Chapter 56: Collei

The Fatui have withdrawn.

Even though they were just some diplomats, their departure was enough to let the Knights breathe a sigh of relief.

Compared to the envoys, these diplomats were much harder to deal with.

Not only were their attitudes unpleasant, but they were also aggressive in many aspects. They were extremely picky about their food, clothing, accommodations, and other needs, to the point where some of the knights felt like rolling up their sleeves and starting a fight.

If Acting Grand Master Jean hadn't stepped in to calm the knights, a diplomatic incident could have easily occurred. In short, the Knights didn't have much fondness for these so-called diplomats.

The person in charge of escorting them out was Kaeya.

Kaeya originally didn't want to take this mission. He felt it was more important to stay in Mondstadt to keep an eye on the Harbinger, Bai Luo. However, given the importance of these diplomats, and with Jean personally stepping in, Kaeya had no choice but to set aside his concerns about Bai Luo and focus on completing the escort mission first.

"Form up!"

After giving Amber some instructions, Jean began directing the Knights to prepare for departure. As for Kaeya, who was pretending to daydream but was actually eavesdropping on the diplomats, Jean pushed him to the front of the formation. As the Cavalry Captain, he needed to lead from the front.

Meanwhile, Jean stayed close to the carriage, ready to protect the diplomats from potential threats. Their mission was to escort the diplomats out of Mondstadt, where the Fatui would take over. As long as nothing happened to the diplomats within Mondstadt, everything would be fine.

The gathering of the cavalry squad quickly drew the attention of the townspeople, who began to gather and whisper among themselves as they watched the squad. They didn't know the specifics of the Knights' mission, but they could tell from the Fatui emblem on the carriage that it was related to those troublesome diplomats.

Such a lively scene was rarely seen in Inazuma.

The last time was when Arataki Itto got caught.

"What a shame... if this beautiful moment were ruined, it would be such a pity." Bai Luo murmured to himself as he observed the crowd from one of Mondstadt's windmills.

Mondstadt had many windmills, powered by the blessings of the Anemo Archon. These windmills generated a continuous supply of energy, providing the city with various conveniences. Now, they served as the perfect vantage point for Bai Luo to enjoy the view.

He wasn't in Mondstadt just to sightsee; he had a mission. But it wasn't about Klober's task of recruiting experimental subjects.

Three years ago, the Doctor had invented a mechanical bird using substances extracted from the Withering Grasses. This bird could provoke monsters into a frenzy. The Doctor had Klober place the bird on the carriage of Crepus Ragnvindr's party, causing Ursa the Drake to attack them.

To protect his son Diluc, Crepus used the power of a Delusion at the cost of his life to drive the drake away. But the Delusion's backlash killed him in front of Diluc. This event created a rift between Diluc and the Knights of Favonius, leading him to leave the order and begin his travels across the seven nations.

Following this incident, the mechanical bird continued to provoke Ursa, resulting in frequent attacks on Mondstadt, bringing great suffering to its residents. During this crisis, the Doctor and the Fatui had arrived and easily subdued the dragon, indebting Mondstadt to them. 

What followed was the forced recruitment of many promising young men and women, who were taken to Snezhnaya under the guise of conscription, only to be subjected to human experimentation, creating a stronger army.

But as time passed, the influence of the Fatui in Mondstadt began to wane, slowing down the recruitment process. Bai Luo's mission was to reignite a similar crisis during the Windblume Festival, recreating the events of three years ago and reinforcing the Fatui's grip on Mondstadt.

The supposed withdrawal of the diplomats was merely a cover to transport the research on the mechanical bird back to Snezhnaya, avoiding any incriminating evidence being left behind.

"Hmm?"

As the Knights were preparing to depart, Bai Luo's attention was drawn to a figure in the distance.

It was a young foreign girl, her body wrapped in bandages, her expression somber. From her weary eyes, it was clear she had been traveling for a long time. She staggered onto the bridge leading to Mondstadt's gates, scattering the pigeons that had gathered there.

A boy who had been feeding the pigeons looked like he wanted to complain, but upon seeing her condition, he chose to remain silent. Noticing his averted gaze, the girl's face twisted into a mocking smile.

"Collei..."

Bai Luo recognized this girl, though she didn't know of his existence.

Their paths had crossed during his time working under the Doctor.

This girl had contracted a plague and was near death. Perhaps out of some twisted sense of humor, one of the Doctor's subordinates, a missionary, injected her with the remnants of a god and then abandoned her.

At the time, Bai Luo, who was just an ordinary Fatui agent, felt sorry for her and secretly cared for her while she was unconscious.

During that period, due to his exceptional performance, Bai Luo had been transferred to the Debt Collector's unit, forcing him to leave her behind.

Unfortunately, by the time he left, the girl had not yet woken up.

Bai Luo had assumed she had died from the torment of the god's remnants, but it seemed her will to live was surprisingly strong.

Come to think of it... he had only made things worse back then. For her to live on like this, enduring constant suffering, might be worse than death.

The staggering Collei was stopped by the Knights when she reached Mondstadt's gate. First, the city was currently preparing for the escort of the Fatui diplomats. Second, her bandaged appearance and strange odor made her look like someone suffering from a terrible disease.

Allowing someone like that into the city could incite panic.

Especially since it was the eve of the Windblume Festival, if tourists caught some strange illness because of her, it would be a terrible disaster for Mondstadt.

Just then, the Fatui convoy began to leave Mondstadt.

Seeing the carriage slowly moving forward, Collei instinctively stepped aside. But when she noticed the Fatui emblem on the carriage, her expression changed.

Her originally pale purple eyes turned deep red.

Black flames coalesced into the shape of a giant serpent, instantly engulfing the entire carriage.

"F-fire?"

The pampered Fatui diplomats had never encountered anything like this before.

As they tried to escape the carriage with their research materials, they found the doors locked tight, impossible to open.

In the end, both diplomats and the carriage full of documents were reduced to ashes by the strange black fire, leaving behind little of value.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Collei slipped into Mondstadt.

"Finally… I'm in…"

Upon seeing that familiar emblem, she couldn't hold back any longer and used that power in broad daylight.

But the power's side effects were now taking a toll on her.

Staggering into a deserted alley, Collei clutched her head, forcing herself to ignore the whispers in her mind.

She knew that if she succumbed to those whispers, not only would she fail in her quest for revenge against the missionary, but she might also lose herself completely, becoming nothing more than a crazed killer.

Suddenly, the tormenting voices ceased, and the surroundings became eerily quiet.

Collei didn't understand what was happening until… she saw the dark figure at the entrance of the alley.