Genshin Impact: I'm The Envoy of Snezhnaya
Chapter 68: Cyno of Sumeru
"That is Klee, our Knights of Favonius Spark Knight. Because... well, she tried to replace the Harpastum used in Ludi Harpastum with Jumpy Dumpties, so Jean locked her up in solitary confinement."
As Kaeya explained things to Bai Luo, cold sweat was actually beginning to form on his forehead.
It wasn't because of Klee, though. It was because of Bai Luo's methods.
A Fatui Harbinger had already made his way near the confinement room, yet so many people in the Knights of Favonius hadn't noticed him at all.
Porto and Arto, the two guards stationed at the entrance, were both observant individuals. There was no way they would casually allow suspicious people to enter.
According to Klee, who had bumped into Bai Luo earlier, she hadn't even realized that she had collided with two living people. She had thought she had simply run into the devil from one of Kaeya's stories.
Now, recalling the threatening words Bai Luo had said earlier...
It seemed they had still underestimated this Harbinger from Snezhnaya.
"Your Mondstadt's approach to educating children is... certainly quite unique."
Looking at the now-quiet confinement room, Bai Luo couldn't help but comment.
Little did he know that Collei, standing beside him, was also looking at him differently now.
Seriously? You actually have the nerve to criticize others? If I hadn't learned those mysterious combat techniques from that mysterious person when I was little, I probably would have been done in by Slimes and Hilichurls long ago.
"Our guests from Sumeru are in the library. I'll take you there."
Kaeya smiled and didn't offer much of an explanation.
One day wasn't enough to eliminate all the mechanical birds, so some monsters in the wilderness had still gone berserk.
Fortunately, the mechanical birds within Mondstadt City had already been cleared out. Jean had also led a group of people to intercept the monsters in time, preventing any serious consequences.
However, Jean and the Knights who had accompanied her wouldn't be returning anytime soon. For the time being, Kaeya, as the Cavalry Captain and a member of the administrative staff, could only take over some of her duties.
The Knights of Favonius were currently so vulnerable that they couldn't afford to suffer even the slightest additional blow. That was why he had volunteered to escort Bai Luo personally, just in case anything unexpected happened.
As for whether he could actually stop Bai Luo if the latter decided to cause trouble...
At least he would have done his best.
…
The library occupied a considerable portion of the Knights of Favonius headquarters. It was even slightly larger than the main hall outside.
Apart from the enormous chandelier hanging in the center, there were also small wall lamps mounted along the rows of bookshelves.
However, these lamps didn't use candlelight. Instead, they relied on certain technological devices from Fontaine. Although they were relatively expensive, the Knights of Favonius had purchased quite a large number of them, considering that the books they were protecting were even more valuable.
As the library of the Knights of Favonius, this place held a special status. It was no exaggeration to call it the largest library in Mondstadt.
It contained not only all kinds of obscure and difficult-to-understand ancient texts, but also wuxia novels from Liyue and light novels from Inazuma.
There was even a book titled An Investigation into Hilichurl Customs.
After bringing them to the library, Kaeya left.
There were plenty of things to take care of during Ludi Harpastum. If Bai Luo hadn't been such a special individual, Kaeya wouldn't have personally escorted them here.
Compared to Bai Luo, who simply pushed the door open and walked straight inside, Collei was much more polite.
At least she knew to knock before entering.
That was understandable. Over the years, Bai Luo had rarely used doors. He usually climbed onto balconies or slipped through windows. Where would he even find a door to knock on?
The fact that he still remembered that doors were meant to be pushed open was already a testament to his basic human instincts.
"Did that person... bring us to the wrong place?"
Seeing Bai Luo casually flipping through a book titled The Fox in the Dandelion Sea, Collei walked over with some concern and tugged at his sleeve.
After all, they hadn't seen anyone else since entering.
However, her attention was soon drawn to something else.
It was a collection of bottles and jars, the likes of which she had seen before while wandering around Sumeru.
But these were things that only people known as scholars could afford to possess. For a wanderer like her, let alone touching them, even taking a closer look was a luxury.
