Chapter 42: Speculations About Visions
For the time being, let's set aside what was happening in Snezhnaya.
Over here in Inazuma, Bai Luo had no idea that he had already caught the attention of one of his colleagues. Instead, he was living quite a carefree life.
The explosive popularity of his light novel had earned him a substantial sum in Inazuma. However, the money itself wasn't of much use to him, after all, as a Fatui Harbinger, the Northland Bank was practically his own home.
Originally, he had wondered whether Yae Miko might find some excuse to dock his royalties, or at least skim a portion of it.
To his surprise, she had been exceptionally generous, paying him everything in full and even throwing in additional "royalty fees" for merchandise sales.
Was she trying to motivate him to write the third volume of the novel? Or did she have some other objective in mind?
Bai Luo didn't know. But the uncertainty only made him more cautious.
Foxes were, by nature, elusive creatures.
As a kitsune, Yae Miko's true age was something no ordinary person could even begin to estimate. With the accumulation of years, even a fool could become shrewd, let alone a fox that was innately intelligent to begin with.
Fortunately, Bai Luo had the advantage of being a transmigrator, with some prior knowledge of her personality and habits. Otherwise… he genuinely didn't know whether he could outmaneuver that fox.
"My lord, same as usual tonight?"
A Fatui subordinate bowed at the doorway and asked.
Ever since arriving in Inazuma, Bai Luo had hardly done any "proper" work. Either he stayed in his room writing light novels, or he went to "discuss the nature of yokai" with General Kujou.
Although many Fatui were displeased with their superior's behavior, he is still their superior. And after Bai Luo established ties with Kujou Sara, the Fatui's infiltration into the Tenryou Commission accelerated significantly.
Even the ironclad Kujou Encampment had been infiltrated by the Fatui.
Moreover, even though they had sworn to shed their last drop of blood for Her Majesty the Tsaritsa, If they could survive, who would really be willing to fight to the death?
"No. I'll eat out tonight."
The Fatui's in-house chefs were undeniably skilled.
But only when it came to Snezhnayan cuisine.
After eating it for so long, Bai Luo had grown tired of it and wanted a change of flavor.
He also felt like taking a stroll outside, clearing his head.
Most importantly, he seemed to have forgotten something.
He knew it was something very important, yet no matter how hard he tried to recall it, he just couldn't remember what it was.
Maybe walking around outside would jog his memory.
Without asking Kujou Sara along, and without bringing any subordinates, Bai Luo left the small courtyard alone and stepped onto the town streets.
Although his light novel had brought a brief burst of excitement to this somewhat desolate city, that excitement was like fireworks at a festival—brilliant, but fleeting.
Now and then, one could still see people holding books and reading with great interest, but the "empty streets filled with crowds" scene from the first few days was gone.
After all… the Vision Hunt Decree still loomed over everyone's heads.
"What should I eat? Fox ramen, maybe?"
Strolling along the town streets and breathing in the aroma of food in the air, Bai Luo temporarily set aside his thoughts and began considering dinner.
But a sudden commotion changed his mind.
Watching a spectacle was human nature, psychology called it a behavioral mechanism.
In this era of Inazuma, there weren't many forms of entertainment to begin with. Reading light novels was already about as good as it got.
So when word spread that something exciting was happening, no one was going to miss the chance.
A crowd quickly gathered, swarming toward the street like flies drawn to blood.
"Boss, may I ask what's going on?"
Grabbing a snack vendor who was abandoning his stall to join the commotion, Bai Luo asked.
"There's a strange oni over at Hanamizaka scribbling all over the message board. The Tenryou Commission caught him red-handed, it looks like a fight's about to break out."
The vendor didn't seem annoyed at being stopped at all. On the contrary, he enthusiastically shared the gossip, clearly someone who loved to talk.
"Oni…?"
Bai Luo froze for a moment, and a familiar figure surfaced in his mind, and it even came with a voice in his head for no apparent reason.
"That's right. I hear he often hangs around Hanamizaka. Luckily, he doesn't come to our town streets, otherwise this place would've been turned upside down long ago."
The oni didn't have a very good reputation among humans. Even this snack vendor couldn't clearly say what outrageous things the oni had actually done.
But in his mind, oni had never once been associated with the word "friendly."
"Aren't you afraid he might suddenly hurt someone?"
"Of course not!"
The vendor confidently pulled a few pieces of fried tofu out from his sleeve.
"As long as you've got this, no matter how fierce he is, he'll keep his distance. Oni are most afraid of beans!"
After saying that, the vendor didn't linger to chat with Bai Luo any further. He hurried off toward Hanamizaka, eager to catch the spectacle.
Bai Luo followed along with the crowd.
"I haven't broken any laws! I'm just delivering a challenge letter to that tengu! What's a mere Town Magistrate's Office supposed to do—hey! You brat, don't touch my horns! And you little runt! Stop throwing beans at me! Someone's going to get hurt!"
From far away, Bai Luo could already hear Arataki Itto's unmistakably booming voice.
Strangely enough, while many people became dispirited or even underwent drastic personality changes after their Visions were confiscated, Itto was different.
After Sara seized his Vision, not only did his personality remain unchanged, he was still as lively as ever.
Aside from being unable to use elemental powers due to the loss of his Vision, he was no different from before.
This reminded Bai Luo of the research he had conducted back in Snezhnaya.
At the time, in order to conceal the fact that he possessed special powers without a Vision, he had borrowed the name of the Fatui Harbinger "The Doctor" to investigate matters related to Visions.
Later, the Doctor took great interest in his inquiries and carried out some research of his own.
Bai Luo still remembered something the Doctor had once told him.
Even when it came to obtaining a Vision, not everyone was the same.
For example, some people didn't care much about Visions at all. Perhaps they simply wanted to study one, and so it appeared. Or perhaps during their travels, they had a sudden moment of insight, and a Vision happened to be lying beside them.
Such people didn't have a deep obsession with Visions. To them, a Vision was merely a tool.
Then there was another type of person.
They yearned for power, yearned to be noticed by the gods, yearned to possess a Vision.
Their intense desire drew the attention of the "gods," and thus they obtained a Vision.
These people treasured their Visions immensely, even placing everything they were into them.
Perhaps that was why, once they lost their Vision, it felt as though they had lost everything.
Of course, this was only one of the Doctor's hypotheses.
Compared to Visions, Delusions fascinated him far more.
More than once, he had suggested that Bai Luo abandon his research into Visions and instead join his faction.
Unfortunately, Bai Luo couldn't bring himself to agree with the Doctor's near-maniacal approach. Using the excuse that "The Rooster" had once done him a great favor, he politely declined the invitation.
Still, Bai Luo knew full well that if the Doctor hadn't been unwilling to offend the Rooster, he would never have escaped so easily back then.
Crouching down and looking at a pet dog wagging its tail at him by the roadside, Bai Luo smiled.
If he had truly agreed to join the Doctor's faction, he probably wouldn't have had any chance to rise to the rank of Harbinger. He'd only end up like this dog, wagging its tail by the roadside, begging for scraps.
Wait… a dog?
The expression on Bai Luo's face slowly froze, because he finally remembered what he had forgotten.
That white cat!
Back then, he had been so focused on completing the new profession's quest that he had completely forgotten about the cat.
It… was it still up in that tree at the training grounds?