The ones who vanished had naturally triggered Bai Luo's passive ability and were quantumized.
For these minor enemies, it didn't really matter whether they were quantumized or not—they were the kind of opponents who could be dealt with in a single strike anyway.
The flames beneath the pot continued to crackle and burn, but the number of living beings around the campfire was steadily dwindling.
Finally, Bai Luo stood in front of Zhongfu.
"P-Please spare me, sir," Zhongfu pleaded.
He had survived in the Treasure Hoarders for so long not just because he was clever, but also because he knew when to bow and scrape.
While it's said that a man's dignity is as precious as gold, survival often takes precedence over pride.
No matter how much gold you have, it's useless if you're dead.
"Where are the people who originally lived here?" Bai Luo asked, glancing at the temporary camp.
The interior of the dark red canvas tent was empty, and the delicate tea set and slightly faded blanket were gone, seemingly taken by someone.
"We don't know, sir. We were just passing through and found this camp here, unoccupied. We decided to rest here temporarily," Zhongfu replied honestly.
In Inazuma's forests, the most dangerous thing to do is to travel at night.
It's not just the wild beasts that pose a threat, but also the evil spirits and the roaming Nobushi.
Finding such a well-defended camp, they naturally chose to spend the night there.
Little did they know, this seemingly innocent decision would provoke such a deadly adversary.
Had they known, they would have left immediately; at least then they wouldn't have died such pointless deaths.
Bai Luo could tell that Zhongfu was telling the truth, which aligned with his initial suspicion.
A disorganized and undisciplined group like this Treasure Hoarder band wouldn't stand a chance against even a minor Fatui squad, let alone a Electro Cicin Mage.
"You didn't touch anything in the tent, right?"
"N-no, we didn't. We once stayed in another group's camp and got caught in their traps, so now we don't dare to mess with any tents," Zhongfu said, shaking his head.
Initially, he had intended to enter the tent, but seeing the Fatui insignia on it had made him reconsider.
The Fatui's forward teams had set up many such camps throughout Inazuma, but they were often filled with traps, even more dangerous than some ruins and tombs.
He had mainly been interested in the pot left in the camp, hoping to brew some potions.
"Take your men and get out of here," Bai Luo ordered, deciding not to make things difficult for them after confirming that Ksenia's disappearance had nothing to do with these Treasure Hoarders.
He sent Zhongfu and the two remaining, still-sleeping members of the Treasure Hoarders packing.
As for the other corpses strewn around... those didn't need his attention.
The forest's demons and beasts would be more than happy to take care of them.
Once the three unfortunate Treasure Hoarders had left, Bai Luo approached the tent.
The traps set by the Fatui are all pretty much standardized, so Bai Luo easily disarmed them and entered the tent.
Compared to the first time he was here, many items were missing—like the fine tea set and the small blanket mentioned earlier.
These were things Ksenia cherished the most.
Aside from those, other important items like a change of clothes, Voidgrass flower seeds, and a diary were also gone.
The tent was left with mostly useless things.
This meant that Ksenia had probably been called away due to some important matter.
"What a shame," Bai Luo muttered.
He did feel a twinge of regret, but he wasn't too disappointed.
After scaring away a few tanuki who had tried to make off with his fireworks box, Bai Luo carried it to a spot near the camp and lit it.
Bang—
Compared to other fireworks Bai Luo had seen, this batch that Yoimiya had sent him was quite inferior.
The craftsmanship was rather immature, and some of the patterns were incomplete.
But still... they were pretty nice.
Bai Luo buried a flask of firewater near the tent and made a mark before finally leaving the camp.
Whether or not Ksenia would see the firewater he left didn't really matter—he had shown his intentions, and that was enough.
Bai Luo didn't have many acquaintances in Inazuma City.
If he had to name someone, Kujou Sara might be one?
But their relationship wasn't as close as the rumors made it out to be—they weren't exactly candlelight confidants.
So, after saying a brief goodbye to her, Bai Luo left.
Even though the Mirror Maiden, Sveta, had been reassigned by Scaramouche, Bai Luo had his own ways to get through Inazuma's thunderstorms.
His teleportation ability wasn't much of a secret among the higher-ups in Snezhnaya.
They just didn't fully understand the specific conditions required.
If someone was considered to be in the same faction as Bai Luo, then within a certain range, he could quantum teleport to any unit allied with him.
However, after teleporting, his dagger would be automatically sheathed, and he couldn't attack an allied unit.
Unless, of course, he decided before the teleport that the unit wasn't actually on his side.
Sensing the presence of the ship where Krobber was aboard, he directly teleported over and officially set sail towards Mondstadt.
Meanwhile...
"C-Customer! Are you okay?" The street vendor's voice trembled as he watched the Oni youth who had passed out after consuming thirty-two bowls of Kitsune Ramen.
The situation was simple: the Oni youth was a regular customer, often eating at that very seat.
But today, a strange woman with fox ears had taken his spot, leading to a dispute between the two.
The vendor found it odd because, if he remembered correctly, this self-proclaimed leader of the Arataki Gang had been detained by the Tenryou Commission yesterday.
How was he out today? Had someone broken him out?
Regardless, their conflict had escalated, though it eventually turned into a competitive eating contest.
Unfortunately, the fox-eared woman chose Kitsune Ramen—a dish known to contain aburaage, which is deadly to Oni.
Yet the Oni youth had stubbornly eaten thirty-two bowls, even after losing consciousness halfway through.
"Alright, I admit defeat. The seat's yours, and I'll cover the cost of the ramen," the fox-eared woman said, a bit disappointed, but she paid without hesitation.
It seemed her goal was to make the Oni eat as much of the tofu dish as possible, and she succeeded.
"Hmm?" The fox-eared woman paused after paying, glancing at the Oni youth who had just been carried off by his gang members.
She then headed to the end of Hanamizaka District alone.
In this part of Inazuma, there are many foxes and fox statues.
These statues, in a sense, serve as her eyes. And through them, she noticed something.
Bai Luo had left Inazuma.
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