The night breeze gently swayed the small lamp grass on the balcony, its faint glow becoming dazzling in the darkness.
If you listened closely, you could faintly hear the rustling sound of wind chimes.
Although Lisa had invited them in, Collei didn't dare sit on the sofa.
She knew her illness would cause too much trouble for those around her.
"Sorry, I didn't know we'd have guests, so I only have one set of tea utensils. Please forgive the poor hospitality."
Lisa placed a bookmark in the novel she had been reading.
Her words sounded polite, but there was a clear undertone of wanting them to leave. Bai Luo could definitely sense it.
"Visiting at such a late hour was our mistake."
Bai Luo was used to Lisa's resistance. After all, he was one of the "worst" people in Teyvat.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to visit at night in this manner.
If he had come during the day, there was no guarantee he would have run into this big sister who often stayed in the library.
And the library... was inside the Knights of Favonius headquarters.
If he went in, it would be a disaster for the entire Knights.
With a flick of his fingers, a bouquet of flowers magically appeared in his hand.
"Cecilias, cold-resistant and wind-loving. These flowers can only be found on Starsnatch Cliff. Their meaning..."
"The true feelings of a wanderer."
Elegantly extending her arm, Lisa accepted the flowers from Bai Luo, her displeasure slightly easing.
Just a little.
"This child and I have traveled all over Mondstadt. Aside from that most beautiful flower, I thought this Cecilia would suit you best."
The faint fragrance filled the room, making it hard to tell whether it was the scent of the flowers or the person.
Only Collei was left confused.
When had she gone flower-picking with him? When had he picked the flowers? What was this "most beautiful flower"? Who was she? Where was she? What was she doing? Was she interrupting something between the two of them?
"Oh? So I'm not worthy of that flower?"
Lisa lazily reclined on the sofa, holding the Cecilia in one hand and propping her chin with the other.
Her loose lavender sleeve slid down slightly, revealing her fair skin.
"No, that flower is right in front of me. You are that most beautiful rose."
"Even though I know it's just flattery, it still makes me happy. Hmm... I suddenly remember there are two more sets of tea utensils in the cabinet. Would you like a cup of black tea?"
Mondstadt was indeed a city of freedom, and also a paradise for poets.
Romance had a significant advantage in this nation.
Having often dealt with the somewhat rigid Acting Grand Master Jean and a bunch of people who never returned borrowed books, Bai Luo's sudden gesture was quite enjoyable for Lisa.
In a better mood, she decided to hear Bai Luo out.
After placing the brewed black tea in front of the two, Bai Luo called over Collei, who had been pondering some philosophical question in the corner.
"Can you see the problem with her?"
Although Collei was wrapped in bandages, Lisa, with her knowledge, recognized that this illness shouldn't be the issue.
"Is this the disease that was prevalent in Sumeru a few years ago?"
Having spent some time at the Sumeru Akademiya, Lisa immediately recognized the origin of this illness.
It was a disease with an extremely high mortality rate, which was why it had died out on its own after a short period of rampant spread.
But to think...
"No, this child."
Lisa's expression grew serious.
It wasn't that she was afraid the child would spread the disease. After all, while the disease had a high mortality rate, its transmission routes were limited.
As long as precautions were taken, living together wouldn't be a problem.
The question was... how had this child survived until now?
Wrapping her hand in elemental energy, Lisa grabbed Collei's arm.
Knowing that Lisa intended to treat her illness, Collei didn't resist and let her take her arm.
"With this level of damage... she should have died long ago."
Feeling the wounds beneath the bandages, Lisa's face showed a contemplative expression.
As she had guessed, if it weren't for the power of the demon god's remnants within her, Collei would have died from this illness long ago.
But the reason she had contracted this illness in the first place was because the Fatui had deliberately released the virus to conduct experiments on the demon god's remnants.
Seeing Lisa's confusion, Bai Luo took out some charred documents from his pocket.
"What's this?"
Lisa looked at the documents, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.
If she wasn't mistaken, these were the materials the Fatui diplomats had taken with them when they left, right?
Weren't these supposed to have been confiscated by the Knights? How had they ended up in the Instructor's hands?
"There should be information related to her condition in there. Can you understand it?"
These documents were compiled by Il Dottore and his researchers. Aside from them, few people could understand them.
Bai Luo was no exception.
Different fields required different expertise. Bai Luo was the Fatui's assassin. Research wasn't his thing.
"Hmm... Sorry, I can't understand it either. But my teacher at the Sumeru Akademiya might be able to. However, with so little material, it's unlikely we'll find anything useful."
Lisa wasn't lying. Although she was hailed as a once-in-200-years genius at the Sumeru Akademiya, she didn't know everything.
She could roughly understand the diagrams, but this special script... only her teachers could decipher it.
Most importantly, the documents were too badly damaged, making the chances of deciphering them even slimmer.
Hearing Lisa's words, Collei's expression changed slightly.
She knew full well that the reason these documents were in such a state was because of the fire she had started in a moment of impulse.
Glancing uneasily at Bai Luo, she found that his face still bore that gentle smile.
As if no difficulty could faze him.
"Take a look at this. I'm sure there's a solution here, right?"
He pulled out another set of documents and placed them in front of Lisa.
At first, Lisa didn't pay much attention, thinking it was just more of the same burned materials.
But after seeing the contents, her lazy demeanor vanished, and her expression grew serious.
"Are these real?"
The documents had been handed over by the Fatui Harbinger himself, so their authenticity was almost unquestionable.
But... why would he go to such lengths for a little girl who had nothing to do with him?
"Of course they're real. What do you think we've been doing out in the wilderness these past two days?"
His disappearance had already become news in Mondstadt.
That blue greatsword wielder, who could freeze the sea to cross it, apply Cryo for Diluc's Melt reactions, and even serve as the latter's exclusive weapon, had been searching for him like crazy these past few days.
"Picking flowers?"
Collei instinctively chimed in.
"..."
Was this child's brain not working right? Maybe he should cut back on letting her drink that strange milk.
"Sorry, I can't make a decision on these. After all, I'm just a librarian. How about... I introduce you to Acting Grand Master Jean tomorrow? I'm sure she'll give you a satisfactory answer."
Returning the documents to Bai Luo, Lisa spoke.
She really wanted to keep them, but she knew that if she couldn't give a clear answer yet still insisted on keeping them, the Instructor's face would no longer bear that warm smile but instead the life-threatening white mask.
"Then tomorrow night, same time, same place?"
"Sure, but next time, don't jump onto the balcony. My flowers are quite precious."