Chapter 2: Journey to Inazuma

Chapter 2: Journey to Inazuma

“You hear the news? Lord Ausbilder has been sent to Inazuma.”

“Inazuma? Are you sure that’s true?”

Near the outskirts of Wolvendom, two Fatui diplomats whispered to each other from the back of a carriage bearing the sigil of the Fatui. They were discussing the latest headline making waves across Snezhnaya.

It was true—Bai Luo, the newly appointed Twelfth Harbinger, had officially been dispatched to Inazuma.

Despite all his protests and desperate attempts to wriggle out of it, this wasn’t something he had any say in.

The only silver lining?

His traveling companion.

“Lord Ausbilder.”

The voice came from a woman standing beside him—her demeanor graceful, refined, and disciplined.

And in that moment, Bai Luo found himself thinking—

‘Okay… maybe this trip won’t be so bad after all.’

She was tall—tall enough that he had to look up just to meet her eyes—but who could ever complain about being accompanied by such a fair-skinned busty Mirror Maiden?

The name of this Mirror Maiden was Sveta.

(Tn: Mirror Maiden: https://i.imgur.com/DTUpDIJ.jpg)

Given that this was Bai Luo’s first foreign deployment, Rooster had taken his lack of field experience into account and arranged for an assistant. Among all the Fatui’s elite personnel, Mirror Maiden was the perfect choice.

As a ceremonial soldier of Snezhnaya's special honor guard, her loyalty was unquestionable.

Even if she wasn’t entirely thrilled to be assigned to some newbie Harbinger, she still followed every order without question.

Because this was the will of winter.

They arrived at the harbor.

Waiting there was a single, lonely sailing ship.

When Bai Luo first learned that this humble vessel would be his ride to Inazuma, he’d nearly flipped the table. He was a Harbinger now, for Tsaritsa’s sake! Couldn't they at least give him a flagship?

But then he found out that Childe had walked all the way to Liyue on foot.

Suddenly, this didn’t seem so bad.

At least they weren’t making him swim there.

Once all personnel were aboard, Bai Luo gave the order to set sail. The ship, bearing the banner of Snezhnaya and the crest of the Fatui, began to drift away from the frozen shores.

Their destination—the nation of thunder.

Inazuma.

Though Bai Luo was undeniably captivated by Mirror Maiden’s beauty, he wasn’t the kind of scumbag to abuse his position to take advantage of her.

After giving her a few tasks to keep her busy, he slumped down by a sunlit window and pulled out the object that had upended his entire life: his Delusion.

And then, beside it, he took out his old, fake Vision—the one he’d once purchased from a street vendor claiming it had come from Inazuma.

To the naked eye, there was barely a difference between the two.

Their shapes were nearly identical. Only the regional designs gave them away—and maybe the fact that the Delusion looked a little more... grim.

But still—

“Why the hell did Pierro give me a Dendro Delusion?”

Bai Luo let out a quiet sigh as he examined the deep green gemstone.

It wasn’t that Dendro was weak or anything. It’s just... the word “Dendro” in his native tongue felt like an insult. Like someone calling you grass-brained.

Also—how the hell was he even supposed to use this thing?

Pierro had told him it worked the same way as a Vision. Great—except he had zero idea how to use a Vision in the first place.

The one he'd been carrying up to now was nothing but a knockoff.

Ever since arriving in this world, Bai Luo had been doing his own private investigation into how Visions worked—secretly, of course, and under the name of the Second Harbinger, Dottore.

Maybe it was because his findings were actually useful, but Dottore didn’t seem to mind that Bai Luo was casually borrowing his name. He simply turned a blind eye to the impersonation.

From what Bai Luo had gathered, in this world called Teyvat, when a person earned the favor of the gods, they would be granted a Vision—a conduit to elemental power.

No one really knew how a Vision was born. It simply appeared out of thin air.

And countless people who longed for one spent their entire lives searching in vain.

