Chương 293: This Trainee Fatui Harbinger is Too Unreliable [293]
After a long and exhausting battle, Luo Qing and Bu'er had finally fallen asleep.
Having endured Ei's relentless antics the night before, Luo Qing could finally enjoy a deep and peaceful slumber, lost in the sweet embrace of his dreams.
But in the stillness of the night, the ice-blue crystal inside the nightstand began to glow faintly once again.
A wisp of icy blue energy seeped from the crystal, curling like smoke through the cracks of the nightstand.
The energy coalesced at the foot of Luo Qing's bed.
Gradually, the swirling energy took the form of a woman.
Though her figure was translucent and bathed in a pale blue light, her breathtaking beauty could still be glimpsed through the glow.
She wore an opulent gown and hovered silently over the bed, her gaze fixed on Bu'er.
Nestled comfortably in Luo Qing's arms, Bu'er's face radiated happiness, a soft smile lingering on her lips.
The spectral figure stared for a long moment before letting out a faint, icy hum.
Turning away, the woman floated out of the room, phasing effortlessly through the door into the hallway.
Her gaze swept across the other rooms, piercing through walls and doors as if they were nothing.
Through one wall, she saw Makoto fast asleep. Through another, she spotted Ei sniffling quietly under her blanket, moved to tears by the light novel she was reading.
Turning back toward Luo Qing's room, the figure lingered, her expression unreadable beneath the ethereal glow.
At the far end of the hallway, a door creaked open.
Theresa, clad in cartoon-themed pajamas and sporting messy hair, stepped out, yawning and scratching her belly.
Half-asleep, she shuffled toward the bathroom, having indulged in too much fruit juice during dinner.
Midway there, she noticed an unusual glow illuminating the hallway.
Rubbing her eyes, she looked ahead—only to see a pale blue figure hovering silently in the air.
Sensing movement behind her, the spectral woman turned slowly, her gaze locking with Theresa's.
"?!"
Theresa froze, her drowsiness vanishing in an instant.
Even through the shimmering glow, she could feel the bone-chilling cold emanating from the woman's icy stare.
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor, trembling.
She was so frightened that she almost wet herself.
The woman let out a soft hum before dissolving into starlight, the hallway plunging back into darkness as if nothing had happened.
Theresa sat frozen on the floor, staring at the spot where the figure had disappeared.
"Th-this..."
Her voice quivered as a chill ran down her spine.
"There's something spooky in the house!"
---
The Next Morning
Luo Qing awoke from a restful sleep.
After brushing a hand across Bu'er's smooth back and placing a tender kiss on her forehead, he got out of bed and dressed.
Stepping into the hallway, he was greeted by the sight of Theresa standing outside his door, dark circles under her eyes.
"Did you stand there all night?" Luo Qing asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, Master..." Theresa shook her head, glancing toward the room where Bu'er still slept. She leaned closer to Luo Qing, lowering her voice.
"Master, I have something important to report—something very important!"
"Huh?" Luo Qing frowned, surprised.
Theresa rarely had anything to report, especially since she'd taken to lazing around the house after officially joining his team. She barely lifted a finger for the Fatui anymore!
"What is it?"
"Master..." Theresa glanced around suspiciously, ensuring no one else was nearby. Leaning even closer, she whispered:
"Master, I think there's a ghost in the house."
"?"
Luo Qing blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean, a ghost?"
"Well..." Theresa's voice dropped even lower.
"Last night, when I went to the bathroom, I saw a ghost floating in front of your room. It turned around and looked right at me!"
"A ghost?!"
A sense of dread washed over Luo Qing.
"Describe it in detail," he urged.
"It was... pale blue," Theresa stammered, her voice shaking slightly as she recalled the encounter. "It was wearing a fancy gown, and... it looked like a woman. She seemed really angry."
A woman...
In a gown...
Luo Qing's heart sank.
The Tsaritsa?!
He should've known the ice-blue crystal wasn't safe.
"Did she say anything to you?" he asked, his tone serious.
