Genshin Impact: I'm The Envoy of Snezhnaya
Chapter 328: Loopholes Within the Contract
To the people of Mondstadt, Cider Lake holds special significance.
This natural freshwater lake that encircles the city of Mondstadt is a lake that never freezes.
Its vast surface and shimmering ripples have remained unchanged for thousands of years. The water is crystal clear, cool, and sweet at the source.
It is precisely this water that gave rise to Mondstadt's famed wines, and it is also what makes Cider Lake one of the city's most important landmarks.
Its existence can even be considered Mondstadt's natural city wall. To enter Mondstadt, aside from swimming across the wide lake, there is only a single bridge.
And that bridge… is guarded by "heavy troops" every single day.
Only today, the Knights of Favonius responsible for guarding the bridge noticed something strange on the other side.
A peculiar man was squatting on the ground with a solemn expression, speaking righteously to a strange, fiery-red cat.
Weird, right?
But this wasn't the first time.
Before this odd fellow started doing things like this, there had been a bard-dressed guy who leaned against the bridge chatting with ducks in the water, or sat on the ground talking to pigeons.
When the conversation got exciting, he would even lie on the ground laughing uncontrollably.
People these days… really ought to get checked.
"Meow!!"
Leaving aside what the Knights of Favonius thought of the duo, Diluc—still in his cat form and not yet transformed back into a human—was desperately biting at Bai Luo's pant leg, trying to drag him away from Mondstadt City.
Didn't we agree you'd leave after I helped you? What's this supposed to mean? Turning around and pretending you forgot?
"Hey, hey, hey—what's with that look? You don't seriously think I didn't fulfill the contract, do you?"
As for the contract he had made with Diluc, it could only be said that this "Master Diluc" who had advanced from young lord to old lord was still far too green.
In what seemed like a fair contract, Bai Luo could point out dozens of loopholes at the very least.
For example: contracts sworn before the Statue of the Seven don't count; contracts without Morax's witness have no effect; verbal contracts are just jokes; and contracts between a human and a cat don't count at all.
But to give "Master Cat Diluc" a bit of face, Bai Luo decided to use an explanation the other party could accept.
"Didn't we agree? You help me find what I want, and I'll leave this place. But you haven't helped me find it yet. And even if you had, when I said 'here,' I meant Starfell Valley. You didn't seriously think I meant Mondstadt, did you?"
"..."
Even Diluc, a veteran of the business world, nearly let out a string of curses after hearing the Ausbilder's utterly matter-of-fact explanation.
He'd seen shameless people before, just never one this shameless.
Even the most treacherous merchants he'd ever encountered seemed like benevolent saints compared to the Ausbilder.
"All right, all right. I've already come to Mondstadt, at the very least, I should go check in, right? I absolutely won't stir up trouble on my own."
Casually pinching the back of Diluc's neck, Bai Luo dragged him into Mondstadt City under the latter's despairing gaze.
Speaking of Mondstadt City, the bards have given it many names.
The Crown of the North, the City of Ballads… In the eyes of Mondstadt's people, no amount of praise is enough to describe this wonderful city.
Compared to last time, Mondstadt's defensive forces were clearly much thinner.
For example, at the city gate, the two Knights of Favonius on duty looked rather inexperienced, giving off a strong "thrown into the job at the last minute" vibe.
"Mondstadt welcomes you, traveler."
The Knight of Favonius named Swan noticed the stranger looking at him and responded with a smile that wasn't particularly sincere.
No matter how one looked at it, this stranger's all-black outfit was highly suspicious, but the ever-present smile on his face gave people the impression that he was a good person.
So Swan habitually carried out a textbook-standard knightly salute and spoke to the stranger.
"I am Swan of the Knights of Favonius. I will provide you with the necessary assistance in accordance with the Knights of Favonius Handbook."
However, Diluc—still being carried in Bai Luo's hand—slightly furrowed his brows when he saw this scene.
So these are the Knights of Favonius nowadays… they're nowhere near as good as they were back then.
"Then can you tell me if there are any fun places in Mondstadt?"
"..."
What answered Bai Luo was Swan's long silence, along with an expression that was visibly awkward.
The two stared at each other, and in the end, Swan was the first to concede.
"...I'm sorry, sir. That question isn't written in the Knights of Favonius Handbook."
"..."
When Bai Luo saw him fall silent, he had originally thought Swan was suspecting him of being a spy or something. He hadn't expected that the man simply didn't know how to answer.
Meanwhile, "Master Cat Diluc" directly covered his face with his paw.
With a knightly order like this, could Mondstadt really still be protected?
In truth, Diluc didn't know that when Grand Master Varka had taken away so many elite forces, it wasn't just because that much manpower was genuinely needed. It was also because the arrival of that menace known as the Ausbilder had drastically reduced the Fatui's influence in Mondstadt City.
What Varka hadn't anticipated, however, was that this menace would return so quickly.
After entering Mondstadt City, Cat Diluc, whose nape was still being pinched by Bai Luo, began to struggle desperately.
The matter concerning the Ausbilder was far too urgent, he needed to inform Jean and Kaeya as soon as possible.
Bai Luo didn't force him to stay and casually let go.
After landing on all fours, Diluc, amid the startled cries of Mondstadt's citizens, deftly climbed up the nearby buildings and disappeared across the rooftops.
"Sir, be careful—your cat ran off," a passerby kindly reminded Bai Luo upon seeing this.
"It's fine. His home is here to begin with."
Nodding to the kind-hearted passerby, Bai Luo no longer concerned himself with Diluc and instead headed toward the Goth Grand Hotel.
The Goth Grand Hotel was originally the largest hotel in Mondstadt—without question.
Ever since the Fatui stationed themselves in Mondstadt City, the entire place had been booked out by them, becoming the Fatui delegation's base of operations.
Most Fatui affairs were handled here, and Bai Luo also had a room reserved exclusively for him in the hotel.
"Lord Ausbilder!"
The Fatui guard at the door was still the same one as before, a man named Luke.
Seeing Bai Luo arrive, he was somewhat surprised, but not particularly shocked.
After all, the Fatui who had come over from Inazuma had already reported in long ago. It was only Bai Luo, this big shot, who had yet to show up.
Compared to the Fatui from Inazuma, the people here were already well accustomed to his style.
"Is Anastasia here?"
Anastasia was the Fatui counselor—and aside from Bai Luo himself, the highest-ranking Fatui official in Mondstadt City.
Whenever Bai Luo was absent, all Fatui operations in Mondstadt were handled by her.
"Lady Counselor has gone to the Knights of Favonius headquarters and hasn't returned yet. Would you like this subordinate to notify her?"
Taking a deep breath, Luke straightened his chest and reported.
Whether or not he could get promoted from "gate guard" to "tea-pourer" depended on moments like this, of course he wouldn't miss the opportunity.
"No need. Have her come see me when she gets back."
"Yes, sir!"
. . . . .
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