Genshin Impact: I'm The Envoy of Snezhnaya
Chapter 325: The World-Naive Diluc
"What a coincidence, Diluc."
Diluc, who still hadn't fully gotten used to his feline body, was just about to stand up when a slightly teasing voice came from behind him.
The next moment, the fur at the back of his neck was pinched, and he was lifted high into the air.
Then he saw that smiling face—one that was utterly punchable.
"Meow!"
Diluc seemed to want to say something, but the moment it left his mouth, it turned into wave after wave of cat noises.
"Alright, alright, stop cursing."
Casually tossing away an empty bottle, Bai Luo ignored his struggles and carried him toward his campsite.
Diluc weakly waved his paws a few times. After realizing he couldn't reach Bai Luo at all, he finally calmed down.
Unlike the other little creatures Bai Luo had carried around like this before, Diluc was clearly more mature and steady.
He didn't give up resisting outright. While looking for a chance to escape, he also observed the surroundings, trying to figure out where Bai Luo planned to take him.
Judging by the direction, the destination seemed to be Starfell Lake?
What was he going there for?
What puzzled him the most was that despite being lifted by the scruff of his neck for so long, he felt no discomfort at all.
On the contrary… there was a strange sense of security.
In truth, the skin at the back of a cat's neck doesn't have many pain receptors. When cats are young, their mothers often carry them by the scruff, and when someone lifts them there, it can create the illusion of being carried by their mother. That's why they often feel calmer than usual.
That said, it's not recommended for pet owners to do this frequently, because as cats grow up, their weight increases as well.
Being lifted this way later on will still cause pain.
After being carried to the campsite by Bai Luo, Diluc only needed a brief glance at the layout to tell that it had been set up very recently.
Even the leaves of the makeshift shelter were still fresh.
It seemed his earlier guesses in Whispering Woods had been correct.
"So what exactly are you here in Mondstadt to do?"
Watching Bai Luo sit back down inside the temporary shelter, Diluc spoke up.
But what came out was another series of meows.
"Alright, alright, stop yelling. Once I find what I need here, I'll naturally leave."
Bai Luo said as he casually ruffled Diluc's head a couple of times.
Even though he couldn't understand cat language, he could roughly guess what the other party was asking.
If he'd let his Fatui subordinates help, the efficiency would probably be higher.
But the matter involving the game protagonist touched on too many hidden things—he didn't want anyone else to know.
Find something?
Compared to Windrise, fewer people came to Starfell Lake, but Diluc had passed through this area plenty of times while tracking Abyss Mages.
So what exactly was the Ausbilder looking for?
"By the way, a cat's sense of smell is pretty strong too, right?"
After fishing out a few plump fish from Starfell Lake, Bai Luo looked at Diluc—his limbs tense, as if ready to bolt at any moment—and asked.
Within Bai Luo's range of perception, trying to escape would be nothing but a pipe dream.
Even Sayu, the best escape artist of them all, couldn't slip out of his grasp.
"..."
Diluc's whiskers twitched warily. He could tell Bai Luo was planning to use him like a dog.
After turning into a cat, he really had gained some feline abilities—his sense of smell included.
Don't be fooled by dogs being more famous for it. In reality, cats have even more olfactory cells than dogs.
The problem is that cats are much harder to train to be obedient like dogs, which is why there are police dogs but no police cats.
"Let's make a deal. You help me find something, and once it's found, I'll leave this place. How about it?"
Seeing Diluc's guarded expression, Bai Luo knew full well that there was a high chance the other party didn't want to help him.
But as Bai the Great Con Artist, what was he best at?
Naturally—conning people.
If he could even pull the wool over the eyes of the God of Contracts, then fooling a Diluc who didn't yet understand the ways of the world was hardly a challenge.
From the Knights of Favonius' farewell back then, it wasn't hard to tell that the people of Mondstadt weren't exactly eager for him to stay.
So of course, that was the angle he'd exploit.
"…Meow."
Crouching low and retreating half a step, Diluc's answer was obvious—he refused to serve Bai Luo.
After dealing with the Abyss Order and the Fatui for so long, he understood one truth all too well:
Never trust them.
hese people were masters of going back on their word.
They could be calling you brother one moment, then stab you in the back the next.
"I swear in the name of the God of Contracts, Morax—if Diluc helps me find what I'm looking for, I will leave immediately! No delays whatsoever! Any oathbreaker shall suffer the punishment of shattered stone and devoured rock!"
"…."
Seeing Bai Luo invoke the God of Contracts, Diluc's expression finally softened.
According to the intelligence he'd gathered, Bai Luo was a native of Liyue.
Even though he now served Snezhnaya, the reverence Liyue natives held for Morax was ingrained into their very bones.
Unfortunately… Diluc's information on Bai Luo really should've been updated.
If he knew that even the God of Contracts himself had once fallen for Bai Luo's tricks, he definitely wouldn't be thinking this way.
"Meow."
Looking at Bai Luo's sincere expression, Diluc stepped forward and picked up the grilled fish Bai Luo had given him.
For now… he'd consider the deal accepted.
In truth, Diluc had his own reasons for agreeing.
Leaving a ticking time bomb like Bai Luo free to stir up trouble near Starfell Lake was something he simply couldn't rest easy about.
Staying by his side in this way would at least let him keep an eye on what Bai Luo was planning.
And while he was at it, he could also find out what Bai Luo was searching for—and whether it had anything to do with that blue dragon that vanished into the sky.
Under the witness of the Statue of the Seven, one man and one cat officially struck a deal.
The sun gradually rose in the east.
Sunlight spilled across the surface of Starfell Lake, dazzling and magnificent—almost as if stars truly shimmered beneath the water.
"Let's go. Time to find that thing."
After eating his fill, Bai Luo buried the campfire by the lakeside with damp soil, then reached out, intending to pinch the back of Diluc's neck again.
Honestly, that sensation—being held by the scruff—felt really comfortable.
But it set off alarm bells for Diluc.
Feeling too safe meant letting one's guard down.
Now accustomed to his feline body, he nimbly dodged Bai Luo's hand, climbed up along his arm, and perched himself on Bai Luo's shoulder, instinctively licking his paw.
Bai Luo glanced at Diluc sitting on his shoulder and didn't bother to chase him down.
After adjusting his posture, he headed toward the direction of the sea.
Before setting off, however, he didn't forget to lay down some ground rules with Diluc.
"Just so we're clear, if you don't help me find it today, I will give you another dose of potion. I may not have much else, but I've got plenty of potions."
"..."
. . . . .
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