"No," Theresa replied, shaking her head. "She just looked at me and disappeared."
"Master, should we go to Liyue and ask an adeptus to perform a cleansing ritual? I almost wet myself last night!"
"..."
"Did you tell anyone else about this?"
"No." Theresa straightened up slightly, a hint of pride flashing across her face.
"Master, I figured it was something related to you, so I didn't mention it to Sister Makoto or the others."
"..."
Luo Qing didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Her intuition wasn't entirely wrong...
"Don't tell anyone else about this," he instructed firmly. "I know what it is, and I'll take care of it. Got it?"
"Yes, Master," Theresa agreed, puffing out her chest. "But, uh... does this mean it's my turn tonight?"
"..."
After dismissing Theresa and instructing her to report any further occurrences to him immediately, Luo Qing returned to his room.
Bu'er was still fast asleep, likely due to the events of the previous night.
Quietly, Luo Qing opened the nightstand drawer and retrieved the small box containing the ice-blue crystal.
Clutching it tightly, he made his way to the bathroom. With the flush of a toilet, Luo Qing teleported to Mondstadt.
Arriving in Mondstadt, Luo Qing stepped out of the tent he had previously set up near his under-construction home.
The house, designed by Kaveh, was nearly complete, with only a few finishing touches left before it was ready for occupancy.
But Luo Qing didn't head toward the house. Instead, he turned and walked alone toward the cliffs overlooking the sea.
Standing at the edge, he pulled the ice-blue crystal from his pocket.
"Your Majesty," he said softly, holding the crystal up. "You can hear me, can't you?"
The crystal remained unresponsive, its glow faint and inert.
"Your Majesty, if you don't show yourself, I'm going to throw this thing away," Luo Qing threatened.
Still, there was no reaction.
"This is your last chance," he warned.
With a sigh, Luo Qing wound up his arm and threw the crystal toward the ocean.
It arced through the air beautifully, but just as it was about to fall, the crystal began to glow.
A pale blue light enveloped it, and it hovered mid-air.
Wisps of energy flowed out, coalescing once more into the shape of a woman.
---
T/N: AINT NO WAY BRO ACTUALLY THREW IT
...he's late [patreon.com/WiseTL]
Chương 294: This Trainee Fatui Harbinger is Too Unreliable [294]
In the daylight, Luo Qing could barely make out her features through the faint blue glow outlining her figure.
It was unmistakable—she was the same ethereal presence he'd encountered in the Doctor's camp.
The Tsaritsa's spiritual projection.
"Your Majesty," Luo Qing murmured, bowing slightly in respect.
"Brighella..."
The Tsaritsa's voice was as icy as a snowstorm in Snezhnaya, and with just her words, the temperature seemed to plummet.
"Didn't Dottore inform you that I commanded you to wear this Pure Ice at all times? Yet you dared to cast it aside..."
"Do you think your wings have grown strong enough to defy my orders?"
"Or do you intend to betray Snezhnaya?"
"I wouldn't dare," Luo Qing replied with sincerity, his head slightly lowered.
For some reason, many of his colleagues who had had the rare opportunity to meet the Tsaritsa described her as utterly emotionless. Her cold demeanor often gave the impression of speaking to an unyielding block of ice.
But Luo Qing's two encounters with her painted a different picture.
Was it just my imagination?
It felt like the Tsaritsa had a personal grudge against him.
Sneaking out in the middle of the night to spy on him and Bu'er sleeping together? And now accusing him of betraying Snezhnaya?
"Then why did you discard it? Do you find the gift I bestowed upon you unworthy?"
"No, not at all..." Luo Qing shook his head, exhaling softly. He raised his gaze to meet hers.
"It's just that you hadn't responded for so long, Your Majesty. I thought this might compel you to emerge."
"To compel me?"
The Tsaritsa let out a soft hum, her voice colder now, carrying an unmistakable trace of irritation.
"Brighella, I granted you this Pure Ice in recognition of your achievements in recovering the Gnosis."
