Bab 184: This Trainee Fatui Harbinger is Too Unreliable [184]
Rosalyne lowered her head, speaking softly.
At that moment, she hadn't revealed her true appearance.
When Arlecchino entered, Rosalyne had used the Illusion Mask gifted to her by Luo Qing, disguising herself as a nondescript woman from Inazuma.
Still, pretending to be a mere servant in front of someone who used to be her colleague left a bitter taste in her mouth.
But what choice did she have?
She belonged to Luo Qing now.
"Arlecchino-sama?" Luo Qing feigned ignorance.
He had been mere seconds away from knocking her out cold. Thankfully, Rosalyne's vigilance had paid off, and she'd used the Illusion Mask.
"..."
Arlecchino scrutinized Rosalyne's disguise.
Though her physique bore some resemblance to Rosalyne's, her aura and demeanor were entirely different.
After a long pause, Arlecchino seemed to dismiss the matter, her voice calm.
"Nothing. I was just curious about your attendants."
"..."
Luo Qing resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
That's the flimsiest excuse I've ever heard.
"And? What does Arlecchino-sama think of her appearance?"
"Mediocre."
"..."
[+1 Frustration Value from Rosalyne]
Arlecchino didn't seem inclined to press further. She gave Luo Qing a final glance before heading toward the door.
Luo Qing followed her out for a few symbolic steps before returning to the apartment.
Once the doors were securely locked, he sat back on the tatami mat and exhaled.
"Crisis averted. You can take off the masks now."
As he spoke, Rosalyne deactivated her Illusion Mask, and Makoto removed her fox mask.
"Who was that woman?" Makoto asked, her tone puzzled.
"One of my colleagues, another Harbinger. She's... a bit unhinged," Luo Qing replied succinctly.
Then, something occurred to him.
"Wait a second, Makoto. Didn't you foresee the future? How do you not know about her?"
"I'm Inazuma's Archon, not a god of time. My foresight is limited to events tied to Inazuma!" Makoto pouted, muttering, "What good am I to you, then?"
"Excuse me?"
Annoyed, Makoto pointed at the cards on the table and huffed.
"I saw your cards earlier. You were going to lose, and yet you bailed mid-game!"
"That was official business! I had no choice!" Luo Qing protested, his tone righteous.
He turned to Rosalyne, his expression growing serious.
"Speaking of which, Rosalyne, you know how Arlecchino operates. While she's still in Snezhnaya, be extra cautious."
"Yes, Master," Rosalyne said respectfully.
"Master, has Her Majesty granted you divine authority yet?"
"She has."
With a thought, Luo Qing retrieved the Weeping Comedy Mask from his system's inventory and placed it on the table.
He glanced between Makoto and Rosalyne, his mind churning.
Childe had told him that Harbingers could establish their own personal battalions—independent of the Fatui's regular forces. These units would follow his direct orders, granted unique privileges, and move freely within Snezhnaya.
Considering that Rosalyne and Makoto were supposed to be dead, disguises would be necessary for them to move about.
Luo Qing began to formulate a plan: have his followers wear custom masks, modeled after Rosalyne's and Makoto's, and register them as part of his personal battalion. This would make it easier to assign them tasks without arousing suspicion.
With a flick of his hand, Luo Qing shaped a set of masks using Geo elements and laid them on the table.
Some resembled tengu masks from Inazuma; others bore dragon-like features inspired by Liyue. One even mirrored his Weeping Comedy Mask.
"What do you think of these designs?" he asked.
"None of them look good," Makoto said, shaking her head.
"Whatever you decide, Master," Rosalyne replied quietly, bowing her head.
"Tsk. Rosalyne, you're so gentle now; it's kind of unsettling," Luo Qing teased, ruffling her hair.
"Mm..."
Rosalyne remained silent, allowing him to stroke her head.
Since her resurrection, she felt her once-agitated temperament had calmed significantly, replaced by an unusual serenity.
"I'll arrange with headquarters to designate these masks as the official symbol of my battalion," Luo Qing said.
"This way, you'll be free to move about without worrying about Fatui agents identifying you."
"Are you sure you don't want to choose a different design?"
"None of them look good anyway," Makoto said dismissively.
"Perhaps, Master," Rosalyne suggested, "you could base the design on the mask Her Majesty granted you."
"My mask?"
Luo Qing glanced at the Weeping Comedy Mask.
Unlike the other Harbingers' masks, which only partially obscured their faces, his covered his entire face.
Admittedly, the mask did exude a certain gravitas—a perfect representation of an intimidating figure.
"Alright, I'll head to headquarters and have them produce a batch."
