Chapter 68

"That was Klee, our Spark Knight from the Knights of Favonius. She got put in confinement by Jean for... well, trying to swap the Windblume Festival feather ball with one of her Jumpty Dumpties," Kaeya explained to Bai Luo, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.

It wasn't Klee who made Kaeya nervous, but rather Bai Luo's methods.

The fact that a Fatui Harbinger had reached the confinement area without anyone in the Knights noticing was unsettling. The guards at the gate, Bolto and Arto, were sharp-eyed and not ones to let suspicious individuals through easily.

According to Klee, she hadn't even realized she had bumped into two living people, thinking she had crashed into one of the monsters from Kaeya's stories.

Reflecting on Bai Luo's earlier threats, Kaeya realized they had likely underestimated this Harbinger from Snezhnaya.

"Your way of educating children in Mondstadt... is certainly unique," Bai Luo commented, glancing at the now-quiet confinement room.

Little did he know, Collei's view of him had also shifted. You're one to talk, she thought. If I hadn't learned mysterious combat techniques from someone as a child, I'd have been taken down by slimes or Hilichurls long ago.

"The Sumeru guest is in the library. Let me take you there," Kaeya offered with a smile, choosing not to explain further.

Despite efforts to remove all the mechanical birds, there hadn't been enough time to clear them all, leading to disturbances among some of the monsters outside the city. Thankfully, the devices inside Mondstadt had been dealt with, and Jean's team had contained the situation before it escalated.

However, Jean and her knights couldn't return just yet, leaving Kaeya, the Quartermaster, to temporarily take charge. The Knights of Favonius were in a fragile state, and Kaeya had volunteered to escort Bai Luo to prevent any incidents.

As for whether he could actually stop Bai Luo from causing trouble... he would do his best.

The library in the Knights' headquarters was quite large, even bigger than the outer hall. Aside from the grand chandelier in the center, there were small lamps along the rows of bookshelves. These lamps weren't lit by candles but by technology from Fontaine. Although expensive, they had been purchased in bulk because of the importance of preserving the books.

This library held a special status in Mondstadt, and it was arguably the largest in the city. It housed not only obscure ancient texts but also Liyue martial arts novels and Inazuman light novels. There was even a copy of An Investigation into Hilichurl Customs.

After leading Bai Luo and Collei to the library, Kaeya left to attend to the festival's many demands. If not for Bai Luo's special identity, he wouldn't have guided them personally.

While Bai Luo casually pushed the door open, Collei at least had the manners to knock before entering.

To be fair, Bai Luo had hardly used doors in recent years. He was more used to climbing balconies or windows. The fact that he still knew how to push open a door was more of an instinct than anything.

"Are we sure he's taking us to the right place?" Collei asked, worried, as she tugged at Bai Luo's coat. Bai Luo had already started flipping through a book called The Fox of the Dandelion Sea without a care in the world.

They hadn't seen anyone since entering, and Collei began to worry.

But soon, something else caught her attention—some strange bottles and jars that she recognized from her time wandering in Sumeru.

These items were usually owned by scholars, and someone like her, a drifter, couldn't even dream of touching them, let alone owning them.

The colorful liquids inside were especially tempting, and Collei found herself reaching out to touch one.

"Don't!"

A sharp voice rang out from the other side of the bookshelf.

"That's a magic potion that will turn you into an animal. Though the effect is temporary, I doubt you'd want to experience it," the voice warned.

"..."

Normally, someone might question the truth of such a statement, but not Collei. She had witnessed the effects of such potions firsthand.

During her time wandering, she had seen cruel people use magical potions to turn street children into dogs, rabbits, or goats for street performances or begging.

If not for her plague and her agility, Collei might have ended up like those children.

Eventually, this behavior was discovered by scholars in Sumeru, and the perpetrators were severely punished. The scholar who had leaked these potions was branded a heretic and permanently expelled from the Akademiya.

"Ah, you're the one from earlier..." Collei finally recognized the young man after her initial shock wore off. His unique appearance made him hard to forget.

"You can call me Cyno. My master sent me to help Lisa treat the affliction in your body," Cyno said, producing a letter sealed with wax as proof.

Focused on Collei, who had been injected with Archon residue, Cyno almost entirely ignored Bai Luo. He had encountered people with similar conditions before, but Collei's case was unique. Despite the residue of a god within her, it hadn't overtaken her. In fact, it was being suppressed.

Was it because of him?

Cyno's eyes shifted to Bai Luo. Only someone with the power bestowed by a god—someone like a Fatui Harbinger—could suppress something as potent as Archon residue.

"You mentioned earlier that her condition wasn't good. Could you elaborate?" Bai Luo asked, casually picking up one of the potions that Cyno had said could transform people into animals, clearly unbothered by its potential effects.

"The Archon residue has spread throughout her body. If we were to completely purify it, she'd be like a tree with its core hollowed out—she wouldn't survive. So... the only option is to seal it and suppress its power, leaving it dormant inside her," Cyno explained.

It wasn't good news, but it wasn't terrible either. At least it would offer a solution to her condition.

"Collei, what do you think?"

As her "guardian," Bai Luo refrained from voicing his opinion and instead turned to Collei.

"I understand. Please seal it," Collei replied without much hesitation.

After being tormented by the Archon residue for so many years, Collei knew all too well how terrifying it was. Even if sealing it was the only solution, it was better than letting it continue to wreak havoc inside her.

"Not yet," Cyno said, glancing out at the night sky.

"Nighttime is when Archon residue is most active. If we try to seal it now, it could trigger unimaginable consequences. Even with its power suppressed, an Archon's backlash is not something mere mortals can handle. Meet me at Starsnatch Cliff tomorrow morning at ten."

"Understood. I'll leave it to you."

After arranging the time for the sealing ritual, Collei prepared to leave with Bai Luo. But when she noticed that Bai Luo hadn't moved, she paused.

"Cyno, could I ask you a favor?" Bai Luo asked, watching as Cyno was about to return to his research.

After a moment's hesitation, Cyno nodded.

Whatever Bai Luo and Cyno discussed that night remained a mystery, even to Collei.

The only thing Kaeya knew was that when Bai Luo left the library, Collei was no longer by his side.

Instead, Bai Luo carried a small cat wrapped in bandages in his arms.