Chapter 66

"Wow! Collei, you're amazing! You found another one!"

Amber's eyes sparkled with admiration as she watched Collei pull a mechanical bird from a hidden corner. At first, Amber had thought that her new friend, whom she had only met the day before, was just there to cheer her on and provide moral support.

But to her surprise, Collei was even more efficient than she was. With just a glance, Collei could locate the mechanical birds hidden around Mondstadt.

"Uh... just luck," Collei replied, feeling a bit uneasy as she avoided Amber's gaze.

After all, she had been the one to plant those devices under Bai Luo's orders, so naturally, she knew exactly where they were.

Today was the Windblume Festival, and Bai Luo had allowed her complete freedom to roam the city. Jean had increased the manpower to deal with the mechanical birds, but it still wasn't enough, so even scouts like Amber had been dispatched.

Compared to Amber's lively personality, Collei seemed rather gloomy.

But...

Watching Amber hop around like a little bunny in search of the mechanical birds, Collei couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. Would she ever have a day as bright and carefree as Amber's?

Thanks to her efforts on the first day, Collei no longer felt as uncomfortable when people looked at her with curious eyes today.

Thinking back... every time she entered a new city in the past, she would be met with disgust and driven away. These curious glances no longer felt so bad.

Just as Bai Luo had once told her: this was Mondstadt, the city of freedom. Here, there was no war or conflict, and no need to be on guard.

If you want to laugh, just laugh.

If you want to cry, just cry.

But...

"Cry?" Collei muttered, looking down at her bandage-wrapped body with a hint of mockery. Ever since her mother's death and the beginning of her wandering, she had cried herself dry and vowed never to cry again.

"Ah!"

As the two of them searched for mechanical birds atop Mondstadt's city walls, they were suddenly distracted by a commotion below.

"F-Fatui?"

Seeing the chaos coming from the direction of the Fatui, Collei felt an unexpected wave of nervousness. She hadn't realized that she could feel anxious for the Fatui's sake.

Chains made of black fire shot into the sky, piercing through several Fatui members and burning them to ashes. This strange black fire seemed to thirst for life itself, and once it touched a person, there was no escape.

In the midst of the Fatui guards' shouts, a figure with ice-blue hair leaped from the crowd, climbed up the city walls, and dove into the waters of Cider Lake outside the walls, vanishing from sight.

"We have to pursue!" Amber, though the figure had attacked the Fatui, was still a member of the Knights of Favonius and decided to chase after the person to maintain order.

Besides, that ice-blue hair looked familiar...

Without thinking too much, Collei followed Amber as they jumped down from the walls.

But she didn't notice that the Preacher—whom she had spent years searching for—had appeared among the Fatui.

After the Preacher extinguished the black fire, the Fatui soldiers entangled in it had already been reduced to ashes. Even those who had tried to help put out the fire were injured in various ways.

Observing the burn marks left by the fire, the Preacher furrowed his brows slightly.

He had come specifically to deal with the black fire, but this fire seemed different from the black flame serpent described in the intelligence reports. Could it be...?

After ordering his men to clean up the scene, the Preacher did not involve himself in the Fatui's questioning of the Knights of Favonius, as that was Bai Luo's job. His only responsibility was to handle the black fire.

Looking in the direction where the mysterious blue-haired figure had fled, the Preacher's expression turned thoughtful.

Outside Mondstadt, a young boy with a satchel and a book bearing the emblem of the Sumeru Akademiya was walking along, seemingly muttering to himself.

He wore a strange long robe, with two jackal ears poking out from his hood. His white hair playfully stuck out from beneath the hood, as if curious about this free city.

His appearance was unique, reminiscent of the mythical Anubis, though unlike that deity of death, this boy had more of a scholarly aura.

Normally, someone dressed like him would attract a lot of attention in Mondstadt, but with the Windblume Festival in full swing, there were travelers from all over the world, many of whom wore strange and unusual outfits. As a result, the boy didn't draw much notice.

"Hey, you there! Stop!"

The sudden shout made the boy instinctively look up, only to see a figure with blue hair and an owl mask sprinting past him.

But beneath the blue hair, there was a faint hint of fiery red.

After the blue-haired figure rushed past, two girls who looked about the same age as the boy came running after him. One wielded a bow, while the other carried a small fruit knife, clearly in pursuit of the blue-haired figure.

"Hmm?"

As the girl wrapped in bandages passed by him, the boy sensed something unusual.

His area of research at the Akademiya focused on archons and medicine. Though the girl's archon residue was being suppressed by some force, he could still detect it.

Moreover... the distinctive scent of that plague. This must be the girl mentioned in the letter who needed help.

"What do you think?"

A voice suddenly whispered in his ear, startling the boy. He immediately assumed a defensive stance.

When did he get here?

Even though the boy often got lost in his thoughts while doing research, there was no way he wouldn't have noticed someone standing this close.

"Don't be nervous. I'm the one who invited you here," Bai Luo said as he removed his mask, revealing a warm smile. In a modern setting, he would have looked like any ordinary college student.

But the boy wasn't about to lower his guard.

As a member of the Fatui, Bai Luo wore their emblem, just like the rest. His symbol was on his sleeve, where subtle golden patterns adorned the black coat—not very conspicuous, but unmistakably the mark of the Fatui.

"Where is she?" the boy asked cautiously.

This Fatui agent had not only recognized his identity but also seemed to know his purpose. Had something happened to the girl?

"If you mean Lisa, she should be at the library. Just find a Knight of Favonius once you enter the city, and they'll take you to her."

Now that the boy had arrived, Bai Luo wasn't in a hurry. He wanted to let Collei enjoy the Windblume Festival a little longer. After that... everything would be over.

Putting his mask back on, Bai Luo prepared to follow the trace he had placed on Collei. If she got too far away, the archon residue inside her might become active again.

He didn't want anything unexpected to happen.

"Her condition is quite serious," the boy said, watching Bai Luo don the mask.

If that girl with the plague was indeed the one he had come to save, then it didn't hurt to tell this Fatui agent.

"The archon residue has spread throughout her body. Her situation is worse than I expected. It may be impossible to completely purify it."