Genshin Impact: I'm The Envoy of Snezhnaya
Chapter 63: The Missionary
An unfamiliar ceiling...
Unfamiliar bedding...
And...
An infuriatingly punchable smiling face!
Collei's originally drowsy expression instantly turned into one that looked as though she had just swallowed a fly the moment she saw Bai Luo. It was an absolutely terrible expression.
She checked the bandages covering her body. Fortunately, none of them had come loose.
However, for some reason, although she had fallen asleep on the floor, she had woken up in the bed.
Come to think of it, it had been a long time since she had slept as peacefully as she had last night.
"Was this your doing?"
While getting dressed, Collei gave Bai Luo a suspicious look.
Naturally, she was referring to how she had ended up in the bed.
"Well, someone had a nightmare last night. She was crying and sniffling so pitifully that she insisted on squeezing into my bed. I had no choice but to put up with that little crybaby for the entire night."
"..."
After hearing Bai Luo's explanation, Collei suddenly felt a little guilty.
Although her memories of last night were rather hazy, she seemed to recall that she really had experienced a nightmare.
Could it be that...
"It was definitely your doing!"
Snatching the Fried Egg from Bai Luo's hand, Collei acted just like a little kitten with its fur standing on end.
Regardless of whether she had been the one to initiate things last night, she absolutely refused to admit it.
Everything was Bai Luo's fault!
However, she didn't touch the cup in his other hand.
That was because the milky-white liquid brought back some rather unpleasant memories.
"The Ludi Harpastum Festival is approaching. Why don't we go take a look around Mondstadt?"
Bai Luo casually drank the milk in his hand without the slightest hesitation.
The quality of the milk in Mondstadt was quite reliable. There was no need to worry that it had come from some strange source.
Collei paused while getting dressed. Her slightly translucent, light-purple eyes were filled with faint surprise.
"You mean... let me go by myself?"
During this period, Bai Luo had constantly restricted her freedom. She had even grown somewhat accustomed to having someone like him by her side.
Now that he was suddenly letting her go wherever she wanted, she could hardly believe her ears.
"Mm. Go out and have some fun."
Bai Luo knew that Collei wouldn't secretly run away.
Not only was the method of curing her illness right here in Mondstadt, but the arrival of a certain person was also destined to make her stay in this city.
Collei initially looked delighted, but that expression quickly froze before gradually turning into a silent, bitter smile.
"I think I'll just stay in the room."
Looking at her body, which was covered in bandages, she slowly lowered her head.
Even though she looked much cleaner now and no longer gave off that strange smell, her appearance...
It was still bound to attract strange and uncomfortable stares from others.
If that was the case, she might as well stay at the hotel.
Besides, staying beside this jerk wasn't so bad. At least he wouldn't look down on her.
"What do you see right now?"
At some point, Bai Luo had already moved to Collei's side.
Collei tried to raise her head, but he gently pressed his hand against it.
He wasn't using much force. In fact, his touch was rather gentle, giving her a reassuring sense of security.
"The carpet."
"What else?"
"My shadow..."
The morning sunlight shone across Collei's back, casting a dark shadow onto the floor. It looked terribly lonely.
She had experienced this kind of loneliness for far too long.
"Do you know how a shadow is formed?"
Bai Luo sat down beside Collei. Next to her small shadow, another much taller shadow appeared.
The two shadows didn't quite touch, but at least they no longer looked quite so lonely.
"Light."
Without waiting for her answer, Bai Luo continued speaking on his own.
"An elder of mine once told me something. As long as you can still see your shadow when you lower your head, that means there must be light shining behind you. When you occasionally grow tired, you can lower your head and complain to your shadow for a little while. But as long as you turn around, the light will always be there, shining upon you."
"..."
"Here, take these Mora. There's enough for you to spend the entire day exploring Mondstadt. If you run out of money, just have them put it on the Fatui's tab."
After ruffling her little head once more, Bai Luo stood up and left the room.
He glanced at Collei, who was still sitting there in a daze, and silently let out a sigh.
Looks like I've failed again this time.
Outside the room, Anastasia had already been waiting for quite some time.
However, when faced with her tardy superior, she didn't dare complain. After all, no matter how high her position within the Fatui might be, she could never hope to challenge the authority of those twelve individuals at the very top.
"Lord Ausbilder, that person has been waiting for quite some time."
Anastasia bowed and spoke in a low voice.
"Take me to him."
Bai Luo nodded and put his mask back on.
An old acquaintance had arrived in Mondstadt today. Moreover, he had come specifically because of Collei.
Bai Luo felt that he had a good reason to meet this person.
Following Anastasia out of the residential quarters, they arrived at the office area on the first floor.
This place had originally consisted of several large communal dormitories. After the Fatui requisitioned the building indefinitely, they renovated it into an embassy office area.
At the reception desk, an elderly man had already been waiting for quite some time.
"Lord Ausbilder, it has been a long time."
The old man was dressed like a Sumerian ascetic monk. His skin was somewhat dark, and a fierce glint shone in his pale golden eyes.
He was known as the Missionary.
After the Doctor had been expelled from the Sumeru Akademiya, the Missionary followed him and joined the Fatui. He could be considered one of the Doctor's former trusted subordinates.
However, as the research progressed, the Doctor had even reached a point where he temporarily forgot this man's existence.
Back when Bai Luo was working for the Doctor, the latter had arranged for him to serve under the Missionary.
Time had passed. The other man remained much the same, yet Bai Luo had already risen to a position where he could stand on equal footing with the Missionary's master.
There was a certain irony in that.
"Indeed, it has been a long time, Missionary."
Their relationship wasn't particularly close, but neither were they strangers.
When Bai Luo had worked alongside him in the past, the Missionary had never deliberately made things difficult for him.
It wasn't because the man was particularly kind-hearted. After all, the only people crazy enough to implant the archon residue into their own bodies were ascetic monks with the kind of unwavering willpower he possessed.
However, even those divine remnants had eventually influenced him, turning his temperament extremely brutal. The number of people who had died at his hands was countless.
Back then, when Collei was lying on her sickbed, barely clinging to life because of her illness, her mother had gone to the Missionary for help in an attempt to save her.
She had originally intended to save her daughter, but she never imagined that the person she was seeking help from was actually a demon.
Not only had she sacrificed her own life in vain, but her young daughter had also been forced to endure years of torment from the archon residue.
When the Doctor had originally assigned Bai Luo to work under the Missionary, he had thought very highly of him. Even if the Missionary had some ulterior motives regarding Bai Luo, he had to wait until the Doctor lost interest in him before making a move.
Now, the Missionary was actually somewhat grateful that he hadn't acted impulsively back then.
Otherwise, given Bai Luo's current position, if the latter wanted to make trouble for him, he wouldn't even have the opportunity to fight back.
"Lord Ausbilder, I presume you already know why this subordinate has come to Mondstadt?"
Despite having once been Bai Luo's superior, the Missionary didn't dare put on any airs in front of his former subordinate.
He bowed respectfully before asking.
"Isn't it about the Black Fire who killed the diplomat? Don't worry. I'll help you find her."
Bai Luo looked meaningfully at the Missionary standing before him, and a new idea suddenly came to mind.
Perhaps... there might be another opportunity after all.