After having Bai Lu escorted away, Dan Shu looked towards the direction where Bai Yu had left and summoned a male doctor with an effeminate appearance, whispering, “Hong Shaoyao, do you think it’s possible to bring Bai Yu into our ranks?”
The effeminate male doctor, codenamed Hong Shaoyao, furrowed his brows and pondered for a moment before shaking his head. “I’m afraid it’s difficult, Chief.”
“The Young General...cough, Bai Yu has never shown any faith in the benevolent Medicine King. He's always followed Yao Gong, and Jing Yuan is still by his side. We have little chance to approach him.”
“Then…” Dan Shu still felt a tinge of regret.
If they could bring Bai Yu into the organization, it would be a huge boon to the Medicine King's secret teachings.
“Is it possible to reach Bai Yu through that fox from the Heavenly Ship Agency?”
Bai Yu's deeds were known throughout Luo Fu, making the fox maiden, Ting Yun, who raised their Young General, a famous figure as well.
Upon hearing Dan Shu’s mention of Ting Yun, Hong Shaoyao mulled it over for a moment before his eyes lit up. “Chief, there might be a way.”
“Oh? Tell me more.”
“Chief, have you heard a certain rumor?” Hong Shaoyao lowered his voice further. “This fox, Ting Yun, has a feeling for Bai Yu that goes beyond that of siblings. She even openly challenged Fu Xuan from the Divination Agency for Bai Yu's affections.”
“Remember, Bai Yu is a celestial being, with a lifespan of at least a thousand years, but foxes don’t live that long.”
“I might be able to try contacting Ting Yun and feel her out. If she truly wishes to be with Bai Yu for life, her lifespan would be an obstacle she can’t overcome. If we use this well, even if we can't bring Bai Yu into our ranks, having Ting Yun as a mediator would be greatly beneficial to us.”
Dan Shu’s brow immediately relaxed, and he nodded approvingly towards Hong Shaoyao.
“Good, you have foresight. This matter…”
Thinking for a moment, Dan Shu suddenly gestured to someone behind him.
“Xiao Tao Hong, you’re in charge of this.”
The hulking warrior, an undercover agent from the Cloud Rider Army who had infiltrated the core of the Medicine King's secret teachings, had no idea why he was given the codename "Xiao Tao Hong": “…………Ah?”
“This is the organization's test for you,” Dan Shu said seriously. “If you can persuade Ting Yun, or even get Bai Yu to join us, the benevolent Medicine King will bestow upon you countless blessings.”
“The Medicine King’s benevolence, the Jianmu’s sprouting!”
Dan Shu ended with his hands clasped before his chest in a gesture of holding a flower.
Xiao Tao Hong, the undercover Cloud Rider agent planted by Bai Yu: “…………”
Just, a bit sudden.
Are you sure you want me, an undercover agent, to do this?
What’s this? A spy within a spy?
Wait, this is an opportunity!
I’ve been looking for a good way to get information out!
Xiao Tao Hong scratched the back of his head and grunted in agreement.
That night, Bai Yu did not sleep.
Although he occasionally rested normally to recover his energy, Bai Yu often chose to refine his Sword Heart for the entire night.
Reciting the “Sword Heart Scripture” all night, he would be full of energy the next day, showing no signs of sleep deprivation.
He only stopped refining his Sword Heart after the third watch.
He intended to connect his consciousness to the Traveller's Seat and check on Lumine in Teyvat, but before he could do anything, Bai Yu felt a pull on his consciousness, different from the one Lumine had given him.
“This is…!?"
Without a second thought, Bai Yu’s consciousness left his body and entered the void.
… Divider…
On the vast, storm-wracked sea, where cannons roared and black clouds obscured the sky, a girl with pink hair in a single ponytail, wearing a sailor-style dress with an open back and white knee-high socks, barely sensed the impending danger when she felt a strong push from behind.
Her body tumbled several times on the surging waves before she quickly got to her feet, turning back in panic. All she saw was the figure swallowed by the towering water spray from the cannon fire.
“Lafitte-chan——!”
The smoke and water column dissipated, revealing Lafitte coughing repeatedly, clutching her exposed left shoulder, already slightly injured.
“Lafitte...can still fight!”
Seeing that Lafitte was alright, the girl with the spear, who had been worried, finally relaxed a little and looked around.
Aside from herself and Lafitte, the four-person patrol squad consisted of Ayanami and Z23.
Ayanami, holding a naval sword, sniffed and stared intently at a Siren aircraft diving towards them from the sky.
“Ayanami...will protect everyone!”
“You guys...want to go to… Solomon?”
On the other side, Z23 kept patting her face and muttering to herself: “I can't cry...ugh...I can't cry!”
The situation was dire. Realizing this, the girl with the spear’s heart sank.
They were just a regular four-person patrol squad, not a main fleet, and they were on a relatively safe route. Why were they encountering so many Sirens?
Frowning and scratching her head, the antenna on the girl with the spear’s shipgirl attire suddenly beeped.
After a moment’s pause, the girl excitedly shouted, “Lafitte! Ayanami! Z23! Hold on! Reinforcements will be here soon!”
Hearing that reinforcements were on their way, the four’s morale visibly improved.
At the same time, in another nearby sea area.
The fleet led by Belfast was speeding forward.
“Girls, they should be around there?”
Following closely behind Belfast, Renown looked at the thick dark clouds looming ahead and rubbed her temples.
Her slightly messy shipgirl attire seemed to give something away. In fact, she had just been in a battle with other shipgirls and was returning to port when they encountered Belfast’s squadron, who had come to rescue the four-person patrol led by the girl with the spear. Renown, who wasn’t seriously injured, immediately decided to join the team and continue the mission.
“Hold on...Lafitte...everyone…”
Belfast, at the front, gritted her teeth and roared, “Full speed ahead!”
With her order, the fleet accelerated. The girls, like dancers on an ice rink, their shipgirl attire boots adorned with sharp blades, kicked up waves of white foam on the surface of the sea.
As they got closer and saw the numerous Sirens ahead, Belfast’s face turned pale.
The number of enemies...was even greater than what the girl with the spear had reported in the rescue signal!?