Chapter 14

Among the Fatui Harbingers, Bai Luo's attitude toward each of them varied.

Let's not even mention those who were often away on missions and rarely seen.

Tartaglia (Childe): Bai Luo would go out of his way to avoid him. This battle maniac had the audacity to challenge him to a fight on his very first day as a Harbinger, right in front of the Tsaritsa.

Thankfully, Snezhnaya didn't have a tradition of duels before the throne, or else...

It wasn't that Bai Luo was afraid of him—it was just that fighting him would be a hassle.

La Signora: Although she had a bad temper and loved to pick fights, she was actually warm-hearted beneath her cold exterior. As long as you didn't provoke her, she was usually quite reasonable.

Pierro (The Jester) and Pulcinella (The Rooster): Former superiors. Even after becoming a Harbinger, Bai Luo still hadn't fully adjusted to his new status when dealing with them.

Dottore (The Doctor): Unpredictable. Bai Luo had once used his name to swindle people, but Dottore never retaliated or made things difficult for him.

Rumored to be cruel, but he never showed that side to Bai Luo.

As for the others, Bai Luo had some understanding of them as well.

Except for Scaramouche (The Balladeer).

Bai Luo rarely saw Scaramouche, and he almost never appeared at formal events. Even during important ceremonies, the other Harbingers would return, but Scaramouche remained aloof.

If Pierro and Pulcinella were like former squad leaders whom Bai Luo still respected after becoming a new leader, then Scaramouche was like the leader of another squad.

Even though Bai Luo knew Scaramouche was formidable, he could still treat him as an equal.

Speaking of Scaramouche's connection to Inazuma, it was anything but simple.

In this world called Teyvat, there was a term that no one could escape: erosion.

Even the Geo Archon, Morax, who was considered the most powerful, had to endure the torment of erosion.

The Raiden Shogun was no exception.

To resist erosion, Scaramouche was created.

It's still unclear where she obtained the technology, but she went to great lengths to create the first-generation intelligent puppet—Scaramouche.

Well... back then, he wasn't called that.

The Raiden Shogun's original intention was for this puppet to serve as a vessel for the Gnosis and to govern Inazuma in her stead.

But after creating the first puppet, she discovered a major flaw.

He could cry.

The Raiden Shogun believed he was too human, too weak to wield the Gnosis. So she abandoned him and sealed him in the Shakkei Pavilion south of Tatarasuna.

The second time, to ensure stability and avoid human fragility, she decided not to place the Gnosis in the second puppet, creating instead a heartless, unfeeling machine.

But this decision also left her with endless troubles when it came to fixing bugs.

For example, to correct this machine's way of thinking, she had to fight it for thousands of years in a special space.

As for the Gnosis... she entrusted it to her most trusted confidante, Yae Miko, for safekeeping.

The Raiden Shogun herself retreated into the Plane of Euthymia, meditating to resist erosion, only appearing during critical moments to maintain order.

Thus, a century passed in the blink of an eye, and the puppet sealed in the Shakkei Pavilion unexpectedly awoke...

Why Scaramouche joined the Fatui, Bai Luo didn't know.

But one thing he was certain of was that the space in Scaramouche's body originally meant for the Gnosis now held something else.

This was something he had learned while working for another Harbinger, Dottore, who had inadvertently let it slip.

According to Dottore, Scaramouche had a "filthy heart."

This also meant that this tactical genius wouldn't be easy to manipulate.

For now, Bai Luo needed to figure out why Scaramouche had come to Inazuma.

Scaramouche's arrival was abrupt.

In Bai Luo's opinion, even if he didn't make a grand entrance at the port, he should at least arrive on a small boat.

But according to his subordinates, Scaramouche had simply appeared at the port out of nowhere. Even the Fatui agents who had gone ahead to prepare for his arrival took a while to react.

Scaramouche hadn't planned to meet Bai Luo either, as not all Harbingers got along.

But Bai Luo sought him out himself.

"What is it?"

Setting down his teacup, Scaramouche, who looked like a young boy, raised his head and asked.

Since arriving in Inazuma, Bai Luo hadn't actually seen the Raiden Shogun in person, but he had seen plenty of portraits and depictions of her.

Compared to the game, she seemed less gentle and more imposing here. After all... she was a god ruling a nation.

And in Scaramouche's features, one could still see a resemblance to the Raiden Shogun.

But he seemed to want to hide this, always wearing a large hat to conceal his appearance.

"Did the Tsaritsa send you to replace me?"

Taking the tea handed to him by A-Qi, Bai Luo asked.

Before this, he had never heard that Scaramouche would be coming.

"I have a different mission. It doesn't conflict with yours."

Scaramouche's eyes lingered on the Delusion at Bai Luo's waist as he explained.

He seemed to understand why Bai Luo had sought him out.

Indeed, before coming, the Tsaritsa had said that Inazuma was entirely Bai Luo's responsibility.

Yet not long after Bai Luo took up his post, Scaramouche had arrived, making it seem like the Tsaritsa didn't trust him.

The Harbingers had their own pride.

If it were Scaramouche in Bai Luo's position, he might not even sit down to talk—not resorting to violence would already be giving the Tsaritsa face.

Scaramouche's subtle movements didn't escape Bai Luo's notice.

Was he looking at his Delusion?

Noticing this, Bai Luo seemed to understand why Scaramouche had come to Inazuma.

"The Delusion Factory?"

Speaking of this, one had to mention the skeleton of the great serpent on Yashiori Island.

In this world called Teyvat, there wasn't much camaraderie among the gods. During the Archon War, Orobashi became one of the defeated and eventually fled to a place called the Dark Sea.

In the depths of the ocean, Orobashi protected the local people, becoming their god, Watatsumi Omikami, and led the people of Watatsumi back to the lands ruled by Inazuma, establishing an independent regime on Watatsumi Island, separate from the rule of Narukami Island, coexisting peacefully.

If things had stayed that way, it would have been fine.

The Raiden Shogun tacitly acknowledged Orobashi's existence and allowed the Watatsumi regime to remain independent within her territory.

But one day, Orobashi, for reasons unknown, went mad and launched an all-out war, invading eastward.

In that war, both sides suffered heavy casualties, and even the Raiden Shogun's beloved general, the tengu Sasayuri, fell in battle.

In this epic war, Orobashi was ultimately slain by the Raiden Shogun, Ei, and perished on Yashiori Island.

Even now, Orobashi's remains lie on Yashiori Island, its bleached bones striking fear into the hearts of those who see them under the scorching sun.

The effects of that war, even after centuries, have not faded and have even altered the environment of Yashiori Island.

For example, the Raiden Shogun's single strike carved out the great canyon known as the Musoujin Gorge.