Chapter 52: Kaeya Alberich
"Have you heard? The Twelfth Harbinger, Lord Ausbilder, went to attend Master Diluc's banquet."
"Diluc's banquet? Is that information reliable?"
In the bustling streets of Mondstadt, a male Fatui envoy named Mikhail was whispering with a female envoy named Lyudmila.
And the topic they were discussing was none other than the Fatui Harbingers.
The "Ausbilder" they spoke of was currently at the banquet, enjoying fine wine and delicious food.
But unlike earlier, when he had been alone, he was now surrounded by business elites and high-society ladies.
Admittedly, the Fatui do not have a good reputation across Teyvat.
But it must be acknowledged that the Fatui possess their own industries in many different fields.
The god of Liyue once said a famous line that has been passed down through the ages:
Capital avoids turmoil and conflict because its nature is timid.
That is true—but it is not the whole truth.
Capital fears the absence of profit, or profits that are too small, just as nature abhors a vacuum.
Once there is an appropriate profit, capital becomes bold.
With 10% profit, it will be employed everywhere.
With 20% profit, it becomes active.
If tearing up a contract could bring profit, it would cross that line without hesitation—even if it meant facing the punishment of breaking its word.
The Fatui Harbingers may be terrifying, but what these merchants fear most is still the lack of profit.
Unfortunately, they had miscalculated.
Within the Fatui, Bai Luo was not responsible for commerce.
His duties lay more in assassination and intelligence.
After realizing that Bai Luo had no intention of speaking with them, these people gradually dispersed.
But on the side of the Knights of Favonius, there was movement.
"Honorable Ausbilder, would you be willing to accept the respect of a Knight of Favonius?"
A dark-skinned man wearing an eyepatch approached Bai Luo and raised the wine glass in his hand.
"If it is wine rather than blades, I would naturally be happy to accept."
Raising his own glass and clinking it with the other's, Bai Luo replied.
Earlier, when Krupp was negotiating with Diluc and the others, Bai Luo had noticed that this guy had followed along as well.
He didn't expect him to come out so quickly.
Was it because he thought Krupp that idiot wasn't worth his intervention?
Or perhaps… he felt that letting a Fatui Harbinger wander around freely at a banquet was a dangerous matter?
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Quartermaster of the Knights of Favonius—Kaeya Alberich."
The so-called Quartermaster was essentially equivalent to the office director, logistics chief, or administrative assistant of the Knights of Favonius.
This position not only handles the internal affairs of the Knights but is also responsible for building good relations with external organizations.
So it was perfectly normal for him to come and talk with Bai Luo.
"Kaeya? I've heard that the Quartermaster will soon be taking over the position of Cavalry Captain?"
After arriving in Mondstadt, Kaeya's name had frequently appeared around Bai Luo.
Whether it was Luke, the Fatui guard responsible for watching the entrance of the Goth Grand Hotel, or that fool Krupp, or even the servants responsible for sweeping the floors—they often mentioned his name.
And yet those people still hadn't realized that Kaeya had already extracted a great deal of intelligence from them.
"You're quite well-informed. In truth, after my father passed away three years ago, I already took over the responsibilities of the Cavalry Captain from my brother. It's only recently that I will officially assume the position."
Bai Luo knowing about his situation didn't surprise Kaeya.
Because if his intelligence was correct, this "Ausbilder" was also a master of intelligence work.
It was said that most of the intelligence in Snezhnaya concerning Liyue, Mondstadt, and Inazuma had come from this very person.
He was even aware of certain secrets that many locals themselves didn't know.
Because of this, Kaeya had deliberately arranged for trusted subordinates to investigate.
But aside from the Lawrence Clan, very few people had actually had contact with the Fatui.
However, those arrogant members of the Lawrence Clan would never care about keeping such "secrets" to themselves.
This also made him extremely wary of this "Ausbilder."
Even when coming over to greet him, he didn't dare to casually probe for information.
He felt that the Fatui had already, without anyone noticing, infiltrated the core of Mondstadt.
"Speaking of which, your brother is Master Diluc, isn't he?"
Bai Luo walked over to a night-owl statue, casually playing with it as he asked.
"Yes. We're not biological brothers, but my adoptive father treated me very well. I've long considered this place my home."
When Bai Luo approached the owl statue, Kaeya's eyelid twitched slightly.
That guy Diluc really had some nerve—putting something like this out in public. Was he afraid his other identity wouldn't be exposed?
"Those who watch over the night must not forget the brilliance of dawn. Those who fight against evil must not lose their righteous hearts."
Those were the words engraved on the owl statue, probably someone's personal motto.
"My apologies if this seems laughable. That fellow just likes collecting strange things—his taste is quite unique. As for the painting over there, it would probably suit Lord Ausbilder's aesthetic more. If you'd like to take it, I can make the decision to give it to you."
The eye not covered by Kaeya's eyepatch kept shifting about as he tried to draw Bai Luo's attention elsewhere.
"No, no. I actually find this quite interesting."
Looking at the line of text, Bai Luo spoke with clear amusement.
"Interesting?"
That word only made Kaeya even less certain about what Bai Luo was thinking.
"That's right. I have a friend. This sentence reminds me of him."
"He was born in a city called Gotham. As a member of one of the four great families of that city—the Wayne family—he once witnessed his parents being killed right in front of him."
"Later, he inherited his family's enormous fortune and directly became one of the richest men around."
"But unfortunately, instead of behaving like a proper rich young master, he insisted on putting on a bat mask, transforming into a Dark Knight, and going out to punish those so-called evildoers."
"Tell me, don't you think that's ridiculous?"
With every sentence Bai Luo spoke, Kaeya's hand gripping the wine glass tightened a little more.
It matched.
Every single point matched.
Born into a great family, personally witnessed his father's death, inherited the family fortune, and then became a hero of the night who punished criminals.
Wasn't that exactly his dear brother Diluc?
Even among the upper ranks of the Knights of Favonius, very few people knew about these matters. Only the core members led by Grand Master Varka were aware.
And now… this Fatui Harbinger called the Ausbilder had just laid out Diluc's situation over the past few years in full detail.
What did he mean by this?
Was he warning Mondstadt, proving that the Fatui had already infiltrated the core of the city?
Or did he have some other motive?
Kaeya, who dealt with people constantly and excelled at extracting intelligence through conversation, found himself panicking for the first time.
No…
If he was being honest, the first time he had panicked was three years ago, on that night.
It was also on that night that he and Diluc lost their shared father.