After a proper rest, the pair masked their faces and crept quietly toward the rear of the Fatui encampment.
These Fatui soldiers were nothing like the ragtag bunch Jiang Bai had encountered back in Mondstadt's caves—these were elite troops.
Even during downtime, they remained clad in thick armor, wielding weapons charged with various elements. They were clearly no pushovers.
Jiang Bai quickly scanned the group, counting six soldiers, each aligned with a different element.
"The armor these Fatui soldiers wear is special gear from Snezhnaya," Hu Tao explained softly. "Even without [Visions], they can wield elemental attacks through their weapons. They're not mindless monsters; they have tactics, coordination, and they're masters of elemental reactions. Defeating them won't be easy."
Hu Tao had battled these types of soldiers before, giving her a thorough understanding of their abilities.
"You see that Pyroslinger Bracer? When the fight starts, grab that weapon for me—I wanna play with a gun, too!"
Though it was just a single-shot firearm, far inferior to Jiang Bai's [Baiyuan], it was still a gun, and getting his hands on one sounded like fun.
As for whether it was wrong to steal from the Fatui...
Ha! They're plotting against the Geo Archon himself—what's wrong with taking a little gun from them?
"Go on, I'll cover you!" Hu Tao gave Jiang Bai a firm shove. "And remember: no [Baiyuan]!"
Pushed abruptly into plain sight, Jiang Bai found himself under the wary gaze of the Fatui squad, who immediately readied their weapons. His lips twitched awkwardly beneath his mask.
If he could use [Baiyuan], he wouldn't even need to show himself. He could simply snipe them from afar, and they'd collapse without knowing who attacked them.
But alas, using [Baiyuan] would defeat the whole purpose of this training exercise.
"Halt! This is a Fatui encampment. Unauthorized personnel are forbidden!" barked the Pyroslinger, aiming his gun directly at Jiang Bai. The instant Jiang Bai made any sudden moves, he'd shoot without hesitation.
Jiang Bai, face concealed beneath his hood and mask, adopted a lazy, insolent stance. "Oh? Last I checked, Mt. Tianheng belonged to Liyue. When exactly did the Fatui claim it?"
"Tch, why waste breath on some masked brat?" The Anemoboxer scoffed irritably at Jiang Bai's arrogance. Flexing his wrists, he immediately launched an attack.
With most of his mental energy still maintaining the Geo mountain, Jiang Bai had limited elemental power left at his disposal.
Still, if he couldn't handle mere Fatui soldiers without relying on elements, how could he ever hope to challenge their Harbingers?
The Anemoboxer charged forward, leaping into the air and driving his wind-infused fist toward Jiang Bai's face.
[Snow-Tombed Starsilver] materialized out of thin air, swiftly blocking the blow. Jiang Bai flicked his wrist, forcing the boxer staggering back several steps.
A scorching bullet whistled through the air, blazing toward Jiang Bai's head. He narrowly tilted sideways, the shot grazing past his cheek with searing heat.
Without pause, Jiang Bai surged forward, dragging his greatsword as he targeted the stunned boxer closest to him.
He swung the sword downward with crushing force. Despite the thick armor, cracks appeared instantly beneath the immense blow.
In mere moments, the Anemoboxer's wind shield shattered, sending the huge soldier flying backward, unconscious or worse.
The Geochanter Bracer quickly raised his staff, forming a heavy Geo shield around his allies. The others weren't idle either; elemental attacks of all types rained toward Jiang Bai.
Jiang Bai didn't bother creating a shield for himself. Sprinting at top speed, he hurled his sword straight toward the Cryogunner Legionnaire, whose freezing blasts posed the greatest threat.
With combined Hydro and Cryo attacks, even the slightest hit would immobilize him instantly. Thus, he prioritized neutralizing that soldier first.
[Snow-Tombed Starsilver] hurtled through the air, smashing the Cryogunner squarely on the helmet, knocking him dizzy and causing him to drop his gun.
Sidestepping another fiery bullet, Jiang Bai evaded the Electrohammer Vanguard's heavy blow, then countered with a powerful kick.
The heavily armored Electrohammer soldier flew back several meters, slamming into a rocky outcrop and collapsing, stunned.
Without a pause, Jiang Bai charged the Hydrogunner Legionnaire who was busy healing his fallen teammates. Leaping into the air, Jiang Bai summoned [Snow-Tombed Starsilver] back into his hands and slammed it down, knocking the soldier to the ground, dazed.
The entire attack sequence relied purely on physical prowess—fluid, precise, and brutally effective.
Hu Tao sat perched atop a large rock, casually snacking on sunflower seeds, nodding appreciatively as she watched. "Not bad, not bad at all! Much better than when you first fought those Hilichurls."
While he still relied heavily on brute strength, that strength alone was quite an advantage.
Beside her, Yuyu diligently burned each discarded seed shell to ash, nodding along with her master despite understanding none of the action. If Hu Tao said it was good, it was good.
Jiang Bai easily finished off the remaining soldiers before they could regain their footing. By the time Hu Tao finished her snack, all six Fatui lay sprawled unconscious on the ground.
Seeing Jiang Bai was done, she brushed her hands clean, swaggering openly into the camp.
"Well done, you've improved a lot!" Hu Tao praised generously upon seeing Jiang Bai unharmed. But the next instant, her tone changed abruptly:
"Though honestly, Fatui soldiers are still too easy for you. Tomorrow, let's take on a Geovishap instead. They're much tougher, sturdier, and have diverse elemental abilities."
Jiang Bai's shoulders drooped immediately, deflated.
Compared to fighting, I'd much rather be sunbathing on a lounge chair.
Hu Tao ignored his moping completely. She casually snatched the Pyroslinger's gun from his limp grip and ducked inside the Fatui tent.
"Hehe, let's loot their stuff quickly before they wake up. See if they've got anything good!"
At the word "loot," Jiang Bai immediately perked up. He was deep in debt and couldn't afford to miss any opportunity to earn some quick Mora.
"Director, leave some for me!"
Hu Tao opened the Fatui storage chest. Inside was a scattered assortment of supplies—mostly food, rice, vegetables, and random essentials.
She tossed Jiang Bai a pouch of Mora. "Here, catch."
Jiang Bai caught the pouch and quickly counted. About forty thousand Mora, likely the soldiers' operating funds for some time.
He pocketed the Mora without hesitation.
As for what trouble the Fatui might face without these funds—well, that wasn't his problem.
"Director, anything else worthwhile?"
Jiang Bai eagerly stuck his head over Hu Tao's shoulder, peering inside the chest.
"Small camps like this rarely store anything valuable. If they find anything important, they'd report it immediately," Hu Tao shrugged, letting him see for himself.
Disappointed by the lack of valuable items but still determined to make a profit, Jiang Bai decided even random junk could fetch a few Mora. With that thought, he quickly swept everything from the chest into his storage space, leaving absolutely nothing behind.