Chapter 45: The Tsaritsa’s Letter

It wasn't surprising to Bai Luo that the Tsaritsa would send a letter. 

After all, he had been in Inazuma for a while now, yet progress on obtaining the Gnosis had been slow. 

It was only natural for the Tsaritsa to check in.

However, what caught him off guard was the content of the letter. 

Rather than urging him to work harder, the Tsaritsa's message was about another Harbinger—the Doctor.

The Tsaritsa's instructions were straightforward: temporarily hand over operations in Inazuma to the Balladeer and head to Mondstadt to assist the Doctor with some matters.

"Isn't Mondstadt under the control of the Lady?" Bai Luo wondered aloud. 

He had initially wanted to go to Mondstadt because the god of that free city-state was notoriously elusive. 

As long as he didn't cross a certain line, Bai Luo figured he'd have no problems surviving there. 

Unfortunately, the Lady, who was from Mondstadt herself, didn't want anyone interfering in her domain, so she had taken responsibility for all affairs related to Mondstadt.

Wouldn't she be upset if he showed up there now?

The Tsaritsa seemed to anticipate his concern and provided an explanation in the letter. 

Apparently, the God of Freedom, Barbatos, was still missing. 

To avoid alerting anyone, the Lady had yet to head to Mondstadt herself and was instead handling some affairs in Sumeru. 

The Tsaritsa also specifically instructed Bai Luo not to engage Barbatos, even if they crossed paths. 

Some matters were best handled personally by the Lady.

"When do I leave?" Bai Luo asked after stowing the letter, turning his attention to the Fatui agent before him.

If the letter had come from the Doctor, Bai Luo might have refused outright. 

After all, he was now on equal footing with the Doctor and had no obligation to follow his orders. 

But a directive from the Tsaritsa was a different matter. 

For now, he was still under her command, and disobedience was not an option—especially not until he was powerful enough to resist the wrath of the Seven.

The Fatui agent, sensing Bai Luo's seriousness, replied, "You can leave tomorrow. The Doctor's people are already waiting outside Inazuma, ready to take you to Mondstadt by ship."

In truth, this agent was reluctant to see Bai Luo go. 

Though Bai Luo was notorious for shirking his duties—a trait he shared with Barbatos, the absentee god—he was a decent leader. 

At least, he didn't casually kill his subordinates, unlike the Balladeer, who had already caused several deaths in the few days he'd been in Inazuma. 

The agent was considering hiding out with the Vanguard troops for a while to avoid the Balladeer's wrath.

"Very well," Bai Luo said with a sigh. "Notify the Doctor's men that I'll be there by noon tomorrow and to be ready to receive me."

"Yes, sir!" The agent replied, preparing to relay the message to his comrades waiting offshore. 

Just as he turned to leave, Bai Luo called him back.

"Do you have any Firewater on you?" Bai Luo asked.

"...No," the agent replied hesitantly. 

Despite the mask covering his face, his guilty expression was obvious. 

Whether or not he actually had Firewater, he certainly wasn't going to admit it to Bai Luo.

Firewater was technically allowed among the Fatui, but there were strict regulations about when it could be consumed. 

Being caught drinking on the job could result in severe punishment, even death, under the wrong leader.

But Bai Luo's eyes were sharp. 

He quickly searched the agent and found an unopened bottle of Firewater.

As a former instructor for Pyro Debt Collectors, Bai Luo was quite adept at such things. 

He knew all the typical hiding spots these soldiers used for their contraband.

"Sir, that's my last bottle," the agent pleaded, crestfallen. "I was saving it."

Bai Luo simply patted the agent's shoulder and pocketed the bottle. "Don't worry. When we get back to Snezhnaya, I'll treat you to the finest Firewater."

"We'll see if we ever make it back…" the agent muttered under his breath, watching Bai Luo walk away with his Firewater.

Finding Ksenia wasn't difficult. 

She disliked water and hated bugs that could ruin her expensive little blanket, so she'd set up her temporary camp on a rocky outcrop away from the streams. 

Waking up in the sunlight and taking on a few nearby missions afterward was her idea of bliss.

From a distance, Bai Luo could already see the dark red canvas of her makeshift camp and the smoke rising from her campfire.

"Just in time. I haven't eaten much today; I might as well join her for a meal." 

Bai Luo was leaving Inazuma, and it was not clear when he would be back, so Bai Luo naturally did not forget to visit Ksenia before leaving.

He had always had a good impression with this Electro Cicin Mage.

He'd even gone out of his way to confiscate some Firewater from his subordinate, knowing how much she loved it.

However, as he approached the camp, Bai Luo sensed something was amiss. 

Sitting around the campfire weren't the familiar faces of Ksenia and her companions, but a group of strangers dressed in peculiar outfits.

They were lounging around, clearly taking a break, using the same kettle that Ksenia had once used to brew tea. 

From their attire, Bai Luo instantly recognized them: Treasure Hoarders.

This group was notorious across Teyvat, a loose band of thieves driven by greed. 

Though their activities spanned the continent, even reaching dangerous ruins that many adventurers dared not enter, they were still just a disorganized group of criminals.

But what were they doing at Ksenia's camp? And where was Ksenia?

Bai Luo knew these Treasure Hoarders wouldn't have stood a chance against Ksenia, who, as an Electro Cicin Mage, was part of a special forces unit in Snezhnaya. 

These thieves didn't even possess Visions, much less the power to defeat her.

Watching the group joke and boast around the campfire, Bai Luo quietly set down the box of fireworks he'd been carrying, drew his dagger, and melted into the shadows.

As an assassin, Bai Luo's deadliest skill wasn't his combat ability. 

If it came to a straight fight, he would probably rank last among the Harbingers. 

But when it came to assassinations, there was none better.

Every target he'd been assigned to eliminate in the Fatui had met their end without fail. 

Even those who had hired Vision users as bodyguards couldn't escape Bai Luo's deadly reach.

Rumor had it that some of his targets had gone to bed with their partners, only for their lovers to wake the next morning and find a cold corpse beside them.

According to incomplete statistics, the Doctor, the Instructor (Ausbilder), and the Jester are the three Fatui Harbingers that no one in Snezhnaya wishes to provoke. 

In short... These members of the Treasure Hoarders are in for some bad luck.

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