Kapitel 2: Chapter 61
The night wind brushed against the small lamps on the balcony, and their faint light seemed to glow even brighter against the darkness.
If you listened closely, you could vaguely hear the rustling sound, like wind chimes in the distance.
Although Lisa had extended an invitation, Collei didn't dare sit on the sofa. She knew her plague could cause too much trouble for those around her.
"Apologies, I wasn't expecting such esteemed guests, so I only have one tea set. Please forgive my lack of hospitality," Lisa said, placing a bookmark in the novel she had been reading.
Though her words sounded polite, they carried a subtle hint that she wanted them to leave. Bai Luo could certainly sense it.
"It's us who should apologize for the sudden visit at this late hour," Bai Luo replied.
Lisa's reluctance was something Bai Luo had grown accustomed to—after all, he was one of the "worst" people on the continent of Teyvat. If not, he wouldn't have chosen to visit in this manner at night. If he came during the day, it was uncertain whether he would even meet this elder sister who was often at the library.
And the library... was inside the Knights of Favonius headquarters. His presence there would cause an absolute disaster.
With a light flick of his fingers, a bouquet of flowers magically appeared in his hand.
"A Cecilia flower, cold-resistant and wind-loving. This flower can only be found on Starsnatch Cliff. Its flower language is..."
"The true feelings of the prodigal son."
Lisa elegantly stretched out her arm and accepted the flower from Bai Luo's hand. Her displeasure eased—if only slightly.
"I wandered through all of Mondstadt with this girl, and besides that exquisite flower, this Cecilia was the one I thought suited you best."
The soft fragrance filled the room, making it hard to tell if the scent came from the flowers or from the people.
Meanwhile, Collei was utterly confused. When did she wander around with him to pick flowers? When did he pluck the flower? What was the "exquisite flower" he was talking about? Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing? Am I interrupting the two of them?
"Oh? Do you think I'm not worthy of that exquisite flower?" Lisa asked, lounging lazily on the sofa, holding the Cecilia flower in one hand and resting her chin on the other.
Her light purple sleeve slid down slightly, revealing her fair skin.
"No, the flower is right in front of me. You are that exquisite rose."
"Even though I know it's just flattery, it still pleases me. Hmm... suddenly I remembered I have two more tea sets in the cupboard. How about some black tea?"
Mondstadt truly is a city of freedom, and a paradise for poets. In this land, romance has a significant advantage.
Constantly dealing with the rather rigid Acting Grand Master Jean and the many book borrowers who never return their loans, Lisa couldn't help but enjoy Bai Luo's approach.
In a better mood now, she decided to hear out the purpose of Bai Luo's visit.
After serving the tea, Lisa placed it in front of them. Bai Luo then called over Collei, who had been lost in her own thoughts.
"Can you see what's wrong with her?"
Although Collei's body was wrapped in bandages, Lisa's knowledge allowed her to quickly recognize the nature of her affliction.
"This was a disease that spread in Sumeru a few years ago," Lisa said, having spent time at the Sumeru Akademiya.
It was a highly lethal disease, and because of its fatality rate, it eventually wiped itself out. But now…
"Wait... this child…"
Lisa's expression grew serious.
She wasn't worried about the disease spreading. Though the mortality rate was high, its transmission was rare. With proper control, even living with the infected wouldn't pose much risk.
The real issue was… how had this girl survived until now?
Wrapping her hand in elemental energy, Lisa grasped Collei's arm.
Understanding that Lisa was trying to treat her plague, Collei didn't resist and let her hold her arm.
"With this level of damage… she should have died a long time ago."
Feeling the wounds under the bandages, Lisa's face took on a thoughtful expression.
As she suspected, if not for the power of the Archon residue in Collei's body, she would have succumbed to the disease long ago.
But the reason she had contracted this plague in the first place was because the Fatui deliberately released the virus while experimenting with the Archon residue.
Seeing Lisa's puzzled look, Bai Luo pulled out some charred documents from his coat.
"What is this?" Lisa asked, frowning slightly.
If she wasn't mistaken, these appeared to be items that the Fatui diplomats had taken with them when they left in their carriages.
Weren't these already confiscated by the Knights? How did they end up in Bai Luo's hands?
"There should be information related to her illness in here. Can you understand it?"
These documents were compiled by the Doctor and his researchers. Aside from them, few could comprehend the contents. Bai Luo was no exception.
After all, his expertise within the Fatui lay in assassination, not research.
"Hmm… I'm sorry, I can't make much sense of it either. However, my former teachers at the Akademiya could probably decipher it. But with only this amount of information, it might be hard to extract anything useful."
Lisa wasn't lying. Though she was hailed as a once-in-200-years genius at the Sumeru Akademiya, she didn't know everything. She could understand diagrams, but the specialized text in these documents… only her teachers could likely decode it.
Moreover, the documents were so badly damaged that deciphering them would be a nearly impossible task.
Upon hearing this, Collei's face turned pale.
She knew exactly why the documents were in such poor condition—it was because of the fire she had impulsively set.
Glancing nervously at Bai Luo, she was surprised to find his face still carrying that same gentle smile, as if no difficulty could faze him.
"Take a look at this one. I'm sure you'll find a solution," Bai Luo said, pulling out yet another set of documents and placing them in front of Lisa.
Initially, Lisa wasn't particularly interested, assuming they would be as useless as the charred documents.
But after seeing the contents, her lazy demeanor disappeared, and her expression grew serious.
"Is all of this true?"
The documents were handed directly by a Fatui Harbinger, so their authenticity was almost beyond doubt.
But… why would he go to such lengths for a girl who had nothing to do with him?
"Of course it's true. What did you think we were doing out in the wild these past few days?"
His disappearance had long become news in Mondstadt. The man who could freeze oceans, help Master Diluc by applying cryo, and serve as his personal weapon—the blue greatsword wielder—had been frantically searching for him.
"Weren't you out picking flowers?" Collei chimed in absentmindedly.
"..."
Is this girl a bit slow? Bai Luo thought. Perhaps I should let her drink less of that strange milk in the future.
"Sorry, I can't make any decisions on this. After all, I'm just a librarian. How about… tomorrow, I introduce you to Acting Grand Master Jean? I'm sure she'll give you a satisfying answer."
Lisa returned the documents to Bai Luo as she spoke.
In truth, she would have liked to keep them, but she knew that if she couldn't provide a clear answer, holding onto them would only result in Bai Luo's warm smile being replaced by a deadly white mask.
"Same time tomorrow night then?" Bai Luo asked.
"Sure, but next time, don't climb the balcony. My plants are quite precious."
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein