Chapter 47

Those who disappeared had naturally triggered Bai Luo's passive ability and were quantumized.

In truth, whether these small fry triggered quantumization or not didn't matter anymore. They were all just one-hit kills anyway.

The fire beneath the pot continued to crackle and burn, but the number of living people around the campfire was dwindling.

Finally, Bai Luo stood in front of Tadao.

"P-please spare me, sir."

Tadao had survived in the Treasure Hoarders for so long not just because he was clever, but also because he knew when to bend and when to stand firm.

Though it's said that a man's pride is worth its weight in gold, sometimes you just have to kneel.

After all, no matter how much gold you have, it's useless if you're dead.

"Where is the person who originally lived here?"

Bai Luo glanced inside the temporary camp. The dark red canvas tent was empty, and the delicate tea set and slightly faded blanket were gone, as if someone had taken them away.

"I-I don't know, sir. We were just passing by and saw this camp. Since no one was here, we decided to rest here for a while."

Tadao was telling the truth. Traveling through Inazuma's forests at night was highly discouraged.

Forget wild beasts—the most terrifying things were the evil spirits in the mountains and the Nobushi wandering the land.

With such a defensible camp, they naturally chose to stay the night.

They just hadn't expected that this decision would attract such a deadly figure.

If they had known, they wouldn't have stayed. At least then they wouldn't have died so senselessly.

Bai Luo could tell that Tadao wasn't lying.

Because his original assumption was the same.

A disorganized and undisciplined group like the Treasure Hoarders wouldn't stand a chance against even a single Fatui vanguard member, let alone a Cicin Mage.

"Did you touch anything inside the tent?"

"N-no, sir. We've been tricked by traps before when we stayed in someone else's camp, so we don't dare go into tents anymore."

Tadao shook his head.

At first, he had considered going into the tent, but after seeing the Fatui emblem on it, he dismissed the idea.

The Fatui vanguard had left many similar sites across Inazuma, but these places were riddled with traps, even more dangerous than some ruins and ancient tombs.

He was more interested in the pot in the camp, wanting to brew some potions.

"Take your people and get out of here."

After confirming that Kseniya's disappearance had nothing to do with these Treasure Hoarders, Bai Luo didn't give them a hard time.

He simply chased Tadao and the two still-sleeping Treasure Hoarder members away.

As for the other corpses scattered around...

They didn't need to worry about them. The evil spirits and beasts of the forest would be more than happy to take care of them.

After the three unlucky Treasure Hoarders left, Bai Luo approached the tent.

The Fatui's trap-making techniques were fairly standardized, so Bai Luo easily disarmed them and entered the tent.

Compared to the first time he had been here, many things were missing.

For example, the delicate tea set and small blanket mentioned earlier.

These were Kseniya's most prized possessions.

In addition to these, her spare clothes, Mist Grass seeds, diary, and other important items were also gone.

The tent was basically empty of anything useful.

In other words... Kseniya must have been reassigned due to some matter.

"What a shame."

There was definitely some regret, but Bai Luo wasn't disappointed.

After chasing away a few tanuki trying to steal his box of fireworks, Bai Luo carried it to a spot near the camp and lit it.

"Boom—"

Compared to the other fireworks Bai Luo had seen, the ones Yoimiya gave him were much more modest.

It was clear that the maker's skills were still immature, and some of the patterns weren't fully formed.

But... they were still quite nice.

After burying the Fire-Water near the tent and marking the spot, Bai Luo left.

Whether Kseniya would find the Fire-Water he left behind didn't matter anymore.

The sentiment was what counted.

...

Bai Luo didn't have many acquaintances in Inazuma City. If he had to name one... Kujou Sara might count?

But compared to the rumors of them being a couple, their relationship wasn't close enough to spend the night together.

So after saying goodbye to her, Bai Luo left.

Although the Mirror Maiden had been reassigned by Scaramouche, Bai Luo had his own way of navigating Inazuma's thunderstorms.

Bai Luo's teleportation ability wasn't a secret among the higher-ups in Snezhnaya.

They just didn't fully understand the conditions required for it.

If a target was deemed to be on the same side as Bai Luo, within a certain range, he could quantumize and teleport to any allied unit.

However, after teleporting, he would be forced to sheathe his dagger and couldn't attack allied units.

Unless, before teleporting, he determined that the unit wasn't on his side.

So after sensing the ship Klober was on out at sea, Bai Luo used his ability to teleport there, officially setting off on his journey to Mondstadt.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

"S-sir! Are you okay?"

The food stall owner's voice trembled as he looked at the unconscious oni youth who had just eaten thirty-two bowls of fox noodles.

The reason was simple. This oni youth was a regular customer who often ate at this stall.

But today, a strange woman with fox ears had taken his seat.

The two had gotten into an argument.

The food stall owner found it strange because, if he remembered correctly, this self-proclaimed leader of the Arataki Gang should have been locked up by the magistrate yesterday. How was he here today?

Had someone broken him out?

Regardless, the conflict between the two had escalated.

Fortunately, things took a turn for the better, and their argument turned into an eating contest.

Unfortunately, the slippery fox-eared woman had chosen fox noodles.

Everyone knew that fox noodles contained fried tofu, and soy products were deadly to oni.

Yet, despite this, the oni youth had managed to eat thirty-two bowls.

By the tenth bowl, he had already lost consciousness.

The rest were eaten in a daze.

"Alright, I admit defeat. The seat is yours, and I'll cover the cost of all the noodles."

The fox-eared woman looked somewhat regretful, but the ease with which she pulled out money showed she didn't care about the cost.

Perhaps what she enjoyed most was making an oni eat so much of a food they hated.

"Hmm?"

The fox-eared woman, who had just paid, suddenly paused. She glanced at the oni youth being carried away by his Arataki Gang lackeys and walked alone to the edge of Hanamizaka.

In this land of Inazuma, there were many foxes and fox statues.

And these statues, in a sense, were her eyes.

Through these eyes, she had discovered something.

Bai Luo had left Inazuma.