Chapter 72

"Finished?"

Bai Luo calmly grabbed Collei's small hand as she tried to stick something on his back and asked.

"Mm-hmm, I stuck them all," Collei said, reluctantly pulling back her hand.

This was a test Bai Luo had set for her.

The task was to stealthily place these special stickers on the members of the Fatui without being detected by anyone. Some of the targets were particularly challenging, with Bai Luo even instructing Collei to place stickers on sensitive and easily noticeable spots—like peaches.

Yes, peaches.

Collei hadn't disappointed him. Although she didn't possess Bai Luo's stealth abilities, she had managed to evade detection by many thanks to her smaller frame and Bai Luo's training.

In the wild, Hilichurls, despite their lower intelligence, had sharper survival instincts than many wild animals.

When Collei successfully hid mechanical birds in a Hilichurl camp without alerting any monsters, Bai Luo knew she had become a competent assassin.

It wasn't necessarily because of her innate talent or Bai Luo's teaching. Years of wandering across the Seven Nations had helped her refine the rudimentary assassination techniques Bai Luo had originally taught her.

What Bai Luo had done over the past few days was merely polish the skills Collei had already acquired.

If he had started training her from scratch, the best she could manage would be sneaking up on someone like Anastasia.

The real reason Bai Luo did all of this was to confirm one thing: whether Collei could survive independently after the Archon residue in her was sealed.

Though it was a sad thought, he couldn't be there for her forever.

Seeing her perform so well now, Bai Luo felt reassured.

"Come here. I have something for you," Bai Luo called, waving to the girl who was still happily playing with the stickers.

Having had an unhappy childhood, Collei had never owned toys, and even these cute little stickers were enough to win her heart.

"Coming!"

Carefully tucking the remaining stickers into her clothes, Collei stood before Bai Luo. With the Archon residue sealed, she seemed much brighter and more energetic. Though she wasn't quite as lively as someone like Hu Tao, Yoimiya, or Amber... well, it was a start.

"From now on, you're the 225th soldier of the 684th Regiment in Fatui's Region 936!"

Bai Luo handed Collei a custom-made Fatui uniform that he had prepared in advance. It was a small size, fitting her perfectly.

As for what the numbers meant, someone will surely explain it in the comments.

But when Collei heard Bai Luo's words, the joy vanished from her face.

She didn't like the Fatui. Even though Bai Luo was a Harbinger, he was different from the others. She could accept him, but not the Fatui, and she definitely didn't want to become one of them.

"Don't worry, I'm not asking you to join the Fatui. It's just a little surprise I prepared. Go ahead, put on the uniform. I'll take you to meet someone afterward."

Bai Luo could easily read Collei's thoughts. He had said that line purely because the author had forced it on him for narrative reasons.

Reluctantly, Collei left to change into the uniform. Bai Luo, meanwhile, sensed the nearby markings he had placed and felt a tinge of anticipation.

Standing at the top of Starsnatch Cliff, the Preacher crouched down, examining a magic circle on the ground with a contemplative expression.

He recognized the circle. During his time in Sumeru, he had seen it used as a standard healing array. But the corruption tainting the circle was much more intriguing.

It was clearly the residue of an Archon.

"Seems like the Sumeru lot got involved after all."

The Preacher pieced together the situation. While his attention had been diverted by that strange person with the Delusion, someone had secretly performed a ritual here to seal the Archon residue.

However, from the lingering energy in the air, he could tell they hadn't completely purged the residue—they had only sealed it.

Good.

If it was just a sealing, his loss wasn't too great.

As someone who specialized in manipulating the darkness within people's hearts, the Preacher's expertise lay in exploiting their weaknesses. A seal like this was no more than a wet sheet of paper to him, fragile and easily torn.

He made a mental note to keep an eye on anyone in Mondstadt wrapped in bandages.

For some reason, he thought about the cat Bai Luo had been holding. That little creature had also been covered in bandages.

But he didn't recall ever injecting Archon residue into an animal. And besides, a small animal like a cat wouldn't survive the power of the residue.

Maybe he was just being overly suspicious.

"Preacher."

Speak of the devil.

Just as the Preacher dismissed the suspicion about the cat, Bai Luo appeared a short distance behind him.

Next to Bai Luo was a small figure dressed in a Fatui uniform and wearing a Fire Debt Collector's mask.

So this must be the new recruit the Harbinger had been training.

Even though the child was young, the determination in her stance was unmistakable—a clear product of Bai Luo's instruction.

The child's readiness to attack was palpable, and the Preacher couldn't help but be impressed. However, given her age, he made a mental note to hold back during the upcoming fight.

Bai Luo handed Collei a special dagger from his belt. While the dagger was a perfect fit for Bai Luo, it was more like a short sword for Collei.

Yet for some reason, holding the dagger felt natural to her—more natural than the worn-out fruit knife she had been using for years.

When she assumed her assassination stance, the dagger seemed perfectly attuned to her movements, as though it had been made just for her.

Without spending too much time analyzing the weapon, Collei, following Bai Luo's signal, walked toward the Preacher.

Yes, she walked.

After her initial surge of excitement and anger, a strange calm had settled over her.

Perhaps she had come to understand that Bai Luo wouldn't let the Preacher escape. With that reassurance, she felt no need to rush.

Still, the killing intent radiating from her was enough to make even the Preacher uneasy.

"As expected of the Harbinger's protégé. That murderous aura... I assume you've taken a life before?" the Preacher said, not bothering to draw his weapon.

In his eyes, this fledgling "Debt Collector" wasn't someone who required him to arm himself.

Besides, weapons had no eyes. If he accidentally harmed the Harbinger's prized student, the punishment would be severe.

That said, being unarmed didn't make him any less dangerous.

His sharp, blackened fingernails were one of his primary weapons. They weren't dyed with ink but coated with a special metal alloy.

If he landed a scratch, it would surely draw blood and tear through skin.

Without warning, Collei struck, aiming directly for his throat.