Moreover, the bottles and jars contained brightly colored liquids, making her unable to resist the urge to reach out and touch them.
"Don't touch those!"
Just as her fingers were about to reach them, an urgent voice came from the other side of the bookshelf.
"Those are magical potions that can turn people into animals. The effect only lasts for a short while, but I doubt you'd want to experience it."
"..."
If it had been anyone else, they might have questioned whether his words were true. But Collei wouldn't.
She had genuinely encountered this kind of magical potion before.
Back when she was still wandering from place to place, she had come across some rather unpleasant incidents.
For example, certain cruel individuals would use magical potions to turn homeless children into dogs, rabbits, goats, and other animals, then take them to the streets to perform or beg for money.
If not for the Eleazar disease she carried and her considerable fighting abilities, Collei might have suffered the same fate as those children.
Eventually, this matter was discovered by scholars from Sumeru, and such behavior was severely punished.
As for the scholar who had leaked these potions, it was said that he had been permanently expelled from the Akademiya under the charge of being a heretic.
"Ah, you're the one from earlier today..."
After her initial surprise, Collei quickly recognized the person standing before her.
His appearance was rather distinctive, making him the sort of person one wouldn't easily forget after seeing him just once.
"You can call me Cyno. My master sent me to help Lisa treat the illness afflicting your body."
Cyno explained as he took out an envelope bearing a stamped seal.
Facing this child who had been injected with Archon Residue, Cyno had instinctively begun ignoring Bai Luo, who was standing beside her.
He had encountered people in similar circumstances before, but this was the first time he had met someone like Collei who hadn't been affected by it.
Judging from her behavioral patterns, she hadn't been assimilated by the Archon Residue. In fact... the Archon Residue within her body seemed to have been suppressed to some extent.
Was it because of him?
Cyno's gaze shifted toward Bai Luo once again.
To be able to suppress the Archon Residue, unless...
Unless he was a Fatui Harbinger, possessing power bestowed upon him by an Archon, and quite a considerable amount of it at that.
Otherwise, the Archon Residue wouldn't be acting so timidly.
"Earlier today, you said her condition wasn't very good. Could you explain in more detail?"
Casually picking up one of the potions that Cyno had mentioned could turn people into animals, Bai Luo didn't seem particularly concerned about its effects on him.
"The Archon Residue has already spread throughout her entire body. If we were to purge them completely, her body would become like a hollowed-out tree trunk. She wouldn't stand a chance of surviving. Therefore... the only option is to suppress them with a seal and let them remain dormant inside her body."
This wasn't exactly good news, but it wasn't bad news either.
At the very least... it would more or less resolve the problems afflicting her.
"Collei, what do you think?"
As her 'guardian', Bai Luo didn't express his own opinion. Instead, he turned to look at Collei beside him.
"I understand. Please seal them."
Collei agreed to Cyno's proposal almost without hesitation.
Having suffered under the torment of the Archon Residue for so many years, she understood all too well how terrifying it was.
Therefore, even if it could only be sealed away, that was still a perfectly acceptable solution for her.
"Now isn't the right time."
Looking at the night sky outside the window, Cyno didn't agree immediately.
"Archon residues are at their most active during the night. If we attempt the sealing now, unimaginable disasters could occur. Even if the remnants are being suppressed, a god's retaliation is still beyond anything ordinary mortals like us can comprehend. Let's meet at Starsnatch Cliff tomorrow morning at ten."
"Alright. I'm counting on you."
After agreeing on a time for the sealing, Collei initially intended to return with Bai Luo. However, she soon realized that he was still standing where he was.
"Hey, young Cyno, can I discuss something with you?"
Bai Luo asked, looking at Cyno, who was preparing to return to his research among the piles of books.
After a moment's hesitation, Cyno nodded slightly.
No one, not even Collei, knew what the two of them discussed that night.
Kaeya only knew that when Bai Luo left, Collei, who had been standing beside him, had disappeared.
In her place, there was now a little cat wrapped entirely in bandages resting in his arms.