The Twelfth Harbinger

"Have you heard? The Twelfth Harbinger..."

"The Twelfth Harbinger? Is the news reliable?"

At the border of Snezhnaya, on a carriage heading to Mondstadt, a male Fatui envoy named Mikhail whispered to his female counterpart, Lyudmila.

The topic of their discussion was the recent announcement by the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya.

After a long period of silence, the Fatui Harbingers had finally welcomed a new member to their ranks—the Twelfth Seat.

However, the identity of this Twelfth Seat had taken everyone by surprise.

He was known as the Instructor, formerly the mentor of the Fatui's special forces, the Pyro Agents, responsible for training them in combat and debt collection.

It was said that the Pyro Agents' unique ability to vanish into thin air was a technique passed down by him.

But for reasons unknown, he had been promoted to the Twelfth Seat.

This had caused quite a stir in Snezhnaya, as the reputation of the Pyro Agents was far from stellar, not just in Snezhnaya but across the entire continent of Teyvat.

As a result, the Instructor himself had become a subject of public criticism.

Nevertheless, no one dared to defy the Tsaritsa's decree.

As for the Twelfth Harbinger himself, he was still in a state of utter bewilderment.

"This doesn't make sense. Aren't the Harbingers supposed to be the strongest in the Fatui? Why was I chosen?"

Bai Luo, the newly appointed Twelfth Harbinger, stared at the icy palace behind him, his heart still racing.

It wasn't because of the Tsaritsa's cold beauty that his heart was pounding—it was pure terror.

Unlike the other eleven Harbingers, he had been thrust into this position without any preparation.

It had happened so suddenly that he had even wondered if he was dreaming.

It wasn't until the first Harbinger, Pierro (the Jester), personally bestowed upon him the Delusion—a symbol of his new status—that he realized this was no dream.

He was truly the Twelfth Harbinger now.

He wasn't originally from this nation.

His name alone made that clear.

In fact, he wasn't even from this world—Teyvat.

In his world, Snezhnaya was just a nation in a game he had played.

One winter, while passing by a river, he noticed a child had fallen into the icy water.

He didn't consider himself a hero, but he couldn't just stand by and watch the child drown.

So, he jumped in to save the child.

After pulling the child to safety, however, he succumbed to the cold and exhaustion, sinking beneath the ice.

When he woke up, he found himself in this strange world of Snezhnaya.

Due to his heroic act, he caught the attention of the Fatui and was exceptionally recruited into their ranks.

As the rumors suggested, his unique ability to vanish earned him the position of instructor for the Pyro Agents, the Fatui's special forces.

But unlike the Pyro Agents' abilities, his power was different—far more unique.

To put it simply, his abilities were inherited from a hero in another game.

A hero named Hei.

Though his abilities were inspired by Li Sheng from Darker than Black, they weren't exactly the same.

Rather, they were more akin to the game version of Hei—a digitized version.

To conceal his unique powers, he even acquired a fake Vision from a merchant, said to have come from Inazuma across the sea. The craftsmanship was so impeccable that even those with genuine Visions couldn't easily tell it was a fake.

His "Vision" was of the Anemo element.

By the way, he was quite tall—certainly not someone who would struggle to climb over a flower bed.

Thanks to his unique abilities, he was recruited into the Fatui's special forces and even rose to the position of instructor.

But... that still didn't explain why he had been chosen as a Harbinger, did it?

Even the Eleventh Harbinger, Tartaglia (Childe), had earned his position through genuine skill.

What about him?

Could it be that the Tsaritsa had taken a liking to him?

"What are you thinking about?"

A heavy hand landed on Bai Luo's shoulder, startling him.

Given his skills, few in Snezhnaya could approach him without being noticed.

Unless it was...

Seeing the fur-lined coat, Bai Luo immediately recognized the man.

"Lord Pulcinella!"

Bai Luo instinctively saluted and addressed the man by his codename.

Indeed, this was the Fifth Harbinger—Pulcinella (the Rooster).

"No need for formalities now that we're colleagues. Come with me—I have a new mission for you."

"Yes!"

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Bai Luo still hadn't grown accustomed to his new status.

As for Pulcinella... he didn't know him well.

In his previous position, he had mostly interacted with Childe (Tartaglia).

He hadn't had the chance to meet the Fifth Harbinger.

But now, Pulcinella seemed... decent.

At least he didn't glare at Bai Luo like some of the others, as if they wanted to devour him.

Especially the Eleventh Harbinger, Tartaglia.

After Pierro had given Bai Luo his Delusion, Tartaglia had immediately challenged him to a duel right there in the palace.

If the Tsaritsa hadn't intervened, Bai Luo might have found himself in a "duel before the throne."

Following Pulcinella to what appeared to be an office, the Fifth Harbinger pulled out a piece of paper adorned with a feather and placed it in front of Bai Luo.

"What's this?"

Bai Luo knew it was for him.

He just wasn't sure what it was.

"This is your appointment letter. Starting tomorrow, you will be Snezhnaya's envoy to Inazuma, overseeing all affairs related to the region."

"???"

Bai Luo had been about to take the so-called appointment letter, but upon hearing Pulcinella's words, his heart sank.

Inazuma?! That was no place for the living!

He hadn't forgotten how badly things had gone for La Signora in the game. After her death, travelers had desecrated her remains, scattering her ashes across Teyvat.

"Lord Pulcinella, I don't think I'm qualified for such a responsibility!"

Bai Luo knew he couldn't outright refuse.

Refusing his first mission right after being appointed would likely earn him the Tsaritsa's wrath.

It seemed he only had two options now:

Be struck down by the Raiden Shogun.

Or be struck down by the Tsaritsa.

"The fact that you were chosen as a Harbinger proves you are capable of handling this mission."

Sitting back in his chair, Pulcinella's tone was firm.

Inazuma was where the Instructor had to go.

"Then... could I go to Mondstadt instead?"

Mondstadt was great—there was Klee, Diona, and most importantly, it was safe. No need to worry about being struck down by Barbatos.

"Mondstadt is La Signora's territory. Are you sure you want to compete with her?"

This time, Pulcinella didn't outright refuse. Instead, he gave Bai Luo a playful look.

While La Signora wasn't the strongest among the Harbingers, she was certainly not someone Bai Luo could afford to provoke at this point.

"Then... what about Liyue? Although Morax is one of the oldest Archons, I think I could give it a shot."

Bai Luo wouldn't mind Liyue either. Who could resist the charm of characters like Keqing?

Sure, there were a lot of adepti, but as long as he tread carefully, it shouldn't be a problem.

Plus, in this world, he was originally from Liyue, so going there would be a perfectly legitimate reason.

"That's something you'll have to discuss with Tartaglia."

Pulcinella chuckled.

Everyone in the Fatui knew that Tartaglia was itching to spar with the newly appointed Twelfth Harbinger.

If Bai Luo went to Liyue now, it would be like a lamb walking into a lion's den.

"Then..."

"According to our intelligence, Inazuma is currently in a state of isolation. The Raiden Shogun's condition is also unstable, making it one of the weakest nations among the seven. It's the most suitable place for you."

"So... I have no choice?"

"Correct."

"..."