Chapter 45: Chapter 45: The Empress's Letter
Bai Luo wasn't surprised that the Empress had sent a letter.
After all, he had been here for quite some time, and his progress in capturing the gnosis had been sluggish. It was only natural for the Empress to give him a nudge.
However, what he didn't expect was that the letter wasn't a reprimand for his lack of effort but rather concerned another Executive Officer—the Doctor.
The Empress's instructions were simple: Bai Luo was to temporarily hand over his duties in Inazuma to Scaramouche and head to Mondstadt to assist the Doctor with some matters.
"Isn't Mondstadt under the Lady's jurisdiction?" Bai Luo wondered aloud.
Bai Luo had initially wanted to go to Mondstadt the most, because the deity of this free city-state was a rather laid-back character. As long as Bai Luo didn't cross certain lines, his life would be safe.
Unfortunately, the Lady, who hailed from Mondstadt, didn't want anyone else meddling in her affairs, so she had taken charge of everything related to Mondstadt.
Now that he was being sent to Mondstadt. Wouldn't the Lady be displeased?
Maybe anticipating this concern, the Empress gave an explanation in the letter.
Apparently, the Anemo Archon was still missing, and to avoid raising any alarms, the Lady had yet to travel to Mondstadt. Instead, she was staying in Sumeru to handle some matters.
Furthermore, the Empress specifically instructed Bai Luo to avoid confronting Barbatos if he encountered him. Some things still needed to be resolved by the Lady herself.
"When do I depart?"
After putting away the letter, Bai Luo turned to the Fatui agent in front of him.
If this letter had been from the Doctor, Bai Luo might have refused. Now that he was of equal rank with the Doctor, he didn't have to follow his orders.
But a letter from the Empress was different. Bai Luo was still under the Empress's command, and betrayal was not an option.
At least not until he was strong enough to withstand the wrath of the Seven Archons. Until then, there was no leaving the Fatui for him.
"Tomorrow would be ideal. The Doctor's men are already waiting outside Inazuma, and you can take their ship to Mondstadt."
The Fatui agent looked somewhat reluctant to see Bai Luo go.
Though Bai Luo often avoided his duties and had a work ethic comparable to that of Barbatos, the absentee god of Mondstadt. Despite this, he treated his subordinates well - at the very least, he didn't have a habit of killing them on a whim.
Unlike Scaramouche.
Scaramouche had only been in Inazuma for a few days, and several colleagues at the Delusion Factory had already died under mysterious circumstances. Their deaths were very disgusting, clearly the result of using subpar Delusions, which indicated they had been used as mere tools.
The Fatui agent was already considering whether to lay low with the vanguard for a while.
"Alright, inform the Doctor's men that I'll arrive by noon tomorrow, and have them be ready."
"Yes, sir!"
The Fatui agent responded immediately, just when the Fatui agent was about to head off to use a special method to contact his colleagues that was waiting at sea, Bai Luo stopped him.
"Sir, is there something else?"
The agent couldn't shake the feeling that something was off in Bai Luo's gaze.
"Do you have any fire-water on you?"
"...No."
Even with the mask of a Fatui agent covering his face, his nervousness was visible.
Whether he had it or not, he wouldn't dare admit it in front of Bai Luo.
According to Fatui regulations, carrying firewater was allowed, but only at certain times. If caught drinking on the job, especially by a leader with a bad temper, the consequences could be fatal.
Bai Luo's eyes scanned him briefly, and he expertly fished out an unopened bottle of fire-water from the man's belongings.
As a former instructor for the Fatui Pyro Agents, Bai Luo had done this sort of thing countless times.
"This is my last bottle, sir. I've been saving it," the agent said, trying to make a last-ditch effort.
If he had known it would be confiscated, he would have drunk it all at once..
"I'll treat you to the finest fire-water in Snezhnaya when we get back."
Walking away with the confiscated fire-water, Bai Luo patted the man on the shoulder and left the courtyard, carrying a box of fireworks.
"Let's just hope we actually make it back to Snezhnaya..." the Fatui agent sighed.
Ksenia's location wasn't hard to find.
She didn't like water, nor did she appreciate bugs ruining her expensive fur blanket, so she had set up her temporary camp on a rock far from the stream.
Waking up each day in the sunlight and then completing some nearby tasks—those were her most enjoyable moments.
From a distance, Bai Luo could already see the dark red canvas of her tent and the smoke rising from a cooking fire.
"I haven't eaten much today. Might as well grab a meal," Bai Luo thought.
He was leaving Inazuma, with no clear idea of when he'd return. Naturally, he couldn't leave without paying Ksenia a visit.
This hospitable Electro Cicin Mage had always been someone Bai Luo had a good impression of. Especially since she often talked about craving fire-water, so Bai Luo had specially obtained a bottle from his subordinate.
But as he approached, something seemed off.
The people gathered around the makeshift camp weren't Ksenia, but a group of strangers dressed in odd attire.
They were sitting around the old pot Ksenia had once used to brew tea, seemingly taking a break.
Judging by their clothing, Bai Luo immediately recognized them: Treasure Hoarders.
Although they were scattered across the continent, and even ventured into some domains that even adventurers avoided, they were still essentially a loosely organized band of thieves.
But what were they doing near Ksenia's camp? And where was she?
Bai Luo highly doubted that these Treasure Hoarders could have overpowered Ksenia. After all, she was a Fatui Electro Cicin Mage, a special combatant even by Snezhnayan standards. These common thieves, none of whom possessed a Vision, were no match for her.
Silently observing the group, Bai Luo set down his box of fireworks, drew his dagger, and vanished into the night.
The most terrifying thing about the profession of an assassin wasn't their combat ability.
If it were just about a head-on fight, Bai Luo would certainly rank at the bottom among the Harbingers.
But when it came to assassination...
Bai Luo was undoubtedly the best.
To this day, Bai Luo had never failed a single assassination mission for the Fatui. Once a target was identified, it would be dead within a day, without exception.
Even those who hired Vision-wielding bodyguards couldn't escape Bai Luo's lethal shadow.
It was said that even those who shared a bed with Bai Luo's targets would not realize they were lying next to a corpse until the next morning.
In short... these Treasure Hoarders were about to meet their end.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
-- Power
stone