บท 2: Chapter 2: Journey to Inazuma

"Did you hear? Lord Ausbilder has been sent to Inazuma."

"Really? To Inazuma? I thought Lord Ausbilder was fighting Lady Signora for the spot in Monstandt? Where did you get this news? Is it confirmed?"

On a carriage near the Fenwolf Territory, two Fatui's Brigade envoys whispered to each other about the recent news that was circulating within Snezhnaya.

Yes, despite how hard he struggled, in the end, Bai Luo was finally dispatched to Inazuma, much to his annoyance.

The only comforting aspect for him was probably the person accompanying him.

"Lord Ausbilder."

When the silver haired woman, whose behavior and demeanor were exceptionally feminine and elegant, stood beside Bai Luo and said such words softly, he suddenly felt... that this journey might be worthwhile.

Although the girl was around 2 or 3 centimeters taller than him, something that made Bai Luo need to turn his head upward slightly to take a look at her whenever they talk, who would refuse to travel together with one of the busty Mirror Maiden?

(Tn: Mirror Maiden: https://i.imgur.com/DTUpDIJ.jpg )

The girl who had just said such a soft word was Sveta, one of the Mirror Maiden of Snezhnaya.

Because it was Bai Luo's first time going to a foreign land for an official mission, and the Rooster considered him to be lacking in any experience regarding this matter, the smaller man had specially arranged an assistant for him.

And amongst the many possible candidates that the Rooster had browsed through, he found out that this Mirror Maiden was the most suitable candidate to accompany him to Inazuma.

As a soldier of Snezhnaya's special ceremonial guard, her loyalty was beyond doubt, and even though the lazy and slacking person impression that she got after watching the newly appointed Harbinger, she kept her opinion to herself and still obeyed the any order that she got from the man obediently.

All because it was the will of Snezhnaya.

After he finally arrived at the dock together with Sveta trailing right behind him, Bai Luo eyes widened in surprise upon noticing that there was only one lonely sailboat there.

When Bai Luo learned that this was his means of transportation to Inazuma, he initially felt displeased.

After all, he was one of the 12 Harbinger, how could he just be sent off on a random boat like this? Shouldn't his departure be a little grander?

But when he learned that Childe chose to walk by foot to Liyue, his displeasure greatly lessened.

Forget it, he should be grateful for this, at least he wasn't made to swim there.

After everyone boarded the ship, under Bai Luo's command, the sailboat, adorned with Snezhnaya flag and Fatui's Brigade insignia, finally set sail from the forever frozen country and sailed toward the isolated nation of Inazuma.

Although Bai Luo was quite enamored with Sveta's enhancing beauty that would put 100% of his previous world model to shame, he hadn't lost his mind to his lust to the point of trying to force himself on her using his higher position.

After sending her away, Bai Luo sat by the window, using the sunlight outside to observe the Delusion in his hand.

He also took out the fake Vision that he had bought from the merchant.

If one were to judge based on appearance alone, there was no difference between the delusions in his hand with the false Vision, and the only difference between the two would probably only be the difference in style, which are due to being originating from a different nation.

However...

"Why did Pierro give me a Dendro element Delusion?"

Looking at this Delusion with the Dendro element, Bai Luo couldn't help but wonder what kind of thinking had led the Clown to give this to a man who would be sanctioned into the Electro Archon Nation.

Although the clown mentioned the Delusion usage to him when he gave it to him, saying that it was the same as the Vision, that didn't help him in the slightest, considering that Bai Luo didn't even know how to use the Vision in the first place.

In the end, his so-called Vision was just a counterfeit after all.

After coming to this world, Bai Luo privately investigated information related to the Vision.

And he did so in the name of the Second Ranked Harbinger, Il Dottore.

Perhaps the information he submitted was very helpful to Dottore, so he turned a blind eye to Bai Luo using his name.

According to the information he collected, in this world called the Teyvat, when people gain the recognition of a god, they receive the "Vision," an elemental magical organ used to channel elemental power.

