This Trainee Fatui Harbinger is Too Unreliable [21]
Since the night he let Yelan go, Luo Qing's life had been uneventful. Each day was spent fishing by the harbor or sitting in the teahouse listening to Uncle Tian's tall tales. He seemed less like an envoy from Snezhnaya and more like a local Liyue native.
As always, Luo Qing was on a small boat at the harbor, intently watching the bobbing float on the water's surface. He'd been fishing since sunrise and hadn't caught a single fish. Stubbornly refusing to admit defeat, he was determined not to go home empty-handed.
"Lord Luo Qing, maybe we should just buy some fish from the market?" Natalia, standing behind him with an empty basket, couldn't hide her impatience.
"Shh... don't scare the fish away," Luo Qing whispered back.
"..."
[+1 Frustration from Natalia]
Natalia, looking utterly defeated, stared at the float bobbing in the water, praying for a foolish fish to take the bait and end her suffering. She now understood why Igor and Sergey had quickly volunteered to chase down debtors when they heard Luo Qing planned a fishing trip. She had been foolish enough to stay, trapped as his reluctant assistant for the day.
With her chin in her hands, Natalia's legs dangled over the edge of the boat, stirring up ripples in the water. Just as she was daydreaming about when the torturous fishing session might end, a gentle breeze brushed past her shoulder. Startled, she turned to see an owl perched on her shoulder.
The owl held a letter in its beak. The envelope's elegant, intricate design looked vaguely familiar to her.
"A letter for Lord Luo Qing?"
Natalia took the letter from the owl's beak with a puzzled expression. The owl glanced at Luo Qing, then flapped its wings and flew off.
"Lord Luo Qing, someone's sent you a letter..." she said, walking over to hand it to him.
"A letter?" Luo Qing took it, recognizing the pattern on the envelope even before opening it. It was the mark of a witch—a deep crimson moth engulfed in flames.
It could only mean one thing:
Signora.
He looked up at the owl circling overhead before opening the envelope to read the contents.
"In such a hurry... Just what did Her Majesty the Tsaritsa promise you?"
Whether it was him, the yet-to-arrive Childe, or Signora, they all had the same mission: to locate Rex Lapis and retrieve the Geo Archon's Gnosis. Signora had been stationed in Mondstadt, overseeing the retrieval of the Anemo Archon's Gnosis, leaving Childe in charge of the Liyue mission.
But with Childe's responsibilities still tying him up in Snezhnaya, Luo Qing had been sent ahead to make preparations in Liyue. Yet now, before Childe had even shown up, Signora had already reached out to him.
The letter was straightforward.
The Anemo Gnosis had been secured in Mondstadt, and she would be arriving in Liyue before Childe. She wanted Luo Qing to meet with her, provide any information he had gathered, and ideally, reveal Rex Lapis' whereabouts.
The subtext was clear: Signora wanted to be the one to secure the Geo Archon's Gnosis and win favor with the Tsaritsa.
"Such a loyal servant of Her Majesty," Luo Qing muttered, shaking his head as he reeled in his fishing rod.
"Lord Luo Qing, does that mean you're done fishing?" Natalia tried not to sound too hopeful.
"Yeah, let's head to the market and buy some fish today..."
Late at night, Liyue Harbor, an upscale inn.
To avoid drawing attention, Signora hadn't taken control of the local Fatui forces but had contacted Luo Qing directly, asking to meet in private. Even if Luo Qing were promoted to the official Twelfth Harbinger, Signora was still his superior due to her higher rank.
He had no choice but to comply, sneaking to the address provided in her letter.
Standing before the room Signora had indicated, Luo Qing took a deep breath, steeling himself before knocking.
"Come in," came a mature, sultry voice from inside.
As he pushed open the door, he saw a silhouette behind a folding screen—a curvaceous figure, unmistakably feminine.
Rounding the screen, he was momentarily stunned by what he saw.
Huge... way bigger than coconut milk...
"Lady Signora," he greeted, lowering his gaze to maintain respect. Despite his newfound power and confidence that he could take her on if things got heated, the formalities remained.
"Well, well, I never imagined that the little boy trailing behind Arlecchino would one day become a trainee Harbinger," Signora said lazily, leaning against the window with an air of superiority.
"I'll get straight to the point. How much do you know about Morax's whereabouts?"
They're... really that big...
"What was that?" Signora's brow furrowed.
"Ahem, I mean... I know where he is, Lady Signora," Luo Qing replied quickly, recovering from his lapse.
"You know?" Her expression became noticeably more eager. Though Rex Lapis was the deity who governed Liyue, he had gradually withdrawn from public life after entrusting governance to the Liyue Qixing. These days, the citizens only saw him once a year during the Rite of Descension.
Signora's mission was to find Rex Lapis and finalize a contract with him on behalf of the Tsaritsa. Yet even the Liyue Qixing struggled to see the Geo Archon in person, so how could outsiders like the Fatui hope to succeed?
"Yes, Lady Signora. In fact, he's right here in Liyue Harbor," Luo Qing confirmed.
He had sent Igor and the others to investigate the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor upon his arrival, discovering that a man named Zhongli worked as a consultant there.
It seemed that when Morax had nothing better to do, he would roam Liyue disguised as Zhongli.
"In Liyue Harbor?" Signora's surprise was evident—she hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.
"Yes. If you wish to meet him, I can take you there tomorrow," Luo Qing offered.
"Oh? And why not just tell me where he is right now? Afraid I'll steal the glory from you?" Signora's eyes narrowed, her tone playful yet taunting.
"Wow, you're sharp! That's exactly it!" Luo Qing said, grinning as he gave her a thumbs-up.
"..."
[+1 Frustration from Signora]
There was something about Luo Qing's respectful demeanor that rubbed Signora the wrong way, almost as if he didn't fear her in the slightest. Since when were youngsters this bold?
"Fine, if you want the credit so badly, I won't stop you. Take me to him first thing in the morning. Understood?"
"How early are we talking?" Luo Qing asked out of nowhere.
"At dawn. Got it?" she replied, narrowing her eyes.
"Understood," Luo Qing said, pretending to bow dutifully.
"Good. Now get out," Signora said dismissively. Was Pantalone out of his mind to recommend this guy as a candidate for the Twelfth Harbinger?
Just as she was mentally preparing to get some rest and shake off the fatigue from her journey, Luo Qing suddenly paused at the door and turned back.
"Lady Signora, it's so late... maybe I should just squeeze in here for the night? Don't worry—I don't hog the blankets!" he said with a cheeky grin.
"...What?"
Her eyebrow twitched.