"Once inside, don't touch or look around randomly. If kneeling is uncomfortable, sitting cross-legged is fine. Most importantly, don't contradict Lady Sangonomiya, understand?"
Kseniya, now dressed in a deep blue shrine maiden outfit, kept reminding Bai Luo behind her.
The Fatui are undoubtedly one of the most dedicated groups in Teyvat.
To become a shrine maiden in Watatsumi Island, Kseniya had spent over a month learning from Lyudochka of the Grand Narukami Shrine—only to realize that the gods worshipped there and in Watatsumi were different...
So she spent another month unlearning everything from the Grand Narukami Shrine and relearning Watatsumi's traditions before finally taking up her post.
"Oh, by the way, I go by Koko here. Don't call me by the wrong name."
"...Got it."
Hiss— So it's the Great Old One Cthugha? Truly terrifying.
After Kseniya's endless reminders, Bai Luo finally stepped back into Sangonomiya.
Unlike last time, he wasn't heading to the banquet hall but to Kokomi's study—her office, so to speak.
"Lady Sangonomiya, forgive my sudden visit."
Bai Luo gave Kokomi a slight bow, his face once again wearing that friendly smile.
Though the upper half was hidden behind his mask, his goodwill came through perfectly.
"You flatter me. Your arrival alone has boosted Watatsumi's morale severalfold, and the frontlines have been reporting victories. Did you sleep well last night, Mr. Himura? Was everything to your satisfaction?"
On the surface, Kokomi was flawless—her calm smile maintained her dignified authority without overwhelming Bai Luo.
But the slight tremble in her hands betrayed her nerves.
Fortunately, her ability to feign composure in front of others had become almost instinctive—otherwise, she might have embarrassed herself.
"Quite well, aside from the noise of the waterfall and... some rather bothersome rats."
At Kokomi's gesture, Bai Luo took a seat beside her, speaking softly.
Rats?
Kokomi paused.
Due to its geography, Watatsumi Island had almost no rats—the real nuisance was the Specters. So what these "rats" referred to... was worth pondering.
"Compared to the starving rats outside, the domesticated ones at home are rather restrained. At least they don't gnaw at everything—just feed them some scraps, and they're content. Not so bad, really."
Kokomi glanced at Kseniya, who immediately understood her superior's intent. With a slight bow, she withdrew.
"But when too many rats gather, sooner or later, the stench spreads. Lady Sangonomiya, are you truly not planning to deal with them? I'm sure I don't need to explain how even the mightiest dam can collapse from a single ant's nest. Of course, I could lend a hand—after all… dealing with rats just so happens to be my specialty."
Tapping his reverse-blade sword lightly, Bai Luo made his meaning clear.
The so-called "rats" needed no further elaboration.
Last night, after reviewing Igor's documents and logs, Bai Luo had concluded that the man believed his plan flawless—when in reality, he'd been thoroughly outplayed by Kokomi.
Which made Bai Luo's impulsive decision to reveal himself to Igor... somewhat reckless.
Thankfully, he'd been cautious enough to order Igor not to disclose his identity.
Meaning... in all of Watatsumi, only Igor knew he was a Harbinger.
Even Kseniya didn't know—she only recognized him as a Fatui recruit, unaware of his rank.
This left Bai Luo room to maneuver.
Like now, laying his cards on the table before Kokomi.
I know there are Fatui spies in Watatsumi—and I'm telling you.
So... what will you do?
Admittedly, this seemed like a betrayal of the Fatui in Watatsumi—but if they were already exposed to Kokomi, it hardly mattered.
Even if that fool Igor ended up dead because of this, he'd have deserved it.
And if he somehow survived, he'd still face punishment.
Hm? Why does the Harbinger face no consequences for sacrificing so many subordinates?
Who dares accuse this official?!
"Rest assured, Mr. Himura—Sangonomiya has its own methods for dealing with these rats. There's no need to trouble yourself."
Kokomi's words were a clear refusal to let Bai Luo interfere.
Fair enough... she'd planned this for so long, calculating every move.
If an unpredictable variable like Bai Luo suddenly entered the equation, she'd waste countless brain cells recalibrating her strategies.
Better to shut him out entirely.
"After the duel before the throne, I hid on a Fatui ship to escape the Vision Hunt Decree and ended up in Mondstadt. During those days at sea, I picked up some of their... coded signals. Through these, I saw quite a few things last night that even you, Lady Sangonomiya, might not know."
With Kseniya gone, Bai Luo dropped the euphemistic "rats" for the Fatui.
After all, he was a Harbinger.
Calling them "rats" felt like insulting himself—a bit awkward.
"We've clashed with the Fatui for years—Sangonomiya's experience is no less than yours, Mr. Himura. We know what we're doing."
Bai Luo's so-called "coded signals" were indeed intriguing.
But Sangonomiya Kokomi's confidence wasn't unfounded.
When the Fatui Harbinger "Regrator" first took office, he immediately sent subordinates to meddle in Watatsumi Island. Since then, her mother had been countering the Fatui's schemes, accumulating years of experience—enough to believe they could manipulate the Fatui at will.
As for Battousai Himura Kenshin...
He had merely obtained a set of coded signals from the Fatui. How could that compare to her foundation?
Do you, Himura Kenshin, understand the Fatui better than Watatsumi Island?
You only dealt with them for a few days—what gives you the right to compare yourself to us?
These three unspoken questions revealed the depth of her confidence.
"In that case, I won't trouble you further. However, I must remind you—even Sangonomiya's higher-ups show signs of infiltration. If this is also within your control, then consider my words unsaid."
With that, Bai Luo saw no reason to linger. After a bow, he stood and left Sangonomiya.
Meanwhile, Kokomi instinctively glanced in the direction Old Li had departed.
But this unconscious action made her miss the faint smirk curling Bai Luo's lips.
From this exchange, he could sense Kokomi still held some trust in him.
Or perhaps it was just diplomatic reassurance.
Either way, it didn't matter.
Since you're so sure the Fatui are no longer a real threat… then why not sit back and watch? Watch as the very same Fatui you've toyed with—those you thought were in the palm of your hand—see if they can overturn your rule over Watatsumi Island.