After settling things with Sayu, Bai Luo returned to Inazuma City. He intended to make a few preparations before paying a visit to the Kamisato estate—not just for personal matters, but for official business as well.
Regarding the issue of Sayu's salary, he certainly wouldn't be stingy. After investigating the standard wages of the Shuumatsuban, Bai Luo eventually settled on a high salary of 500,000 Mora.
However, considering she was still young, Bai Luo decided to "help" her save half of it, leaving her with a monthly payout of 50,000 Mora.
Wait? You say 500,000 divided by two doesn't equal 50,000?
Admittedly, Bai Luo had miscalculated at first. How could 500,000 divided by two be 50,000? It should have been zero. Out of pure humanitarian concern, he had "generously" allowed her to keep the 50,000.
As for who would actually pay this salary, Bai Luo decided that during his visit to the Kamisato estate in a few days, he would have a thorough "discussion" with the head of the Shuumatsuban, Kamisato Ayato.
And then... on the street, he ran into a figure he knew all too well.
"Aren't you afraid she'll come looking for trouble, appearing out in the open like this?" Bai Luo asked with a half-smile, glancing toward Tenshukaku.
Scaramouche didn't pay much mind to Bai Luo's teasing tone. "Follow me. I have something to discuss," he said, adjusting his massive hat.
He led the way to a small tavern nearby. The Fatui had long since begun to erode Inazuma City from within, especially in this suburban district. As the only exit from the city, the Fatui certainly hadn't passed up the chance to develop and control this area.
Most of the shops in the seemingly bustling suburbs were either supported by the Fatui or outright owned by them. Almost every person, every scrap of intelligence, and every letter passing through here was under their control.
This unremarkable little tavern was one such establishment.
Bai Luo initially thought Scaramouche was looking for him because he had been using Scaramouche's name to eat and drink his way through Inazuma City for free. To his surprise, the man didn't mention the bills at all. Instead, he pulled a letter from his pocket and slapped it down in front of Bai Luo.
"Is this... a letter from The Jester?" Bai Luo asked, slightly surprised by the name and seal on the envelope.
As the Fatui's most feared assassin, Bai Luo had previously served under Pierro's command. However, it was usually a case of Pierro issuing an order and Bai Luo carrying it out; the two rarely had direct contact.
His most vivid memory of the man was from just before he arrived in Inazuma, when Pierro had personally bestowed upon him his Dendro Delusion.
But this letter was clearly addressed to Scaramouche. Why was Scaramouche showing it to him? Was it related to him?
He didn't think Pierro wanted Scaramouche to kill him. Even though he had caused plenty of trouble for the Fatui, those actions usually had the Tsaritsa's silent approval.
For example, the incident with Krober and the Missionary. Krober was meant to be cannon fodder for the Doctor anyway, and the Missionary was killed by Bai Luo with the Tsaritsa's tacit consent. If Her Majesty hadn't helped suppress the archon residue, little Collei wouldn't have had such a comfortable life back then, nor would it have been so easy to finish off a Missionary corrupted by that power.
"Open it and see for yourself," Scaramouche said, sipping his tea with indifference. To anyone else, this would be classified as top-secret intelligence, but between Harbingers, it was something they were allowed to share.
Bai Luo hesitated for a moment before opening the letter. As he read, his expression became increasingly subtle.
Just as he had guessed, Pierro hadn't ordered Scaramouche to move against him. Rather, it was a transfer order for Scaramouche.
To put it simply, some kind of "incident" was expected to occur in Mondstadt and Liyue soon. Pierro hadn't gone into detail in the letter, merely stating that it was not something ordinary Fatui could handle and that Scaramouche was needed to assist.
"Interesting..."
Even if Signora hadn't headed to Mondstadt yet, Childe was already in Liyue, wasn't he? Thanks to Bai Luo's influence, Childe had arrived in Liyue much earlier than in the original timeline. Sending Scaramouche to investigate as well seemed like an inefficient use of resources.
"I can't step away from Inazuma at the moment. My intention is for you to go in my place. What do you think?"
As a Harbinger, Scaramouche knew things others didn't. For instance, he knew how much Bai Luo had resisted coming to Inazuma initially. Later, Bai Luo had even proactively replaced the Doctor in Mondstadt, forcing Scaramouche to cover his shifts for quite a while.
Logic dictated that if there was a chance to run off to Mondstadt or Liyue, Bai Luo would be the first to flee. "Glitching" his way out of the Raiden Shogun's reach was a valid survival tactic, but if the glitch failed, he'd end up as a pile of ash. He'd rather be sunk into the sea by Morax than become embers under the lightning.
However... I refuse!
"Maybe we should just write to Childe instead. I don't want to leave Inazuma right now," Bai Luo said.
He wasn't stupid. From Pierro's vague wording and his own knowledge of the timeline, he knew exactly what the "incident" was.
It was the Version 1.1 Limited Event—Unreconciled Stars.
Pierro and the Tsaritsa clearly knew something about the falling constellations, and sending Scaramouche there surely had a specific purpose. Previously, Bai Luo had dared to be reckless because he had the Tsaritsa's backing. This time, the Tsaritsa hadn't notified him at all; why would he stick his neck out to be the pioneer for this plot point?
Bai Luo loved looking for trouble, but only when he was certain he wouldn't actually die. If he wasn't certain... forget it. After all, he hadn't even managed to pet a certain pink-haired fox's tail yet. At the very least, he'd finish his business with her before considering other things.
But Bai Luo's flat refusal made Scaramouche frown slightly. Although Bai Luo had become a Harbinger after him, the man was highly regarded by many colleagues, and even the Tsaritsa favored him. In fact, the authority the Tsaritsa had granted him was different from the others.
Did this mean Bai Luo knew the hidden meaning behind this letter?
Originally, Scaramouche just didn't want his plans in Inazuma to be disrupted, but Bai Luo's reaction forced him to consider more possibilities.
"Childe is a battle maniac. If this is left to him... I doubt Pierro or the Tsaritsa would be at ease. Besides, I heard that the people of Mondstadt are 'hospitable.' Even if they have prejudices against the Fatui, they aren't exactly hostile. Since you've been there once, surely you've experienced it firsthand?" Scaramouche tried to appeal to Bai Luo's "fond" memories of Mondstadt to get him to compromise.
"..."
Experienced it? Oh, I experienced it alright.
Bai Luo remembered the day he left Mondstadt. Aside from Lisa and Klee, it felt like the entire Knights of Favonius had mobilized—even the trainee knights were in the ranks. They had escorted him all the way to Stone Gate, only departing after watching him step onto Liyue soil.
A few of them were even so "reluctant" to see him go that they had hugged each other and wailed out loud.
That scene... was truly a magnificent sight.
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