"Finished?"

Without showing much emotion, Bai Luo caught Collei's small hand, which was trying to stick something onto his back. He asked her.

"Yeah, all done," Collei replied, withdrawing her arm in reluctance.

This was a test Bai Luo had arranged for her. The task was to stick these specially made stickers onto the members of the Fatui without alerting any of them. Some of the targets were particularly sensitive, and for those, Bai Luo had specifically instructed Collei to place the stickers in spots that were easy to detect.

Like a peach.

Yes, a juicy peach.

As it turned out, Collei didn’t disappoint him. 

Even though she hadn't mastered Bai Luo's stealth techniques, with his training and her small size, she successfully avoided many people's sight.

Hilichurls, though not as intelligent as humans, have survived in the wild for so long that their vigilance sometimes surpasses that of certain wild animals. 

When Collei managed to hide a mechanical bird in a Hilichurl camp without alerting any of the creatures, she had already proven herself to be a qualified assassin.

It wasn’t that her talent was extraordinary, nor that Bai Luo's teachings were flawless. Bai Luo had already left her with the necessary skills, and over the years of roaming the Seven Nations, she had gradually become proficient in a somewhat incomplete assassination technique. What Bai Luo had been doing these past few days was refining the skills she had already mastered.

If he had been teaching her from scratch, at best, she would have only been able to sneak up to Anastasia.

Bai Luo had done all of this because he wanted to confirm one thing: after sealing away the archon residue, could Collei still survive on her own?

Although saying this was somewhat bittersweet, he couldn't be with this girl for her entire life.

Seeing how well she was doing now, Bai Luo felt reassured.

"Come here, I have something for you."

He beckoned the girl, who was still gleefully playing with the stickers, to come over.

Her childhood hadn’t been very pleasant, so she had never had toys. Even these cute little paper stickers easily won her heart.

"Coming!"

Carefully putting the remaining stickers into her clothes, Collei stood in front of Bai Luo.

Since the archon residue had been sealed, she had become much brighter and more cheerful. 

"From now on, you are the 225th soldier of the Fatui's 684th regiment in district 936!"

Bai Luo took out the Fatui uniform he had specially prepared for her and handed it to Collei. It was custom-made in a smaller size, fitting her perfectly without any awkwardness.

However, upon hearing Bai Luo's words, the joy on Collei's face vanished. 

She didn’t like the Fatui. 

Even though Bai Luo was a Fatui Harbinger, he was different from the others. 

She could accept Bai Luo, but that didn’t mean she could accept the Fatui and become one of them.

"Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to join the Fatui. I just wanted to surprise you. Go ahead and change into the outfit. I’ll take you to meet someone afterward."

Of course, Bai Luo could read Collei’s thoughts. 

However, he had said that purely because some author had forced this intention upon him for their own narrative goals.

After reluctantly watching Collei leave, Bai Luo briefly sensed the nearby markers, feeling a slight sense of anticipation.

"Hmm..."

Standing at the peak of Starsnatch Cliff, a missionary knelt down and examined the magic circle on the ground, a thoughtful expression on his face. 

He recognized the formation because he had seen someone use it in Sumeru; it was a very ordinary healing circle.

But... the power polluting the circle was intriguing.

It was clearly an archon residue.

"I didn’t expect the Sumeru people to get involved in this."

After observing the situation, the missionary had a pretty good idea of what had happened. 

While his attention had been diverted by the Delusion user, someone had secretly performed a purification ritual here to deal with the archon residue.

However, judging from the lingering demonic energy in the air, the person hadn't completely eliminated the residue, only sealed it.

Luckily...

If it was just sealed, his losses weren’t too severe.

As a missionary who excelled in manipulating people's inner darkness, this situation was something he could easily work with.

To him, this so-called seal was like a water-soaked piece of paper—fragile and easy to tear apart. 

It seemed like he would need to keep an eye out for any strangers wrapped in bandages around Mondstadt soon. 

For some reason, he thought of the cat that Bai Luo had been holding in his arms. It was wrapped in bandages too.

But he didn’t remember injecting the archon residue into an animal. 

After all, small creatures like cats wouldn’t be able to withstand the power of the residue. He chuckled at himself for being overly suspicious.

"Missionary."

Speak of the devil. Just as he was eliminating the possibility of the cat being involved, Bai Luo appeared not far behind him. 

Beside Bai Luo was a small figure dressed in a Fatui uniform, wearing the mask of a Pyro Agent. 

It seemed this small figure was the newcomer the Ausbilder wanted to train.

There was no denying the intense energy the little one exuded, almost ready to pounce at the sight of him. Truly, a subordinate well-trained by the Ausbilder. Though the child was a bit young, he’d have to go easy on them in the upcoming fight.

Bai Luo drew a dagger from his waist and handed it to Collei. 

This specially crafted dagger was just right for Bai Luo, but in Collei’s hands, it was almost like a short sword. 

Yet, for some reason, Collei found the dagger extremely comfortable to hold. 

In fact, it felt even more suited to her than the old, worn-out fruit knife she had used for so long.

When she assumed her assassination stance, she felt as though this dagger had been tailor-made for her. It fit perfectly with every move she made. 

Without spending too much time pondering the mystery of the weapon, Collei, at Bai Luo's signal, began to approach the missionary.

Yes, she walked.

After the initial rush of excitement and anger, a strange calmness settled over her. Perhaps she had realized that Bai Luo wasn’t going to let the missionary escape, so there was no need for her to be hasty. 

However, her overflowing killing intent was so intense that even the missionary couldn’t help but feel a chill.

"As expected from a student chosen by the Ausbilder. This kind of bloodlust... You've already taken lives, haven’t you?" the missionary said, observing her.

He didn’t bother using a weapon. 

In his eyes, dealing with a greenhorn "Pyro Agent" like Collei wasn’t worth drawing one. 

Besides, sharp weapons didn’t distinguish between friends and foes. 

If he accidentally killed the Ausbilder’s student, the punishment he’d receive later would be harsh.

Still, even unarmed, he wasn’t any less dangerous. 

His sharp nails were one of his few weapons, and their black color wasn’t from any dye. It was a metal he had specially coated them with. 

A single scratch from those nails would tear skin and flesh, leaving wounds that bled profusely.

Without warning, Collei struck. 

Her first move was a lethal one, aimed straight at his throat.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read