While Aqina was deep in thought, the veteran had already skillfully finished dealing with those small fries.
He not only delivered the finishing blows but also stripped off those grey-white camouflage uniforms.
Together with their identity tags and usable equipment like crossbow bolts, he bundled everything up.
“Spoils of war,” he said.
He tossed the bundle to Aqina’s feet.
“These will be useful for grading, though it’s a pity the leader’s is missing.” Then, he walked back to the campfire and sat down again.
Aqina, leaning against Tatiana, opened her mouth and smiled, “Senior, is it this one?” She fished the wolf-head tag with the number 1 from her bosom and held it up for the veteran to see with a grin.
She had snatched this identity tag from the waist of the scar-faced leader while they were grappling in the ice cave.
She had even given him a fierce kick, then watched the scar-faced man struggle from lack of oxygen before finally sinking to the bottom of the cave.
The veteran looked at Aqina holding the identity tag and laughed too, “Little girl, you’ve got quite a few tricks.” Looking at the seemingly good-humored veteran, Aqina finally couldn’t help but ask, “You mentioned earlier that The Lady has a bad temper.
Could you be more specific?” The veteran’s hand paused.
His gaze swept over Aqina’s face, as if he were organizing his thoughts.
“The Lady’s temper—you should have heard at least something about it in Snezhnaya,” he began, his voice deeper than before.
“She is powerful, proud, and possesses a near-paranoid loyalty to Her Majesty the Tsaritsa.
For the sake of Her Majesty the Tsaritsa’s great cause, The Lady is extremely focused on her missions.
Therefore, her demands on the soldiers under her command are not low.
As a superior, if you can keep up with her pace and fulfill her requirements, she will never treat you unfairly.
Resources, opportunities, and even a certain degree of protection—she can provide all of it.” “However,” he changed the subject, picking up his flask to take another small sip.
“Her patience is very limited, and she especially hates two things: stupidity…
and betrayal.” “Stupidity includes, but is not limited to: failing to understand her orders, making low-level mistakes in your work, and repeating errors on matters she has clearly addressed.” “As for betrayal…” The veteran pulled at the corner of his mouth; the smile had no warmth.
“You should know that her former old Chief followed her for decades.
He dedicated almost all of his prime years to The Lady.
When that old man retired, The Lady personally hosted a farewell banquet for him, and it is said she even gave him a generous gift.” “But just last month, I heard rumors that some of the diplomatic accounts handled by that old Chief before he retired…
were a bit problematic.” Tatiana frowned: “Embezzlement?” “Not sure,” the veteran shook his head.
“Rumors are just rumors; we outsiders have no way of knowing.
But ever since then, The Lady has carried out a purge of the administrative and logistics systems.
Several clerks and logistics officers she had used for years were transferred, demoted, and some even died ‘accidentally’ during missions.” He looked at Aqina: “That’s why I said her administrative system is a bit chaotic right now.
The old guard has been cleared out, and the newcomers can’t step up.
Several veteran officers are squabbling, all eyeing that vacant Chief position.” “Entering at a time like this…” the veteran said slowly.
“Either you have extraordinary ability, can quickly straighten out the mess, earn her appreciation, and ascend to the top in one leap.” “Or, you become cannon fodder in the factional struggles.
Or a punching bag for her volatile temper, dying without anyone knowing why.” Vera nibbled on her jerky, her face turning pale as she listened.
Iour was also silent, his fingers unconsciously rubbing against his cane.
Aqina, however, looked down at her hands, thinking about the imbalance between the combat and administrative departments that the system had just mentioned.
So that’s what kind of imbalance it was…
Still, high risk, high reward.
That’s very Fatui, and very Teyvat.
“What about the other Harbingers?” Tatiana suddenly asked.
“Senior, you seem very knowledgeable about the top brass.
If we don’t go under The Lady, are there other options?” The veteran glanced at her, as if he had long expected this question.
He thought for a moment, as if selecting which parts he could talk about.
“The First Seat [The Captain], a pure warrior; he is the sharpest spear of the Fatui.
If you aren’t afraid of death and only want to prove yourself on the battlefield, that is the best place to go.
But it is also the place with the highest mortality rate, as he is stationed on the front lines year-round, fighting against the Abyss and monsters.
However, he personally has a very good reputation within the Fatui.
Because he is a good man, or rather, a man of absolute justice, and is famous for treating his subordinates well.
He will never abandon any of his soldiers.” “The Second Seat [The Doctor]…” The veteran paused, his expression somewhat subtle.
“He is a genius, and also a madman.