He stood and moved toward the door.
"Stay on high alert. Arlecchino seems to have her eye on you two. Don't let her discover anything."
"Yes, Master."
"Got it..."
---
At the Fatui headquarters, Luo Qing quickly finalized the registration of his personal battalion's insignia.
The logistics department began producing masks based on the Weeping Comedy Mask, each with slight variations to differentiate them while maintaining a cohesive design.
With his tasks complete, Luo Qing was about to head home for some well-earned leisure time when he reached the entrance hall and found his path blocked.
Standing before him was the Doctor.
"Well, what a coincidence, Brighella," Dottore said, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
His demeanor radiated calm confidence.
"Dottore-sama. What brings you here?" Luo Qing asked with a polite smile, though inwardly, he bristled.
Among all the Harbingers, he had the least favorable impression of the Doctor.
Dottore's reputation as a mad scientist wasn't undeserved; his penchant for using soldiers as experimental subjects—even if it didn't kill them—left a sour taste in many mouths.
"Didn't I mention it during the Tsaritsa's audience?"
Dottore's grin widened.
"I find your abilities... fascinating. Interested in collaborating?"
"Collaboration?" Luo Qing's tone was lighthearted. "You're not planning to dissect me, are you? Because if that's the case, I'll have to decline."
"Hah, your humor is much sharper than Arlecchino's," Dottore replied, unperturbed by the subtle jab.
"For an experiment subject of your caliber, dissection would be far too crude.
"Your emotional manipulation aligns closely with one of my research topics. I know a place where I might be able to help you refine your abilities even further."
"Oh?" Luo Qing feigned curiosity.
"And where might that be, Dottore-sama?"
The Doctor's smirk deepened.
"Sumeru."
---
T/N: sorry doctor, but you aren't a woman so I don't think he'll go to Sumeru
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Bab 185: This Trainee Fatui Harbinger is Too Unreliable [185]
Luo Qing feigned a surprised expression.
He hadn't expected that, after becoming a full-fledged Harbinger, both Arlecchino and Dottore would try to recruit him.
Was this a coincidence, or had Piero orchestrated it behind the scenes?
"I'm conducting a grand experiment with Scaramouche," Dottore explained, painting a tempting picture. "If you join us, the results could be even more extraordinary."
"An experiment?"
Luo Qing acted puzzled, though he was well aware of what Dottore was referring to.
The Akademiya's god-creation project? Old news.
"I'm not exactly cut from the same cloth as those pedantic scholars at the Akademiya," Luo Qing said, masking his knowledge. "Are you sure I'll be of any use, Dottore-sama?"
Despite knowing the ins and outs, Luo Qing played the role of the naive newcomer.
He had only recently become a Harbinger, so the longer he could keep up the pretense of being a clueless rookie, the more advantages he could leverage.
"Of course."
Dottore's confidence was unshakable.
"I'll send detailed information to you soon. In half a month, I'll be returning to Sumeru. Please give it serious thought."
He gave Luo Qing's shoulder a firm pat and walked off before Luo Qing could respond.
Watching Dottore's confident and almost theatrical departure, Luo Qing sank into thought.
At this point, there was no news at all from Natlan regarding the Pyro Archon's Gnosis.
Should he team up with Arlecchino in Fontaine, strike while the iron was hot, and work toward eventually bringing her under his command?
Or should he follow Dottore to Sumeru, seize the opportunity to interact with the adorable Lesser Lord Kusanali, and maybe even... hmm, would the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata still be around somehow?
Such difficult choices...
Shaking his head, Luo Qing decided to head home and consult Makoto.
After all, her visions of the future might offer some useful guidance.
---
Arriving at his doorstep, Luo Qing instinctively scanned the surroundings.
After ensuring there were no spies lurking about, he unlocked the door and stepped inside.
The sight that greeted him stopped him in his tracks.
In the center of the tatami-floored living room, Makoto sat on one side with Rosalyne standing silently behind her.
On the opposite side, Theresa knelt on the floor, her head bowed so low it nearly touched the ground.
Her entire posture radiated fear.
Hearing the door open, all three turned their gazes toward Luo Qing.
"What's going on here?" Luo Qing asked, bewildered.
"She seems to have made a copy of your house key after dinner last time. Thinking no one was home, she let herself in."
Makoto crossed her arms and spoke calmly, though her gaze seemed to silently ask:
Want me to make her forget this ever happened?
"Huh?"
Luo Qing's face darkened as he turned to Theresa.
You guard against thieves all day, but who guards against their own people?
