Compared to the grand parade upon his arrival, Bai Luo’s departure was understated, bringing along only a few people. 

During the diplomat incident, some people had perished; when Diluc took the blame for Collei, more people were taken out; and when the missionary's entourage left, they took another group along.

If Bai Luo took more people with him now, Anastasia might very well break into tears on the spot. 

Before they came, she had held a solid advantage over the Knights of Favonius, but after the much-anticipated Harbinger arrived, why had her people in the Fatui suffered so greatly? 

Now, she was even bullied by a mere Quartermaster. 

She couldn’t understand it.

Outside Mondstadt—

"Acting Grand Master Jean, Quartermaster Kaeya, there's really no need to go to such trouble." Bai Luo, still choosing to ride in a slime-drawn carriage, looked at the two leading the way and really wanted to tell them something: This is a bit much, really.

Once they heard Bai Luo planned to leave for Liyue, Jean and Kaeya mobilized half of the Knights of Favonius, and all of them were elite soldiers—even Eula's guerrilla squad had been dispatched. 

To be fair, Bai Luo had only brought along four members of the Fatui, mainly to handle the transition with the Fatui in Liyue. 

Otherwise, Bai Luo might have just gone alone.

"Oh no, you deserve this kind of treatment," Kaeya replied, fully armored with an additional iron plate over his eyepatch. 

He was as armed to the teeth as could be, and it made the escort look less like a protective escort and more like they were ready to ambush him if Bai Luo changed his mind and tried to return to Mondstadt midway.

Bai Luo felt very moved and quietly drew his dagger.

The journey was smooth, with no Treasure Hoarders or Hilichurls blocking the way—and, well, no Fatui agents either. Or, more accurately, the only Fatui in the group were the ones in the center of the formation. 

Even the Hilichurls, seeing such a heavily armed contingent, sensibly moved out of the way. 

They knew very well which people they could mess with and which they absolutely couldn’t.

After passing Dawn Winery, they approached the Stone Gate leading to Liyue. 

Here, the Knights of Favonius finally stopped. 

They knew that going any further might alarm the Qixing’s Millelith in Liyue. 

It wasn’t that they couldn’t take on the Millelith; if half the Knights couldn’t handle a few border guards, they’d be a laughingstock. 

But if they did start a fight, it would surely become a diplomatic incident—something neither side wanted to see.

After all, Mondstadt and Liyue were neighboring nations, and Morax and Barbatos were close friends. If the two sides clashed, it would be awkward for their gods as well.

Speaking of the two gods, there’s actually an interesting legend: When Mondstadt's aristocrats found themselves cornered, they considered betraying Mondstadt by forging a contract to turn Mondstadt over to Liyue, in exchange for protection from Barbatos. Little did they know that the so-called "God of Contracts" they were dealing with was actually Barbatos himself, masquerading as Morax.

It turned out that Barbatos, who often shirked his duties, had once tried to mimic Morax’s handwriting just to mess with the old man next door, but he never succeeded. Who could have imagined that all those years of practice would one day pay off in such a peculiar way?

At the Stone Gate, Bai Luo disembarked from the slime-drawn carriage under the watchful eyes of the Millelith guards.

"My thanks to the Knights of Favonius," he said.

"No need to thank us!"

"Thank you all for your hard work escorting me."

"No trouble at all!"

"Let’s meet again if fate allows."

"Never again!!"

"..."

After Bai Luo and his retinue passed through the Stone Gate into Liyue, the Mondstadt knights burst into celebration, with some even hugging each other tearfully.

He was gone!

He was finally gone!

With the Ausbilder gone, Mondstadt was saved!

With the Ausbilder gone, Mondstadt could finally have peace!

Their behavior caught the attention of the Millelith border guards, who now regarded Bai Luo and his group with growing suspicion.

"Hello there. I’m Shao Yuan of the Millelith! Please show your travel permit, residence registration, merchant credentials, or any other valid documents!”

Shao Yuan, stepping forward as his fellow guards exchanged uncertain glances, blocked Bai Luo’s group. 

He was well aware of their Fatui identities, but from the reaction of the Mondstadt knights, it seemed that these people were hardly trustworthy.

“Come on, Shao Yuan,” another Millelith soldier, nicknamed Little Scatterbrain, hurried forward to pull him aside. “Aren’t you about to be reassigned to Mount Tianheng in a few days? That kid, Little Jiang, has been looking forward to it for so long. Don’t get on the Fatui’s bad side at a time like this!”

With Liyue and Snezhnaya in a diplomatic honeymoon period, many Fatui agents had been granted entry to the Chasm for exploration, making the Fatui quasi-allies for now. If Shao Yuan offended them, it could result in reprimands from their superiors, jeopardizing his chance to transfer. 

This transfer was a hard-won opportunity his comrades had helped him secure so he could better care for Little Jiang, who had been ill from a young age.

“You saw how the Mondstadt knights reacted. There’s still doubt about whether these people are really Fatui,” Shao Yuan said, his expression conflicted. “If we let dangerous individuals in…well, compared to my own small family, Liyue is far more important.”

It was clear that Shao Yuan felt torn. 

His wife and son had long hoped for his transfer to Mount Tianheng, and once stationed there, he planned to resign from the Millelith to focus on treating Little Jiang’s illness.

Losing this chance would be a huge disappointment for them. 

Yet, no matter the personal cost, he would stand by his decision. 

As he said himself: If there is a nation, then there is a home.

“There’s no need for concern, dear Millelith,” came a calm voice as brisk footsteps approached. “All of the esteemed officer’s documents are in order. I can provide verification.”

A team of Fatui agents appeared from beyond the Stone Gate, arriving just in time to prevent what might have escalated into a tragic misunderstanding. 

In theory, Bai Luo and the Fatui from Liyue should have reached the border simultaneously, but he underestimated how eager the Knights of Favonius were to see him on his way. 

They had moved at an unrelenting pace, reaching the border without pause.

The speaker was a Fatui Electro Cicin Mage, a member of the Ninth Company tasked with preliminary exploration of the Chasm. 

Even the esteemed Childe had gone in. 

As an elite member of the Fatui advance team, she was the best-suited individual to receive Bai Luo.

Shao Yuan took the documents offered by the Cicin Mage, carefully reviewing them.

Only after confirming the Seven Stars of Liyue’s signatures did he step aside, allowing Bai Luo and his party to enter Liyue.

Bai Luo gave Shao Yuan a lingering glance but said nothing. 

Following the Cicin Mage, he stepped through the Stone Gate.

Once they were a good distance from the Millelith, the Electro Cicin Mage and her team turned and saluted Bai Luo in unison.

“Katarina Snezhevna, Cicin Mage of the Ninth Company, reporting to the Ausbilder. Awaiting your orders, sir!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read