Chapter 2

"Have you heard? The Instructor has been sent to Inazuma."

"Inazuma? Is the news reliable?"

Near Wolvendom, on a carriage bearing the Fatui insignia, two Fatui envoys whispered to each other.

The topic of their conversation was the recent news from Snezhnaya.

That's right—Bai Luo had ultimately been dispatched to Inazuma.

Despite his countless objections, this was not a decision he had any power over.

The only thing that brought him some comfort was the person accompanying him.

"Instructor."

When this woman, whose demeanor was exceptionally graceful and elegant, stood beside Bai Luo, he suddenly felt... that this trip might actually be worth it.

Although she was a bit tall—so much so that Bai Luo had to look up at her—who could resist such a fair-skinned, beautiful older sister?

That's right, she was a Mirror Maiden.

Since this was Bai Luo's first mission abroad, Pulcinella, considering his lack of experience, had specially arranged an assistant for him.

And the Mirror Maiden was the most suitable candidate.

As a member of Snezhnaya's special ceremonial guard, the Mirror Maiden's loyalty was beyond question.

Even if she wasn't entirely satisfied with the newly appointed Twelfth Harbinger, she still obeyed his every command.

Because it was the will of the Tsaritsa.

After arriving at the dock with the Mirror Maiden, Bai Luo saw only a lone sailing ship waiting for them.

When he first learned that this was his means of transportation to Inazuma, he had been somewhat displeased.

After all, he was a Harbinger now—how could they just send him off like this?

But then he found out that Childe had walked all the way to Liyue...

Well, at least they weren't making him swim there.

Once all the accompanying personnel were on board, under Bai Luo's command, the ship bearing the Snezhnayan flag and the Fatui insignia finally set sail from the icy nation, heading toward the island nation of thunder and lightning.

Although Bai Luo was quite captivated by the Mirror Maiden's beauty, he wasn't so depraved as to abuse his authority to take advantage of her.

After dismissing her, Bai Luo sat by the window and, using the sunlight streaming in, examined the Delusion in his hand.

He also took out the fake Vision he had bought from Inazuma.

At first glance, the two looked almost identical.

The only difference was the design, which varied slightly due to their origins in different nations.

The Delusion, however, appeared somewhat darker.

But still...

"Why did Pierro give me a Dendro Delusion?"

Looking at the Dendro Delusion, Bai Luo couldn't help but feel like complaining.

It wasn't that Dendro was weak, but the word "Dendro" (草, meaning "grass" in Chinese) felt a bit... ambiguous.

It almost felt like an insult.

And how was he supposed to use this thing?

Even though Pierro had mentioned when bestowing it upon him that the Delusion functioned similarly to a Vision, Bai Luo had no idea how to use a Vision in the first place.

After all, his so-called Vision was just a fake.

Since arriving in this world, Bai Luo had privately investigated information about Visions.

And he had done so under the name of the Third Harbinger, Il Dottore (the Doctor).

Perhaps because the information Bai Luo submitted was useful to the Doctor, the latter had turned a blind eye to Bai Luo using his name.

From the information he had gathered, in this world called Teyvat, when people gained the recognition of the gods, they would receive a "Vision"—an elemental organ used to channel elemental power.

No one could explain how Visions came into being. They always appeared out of thin air, leaving countless seekers who were not recognized by the gods in despair.

And the empty husks of Visions, which were left behind after the user's death, contained no elemental power and had no known method of reactivation. There was only a small chance they would resonate with someone, and they could not be repeatedly tested by multiple people.

Bai Luo had considered obtaining a real Vision for appearances, but the terrifying price had forced him to settle for a glass bead from Inazuma.

He had also investigated how Vision wielders used elemental power through these devices.

But according to those who possessed Visions, using a Vision was like using an organ—once you had it, you naturally understood how to use it.

It was more like an instinct, similar to how ordinary people speak or walk.

So, he had no choice but to give up.

"This thing is quite sinister. Maybe it's for the best."

He hung the fake Anemo Vision in a more concealed spot on his waist, while the Delusion, which could truly resonate with elemental power, was displayed prominently.

At least compared to the fake Vision, the Delusion was more intimidating.

...

"Captain Beidou! There's a merchant ship ahead!"

On the Alcor, a sailor standing on the lookout platform called out to Beidou, who was sitting on the bow of the ship, drinking.

Beidou was a woman with long black hair.

Her left eye, hidden behind her bangs, seemed to be covered by an eyepatch, and her crimson eyes, though slightly intoxicated, were sharp and piercing.

She wore a traditional Liyue-style qipao and a pair of high-heeled over-the-knee boots.

Her heavy Blackcliff Slasher was casually slung over her shoulder with one hand.

"Is it a passing merchant ship?"

Putting away her wine flask, Beidou asked the sailor on the lookout platform.

Since this voyage was for a specific purpose, she hadn't brought the entire Crux Fleet, only the Alcor.

If it wasn't a special situation, she preferred to avoid conflict.

"Captain Beidou, that... that seems to be a ship from Snezhnaya, bearing the Fatui insignia."

After a closer look, the sailor on the lookout platform swallowed hard and lowered his voice as he reported to Beidou below.

The Fatui were infamous across all of Teyvat.

But not in a good way.

His reaction was understandable.

A Fatui ship?

Climbing to a higher point on the Alcor, Beidou looked in the direction the sailor had indicated and indeed spotted a sailing ship.

But why would such a ship appear here at such a sensitive time?

What schemes were these guys up to now?

"Captain, what should we do? Should we avoid them?"

The sailor could see that the other ship had also noticed them and was signaling for them to give way.

But he was just a sailor—this ship still had to follow Beidou's orders.

Of course, they wouldn't avoid it.

Taking out her wine flask, Beidou took a big swig and said to the sailor above, "Why should we avoid them? We didn't see any Fatui ship—we just saw a merchant ship. Pirates hijacking merchant ships is a pretty normal thing, isn't it?"

In truth, the Crux Fleet wasn't a pirate organization—it was just an armed force from Liyue.

But out at sea, once you took down your flag, who could tell if you were pirates or not?

The Crux Fleet had indeed hijacked Fatui ships more than a few times.

"But..."

The sailor was about to say something, but an older crew member with one eye stopped him.

"New guy, right? Just listen to the Captain. If she says it's a merchant ship, then it's a merchant ship. The sea is our territory—no matter what it is, it's going to get hijacked by us."

As he said, apart from a few newcomers, everyone else was getting excited.

Some moved cannonballs, others adjusted the cannons, and in no time, they were ready to attack.

"Alright, crew! Lower the flag and fire the cannons!"

At Beidou's command, all the cannons fired simultaneously, targeting the lone sailing ship.