An unfamiliar ceiling...
Unfamiliar bedding...
And...
A punchable smile!
Collei's initially dazed expression instantly turned sour, as if she had just swallowed a fly, the moment she saw Bai Luo.
She checked the bandages on her body—thankfully, they were still intact.
But for some reason, even though she had fallen asleep on the floor, she had woken up in the bed.
Come to think of it, it had been a long time since she had slept so soundly.
"Did you do this?"
As she dressed, Collei shot a suspicious glance at Bai Luo.
She was, of course, referring to how she had ended up in the bed.
"Last night, someone had a nightmare, crying and whimpering pitifully, insisting on squeezing into the bed with me. I had no choice but to spend the night with a certain crybaby."
"..."
After hearing Bai Luo's words, Collei suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
Although her memories of last night were hazy, she did recall having a nightmare.
Could it be...?
"It was definitely you!"
Snatching the Teyvat-style fried egg from Bai Luo's hand, Collei acted like a bristling wildcat.
Whether or not she had been the one to initiate it last night, she absolutely refused to admit it.
It was all Bai Luo's fault!
However, she didn't touch the cup in Bai Luo's other hand.
The milky-white liquid brought back some unpleasant memories.
"The Windblume Festival is coming up. Why don't you go take a look around Mondstadt?"
Bai Luo casually downed the milk in his cup as he spoke.
In Mondstadt, the quality of the milk was guaranteed. There was no need to worry about it coming from some questionable source.
Collei paused mid-motion as she dressed, her slightly shimmering lavender eyes filled with faint surprise.
"You mean... let me go alone?"
For a while now, Bai Luo had been restricting her freedom. She had almost grown accustomed to having him around.
Now that he was suddenly giving her freedom, she couldn't quite believe her ears.
"Yeah, go have some fun."
Bai Luo knew that Collei wouldn't sneak away on her own. Not only because the method to save her was in Mondstadt, but also because the arrival of a certain person would inevitably keep her in the city.
Collei's face first lit up with joy, but that joy quickly froze, gradually turning into a silent bitter smile.
"I'll just stay in the room."
Looking down at her bandage-covered body, she slowly lowered her head.
Even though she looked much cleaner now and no longer carried that strange odor, her appearance... would still inevitably draw strange looks.
In that case, it was better to stay in the hotel.
Being by this jerk's side wasn't so bad. At least he didn't disdain her.
"What do you see now?"
Bai Luo had somehow appeared beside Collei.
Collei wanted to look up, but he gently pressed her head down.
The force wasn't strong—it was soft, even comforting, giving her a sense of security.
"The carpet."
"And?"
"My shadow..."
The morning light shone on Collei's back, casting a dark shadow on the ground. It looked so lonely.
This loneliness was something she had endured for far too long.
"Do you know how this shadow is formed?"
Bai Luo sat down beside Collei. Next to her small shadow, another tall shadow appeared.
The shadows weren't connected, but at least they didn't look so lonely anymore.
"It's light."
Bai Luo didn't wait for her to answer before continuing.
"An elder once told me that as long as you can still see your shadow when you look down, there must be light behind you. When you're tired, you can lower your head and complain to your shadow, but as long as you turn around, the light will always be shining on you."
"..."
"Here's some Mora. It's enough for you to spend the whole day in Mondstadt. If you run out, just have them charge it to the Fatui."
Gently ruffling her hair again, Bai Luo stood up and left the room.
Lost in thought, he glanced at the still-dazed Collei and sighed imperceptibly.
It seemed he had failed again this time.
Outside the room, Anastasia had been waiting for a while.
But faced with her tardy superior, she didn't dare say a word. No matter how high her status was within the Fatui, she could never challenge the authority of the top twelve.
"Instructor, that person has been waiting for a while."
Anastasia bowed slightly and spoke in a low voice.
"Take me to them."
Nodding, Bai Luo put his mask back on.
An old acquaintance had come to Mondstadt today, and he was here because of Collei. Bai Luo felt it was necessary to meet him.
Following Anastasia out of the residential area, they arrived at the first-floor office space.
This area had originally been a large dormitory, but after the Fatui took it over indefinitely, it had been converted into an embassy office.
In the reception area, an old man had been waiting for some time.
"Instructor, it's been a while."
The old man was dressed like a Sumeru ascetic, his skin somewhat dark, and his pale golden eyes glimmered with a certain fierceness.
His name was the missionary. After Il Dottore was expelled from the Sumeru Akademiya, he had followed him into the Fatui, becoming one of Il Dottore's trusted aides.
But as research progressed, Il Dottore had almost forgotten about him.
Back when Bai Luo had worked for Il Dottore, he had been assigned to the missionary's team.
Times had changed. The missionary remained the same, but Bai Luo had risen to a position where he could stand on equal footing with the missionary's master. It was somewhat ironic.
"It's been a while, missionary."
The two weren't particularly close, but they weren't strangers either.
When Bai Luo had worked with him, the missionary hadn't given him a hard time.
Not that he was particularly merciful. Only someone as strong-willed as an ascetic would dare to inject the remnants of a demon god into their own body.
But the demon god's remnants had affected him, making him extremely cruel. The number of people who had died at his hands was countless.
Back then, when Collei had been lying on her deathbed due to the plague, her mother had gone to the missionary for help.
She had wanted to save her daughter but had instead sought help from a devil.
Not only did she lose her life, but her young daughter was also tormented by the demon god's remnants for years.
When Il Dottore had assigned Bai Luo to the missionary, he had high hopes for him. Even if the missionary had any ulterior motives, he would have had to wait until Il Dottore lost interest in Bai Luo.
Now, the missionary was somewhat relieved that he hadn't acted impulsively back then.
Otherwise, with Bai Luo's current status, if he wanted to cause trouble for him, the missionary wouldn't even have a chance to resist.
"The reason for my visit to Mondstadt, I assume the Instructor already knows?"
Despite being the former superior, the missionary didn't dare to act high and mighty in front of Bai Luo.
He bowed respectfully and asked.
"It's about the black fire that killed the diplomat, right? Don't worry, I'll help you find her."
With a meaningful look at the missionary, Bai Luo suddenly had a new idea.
Perhaps... there was still a chance.