commander's former superior—Lady Arlecchino herself—as a blessing for our journey to Inazuma!"
The four of them, all natives of Snezhnaya, had little attachment to Liyue's customs.
They were far more intrigued by what could be inside that box—something their commander regarded with such importance.
"Alright, follow my lead. Bow, then light the incense."
With that, Luo Qing turned to the altar, bowing deeply before placing the incense in the ash.
Suddenly, his stomach made a gurgling sound, and he felt an urgent need to use the bathroom.
He figured it was Hu Tao's dark cuisine from last night still making its presence felt.
"Follow my example, each of you take turns lighting the incense. I'll be back after a quick trip to the restroom..."
Before he had even finished speaking, Luo Qing darted away, leaving his four subordinates staring at the small, elegant box.
Natalia exchanged a glance with the others, signaling with her eyes: "Luo Qing's gone. Now's our chance!"
Sergei responded with his own look: "It's a combination lock. I can't open it."
Then he turned to Igor, raising an eyebrow: "Igor, this is your specialty. Hurry, open it up so we can see what's inside."
Igor hesitated, raising an eyebrow back.
"I don't want to have to dance naked on the Jade Chamber before we leave. If anyone wants to open it, they can do it themselves."
Beside him, Theresa chimed in, giving Igor a coaxing smile.
"Igor~ If you open it, I'll introduce you to a bunch of lovely girls from the Hilichurl Exorcist Squad when we get back to Snezhnaya. Pretty, well-built, and sweet ones, too~"
"..."
Igor gulped.
He had seen the quality of the girls in the Hilichurl Exorcist Squad—almost all were stunning beauties. Even someone like Theresa, who was a little... unusual, could charm a whole squad of Snezhnaya's toughest men.
Torn with curiosity, Igor glanced at the other three, all of whom looked back at him with eager, burning eyes.
In the end, he slowly extended his hand toward the small box...
With his background in espionage, cracking a small combination lock was child's play.
With a few deft movements, there was a soft click, and the latch released. The box was open.
The four of them held their breath.
Igor carefully opened the lid...
A flash of golden light burst forth.
The four of them stared at the item inside, as if struck by a heavy blow.
What the—?!
Black... stockings?!
And they looked... used?!
...
Meanwhile, in the restroom, Luo Qing suddenly saw four system notifications pop up:
[Frustration Value +1 from Igor]
[Frustration Value +1 from Natalia]
[Frustration Value +1 from Sergei]
[Frustration Value +1 from Theresa]
Luo Qing was bewildered.
"Huh? What's with those four now?"
...
Finishing his business, Luo Qing returned to the altar, feeling refreshed.
But he couldn't help noticing that his subordinates looked like they were suffering from severe constipation.
"What happened? Why do you all look so constipated?"
"N-Nothing, Sir. We've already lit the incense... so..."
Natalia said with a tense expression, thinking to herself that she never imagined Luo Qing would be that kind of person...
From now on, she would have to avoid wearing black stockings in front of Luo Qing. Her long, fair legs might tempt him into doing something dangerous...
"Everyone's paid their respects?"
"Y-Yes."
They responded in unison, their expressions somber. They had a newfound understanding of their commander.
Noticing their unusual behavior, Luo Qing glanced at the box holding the original Arlecchino stockings.
It looked untouched. Even the numbers on the combination lock were exactly as he'd left them before he went to the bathroom. Shrugging off his suspicions, he decided not to question it.
"Alright then, get your stuff packed. The ship is waiting."
---
T/N: I'll miss the father-daughter duo...
If there are any mistakes let me know!
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