Chapter 57: The Bai Method of Deep Hypnosis

The Goethe Grand Hotel was one of the largest and most luxurious hotels in Mondstadt. Every year during the Windblume Festival, the hotel would be filled with tourists and merchants from various countries.

However, in recent years, the presence of these guests has vanished. The Fatui had completely taken over the entire hotel.

Three years ago, Fatui diplomat Anastasia rented the entire hotel in the name of Pantalone, one of the Harbingers, using it as an embassy.

From the guards at the door to the cleaning staff, everyone had been replaced by Fatui members.

Many couldn't help but sigh—only the Fatui, with their immense wealth and power, could pull off something like this.

"Master Instructor!"

Upon seeing the black figure approaching from afar, Luke immediately straightened up.

Luke had originally been the captain of the security team at the Goethe Grand Hotel. Unfortunately, he had leaked too much information to Kaeya. In the end, the esteemed diplomat Anastasia had removed him from his position and assigned him to watch the entrance as a doorman.

But Luke had no complaints, knowing that someone else, named Klober, who had committed a similar offense, hadn't even had his body fished out of Cider Lake yet.

"Open the door."

Even though the figure wore a mask, no one dared to question his identity.

"Yes, sir!"

Luke quickly opened the door to the hotel and watched as the man entered.

As for the girl he carried on his back...

Who cares? Luke just needed to keep watch over the door. If he angered the Master Instructor, he might end up cleaning toilets next.

Bai Luo didn't ask anyone for help; he carried Collei alone back to his room.

After all, Collei's plague hadn't fully been cured yet.

He could ignore it, but that didn't mean others could.

After placing the still-unconscious Collei onto the pristine white bed, Bai Luo went into the bathroom to fill the tub with water.

This child had likely been tormented by the whispers of a god for far too long. Now that everything was quiet, her tense nerves had finally relaxed.

The exhaustion from the journey and the mental strain had caused her to collapse.

Just as the bath was nearly ready, a knock sounded at the door.

The visitor was Ludmila, one of the female Fatui envoys who was often seen whispering with her companions near the teleportation points.

Bai Luo had asked her to fetch some medicine upon his return.

Although the medicine wouldn't cure Collei's condition entirely, it would alleviate some of her pain.

After pouring the medicine into the tub in the correct proportions, Bai Luo returned to Collei's side.

The smell of sweat from the long journey, along with the traces of the plague on her skin, gave her body a strange odor.

Bai Luo didn't mind. He carefully removed her tattered clothes and unwrapped the bandages from her body.

The bandages had long turned yellow and had fused with her skin. As he removed them, pieces of foul-smelling flesh came off as well.

"Ugh..."

Collei, though unconscious, twitched slightly, showing signs of waking up due to the pain.

Seeing this, Bai Luo slowly raised his arm.

Over the years, he had developed a method to knock people unconscious without causing injury.

He called it the Bai Method of Deep Hypnosis.

And now, he used it on Collei.

With a swift but gentle move, Collei's head slumped to the side, and she once again lost consciousness.

After confirming that she had passed out, Bai Luo cautiously continued to remove her bandages.

Once they were all off, Bai Luo couldn't help but sigh.

Compared to before, this girl had grown so much.

Carefully, he picked her up and carried her into the bathroom, placing her in the tub filled with medicated water. Aside from her head, her entire body was submerged in the liquid.

The medicine worked quickly, easing the tension from her brow, and she even let out a soft snore.

After she had soaked long enough, Bai Luo lifted her from the tub, applied ointment, and wrapped her in fresh bandages.

But before he could dress her, there was another knock at the door. This time, it was Anastasia, Mondstadt's highest-ranking Fatui member aside from Bai Luo.

"Master Instructor, Sir Galyphra was assassinated before he could leave Mondstadt. It seems…."

Anastasia didn't finish her sentence. As a Fatui diplomat, she knew all too well what that particular kind of flame symbolized.

She even suspected that the man in front of her might be responsible for making both the documents and people disappear.

"I'll leave it to you to put pressure on Mondstadt. You're good at this kind of thing. If something gets out of your control, notify me."

"Understood!"

With the permission granted, Anastasia immediately accepted the task.

She appreciated this kind of leadership, and Bai Luo liked subordinates who could handle everything on their own.

In some ways, they were a perfect match... cough, cough... a great team.

Speaking of which, he also needed to start working on his own side tasks. After all, this was a mission personally assigned by the Tsaritsa. Failure wasn't an option.

But before that, he still needed to find a new set of clothes for the little one.

The old ones were practically rags at this point.

Grabbing a fresh set of clothes, Bai Luo returned to the room.

But as soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by a sharp fruit knife.

Collei had struck with an angle that was both unexpected and deadly. Caught off guard, Bai Luo might have been stabbed.

Her ability to survive so long while wandering the seven nations wasn't just due to the plague and the remnants of the god's power in her. She was skilled in assassination as well.

Unfortunately... she had chosen the wrong opponent.

After all, Bai Luo was the one who had left her those assassination techniques.

And how could Bai Luo be hurt by his techniques?

Avoiding the wound on her wrist, Bai Luo seized her arm, disarmed her, and tossed her back onto the large bed.

Collei flipped over and immediately activated her trump card—the power of the god's remnants.

But the voices that usually whispered in her ear, urging her to use that power, were now silent.

The power no longer responded to her.

"Wh-Why?"

"Because that's merely a remnant of a god, while I... carry the aura of a living god."

Tossing the clothes at Collei, Bai Luo explained.

So far, he was quite satisfied with this girl.

Her vigilance was sharp, and her strikes were ruthless, each aimed directly at his throat.

She was far better than those debt collectors he had trained in the past.

If he had known back then, he might have brought her along and paired her with k423.

"And... who exactly are you?"

Still glaring at Bai Luo, Collei didn't immediately put on the clothes he had thrown her. Instead, she asked cautiously.