Genshin Impact: I'm The Envoy of Snezhnaya (Patreon)

Chapter 29: The Draw of the Blade

"When does it start?"

Sighing, Bai Luo asked.

Since the young man was determined to seek death, Bai Luo wouldn’t force him to stay. However, he would use this opportunity to closely observe the Raiden Shogun.

In a duel before the throne, she would undoubtedly appear.

And she would undoubtedly deliver the decisive strike.

At that time, Bai Luo could see if he might be able to withstand that strike.

Despite appearing timid, when it came to a real fight, he was much stronger than ordinary Vision bearers.

After all, he was a Harbinger personally appointed by the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya.

"Tomorrow."

"So soon?!"

The young man’s words made Bai Luo put down the tea he was about to sip.

According to his research, duels before the throne were sacred events that typically required at least three days of preparation.

"I proposed it myself. Three days... would be too long."

Soothing the white cat in his arms, the young man smiled.

In fact, there was another reason he had arranged such a tight schedule.

That reason was Kaedehara Kazuha.

If Kazuha learned about this, he would undoubtedly rush over immediately.

Three days would be enough time for him to reach Inazuma City, especially since he was favored by the Anemo Archon.

Even with his calm demeanor, if he saw the young man losing the duel, he wouldn’t be able to stay put.

If the duel were scheduled for tomorrow, by the time Kazuha got the news and arrived, the young man would likely have already been slain by the Shogun.

This way, Kazuha wouldn’t be in danger.

The young man could go out in a blaze of glory but didn’t want to drag his friend down with him.

With this in mind, he looked at Bai Luo again.

"May I ask you a favor?"

"Go ahead, I will try my best to fulfill it."

Bai Luo didn’t make any absolute promises. If the young man asked him to stop the Vision Hunt Decree or help the rebels defeat the Shogunate, those were tasks he couldn’t accomplish.

"If my friend seeks revenge for me... please stop him. Whether by knocking him out or any other means, just keep him away from Inazuma."

"Yes, that’s something I can do."

For Bai Luo, this was a simple matter.

Just a word to the Tenryou Commission would suffice to keep Kazuha out of Inazuma City. As long as he didn't go mad and rush into Tenshukaku, everything would be manageable.

"Thank you very much for your help. I won't disturb you any further."

The young man picked up his bamboo hat, stood up, and prepared to leave. Meeting another friend before dying had lifted his spirits somewhat, even if that friend was from the Fatui.

"If you don't have a place to stay, you can stay at my place. It's quite spacious."

"No, thank you. I want to wander around Hanamizaka, try some foods I've never had before. I might not get another chance."

He put the hat back on, smiling with hopeful eyes.

The small amount of money in his pocket finally didn't need to be spent sparingly.

"Can you at least tell me your name? You're about to die, you should leave a name behind."

Watching the young man leave the room, Bai Luo couldn't help but ask.

"What's the point of leaving a name if I'm about to die? I'm just a wandering ronin, not worth mentioning."

The word "ronin" left Bai Luo momentarily stunned. He only reacted after the young man had left.

It wasn’t that the young man’s actions had shocked him, but rather...

The two characters gradually forming above the young man's head—[Target]

[Second Class: Battousai]

[Activation Requirement: ???]

"???"

What was this second Class? Why were the activation requirements all question marks?

No—these weren't the important issues. The important thing was that his negligent system had finally reappeared.

Yes, Bai Luo had a system. 

But he never took it seriously.

Unlike other systems that constantly buzzed and assigned tasks with numerous rewards, this one had such a low presence that he often forgot it existed.

Aside from granting Bai Luo the skill [Black], its presence was so minimal that he had almost forgotten he had this cheat.

It couldn't even convert his health points into numerical data.

Unexpectedly, after such a long period of dormancy, the system was triggered by the young man's mention of being a "ronin," unlocking the Battousai Class.

The term Battousai naturally referred to Kenshin Himura from Rurouni Kenshin.

However, given his current set of skills under the [Black] template, this Kenshin Himura would likely be more akin to the version from the game, where his ultimate move decimated mobs with the power of Senbonzakura.

He was curious about how the game's high true damage attack, Kuzu-ryuusen, would manifest in the world of Teyvat.

This was actually the first time he had activated a Class.

The Black Class had been with him since he arrived in this world.

It was this Class that confirmed the existence of his system.

"Is it because of his mention of the ronin?"

As he watched the young man leave the courtyard, Bai Luo gradually withdrew his gaze.

It seemed that the key to unlocking his second Class was tied to this young man.

So what could it be...?

......

Kujou Sara encountered Bai Luo at the gate of the Tenryou Commission.

He seemed to have been waiting there for a while and only stood up when he saw her returning from the city.

"Got into a fight?"

Seeing the damage to Kujou Sara's armor, Bai Luo inquired.

As the executor of the Vision Hunt Decree, she often had to subdue those "evil citizens" who refused to hand over their Visions voluntarily. Getting injured was commonplace for her.

But today’s opponent seemed particularly troublesome.

"Yes, I ran into a somewhat tricky oni. Fortunately, he was rather stupid; otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy to deal with him."

Whether it was a coincidence or not, Kujou Sara noticed a subtle change in Bai Luo's expression when she mentioned her opponent was an oni.

"Arataki Itto?"

"You know him?"

"Not personally, but I've heard he often bullies kids in Hanamizaka. When you mentioned a stupid oni, he naturally came to mind."

Bai Luo hadn't expected these two rivals to clash at this time.

Judging by Sara's disheveled appearance, it seemed she didn't win easily.

After all, her opponent was an oni, whose lineage was not inferior to her tengu heritage.

"If you’re here to plead on his behalf, save it. I've already arranged for his Vision to be embedded in the statue's base, and there's no way it can be returned."

Sara assumed Bai Luo intended to intercede for Arataki Itto. She put away her bow and spoke mercilessly.

The fact that she mentioned embedding his Vision in the statue's base hinted that she might not be as heartless as she appeared.

Or perhaps she believed Bai Luo wouldn't be able to retrieve the Vision from the statue.

"No, I’m just here to inform you that someone has challenged you to a duel before the throne."