No one can say for sure how the Vision is created; it simply appears out of thin air, leaving countless unrecognized seekers in despair.

And the empty shell of an ownerless Vision only manifests when the owner who owned it ceases to exist.

The empty Vision contains no elemental power, and there are no recorded specific methods to awaken an empty Vision, and if someone wants to awaken an empty Vision once more, the chances of them being successful are very slim.

Bai Luo had also considered obtaining a genuine Vision instead of an empty one to strengthen his disguise, but the terrifying price made him reconsider his decision, and in the end, he chose to purchase a fake one instead.

He had also investigated how Vision owners used elemental power through this object.

But according to those people, the Vision was like an organ that, once possessed, would allow the user to naturally comprehend the method of its usage.

It was more akin to speaking and walking for ordinary people, they didn't learn how to do it, they just did it.

In the end, after many dead ends, he could only give up.

He discreetly hung the original fake Anemo Element Vision that he brought from the wandering merchant around his waist, and as for the Dendro Delusion that he got from Pierro, he prominently displayed it.

At least compared to the fake Vision, this Delusion had a better chance of intimidating others.

...

"Sister Beidou! A cargo ship has been spotted ahead!"

Standing on the lookout tower of the Death Omen, a sailor called out to Beidou, who was sitting at the bow, busy spending her time drinking the delicious wine that she got from Mondstat.

She was a woman with black hair covering her head, the left side of her face, which is where her left eye is supposed to be, is concealed by her bangs, seemed to be covered with an eye patch, and her reddish eyes, though somewhat intoxicated, were exceptionally sharp.

She wore the traditional cheongsam of Liyue, paired with a pair of high-heeled boots that reached above her knees.

Surprisingly, she effortlessly carried a heavy broadsword, the Blackcliff Slasher on her shoulder with one hand.

"Is it just a passing merchant ship?" Beidou put away her wine bottle and asked the sailor on the lookout.

Because this voyage had a purpose, she didn't bring along The Crux, but only sailed on the Death Omen.

If it wasn't for special circumstances, she preferred not to engage in combat with others.

"Sister Beidou, um... it seems to be a ship belonging to the Fatui's Brigade of Snezhnaya."

After careful identification, the sailor on the lookout swallowed nervously, lowering his voice as he spoke to Beidou below.

The Fatui's Brigade was very famous throughout Teyvat.

But their reputation was far from good, so It was understandable for him to have such a reaction.

'A ship belonging to the Fatui's Brigade?'

Standing at a higher position on the Death Omen, Beidou gazed in the direction pointed out by the sailor and indeed saw a sailboat.

'However, how could a ship appear here at such a sensitive time? What were these guys up to?'

"Sister, what should we do? Should we avoid them?" The sailor observed that the other side had also noticed their presence and signaled them to give way using flag language.

But he was just a sailor, and this ship still had to follow Beidou's command.

Of course, they couldn't avoid them.

Taking out her wine bottle, Beidou took a big swig and said to the sailor above, "Why should we avoid them? We haven't seen any ships belonging to the Fatui's Brigade. We only saw a merchant ship. Pirates hijacking a merchant ship is a normal occurrence, isn't it?"

In truth, The Crux was not a pirate organization, but simply an armed force from Liyue.

But when they were at sea, who would know whether they were pirates or not once they removed their flags?

Robbing ships belonging to the Fatui's Brigade was something The Crux had indeed done numerous times in the past.

"But..." The sailor wanted to say something, but was stopped by another one-eyed senior.

"You're a newcomer, right? Just listen to Big Sis. If we say it's a merchant ship, then it's a merchant ship. The sea is our territory, regardless of what it is, it will obediently be plundered by us."

Just as he said, except for a few newcomers, everyone became excited.

They carried cannonballs, moved the cannons, and in an instant, they were prepared for the attack.

"You lot! Lower the flag and fire the cannons!"

With Beidou's command, all the cannons fired simultaneously, launching an assault on the lonely sailboat.

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