Chapter 48: Mondstadt
"Lord Ausbilder!"
Krupp had already witnessed Bai Luo's method of appearing out of thin air before, so he wasn't particularly surprised.
But even so, he didn't feel relaxed in Bai Luo's presence at all.
Anyone who could be admired and praised by Dottore might not necessarily be outstanding, but they were definitely terrifying.
And when he thought about the missions Bai Luo had carried out before becoming a Fatui Harbinger…
Just standing beside him made Krupp feel a chill down his spine.
After all, many of the people Bai Luo had "sent away" were individuals very similar to Krupp himself.
"Let's go. We're setting off."
"Yes, sir!"
. . .
Mondstadt, the free city-state located in the northeastern part of Teyvat, is known as the "City of Wind and Song."
According to a certain nun who preferred not to reveal her name, the god they worshipped was called Bartobas.
Just as mentioned earlier, both the nation and its god represented freedom.
Freedom to the point that the god didn't even want to restrain his people, allowing them to develop however they wished.
This seemingly laissez-faire approach also had another very fitting term—
Slacking off.
However, this very attitude once pushed the nation into corruption and its darkest era.
That was the period of aristocratic rule.
Later, under the leadership of Vennessa, the tyranny of the Lawrence Clan was overthrown by the people.
From that day onward, Mondstadt no longer had nobles.
This land without a ruling monarch—and with a god who rarely intervened—was now managed by the Knights of Favonius, an organization created by Vennessa.
Compared to Inazuma, although monsters still existed across Mondstadt's territory, the region was far safer overall.
The scenery here was beautiful, with a spring-like climate all year round.
Between the mountains and vast plains, the free wind carried the scent of dandelions across Cider Lake, delivering the blessings of the Anemo Archon Barbatos to Mondstadt City, which stood upon an island in the middle of the lake.
Hm?
Wasn't it Bartobas?
Cough, cough…
Anyway, for Bai Luo, arriving in Mondstadt felt no different from returning to a beginner village.
Meanwhile, Inazuma City could definitely be described as starting the game on nightmare difficulty.
. . .
Looking out toward the mist-covered Dragonspine in the distance, the fleet sailed past Cape Oath before finally landing near Falcon Coast.
People from Mondstadt who had already received word of their arrival were waiting there ahead of time.
After straightening his clothes, Tulls stepped forward to greet them.
According to his master's instructions, the people aboard this ship were important guests, so he had to handle the reception carefully.
To be honest, when Krupp was around Bai Luo or Il Dottore, he behaved like an obvious lackey.
But in front of ordinary servants, he instantly transformed into a lofty figure.
Combined with his expensive formal attire and his neatly groomed mustache, he really did look like a respectable gentleman.
"Mr. Krupp, my master has already prepared rooms for you at the winery. He specially sent us here to welcome you."
As one of Dottore's subordinates, Krupp actually had a bit of a reputation in Mondstadt.
Otherwise, when the Windblume Festival arrived, Mondstadt wouldn't have gone out of its way to send invitations all the way to Snezhnaya.
The main reason was that compared to genuine Fatui members, Krupp was much easier to manipulate.
When Krupp heard Tulls' words, a greedy expression briefly appeared on his face.
Not only was Tulls' master extremely generous, but more importantly, the winery he mentioned stored many rare wines.
A single bottle could buy an entire house in Mondstadt City.
And the last time Krupp visited Mondstadt, he had obtained nearly ten bottles of such wine.
After bringing them back to Snezhnaya, they had sold for astronomical prices.
However, the moment he noticed someone behind him stepping off the ship, he quickly hid the greedy expression on his face.
"That won't be necessary. Please thank your master for his kindness. Our people have already reserved the Goth Grand Hotel. If there's anything you need, you can find us there."
The so-called "anything you need," of course, referred to delivering benefits or bribes.
But Krupp didn't dare say that directly in front of Bai Luo, so he could only hint at it frantically in this indirect way to Tulls.
Tulls' attention, however, had already shifted to Bai Luo, who stood behind Krupp.
Compared to Krupp's expensive formal attire, Bai Luo—dressed in a black windbreaker—looked rather inconspicuous.
He gave off the impression of a bodyguard.
Yet Tulls did not underestimate him in the slightest.
Because he clearly noticed that after Bai Luo stepped off the ship, Krupp—who had been so arrogant moments before—subconsciously bent his waist a little.
Even when hinting for bribes, he no longer dared to be so blatant.
That meant only one thing…
This seemingly unremarkable man ranked far above Krupp.
Perhaps this person was the "distinguished guest" his master had mentioned.
"I understand. In that case, Mr. Krupp, please make sure to accept this."
Having already reached his conclusion, Tulls withdrew his gaze from Bai Luo and took out something resembling an envelope, handing it to Krupp.
"Hm?"
The moment Krupp saw the envelope, his eyes lit up.
Perhaps… this was the generous master's meeting gift for him.
"This is an invitation to the pre–Windblume Festival banquet. The banquet will be held at Dawn Winery in one day. To prevent the honored guest's invitation from being lost, my master specifically instructed me to give Mr. Krupp an extra copy."
Hearing this, Krupp felt annoyed.
No bribe was bad enough, but what was this supposed to mean?
Was he being looked down upon? Did they think he was careless enough to lose even an invitation?
But before he could lose his temper, a pale hand rested on his shoulder.
Considering that only one person on the ship would dare do such a thing, cold sweat instantly soaked through his undershirt.
"Please thank your master on my behalf, and also pass along my greetings."
Bai Luo took the invitation from Krupp's hand, a friendly smile appearing on his face.
Krupp might not understand, but Bai Luo knew very well that this invitation wasn't really a spare copy—it was actually meant for him.
Just as he expected, after removing his hat and bowing politely, Tulls left with his attendants.
"Lord… Ausbilder…"
Forcing a smile, Krupp wiped the sweat from his forehead.
During the past few days drifting at sea, Bai Luo hadn't done anything particularly extreme. Most of the time he had just slept in the cabin or written his new novel.
This mild behavior had almost made Krupp forget that this man was a terrifying existence capable of keeping many high-ranking officials in Snezhnaya awake at night.
Bai Luo glanced at him.
How could Krupp's little schemes possibly escape his notice?
He also vaguely understood why Dottore had sent this man along.
Someone as greedy as Krupp would certainly cause the Fatui plenty of trouble.
In fact, he was the organization's one obvious weak point.
But this weakness functioned like a piece of fat bait, capable of attracting the big fish hiding in the shadows.
Give him a little authority and leak some insignificant information, and those sharks who couldn't resist the scent of blood would definitely rush out to bite the hook.
Even if they knew it was a trap.
And once the big fish took the bait, the bait itself would no longer matter.