Those under his command are divided into only one category: researchers who are temporarily useful and haven’t been studied by him yet.
And garrison soldiers who haven’t been studied by him yet.
And test subjects who are currently being studied by him.
Overall, this category cannot escape his research; sooner or later, they will become his experimental subjects.
If you have something special, like a special constitution…” His gaze swept over Aqina, intentional or not.
“It might pique his interest.
But being ‘interested’ by him, I can only say, it’s a curse, not a blessing.
That is not a good place to go.” “The Third Seat [Damselette], this lord usually only operates within Zapolyarny Palace, keeping a low profile.
It is very rare to see this lord, and I have never heard of this lord actively selecting subordinates; they are usually assigned.
So, wanting to join this lord’s command is a bit unrealistic.” “As for the Fourth Seat [The Knave]…” The veteran spread his hands.
“This lord’s situation is more special.
You should have heard of the ‘House of the Hearth’.
Snezhnaya’s famous orphanage; this lord is the ‘Father’ of the House of the Hearth and is the actual person in charge.
The Knave’s rise to power is also very interesting; I heard she was originally just a child adopted by the House of the Hearth.
The previous Knave called herself ‘Mother’, but her actions could not be described by the word mother; she put all the orphans under her command together to fight to the death.
Even her own daughter was among them, and [The Knave] rebelled, killed the previous Knave, and became the new successor.
[The Knave]’s command does not tolerate any betrayal, because betrayal often leads to the sacrifice of many people.
However, [The Knave] treats her subordinates well, and this lord is also very principled, but it is quite difficult to enter the inner circle.
This lord clearly trusts her own children more.
And the House of the Hearth never lacks children.” The veteran took another drink and continued: “The Fifth Seat [The Rooster], this lord is the Mayor of Snezhnaya.
I hear he is well-versed in politics and can often exchange very small costs for huge benefits.
I don’t know much about this lord.
I only know he prefers subordinates with political acumen.
But in our terms, that probably means people who can bring him benefits and have plenty of schemes.
But somehow it all feels quite dangerous; in that kind of environment, if you don’t fight, you can’t rise, and the struggles in the inner circle must be incredibly intense.” “The Sixth Seat [The Balladeer].” The veteran shook his head.
“This Harbinger’s whereabouts are uncertain, and his temperament is even more…
hard to describe.
I have a friend who is by this Harbinger’s side.
I’ve heard him mention that other Harbingers don’t really like this lord either.
They all say he speaks without regard for the occasion.
The soldiers under his command don’t have an easy time either; the pressure is immense.
And I hear his tongue is especially sharp; he’s hard to serve.” “As for the Seventh Seat [The Marionette], this lord also rarely shows her face.
And I hear her subordinates are all some kind of mechanical constructs.
Real people who go under her command actually find it hard to get ahead.” The veteran shook his head again and continued, “The Ninth Seat [The Regrator], this lord is a banker.
At the same time, he controls the most important lifeblood; he is the manager of the Northland Bank.
But capitalists like this seem to prefer subordinates who have value.
The competition is also quite fierce; one wrong move and you might die for no apparent reason.” “The Eleventh Seat [Childe] Tartaglia,” the veteran’s face showed a slightly amused expression.
“This lord is very young, and his combat talent is extremely high, but…
but his mind isn’t really on management.
The funds under his command are reportedly often tight because he always invests resources into personal training, or…
hmm, some personal hobbies.
Following him is also prone to inexplicable casualties because he really isn’t good at management and command.
However, following him does mean there are fights to be had; when doing missions, he is the one who charges the fastest.
Also, because Lord Childe is young and still has family living in Snezhnaya, the atmosphere under his command is not bad.
It is a choice worth considering to go under this lord.” He concluded: “So for ordinary recruits with no background and only one life, the commands of [The Captain], [The Lady], or even [Childe] are more conventional choices that relatively offer opportunities.” “One side relies on armed combat with blades, while the other relies on brains and being observant.
Of course, if you don’t consider promotion, [The Knave]’s place is also quite suitable; this lord is also someone who is quite protective of her own.” After he finished speaking, he continued to focus on his small drink, as if what he had just said was just casual chatter.
The canyon fell silent again.
Aqina slowly finished the food in her hand, even carefully pouring the crumbs into her mouth.
The food, combined with the recovery power of the skill card, made her feel much better.
She looked at the veteran; he remained in that calm state.
It was as if the intelligence he had just revealed about the Harbingers was just trivial chatter.
This person is definitely not simple.
But he has no ill intent, at least for now.
“Senior, thank you,” Aqina said softly.
The veteran waved his hand and didn’t speak.