It was said that when a Vision wielder died, they left behind an empty shell—a Vision with no master.

And that was all he had—empty words, theories, and zero practical experience.

It carried no elemental power.

There was no real method to awaken it.

Only a tiny chance it would resonate with its user—and it couldn’t be tested repeatedly.

Bai Luo had considered acquiring a real Vision, at least for show. But when he saw the price tag… he quickly changed course.

In the end, he settled for a glass orb from Inazuma, a cheap imitation.

He’d also tried to investigate how true Vision holders actually used their elemental powers.

But according to those who possessed one, a Vision functioned like an organ—once you had it, you just knew how to use it.

It was like speaking or walking—a kind of instinct.

So, he had no choice but to give up on figuring it out.

“This thing’s pretty cursed... maybe that’s a good thing.”

He strapped the fake Anemo Vision discreetly to his waist, hidden beneath his coat.

But the real deal—the Delusion, which actually could resonate with elemental power—he attached boldly to his right arm, fully visible.

At the very least, it looked far more convincing than that fake Vision.

. . . . . . .

Meanwhile, somewhere across the sea...

“Captain Beidou! Merchant vessel spotted ahead!”

From the crow’s nest of the Alcor, a sailor called out toward a woman lounging near the bow, drinking straight from a jug of wine.

She was a striking figure—long black hair flowing in the sea breeze, her left eye obscured by a fringe, hinting at an eyepatch beneath.

Her crimson gaze shimmered with tipsy warmth, but behind it was an unmistakable sharpness.

She wore a high-slit qipao in the traditional Liyue style, paired with thigh-high heeled boots.

And slung casually over one shoulder was a massive Blackcliff greatsword, as if it weighed nothing at all.

“Just a passing merchant?” she asked, setting down her wine jug.

This particular voyage had been a special one—she hadn’t brought the full Crux Fleet, just the flagship Alcor.

If she could avoid conflict, she preferred it that way.

“Captain… I think… I think it’s a Fatui ship from Snezhnaya.”

The sailor had double-checked before reporting. Now his voice trembled slightly.

After all, the Fatui were infamous across the entirety of Teyvat—and not in a good way.

His reaction was understandable.

‘A Fatui vessel...?’

Beidou climbed up to a higher vantage point on the Alcor and looked out toward the ship in question.

Sure enough—a lone sailing vessel, its sails bearing the unmistakable emblem of the Fatui.

In this tense era, what could they possibly be doing out here, in such a suspicious spot?

“What should we do, Captain? Should we steer clear?”

From above, the sailor could see that the other ship had noticed them too.

It was using flag signals, requesting that they give way.

But of course—he was just a sailor. Ultimately, it was Beidou’s call.

Beidou didn’t even hesitate.

She uncorked her jug, took another bold swig, and declared:

“Why avoid them? We didn’t see a Fatui ship—we saw a merchant ship.”

“And it’s totally normal for pirates to rob merchants out at sea, don’t you think?”

In truth, the Crux Fleet weren’t pirates at all—just a heavily armed maritime force from Liyue.

But once their banners came down on the open sea... who could really tell the difference?

And robbing Fatui ships?

Well… it wasn’t exactly their first time doing it.

“But, Captain…”

The nervous sailor was about to protest again—only to be interrupted by a veteran crewman with a single eye.

“You’re new, right? Just listen to the Captain. If she says it’s a merchant ship, then it’s a merchant ship.”

“The sea belongs to us—and whatever ship enters it better be ready to get plundered.”

Just like that, the rest of the crew sprang into action, giddy with excitement.

Some hauled cannonballs. Others adjusted the angle of the cannons.

In moments, the Alcor was locked, loaded, and ready for battle.

“Lower our flags! Open fire!”

At Beidou’s command, a deafening volley of cannon fire rang out—

All of it aimed straight at the lone Fatui sailing vessel drifting innocently on the open sea.