Each of the Fatui Harbingers has their own subordinates. For example, Bai Luo's subordinates are the Debt Collectors.
And this Igor is a subordinate of Pantalone, the "Regrator."
When the Tsaritsa began her plans across the seven nations, the Regrator swiftly cast his net far and wide, and Igor was one of his idle pieces.
However, Watatsumi Island turned out to be... a bit more barren than anyone had expected, so the Regrator eventually lost interest in it, shifting his focus to Liyue instead.
And Igor... was abandoned by the Regrator.
But Igor didn't let this discourage him. To prove himself to the Regrator, he single-handedly secured a foothold for the Fatui on Watatsumi Island.
Later, when the Vision Hunt Decree was belatedly enforced and Watatsumi Island began forming a resistance army, Igor seized the opportunity to stage a remarkable comeback—even drawing the Regrator's attention back to him.
Having developed Watatsumi Island's operations to such a scale alone, Igor was no fool. He knew the Regrator's renewed interest wasn't due to his own achievements but purely because of Watatsumi Island's trade with Liyue.
But what he never expected was that Battousai would also arrive on Watatsumi Island aboard a Liyue ship.
In truth, based on his official status, he wasn't qualified to attend tonight's banquet. However, due to Battousai's unpredictable nature, he risked exposure to squeeze his way onto the guest list.
Fortunately, he had always mimicked others' enthusiasm for Battousai, so his behavior was simply seen as a starstruck fan—no one suspected a thing.
What he never imagined was that this nameless wanderer, famed throughout Inazuma, was actually their 12th Harbinger—The Instructor!
"Old Li, you may return first."
After his initial excitement, Igor calmly dismissed the old man with the goatee.
He could tell the Instructor didn't fully trust this native Watatsumi soldier.
He understood why—after maintaining Battousai's identity for so long, the Instructor absolutely couldn't afford exposure.
Even though Old Li had repeatedly sworn loyalty, he wasn't a native of Snezhnaya.
Old Li was also sharp enough not to connect Bai Luo's identity to the Fatui Harbingers. He simply assumed Bai Luo had recognized them as Fatui and wanted to discuss some deal—one that he, as a native of Watatsumi Island, wasn't meant to know about.
So he tactfully withdrew.
"Member of the Fatui's Third Intelligence Division, Igor, pays his respects to you, Instructor!"
Igor's voice was low but brimming with passion.
If not for the circumstances, he would have roared those words with all his might.
No wonder... no wonder this Battousai could touch the realm of the divine as a mortal.
If he were a Harbinger, everything made sense.
If there was anyone in this world who could shake the foundations of the gods, it would undoubtedly be those twelve Harbingers.
At least, that's what the Fatui believed.
Because those twelve Harbingers all wielded authority granted by the Tsaritsa herself.
"My identity is not to be revealed to anyone—not even those you trust most. Treat me as you normally would. Understood?"
"Understood, sir!"
Igor's heart raced. He knew what the Instructor's words meant—they meant he was being entrusted with immense confidence.
And he would absolutely live up to that trust.
"What's the current situation on Watatsumi Island?"
After settling matters, Bai Luo began inquiring about Watatsumi Island's state of affairs.
Judging by the spies at the banquet, the island had been thoroughly infiltrated.
"Reporting, sir—through our efforts, we've embedded agents within both the resistance army and the Watatsumi forces. Even among the shrine maidens of Sangonomiya, we have our people. If you wish... we could seize full control of Sangonomiya within five days, turning Watatsumi Island over to us."
"..."
Hiss—that's terrifying.
Bai Luo had assumed the Fatui had only partially infiltrated Watatsumi Island. But now it seemed... the very blood flowing through the island might as well be Fatui blood.
But... was Watatsumi Island really that easy to infiltrate?
He refused to believe the Divine Priestess was so easily fooled.
"In the coming days, find a way to deliver your plans to my room—use coded language. I'll review them carefully."
"Yes, sir!"
Even if Bai Luo hadn't asked, Igor would have found an excuse to submit these materials.
The sole reason he had worked so hard on Watatsumi Island was to prove to his superiors that he was far from incompetent.
Yet despite preparing stacks of intelligence, Regrator couldn't be bothered to glance at them.
Originally, there were still the Instructor and The Balladeer in Inazuma City—but the Instructor had been reassigned to Mondstadt, and The Balladeer had no interest in such matters.
Now that he had this opportunity, there was no way he'd let it slip.
"By the way, any news from Sumeru lately?"
Just as Bai Luo was about to leave, he seemed to remember something and turned back to ask Igor.
Someone like Igor should have well-connected intelligence channels.
"Well... there is, but it's not exactly good news."
Igor's expression turned somewhat strange, as if recalling something unpleasant.
He hesitated, as though afraid to speak.
"Go on. What's the news?"
"That young lady Collei you sent to Sumeru... along with a Liyue woman who manipulates Hydro, infiltrated one of our Fatui strongholds in Sumeru. They... killed an ambassador and a councilor on the spot."
"..."
"Sir...?"
Watching Bai Luo's growing silence, Igor wasn't sure how to console him.
After all, wasn't this a case of "family disgrace"?
"Really..."
Bai Luo suddenly punched the giant seashell beside him—and it shattered on impact, leaving Igor wide-eyed.
This was a shell forged by the divine power of the great Orobashi. Its hardness far surpassed that of ordinary shells.
It was said to even withstand elemental energy, yet the Instructor had shattered it with a single strike.
"Sir, actually—"
"Well done, little Collei!"
Igor: "???"
Seeing the smile on Bai Luo's lips, Igor finally understood—the Instructor wasn't angry that his student had killed his subordinates.
He was proud of his disciple's growth.
That's right—this was exactly Bai Luo's thought process.
Even with outside help, taking over a stronghold—especially one guarded by an ambassador and a councilor—proved he hadn't misjudged her.
After all, the last person to achieve such a feat was known as the Darknight Hero.
Did this mean his student had the potential to be a 5-star character? Could she make it into the gacha pool too?
What? She killed Fatui agents?
What does my student killing Fatui have to do with me being a Fatui Harbinger?