Chapter 52: Kaeya Alberich

"Have you heard? The Twelfth Harbinger, our esteemed Ausbilder, attended Master Diluc's banquet."

"Diluc's banquet? Is that true?"

In the bustling city of Mondstadt, a male Fatui envoy named Mikhail was whispering to a female Fatui envoy named Lyudmila. 

The topic of their discussion was none other than the Harbingers.

Meanwhile, the Ausbilder they were talking about was currently at the banquet, enjoying fine wine and delicacies. 

Though he had initially been alone, by now he was surrounded by business elites and noblewomen.

It's true that the Fatui don't have a great reputation across Teyvat, but one cannot deny their influence in various industries.

A god from Liyue once said a famous phrase:

"Capital avoids conflict and strife, for its nature is cowardly."

This is true, but not the full truth.

"Capital fears the absence of profit or profits that are too low, just as nature abhors a vacuum. But once there is suitable profit, capital becomes bold. With a 10% profit, capital is guaranteed to circulate everywhere; with a 20% profit, it becomes active."

If breaching a contract can bring profit, capital won't hesitate to cross that line, even if it faces penalties for breaking its word.

Though the Harbingers are indeed fearsome, these merchants fear most of all being left without profit. 

Unfortunately for them, they were playing the wrong game.

Bai Luo, as one of the Harbingers, wasn't responsible for business dealings. 

His domain was assassination and intelligence.

Realizing Bai Luo had no intention of talking to them, the businesspeople gradually dispersed. 

However, on the side of the Knights of Favonius, things were starting to stir.

"Honorable Ausbilder, would you be willing to accept the greetings of the Knights of Favonius?"

A dark-skinned man wearing an eyepatch approached Bai Luo, raising his glass in a toast.

"If it's just wine and not weapons, I'd gladly accept," Bai Luo responded, raising his glass and clinking it against the other man's.

Earlier, when Krobber and Diluc were negotiating, Bai Luo had noticed this man tagging along. 

He hadn't expected him to approach so soon.

Does he think Krobber isn't enough of a fool to force him to act? 

Or does he think it's dangerous to let a Harbinger wander around a banquet unsupervised?

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Kaeya Alberich, Quartermaster of the Knights of Favonius," the man said.

The position of Quartermaster was akin to being the office manager, head of logistics, or administrative assistant of the Knights. 

The role involved not only handling the internal affairs of the Knights but also maintaining good relationships with external organizations. 

So it wasn't at all unusual for him to strike up a conversation with Bai Luo.

"Kaeya? I've heard that you're set to take up the role of Cavalry Captain soon," Bai Luo remarked.

Ever since arriving in Mondstadt, Kaeya's name had constantly been mentioned around Bai Luo. 

Whether it was the Fatui guards stationed at the Goth Grand Hotel, the fool Krobber, or even the servants responsible for cleaning, they all brought up his name frequently.

Yet none of them had realized that Kaeya had already extracted a great deal of information from them.

"You're well-informed. Actually, after my father passed away three years ago, I took over the responsibilities of Cavalry Captain from my older brother. It's only recently that the appointment will become official."

Kaeya wasn't surprised that Bai Luo knew about his situation. 

After all, if his information was correct, this Ausbilder was also an expert in intelligence.

It is said that most of the intelligence concerning Liyue, Mondstadt, and Inazuma gathered in Snezhnaya comes from this particular individual. 

He is even privy to secrets that some locals of these nations are unaware of.

To verify this, Kaeya had trusted subordinates investigate, but aside from the Lawrence Clan, few had any significant contact with the Fatui. 

However, the arrogant members of the Lawrence clan never bothered with such secrets, which made Kaeya even more wary of this Ausbilder.

Even when he approached to greet him, Kaeya was careful not to probe too deeply. 

He felt that the Fatui had, in one way or another, infiltrated the core of Mondstadt.

"By the way, your brother is Master Diluc, correct?" Bai Luo asked as he moved toward a statue of an owl, toying with it.

"Yes, we aren't blood-related, but my foster father treated me well. I've long considered this place my home."

Seeing Bai Luo approach the owl statue, Kaeya's eyelid twitched slightly. That guy, Diluc, honestly—how could he place something like that in plain sight? Is he not worried his other identity will be exposed?

"Watchers of the night, do not forget the brilliance of dawn. Those who battle against wickedness, do not lose the righteousness of your heart."

This was the inscription on the owl statue, likely someone's personal motto.

"Forgive me for the display. That fellow has a habit of collecting strange things; his taste is... unique. However, I believe the painting over there would be more to your liking, Ausbilder. If you fancy it, I can personally ensure it gets delivered to you."

The eye not covered by Kaeya's eyepatch darted around nervously as he tried to steer Bai Luo's attention elsewhere.

"No, no, I actually find this quite interesting," Bai Luo said with amusement, looking at the inscription.

"Interesting?" Kaeya couldn't make sense of Bai Luo's thoughts.

"Yes. It reminds me of a friend of mine. He was born in a city called Gotham. As a member of one of the four major families, the Waynes, he witnessed his parents' murder right before his eyes. Later, he inherited his family's vast fortune and became a top-tier billionaire. But instead of living the life of a pampered heir, he decided to don a bat mask, transforming into the Dark Knight to punish those he deemed evil. Isn't that ridiculous?"

With every sentence Bai Luo spoke, Kaeya's grip on his glass tightened. 

Everything fit. 

The noble background, witnessing the death of a father, inheriting the family fortune, and becoming a nighttime vigilante punishing wrongdoers.

It was exactly like his dear brother, Diluc.

This was information that even most high-ranking members of the Knights of Favonius didn't know—only a few, such as Grand Master Varka, were aware of it.

Yet, this Ausbilder, this Fatui Harbinger, had just laid out Diluc's circumstances from the past few years as if it were common knowledge.

What was he implying? 

Was he warning Mondstadt, showing that he had infiltrated the city's core? 

Or did he have some other motive?

Kaeya, who was usually adept at gathering intelligence through casual conversation, began to feel panic for the first time.

No...

The real first time he had panicked was three years ago, on that fateful night.

That night, both he and Diluc had lost their shared "father."

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