After making simple arrangements for Nilou's funeral, everyone returned to Neuvillette's office.
"Lord Neuvillette, my sincerest apologies—I missed our appointment and arrived late."
Before long, Arlecchino arrived at Neuvillette's office, smiling with a hint of apology.
"According to our agreement, I should've come to meet you first thing this morning…"
"But plans can't keep up with changes. A special guest arrived at the Hotel Bouffes d'ete this morning, and I had no choice but to personally receive her. That's why I'm late."
"No need to worry," Neuvillette nodded in response.
"There was an unexpected situation in Fontaine this morning as well, which I also had to address."
"Miss Nilou's death is truly regrettable. The existence of the Eerie is a matter that all of Teyvat must face with utmost seriousness."
Arlecchino turned toward him and said calmly:
"I just didn't expect that even with his intelligence network, he failed to foresee this… What a pity."
"I won't waste time with pleasantries. Arlecchino, I know you're in a hurry to return to Snezhnaya."
As Neuvillette spoke, he handed over an official document along with a finely crafted box containing the Gnosis of the Hydro Archon.
"Then I thank you, Lord Neuvillette," Arlecchino said with a faint smile, took the Gnosis of the Hydro Archon, and prepared to leave.
But just before leaving, Arlecchino looked toward Su Yuan and spoke:
"The children of the House of the Hearth are mostly orphans… Su Yuan, though it might sound a little strange to say this…"
Arlecchino chuckled, as if joking:
"You came to Teyvat alone from another world, without family or support. So, have you ever considered joining our House of the Hearth?"
"Don't worry—I'll treat you just like I treat the other children, with complete fairness."
Su Yuan was momentarily speechless…
What did Arlecchino mean by this—inviting him to join the House of the Hearth, to join the Fatui?
"Ahem… Arlecchino, don't you think that's a little…" Neuvillette looked at Arlecchino and gave a soft cough.
"Haha, Su Yuan, Neuvillette, I was just making a casual remark—a little joke, don't take it seriously."
With that, Arlecchino turned and left Neuvillette's office.
"Su Yuan, did you feel that something about Arlecchino's demeanor was a little strange?"
After Arlecchino left, Neuvillette turned to Su Yuan and asked:
"She's always been meticulous, punctual, and principled…"
"Even if she had an unexpected guest this morning—considering we'd arranged this meeting yesterday, and that it involved something as important as the transfer of the Gnosis of the Hydro Archon…"
"Logically speaking, shouldn't she have come to meet me first before returning to receive the unexpected visitor?"
Hearing Neuvillette say that, Su Yuan also nodded and spoke:
"Did you notice Arlecchino's wording just now—things like 'a special guest' and 'had to personally receive her'…"
"That suggests this unexpected visitor likely holds an extremely high status—possibly even higher than yours, Neuvillette—enough to make Arlecchino set aside your scheduled meeting and greet her in person…"
"But who could possibly be important enough for Arlecchino to treat them that way?" Furina, who was standing nearby, also showed a puzzled expression.
"Could it be that the Tsaritsa herself has come to Fontaine?" Paimon wore a shocked expression as she spoke.
"If that's the case, then everything kind of starts to make sense…"
"No, I actually don't think that's very likely…"
Neuvillette thought for a moment before replying:
"Now that I've become the complete Dragon Sovereign, my grasp over Fontaine is far more thorough than before…"
"If one of the Seven Archons—specifically, the Cryo Archon—had come to Fontaine, there's no way I wouldn't have noticed even the slightest trace of her arrival."
"Correction," Furina added as she gently patted the Hydro Slime in her arms.
"There's no longer a Hydro Archon in this world. It's now the Six Archons, not Seven."
"Then if it wasn't the Cryo Archon… who else could be important enough for Arlecchino to treat with such seriousness?" Aether rubbed his chin thoughtfully, clearly puzzled.
"Could it be one of the top-ranked Fatui Harbingers?"
Su Yuan suggested, but quickly dismissed the idea himself.
"The internal dynamics of the Fatui aren't as harmonious as we might assume. And judging from Arlecchino's attitude toward Dottore, she doesn't strike me as someone who cares much about ranking…"
But then something occurred to him, and he said, "Could it be the 'Captain'—Capitano?"
"If it were him, then yes… it would make sense," Neuvillette nodded thoughtfully as well.
Su Yuan also nodded.
After all, when he first arrived in this world, there was very little information available about Capitano…
However, whether it was from Varka, Mika, or the other Fatui Harbingers' assessments, it was clear that "The Captain," Capitano, was someone who commanded deep respect and fear from many.
Still, something felt off to Su Yuan.
According to the intel from the game, Capitano had supposedly gone to Natlan.
So why would he suddenly appear in Fontaine now?
But ever since he transmigrated to Teyvat, the world's timeline had already shifted significantly.
Situations like this weren't entirely impossible anymore.
"Forget it. Arlecchino's already gone. Whoever that person was, there's no point in speculating now."
Su Yuan sighed slightly and spoke:
"For now, we should focus our attention back on how to deal with the Eerie."
"So Su Yuan, based on what you told me before… we can't go to Sumeru right now, Liyue's also off the table, Snezhnaya and Natlan are not options for the time being, and the situation in Inazuma isn't looking great either…"
Aether looked at Su Yuan and slowly said, "Then doesn't that leave us with only one destination—Mondstadt?"
"Judging by the current circumstances, it does seem that way…" Su Yuan replied.
"But I still think we shouldn't rush. Let's stay in Fontaine for a while to recover, figure out the conditions under which people become Eerie here, and gather more intel—then we can decide when to leave."
................
Arlecchino arrived at Romaritime Harbor, preparing to board a ship and leave Fontaine to return to Snezhnaya.
Standing on the deck of the ship, Arlecchino looked down at Lyney and the others below and spoke:
"While I'm away from Fontaine, continue assisting Su Yuan. If anything unusual happens, report to me immediately."
"Yes, Father. Safe travels."
Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet all nodded as they replied.
Then, Arlecchino turned her gaze toward a ship approaching Romaritime Harbor in the distance and furrowed her brows slightly.
"The Alcor? Why is it showing up in Fontaine at a time like this?"
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