Theresa shivered, feeling a chill run down her spine. She immediately shifted to face him fully, bowing so deeply her forehead nearly touched his feet.
"Luo Qing-sama, I was wrong! I let my impulses get the better of me and accidentally stumbled upon the General's true identity! Please, don't kill me to silence me—I have a family to care for!"
"You're an orphan," Luo Qing interjected.
"..."
Theresa gulped, then quickly slid forward on her knees and grabbed Luo Qing's leg, crying out pitifully.
"Luo Qing-sama, please spare me! I'll do anything for you—be your servant, your horse, anything you want! I promise not to tell Natalia or anyone else!"
Her original plan had been to sneak in and steal something personal from Luo Qing to bring back and... "appreciate" later.
What she hadn't expected was to open the door and walk straight into Makoto—who looked exactly like the Raiden Shogun—and Rosalyne playing cards in the living room.
The two women had stared at her in silence for a brief moment. Then, with a grace honed by years of service as the Tsaritsa's former tool, Rosalyne had subdued her effortlessly and waited for Luo Qing's return.
"Let go," Luo Qing said, a trace of disgust in his voice.
"You're so kind, my lord!" Theresa cried in relief, letting go and scooting back to her original position.
She knew Luo Qing well enough to understand that if he hadn't punished her immediately, he wasn't planning to pursue the matter further.
"Hand over the key."
"Um..."
Theresa fidgeted.
"Hmm?"
"Alright, alright."
Reluctantly, she reached into her shirt, rummaged for a moment, and pulled out a small metal key.
Luo Qing blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.
Her chest is barely a B-cup—maybe a C on a good day—and she managed to hide a key there?
"This happens again, and you're out. Got it?" Luo Qing warned.
Though he had plans to eventually let his subordinates in on Makoto's existence, he preferred to do so on his terms, not by accident.
"Understood!" Theresa replied weakly.
Though she wore an expression of remorse, inwardly, she couldn't help but wonder why her sneaky schemes always seemed to end in her getting caught.
"That's it?" Makoto asked from the sidelines, her tone perplexed.
She had expected Luo Qing to punish Theresa more harshly. After all, breaking into a superior's home and attempting to steal something was a serious offense.
In Inazuma, such an act would've landed her in prison—or worse.
You're way too soft on her.
"What else do you want me to do?" Luo Qing asked, noticing the look of disdain in Makoto's eyes.
Settling in the middle of the tea table, he continued, "Let's get back to the real topic here."
He explained Dottore's and Arlecchino's invitations and then turned to Makoto.
"So, in the future you've seen, where do I go?"
"How should I know? Sumeru and Fontaine aren't under Inazuma's jurisdiction," Makoto replied casually.
"Wow, some prophet you are. Ask you anything, and you're clueless," Luo Qing muttered, unimpressed.
"Hmph."
Makoto sniffed indignantly before smirking.
"I do know one thing: when you hold your wedding, you'll have so many brides that two hands won't be enough to count them. How's that for a prophecy?"
"..."
Luo Qing froze.
That many brides? Am I really that much of a scumbag?
"Uh..."
From her spot in the corner, Theresa hesitantly raised her hand.
"General-sama, am I one of the brides?"
"?"
Luo Qing turned to look at her, unsure how to respond.
"Oh?"
Makoto's gaze flickered between the two of them, her tone teasing.
"What do you think?"
"Ahem."
Luo Qing cleared his throat, steering the conversation back on track.
"Let's focus. We have two options before us: Sumeru or Fontaine. This is likely Piero's plan, so where should we go?"
He wasn't familiar with either region, making it difficult to decide. However, if he wanted to stick to the timeline, Sumeru seemed like the more logical choice.
"Uh..."
Rosalyne raised her hand slightly and spoke respectfully.
"I have some knowledge of Sumeru. If Master chooses to go there, I could offer some assistance..."
Although Sumeru held painful memories for her, her loyalty to Luo Qing took precedence.
"Is that so?" Luo Qing studied her for a moment before nodding.
"Alright, then. Sumeru it is!"
---
T/N: omg can I stop being wrong
Oh, hey there, Traveler! 🍃 My friend here is the one bringing these stories to you—quite the talent, wouldn't you agree? If anything feels off, just give them a nudge—they're always happy to make things even better.
Now, don't forget to take a moment to rest! Grab a drink (perhaps something as refreshing as Mondstadt's finest), and let the stories whisk you away.
Oh, and if you're feeling generous, you could check out [patreon.com/WiseTL]. Supporting them is like throwing a coin to your favorite bard—it keeps the magic flowing!
Here's to more adventures and endless inspiration~ 🎵
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