Genshin Impact: This Trainee Fatui Harbinger is Too Unreliable-Chapter 425: This Trainee Fatui Harbinger is Too Unreliable [] [30 PS]

Before long, their journey concluded, and Luo Qing, Lumine, and the others returned to the Court of Fontaine.

For reasons she couldn't quite articulate, Charlotte began keeping a slight distance from Luo Qing on the way back.

Though there had been no issue with casual brushes before, now it seemed like even the briefest contact made her wary, as if Luo Qing might devour her whole.

"Strange..." Luo Qing muttered to himself as he bid the others farewell and opened the door to his home.

As always, his various "wives" were seated in the living room, occupied with their respective tasks.

"Papa!"

Nahida hopped off her chair and ran to Luo Qing, her tiny hands raised. Standing on her tiptoes, she held out a verdant branch in her palms, presenting it to him.

"I've stored its remnant soul in here," she said.

"But because it's so weak, if it doesn't find a vessel soon, it will eventually dissipate."

"I see... Thank you, Nahida." Luo Qing gently patted her head, his tone affectionate.

"It's no trouble if it's for Papa," she said with a shake of her head. Then, wrapping her arms around him, she leaned in and murmured, "Will you watch more cartoons with me tonight?"

"Of course," Luo Qing replied warmly.

"Then..." Nahida's voice turned hopeful, "Can Mama, you, and I sleep together again tonight?"

Luo Qing nodded absentmindedly. "Sure..."

"Wait—"

Something felt off.

That night, on Fontaine's famously soft double bed, Luo Qing lay sandwiched between Bu'er and Nahida.

Bu'er snuggled into his side, while Nahida curled up in the small space between them, her head resting against his chest as she slept soundly.

In all his years of life, this was Luo Qing's first experience of sleeping as a "family of three."

Though Nahida's presence meant he and Bu'er couldn't engage in their usual pre-sleep cuddling or... other activities, he found the shared warmth of sleeping together oddly comforting.

Once in a while, this isn't bad.

But whose idea was this—Bu'er's or Nahida's?

As the three slept peacefully, the Pure Frost crystal gifted by the Tsaritsa began to emit a faint glow from Luo Qing's chest.

Ice-elemental energy seeped from the crystal, flowing into Luo Qing's body.

In his dreams, Luo Qing was frolicking in Sumeru's grasslands, chasing Bu'er in a playful game of "Catch me if you can, and we'll... hehehe~."

Suddenly, a biting chill spread through his chest.

The dream dissolved instantly.

Luo Qing's eyes snapped open.

"What the..."

Carefully, he moved the sleeping Nahida off his chest and looked at the crystal, which had remained dormant for so long.

The faint glow pulsed as if trying to communicate: Find a quiet place.

Luo Qing frowned but didn't hesitate. The Tsaritsa was his superior, and ignoring her summons wasn't an option.

Silently, he slipped out of bed, put on his pants, and tiptoed out of the room.

The household was quiet; all his "wives" were fast asleep.

Even Scaramouche, who had once tried to ambush Luo Qing in the dead of night, no longer lurked in the living room. After becoming an official couple, she'd stopped her nocturnal antics to avoid being dragged out for a "wild adventure" again.

Outside, under the cover of night, Luo Qing leapt across Fontaine's rooftops before arriving at the Monsceau Mountains.

On a secluded peak, he took out the Pure Frost crystal and spoke softly, "Alright, Your Majesty. You can come out now."

The crystal emitted a pale blue light.

Powerful ice-elemental energy surged forth, coalescing into the regal figure of a woman.

She had familiar curls, a familiar spectral form—and, as always, an obscured face.

"Good evening, Your Majesty," Luo Qing said, dropping to one knee in deference.

Though he occasionally teased the Tsaritsa through the crystal, he knew better than to act flippantly in her presence.

Rebellion, after all, would have to wait until Makoto and the others regained their strength.

"Brighella..."

Her ethereal voice echoed through the air, carrying a chill.

"The task you promised me—how is it progressing?"

"Ah..." Luo Qing scratched his head awkwardly. "It's... coming along. I should be able to complete it in a few more months."

"A few months..."

The Tsaritsa let out a cold hum.

"You are the first subordinate I've ever had to remind personally. Don't disappoint me."

"I would never dare to betray Your Majesty's trust," Luo Qing said with a bow.

After a moment's hesitation, he raised his head slightly.

"Your Majesty, there's something I've always been curious about. May I ask for your guidance?"

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"What is it?"

She did not refuse outright, her tone neutral.

"Why..." Luo Qing swallowed hard and spoke softly, "Why are you collecting all seven Gnosis?"

The common explanation was that the Tsaritsa sought to challenge Celestia, but Luo Qing found that hard to believe.

"..."

The Tsaritsa was silent.

She did not answer immediately but instead turned to gaze down at the sleeping Court of Fontaine below, her thoughts drifting far away.

Her mind wandered back to the Archon War five hundred years ago—the moment when her rebellion against Celestia began.

But the seeds of her defiance had been planted long before that...

It had been so long.

So long since anyone had asked her why she fought against Celestia.

Her people and subordinates alike followed her will without question, gathering the Gnosis and expanding Snezhnaya's power, all under the banner of resisting Celestia and creating a new world.

Her memories reached even further back—beyond the Archon War, to an era long forgotten...

"This is not a question you should be asking," she said quietly.

"Do what you must. Otherwise, you know the consequences."

"Yes... Your Majesty," Luo Qing murmured, realizing he had yet to earn her trust.

Maybe once I retrieve the Hydro Gnosis, her attitude will soften. Then, perhaps, she'll share her secrets...

"Complete your task diligently. If your life is in danger, use this to summon me," the Tsaritsa instructed.

"Understood."

"I wish to stay here for a while. You may leave."

"Ah..." Luo Qing hesitated. "But Your Majesty, isn't your spirit form—"

"Do not ask questions you shouldn't."

"...Yes."

Having been rebuffed several times in a row, Luo Qing decided not to push his luck.

With a glance at the Tsaritsa, who stood gazing at Fontaine's nightscape, he shook his head and descended the mountain.

After Luo Qing's silhouette vanished into the distance, the Tsaritsa's gaze shifted downward.

She stared into the dark, her voice soft and wistful.

"You are so much like him..."

"But in the end, you are not him."