Chapter 81: The Ninth Company's Katarina
The Ninth Company of the Fatui is no longer just an advance unit; it is directly under the command of the Fatui Harbinger, The Rooster. How to put it... compared to the Fatui brought by Childe and the missionary, this Ninth Company feels more like their own.
He had been saved by The Rooster before, and though he never served in the Ninth Company, his entire squad once looked up to them with admiration.
To them, the Ninth Company was synonymous with honor, so he had a strong impression of it, especially their rallying call: "Who but us!" "Who but us!"
When Bai Luo shouted those words, the soldiers of the Ninth Company all stood proudly, echoing the stirring four words in unison.
"Is Childe not coming?"
Though he was familiar with Childe, Bai Luo had never dared to mark him, mainly because the man was so steady that he feared his actions might catch the Tsaritsa's attention.
"Lord Childe has gone to the Chasm." Katarina explained.
Not just Childe; Capitano also brought some elites into the Chasm in advance to secure a position, allowing for future reinforcements to set up camp.
"That does seem like him." Childe is famously combative.
The Rooster once discussed Childe with him: "You can trust him, but don't get too attached. His kind of battle is not what most people imagine—it's an intense, high-stakes experience."
If Bai Luo is a pitch-black dagger capable of absorbing light, always ready to strike, then Childe is like a velvet-wrapped silver blade, ominous, enigmatic, and one that keeps you on guard.
Perhaps it's for the best; not seeing him will save a lot of trouble.
Thinking of this, Bai Luo's mood improved greatly.
And his gaze settled on the Electro Cicin Mage before him, who reminded him of Ksenia, whom he met in Inazuma.
He wondered if she'd ever found the firewater he hid. "Do you know Ksenia?"
Perhaps because of the similarity in their strides, Bai Luo asked, though he realized it was a naive question. Just because they were both Electro Cicin Mages didn't mean they'd know each other.
"Lord Ausbilder, you know Ksenia?"
A hint of excitement sparkled in the mage's eyes.
As an orphan adopted by the House of Hearth, they were, in a way, sisters.
After Ksenia went to Inazuma, there was no word from her. She had already prepared herself for the worst, thinking her dear sister might be lost in Inazuma's lands.
She never expected to hear her name from the Ausbilder's mouth.
"Yes, met her once—can't say we were close, but we almost shared life-and-death ties."
If he'd been a little bolder that night, and hadn't volunteered for watch duty but stayed in that shabby tent, perhaps Ksenia would be on maternity leave. So maybe it counts as a life-and-death bond?
He wondered where Ksenia had been transferred to.
"Is Ksenia... alright?" Katarina didn't dare to hope she'd be doing well, or even still alive. As a member of the Ninth Company, she held many classified pieces of information, including knowledge of Inazuma's intense conditions.
"She's living quite freely, more so than you, though her firewater reserves are running low. I sent her a bottle, so she should have enough to last till the end of the year."
Bai Luo… was telling the truth.
Life in the wilds of Inazuma might be harsher, but it was undoubtedly freer than city life among the Fatui.
As Ksenia herself once put it, "The world is vast, and I'm the biggest thing in it."
How "big" she was, Bai Luo never experienced personally, but he'd estimate that Ksenia was significantly larger than Katarina.
Oh~ my poor Katarina, has Ksenia stolen something important from you?
Is it her heart? Or... something else... Cough cough.
"Interested in coming with me to Inazuma?" Bai Luo didn't yet recognize the Electro Cicin Mage standing before him as the one from the Chasm.
He had no particular agenda—he just found himself without capable hands, surrounded only by ordinary Fatui troops unworthy even of a "monster" designation.
His real goal was to transfer some people to his side for a bit of a show of force.
This mage, a close friend of Ksenia's, seemed like the ideal choice.
Perhaps he could even use their connection to transfer Ksenia as well, achieving the "left and right embrace" success he envisioned.
Katarina glanced over her shoulder at her fellow troops, her gaze lingering briefly on a bashful young man who looked at her with thinly veiled admiration before she shook her head.
She knew that, even if Bai Luo was a newly minted Harbinger, his inner circle would still outrank any so-called direct Company.
Being one of his confidants would be like stepping up to a whole new level.
Her colleagues behind her were already starting to feel secretly excited for her.
The bashful young man, in particular, looked even more thrilled than she did about Bai Luo's apparent interest.
"Thank you, Sir, for the honor," Katarina replied. "But… I think I'll stay here in Liyue."
Her choice took everyone, including Bai Luo, by surprise.
If it weren't for Bai Luo's presence, that young man would likely have stepped up to challenge her decision.
"Is it because of him?" Bai Luo asked, noticing her lingering glance. "I can arrange for you both to join my team. The Rooster wouldn't object." Though the Fatui didn't have strict faction divisions, Bai Luo's long-term role under The Rooster made them, in a sense, part of the same group.
If Bai Luo only wanted two additional Fatui members under his command, The Rooster would never deny him the request.
"It's because of my duty!" Katarina replied proudly, standing up straight despite her undernourished figure.
Before their mission, The Rooster had told them they were fighting for all humanity in Teyvat—and for the future of Snezhnaya.
Leaving her post for the favor of another Harbinger would feel like desertion.
She had no intention of being a deserter.
"Who but us!" she shouted the Ninth Company's motto again, pride and joy radiating from her face.
The same pride filled her comrades behind her, in stark contrast to the four by Bai Luo's side, whose difference in attitude made him itch to discipline them.
These were, after all, the best he'd managed to recruit from Mondstadt.
Yet, seeing them next to the Ninth Company members, the gap was undeniable.
"Fine. But my offer stands. Once the Chasm operation is over, come join me. Bring as many people as you like—I'm running low on hands lately anyway."
"Thank you, Sir!"
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