In the end, Bai Luo’s final threat worked.

Weak nations have no diplomacy.

Mondstadt might not be that weak, but compared to Snezhnaya, it is slightly inferior.

The carefree Anemo Archon hasn’t abdicated, but after relinquishing all authority to the people of Mondstadt, he rarely intervenes in their governance.

He only steps in to resolve issues when things spiral out of control with a lighthearted “Ehe.”

Regardless of whether Bai Luo had ulterior motives, Jean couldn’t refuse the plan he proposed.

Just as Bai Luo said, they couldn’t turn him down.

“Lastly, could you do me a small favor?”

After the two parties signed the contract, just as Jean breathed a sigh of relief, she heard Bai Luo faintly say those words.

A trap!

Not just Jean—Diluc and Kaeya also seemed ready to draw their swords.

Only Lisa, who sat beside Bai Luo, remained relatively calm.

“Mr. Ausbilder, it seems that this ‘small favor’ wasn’t part of the contract we signed. Are you planning to break the agreement?”

Diluc instinctively shielded Jean and questioned him.

Even though they were in Mondstadt, Bai Luo was a native of Liyue.

Though he now served Snezhnaya, in the hearts of Liyue people, the Geo Archon always held an unshakable position.

This was one of the reasons they chose to sign the contract with Bai Luo.

“Relax, Master Diluc. The small favor I’m referring to has to do with the diplomat incident.”

With a sigh, Bai Luo explained.

This is the treatment of a villain—no matter what he says, the other side is always on alert. Classic.

He wondered if there would ever be a day when someone would trust him unconditionally.

Perhaps Arataki “Everyone’s Friend” Itto could do that, but who knows if spending too much time with him would make one as naive as him.

“The diplomat incident?”

Hearing this, Diluc instinctively glanced at Collei, who stood beside Bai Luo in a combat-ready stance.

Last night, when Bai Luo was speaking with Lisa, he had already thrown the naive Collei under the bus.

Almost everyone investigating the Black Fire incident was aware that Collei was the mastermind behind it.

Bai Luo’s intention was…

“I’ve already messed up the task assigned by Her Majesty for Mondstadt’s sake. If we don’t resolve this diplomat issue soon, I’ll be in a difficult position.”

“…”

Even though they had already seen how shameless he could be, Diluc and the others were still at a loss for words seeing him act like this.

For Mondstadt’s sake?

If you hadn’t planted so many problems, there wouldn’t be this many issues to deal with!

So you caused all these problems, solved them yourself, and now you’re complaining to us?

Diluc, having traveled the continent and managed his father’s winery successfully, wasn’t relying solely on his steward for help.

Compared to the others, he had already understood Bai Luo’s meaning.

“Alright, I get it. I’ll cooperate with you.”

Squeezing the Delusion hidden in his sleeve, Diluc agreed.

Only his Delusion could replicate the strange black flames Collei had released.

“Diluc! Please discuss this with us before making any decisions!”

Jean didn’t know what kind of silent exchange occurred between Bai Luo and Diluc, but she sensed it was something extremely dangerous.

“Vice-Captain, don’t forget, I haven’t been a member of the Knights for three years,” Diluc said, filled with resistance, though it seemed more like he was protecting Jean.

He didn’t want Jean involved in the diplomat incident in the first place, and now, with Bai Luo meddling, he was even more unwilling to let her get involved.

Nodding at Bai Luo, Diluc stepped forward and jumped out of the still-open window.

Time was tight—he needed to plan everything before daybreak, so he had no time to take the stairs.

“Don’t worry, Vice-Captain Jean. Leave the matter with the monsters to you. I’ll take care of Diluc. The two of us together won’t have any problems,” Kaeya said, following quickly behind Diluc after noticing Jean’s worried look.

Jean understood. Even though the two brothers had been at odds since Mr. Crepus’ incident three years ago, they knew how to prioritize right and wrong.

With the two of them working together, there was no need to worry.

“Here’s what you need. You might have found some of these already, but there’s still quite a lot left, enough to keep you busy for a while,” Bai Luo said smugly, handing over his blueprints. Even Collei found his attitude annoying.

You don’t even think about who planted these things!

When Jean received the blueprints, she felt a headache coming on.

Thanks to Diluc’s subordinates and Eula’s guerrilla squad, they had already located more than a dozen of them. But to her surprise, this wasn’t even one-fifth of the total.

Even in some places where they had thoroughly searched, believing there was nothing left, there were still remnants.

Bai Luo had hidden them in extremely tricky locations.

For instance, inside the shields of Wooden Shield Hilichurls, in Hilichurl watchtowers, in Abyss Mage totems…

He even put them inside slimes!

And he could pinpoint exactly which one, how it looked, and whether it was lively or not.

This was going to be tough…

If worst came to worst, tomorrow she might have to consult with Katheryne and issue a few missions.

Hopefully, some adventurers could handle the rest.

“We won’t stay to disturb you. Once the scholars from Sumeru arrive, please inform me. This child’s illness is always a headache when left untreated,” Bai Luo said, knowing that the others were even busier than Diluc and his group.

He didn’t linger either, grabbing Collei beside him and, to her dismay, hoisting her up like a sack of potato and jumped out the window.

Lisa: “…”

She’ll talk to Wagner tomorrow about making some solid iron bars for the windows.

After leaving Lisa’s place, Bai Luo and Collei didn’t wander around Mondstadt but headed straight back to the hotel.

Holding Bai Luo’s hand, Collei quietly glanced at him.

Liyue people seemed to always wear smiles, no matter the situation, greeting others with warmth.

But Bai Luo’s smile was different from the Liyue people she remembered.

His smile had less of the pleasantries and more of a guarded, resistant edge.

It was like seeing an older brother from the neighborhood after a long time—at first, there’s some awkwardness, but after a while, you can still play together again.

Even if some things might trouble him, he always managed to resolve them confidently with a smile.

He once said that BK201 was the star that represented him in this false sky.

The sky is called the starry sky because of the countless stars it holds.

There were so many stars that Collei became dazzled and couldn’t tell which one belonged to Bai Luo.

But after Bai Luo’s words earlier that morning, she felt like she could see through this starry sky.

Bai Luo said the brightest was the moon, but to her, that was BK201.

The moon, cold and dim, but it generously cast all its light on her, stretching her shadow long.

And the moon, in that dark night sky, was the brightest star illuminating her path.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep