"Oh my, this would make for a great light novel, wouldn't it?"
Just as the atmosphere was growing increasingly tense, Bai Luo's words made the situation take a strange turn.
"Light... light novel?"
Inazuma's light novels hadn't yet spread widely across the continent, so when Kaeya heard this unfamiliar term, he was visibly taken aback.
But based on the context, he could already guess what it referred to.
"Exactly. I've even thought of a name—how about Batman?"
"As long as you're happy..."
In just a few moments, the "intel" Kaeya had extracted from Bai Luo was enough to keep him occupied for a long time.
Glancing out of the corner of his eye at Diluc and the others, who had just emerged from the meeting room, Kaeya excused himself: "Instructor, please forgive me for stepping away. With my brother absent, I need to oversee the banquet."
"Of course, take care. If there are similar events in the future, be sure to notify me. I quite enjoy the atmosphere here."
"As long as you don't mind."
Picking up his glass, Kaya left with a troubled expression.
Meanwhile, Klober, who had left with Diluc and Bishop Seamus, was grumbling as he pushed through the crowd.
But when he saw Bai Luo's amused expression, he quickly shut his mouth.
"All settled?"
Judging from Klober's expression, things probably hadn't gone smoothly.
"Well... for now, it's settled. They've agreed to our recruitment demands, but... it might take some time."
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Klober was already cursing someone in his mind.
And it was obvious who that someone was.
He was certain that if Bai Luo had accompanied him to the meeting, things would have gone much more smoothly.
"Some time? You do know how precious time is to Il Dottore, don't you? Are you sure you want to waste his time?"
Looking at Klober with a half-smile, Bai Luo swirled the red wine in his glass as he questioned him.
His words made Klober's face turn pale.
For Il Dottore, who was obsessed with his research, time was absolutely the most valuable resource.
Wasting his time was practically asking for trouble.
"Instructor! Please, I beg you to put in a good word for me with the master. They can't refuse this. Just give me a little more time... just a little! At tomorrow's meeting, I'll pressure them to expedite the delivery of new materials."
"I don't care when you get it done. I have my own tasks to complete. Just make sure it's done before I finish mine. Otherwise... you'll have to explain it to your master yourself."
Placing his glass on the table, Bai Luo turned and walked out of the banquet.
The bait had been set. There was no need for him to stay any longer.
Now it was just a matter of whether the big fish would take the bait.
Though it was a shame—a bait as good as Klober would be hard to find again.
"Yes! Understood!"
Bowing in the direction Bai Luo had left, Klober finally let out a sigh of relief.
At the same time, he noticed the wine Bai Luo had left behind.
After Klober had introduced Bai Luo's identity, Diluc had instructed the servants to give him special treatment.
For example, the wine and food served to him were of the highest quality.
After Kaeya arrived, he even brought out rare vintage wines that weren't available at the banquet.
The rich aroma of the wine immediately filled Klober's nostrils.
Glancing around and seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he greedily picked up the glass Bai Luo had left behind.
But before he could take a sip, someone walked up behind him and gently tapped his shoulder.
"Hey, buddy."
Having already spoken with Diluc, Kaeya had a plan in mind as he looked at this greedy man.
"Huh? Oh, Quartermaster Kaeya. You scared me."
It wasn't strange that Klober knew Kaeya.
During the days Bai Luo and his group had waited at the Goth Grand Hotel for the banquet to begin, Kaeya had already made contact with all the Fatui members except Bai Luo.
"I'd like to apologize on behalf of my brother. Taking on the responsibilities of the family at such a young age has made him a bit impulsive. His words and actions may have been rash. I hope you can forgive him."
Compared to Bai Luo, Klober was much easier to manipulate.
A little flattery was enough to make him float on air, and he quickly let his guard down.
"Hmph, if everyone in the Ragnvindr family were as sensible as you, Master Crepus might not have died so early."
Klober tried to imitate Bai Luo by swirling the wine in his glass.
Unfortunately, his clumsy imitation lacked Bai Luo's finesse, and the wine spilling over the edge of the glass made him look like a clown.
"Let's cut to the chase. The bishop is considering your conditions. My personal suggestion is to relax the demands a bit, and everything will be easier to negotiate."
Kaeya didn't show any anger at Klober's offensive remarks.
Compared to Diluc, he was more patient, though the eye not covered by his eyepatch narrowed slightly, concealing a hint of murderous intent that Klober failed to notice.
"Relax... relax the demands?!"
Hearing Kaeya's words, Klober panicked. He hadn't forgotten Bai Luo's earlier warning.
"I can't just agree to that!"
Seemingly expecting this response, Kaeya calmly reassured him: "Of course, this isn't an empty proposal. The person who wants to facilitate this has prepared a modest gift to express their sincerity."
"Oh?!"
Though Kaeya called it a "modest gift," Klober's eyes lit up, filled with greed.
As someone who often solicited bribes, he knew exactly how these things worked.
If they wanted him to ease up on the recruitment demands, this "modest gift" was definitely not going to be modest.
He was already looking forward to it.
"Please follow me. I'm sure this gift won't disappoint you."
"W-wait, let me call a few of my men."
Klober was greedy and petty, but he also valued his life, which was why he had survived under Il Dottore for so long.
After all, many who had worked for Il Dottore in the past were now dead.
Aside from Bai Luo, who had been promoted to Harbinger, almost everyone else was gone. Klober's survival was partly due to Il Dottore needing him as bait, but also because of his cautious nature.
"Come with me. I promise you won't be disappointed."
With a mysterious smile, Kaeya had already lost interest in this man.
After all, who would be interested in a dead man who had already been drained of all his value?
A few minutes later, in the underground wine cellar of Dawn Winery.
"Ohhh! As expected of Mondstadt's premier winery. The aroma—ah! Even the oak barrels smell intoxicating."
The lantern Klober had been carrying was now discarded on the floor as he greedily threw himself against a wine barrel, caressing it as if it were a lover, intoxicated by the scent of the wine.
"But... letting me into a place like this was your mistake. Did you think I'd only take one barrel? How naive! I'll have the guards carry out as many as I can.
These country bumpkins from Mondstadt are so stupid. No matter how they try to deceive me, I'll still take the people.
Not just the people—I'll take the wine too! And the Mora! I'll take it all! It's all mine!
Let them lose everything—their people and their wealth! Hahaha—ahhh!"
Just as Klober was reveling in his triumph, a throwing knife shaped like an owl flew through the air, pinning his right hand to the wine barrel.