Chapter 4: A Gift for Qiqi
Tn: This chapter is re-written at 5 / 19 / 2025
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Bai Luo's luck had been… surprisingly good.
That seemingly casual dagger throw just now?
It crit.
And a critical hit meant more than just extra damage—it activated his passive.
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Passive Skill: Electric Shock
When either a normal attack or the skill Black lands a critical hit, it applies an electric shock to the target, immobilizing them for 1 second. (Cooldown: 5s)
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In mid-air, Beidou had been stunned, her strength and elemental energy cut off in an instant.
It looked like she was blown back with ease—but it was that one-second paralysis that had truly done it.
In reality?
If it came to a real fight, Bai Luo wasn't sure he could take Beidou.
Not because he was weak.
He knew his role very well—assassination and burst damage were his specialties, especially with his invisibility skills.
On land, Beidou wouldn't stand a chance.
But this wasn't land.
It was the sea—Beidou's domain.
And Bai Luo?
His naval combat experience was… lacking.
Going head-to-head would be asking for trouble.
That's why he chose to drop his title, bluff, and hope to scare her off.
When Beidou brought up Tartaglia, his reaction hadn't been fear or anger.
It was more like a headache.
Seriously—who in Snezhnaya didn't know at the fact that the Eleventh Harbinger, Tartaglia, had been itching to throw hands with the Twelfth.
Of all things in this world, there was only one thing Bai Luo feared:
Childe picking a fight.
The other Harbingers? You could talk to them. You could negotiate.
Childe?
"Fight first, talk later."
Honestly, Bai Luo had already considered leaving the moment Beidou claimed it was a misunderstanding.
But he stayed.
For one reason only—and it sure wasn't out of honor or duty.
If anything, honor was the last thing he cared about.
Sure, he was newly appointed as the Twelfth Harbinger, but anyone in Snezhnaya could tell you—
He was the least honorable, most underhanded, most shameless of them all.
Otherwise, how would he have managed to train so many Pyro Agents?
In fact, that reputation was exactly why so many had been shocked when he got promoted.
So, why was he still here?
Because he was buying time—for another skill.
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Skill: Silver
Passive – Enhances perception. Grants the ability to sense and gain the perspective of any critically wounded Vision-holder within a 3-kilometer radius. Permanently increases Defense Penetration by 15% + 5 points.
Active – Tags a target, gaining access to their visual field for a limited time.
While tagging: cannot move, attack, or use any other skills, and is forced out of stealth.
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Bai Luo had just activated Silver—on Beidou.
"Gain the perspective" wasn't just about seeing—it meant he could track them, predict them.
A perfect tool for assassination.
Right now, the progress bar was only at 70%.
It wouldn't complete in time if a fight broke out now.
He needed to stall, just a bit longer.
Keep her attention.
Hold back his troops.
Buy time.
"You're from Liyue, aren't you?"
Just as tension peaked, Bai Luo suddenly spoke.
His voice wasn't icy or formal this time—it was casual, authentic.
And his words were in fluent Liyue dialect, with a hint of southern Lisha outskirts.
"...Huh?"
Even Beidou was caught off guard.
Who would expect a Harbinger from the Fatui to speak such flawless Liyue speech?
"Yeah… I am. You too?"
She narrowed her eyes.
From the skin peeking out beneath the mask, he did look like a proper Liyue native.
But since when did Liyue produce someone like this?
Someone who ended up in Snezhnaya… and rose all the way to Harbinger?
"How's Qiqi doing? The girl from Bubu Pharmacy."
"...???"
Beidou's brain practically short-circuited.
Qiqi—the little zombie herb-gatherer from Bubu Pharmacy—was not someone outsiders knew about.
Only true locals from Liyue would recognize that name.
Even if foreigners happened to notice her, at most they'd comment on her outfit—not her identity.
So how did he…?
"She's… doing fine. Life's been treating her well,"
Beidou answered cautiously, still processing the weight of what had just been said.
Bai Luo glanced at the progress bar floating above Beidou's head.
94%... 96%...
Almost there.
He leaned toward a nearby Fatui soldier—one with neatly braided hair—and whispered a few words.
The soldier looked confused, but obeyed without hesitation. Moments later, he returned from below deck, carrying a wooden crate.
The sound of glass jars clinking could be heard from within, though its contents remained a mystery.
Under Bai Luo's command, the Mirror Maiden used the ocean's waves to gently lift the box and deliver it to Beidou's ship.
"What's this?"
Beidou asked, her brow furrowed as she stared down at the unfamiliar crate now resting at her feet.
"A gift. For Qiqi,"
Bai Luo replied simply.
"When you see her, just say… it's from Xiao Bai."
"Xiao Bai…?"
That name tickled something in Beidou's memory.
Almost instinctively, the image of Baizhu from Bubu Pharmacy came to mind.
Was this man somehow related to Baizhu?
But no—Baizhu's hair was light green, while this man's was jet black.
The resemblance ended there.
"Out of respect for Tartaglia and Qiqi. Today's incident ends here… but next time?"
He lifted the barrel of Dandelion Wine off the deck with one hand, smiled faintly, and disappeared back into his ship's cabin.
And with that, the standoff was over.
Both ships unfurled their sails and turned away from each other, sailing in opposite directions across the open sea.
The only reason Bai Luo let it go so easily?
The progress bar had finally reached 100%.
And now, he could sense Beidou's presence perfectly—every move, every breath.
No matter where she sailed, even across the seas to Inazuma, if she came within his range…
He would know.
But… did he really know Qiqi?
He did.
Quite well, in fact.
But Qiqi didn't know him.
That's why he dropped her name back there—not for sentimentality, but for strategy.
Qiqi, being what she was—a zombie—wouldn't remember who "Xiao Bai" was, no matter who asked.
Even if Beidou or Ningguang interrogated her, Qiqi would simply forget.
But if Beidou handed her the gift...
Qiqi would remember.
Or at the very least, she'd write it down in her little notebook.
Because what was inside the box was…
"Coconut milk?"
Back aboard the Alcor, Beidou squinted as she looked into the now-open crate.
Something still felt off.
She had the ship's alchemist examine the contents just to be sure.
After a few tests, the milky white substance turned out to be nothing more than… Ordinary coconut milk.
Beidou didn't know about Qiqi's obsession with it.
So to her, it made no sense that the Twelfth Harbinger of the Fatui—the so-called Ausbilder—would go out of his way to send Qiqi a box of coconut milk.
"So… Captain, are we still heading to Inazuma?"
One of the sailors, a burly man with a single eye, asked hesitantly.
Beidou didn't answer at first. She just stared at the crate—then slowly sealed it back up.
"Change course. We're heading back to Liyue."
"That Twelfth Harbinger… there's something strange about him. We need to report this to the Qixing, fast."
She glanced briefly at the letter sealed with Watatsumi Island's coral emblem, weighed down beneath her paperweight.
Inazuma could wait.
But this intelligence needed to get back to Liyue immediately.
After giving the order, she leapt up to the crow's nest, watching as the Fatui ship disappeared into the storm on the horizon.
She narrowed her eyes.
"Xiao Bai… huh?"