"It contains a fragment of my essence. Should your life ever be in danger, I would emerge from it to shield you. And yet you used it to summon me for... this?"
"Well..."
Luo Qing swallowed nervously.
"I understand your reasoning, Your Majesty, but..."
He hesitated before weakly adding, "...you shouldn't be using it to spy on my private life, either."
"Emerging in the dead of night as a spirit? That's terrifying!"
"..."
The Tsaritsa fell silent, the faint glow of her figure flickering as if her mood were unreadable.
"Your Majesty..." Luo Qing tentatively broke the silence, glancing at her nervously.
Before he could finish his sentence, a surge of icy elemental energy erupted from beneath his feet, encasing him in a solid block of ice within moments.
The Tsaritsa's control was impeccable. She didn't harm him, merely encasing him in a frost-covered shell like a decorative ice sculpture.
It felt less like a punishment and more like an icy tantrum.
"If you feel I've been spying on you, then discard it," the Tsaritsa said coolly. "I won't stop you."
With that, her spectral form dissipated, returning to the crystal.
Freed from her control, the Pure Ice began to plummet along the same trajectory Luo Qing had thrown it moments earlier.
"Ah..."
Luo Qing sighed as he watched the crystal arc through the air, then shattered his icy confinement with a thought.
With a flick of his wrist, he retrieved the crystal mid-flight, holding it carefully in his palm.
Examining the faintly glowing crystal, he couldn't help but compare it to the amulet that Ei had once given him.
Ei's amulet was powerful enough to deliver a single, devastating blow that could obliterate even a god.
Yet this Pure Ice seemed even more formidable—it could summon the Tsaritsa's spiritual projection directly.
What did I do to deserve this?
"Your Majesty, perhaps we can discuss this rationally?" Luo Qing tried again, holding the crystal up.
Unsurprisingly, the Pure Ice remained inert, its glow dim and unresponsive.
He knew she could hear him; whether she wanted to answer was a different matter entirely.
"Ah..." Luo Qing sighed again.
After waiting a few moments without any sign of her reappearance, he tucked the crystal back into his pocket.
Discarding it wasn't an option—not unless he wanted to be frozen solid for real next time.
Though it seemed absurd, Luo Qing couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't dealing with an all-powerful sovereign.
Instead, the Tsaritsa reminded him of a pouting girlfriend locked in her room, refusing to speak.
I can't even try to placate her...
He frowned.
Wait, could she hear... everything last night?
---
Descending the cliff, Luo Qing found himself wandering toward his new Mondstadt residence.
The grand mansion, complete with twelve bedrooms, was nearly complete thanks to Kaveh's meticulous craftsmanship. Situated on Eagle's Shore, its scenic oceanfront view added a touch of serenity to the bustling landscape.
The front faced Windrise, while the backyard opened up to a pristine beach—a paradise of beauty and tranquility.
With only minor finishing touches left, most workers had already vacated the site, leaving Kaveh and a handful of skilled artisans to finalize the details.
As Luo Qing approached, Natalia, his overseer, greeted him with a respectful bow.
"Master," Natalia said, guiding him inside.
"The mansion is nearly complete. Master Kaveh estimates it will be ready for you within the week. Shall I inform the Lady of the house?"
Natalia knew all too well about the collection of women Luo Qing had "hidden" away.
She hesitated to admit it, but she hadn't anticipated Theresa's persistence paying off.
To her astonishment, Theresa had managed to worm her way into Luo Qing's affections, securing a place in his household.
And now she lazes around the house all day while the rest of us work. Ridiculous.
"If everything is ready, I'll have them move in soon," Luo Qing replied simply. "Anything else?"
"There is one issue," Natalia admitted.
She explained, "There are many monsters in the surrounding area. Since construction began, we've faced several attacks. Once you've moved in..."
"That's not a problem." Luo Qing waved dismissively.
With Ei, the resident shut-in Archon, stationed at home, it wasn't monsters he had to worry about.
Even a god wouldn't dare trespass.
---
T/N: aint no way he got gaslit
...he's late [patreon.com/WiseTL]
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