Chapter 85

A Few Minutes Later

Theresa and Himeko also sat down at the table, tasting the instant noodles Kiana had brought back from another world.

To be honest, Theresa thought the noodles were actually quite tasty.

After swallowing a mouthful, Theresa asked:

"Kiana, what exactly are these Star Coins you mentioned?"

Hearing this, Kiana pulled out her stash of over 2,500 Star Coins.

"These are Star Coins, Auntie."

Theresa frowned and said flatly:

"Kiana! Call me Headmistress! Not Auntie!"

Kiana gave a salute.

"Got it, Auntie! Understood, Auntie!"

Theresa's irritation shot through the roof.

"Kiana, you dummy!"

Kiana waved a finger at her playfully.

"I'm no dummy! I took first place today and stood on the podium!"

Theresa let out a sigh. Forget it—not worth arguing.

"That portal you used—can we use it too?"

Kiana thought hard, then shrugged.

"No clue~"

Theresa rolled her eyes, then walked over to the portal and opened it. Inside, it was pitch black—nothing like Kiana had described.

Kiana walked over.

"Let me give it a try."

Theresa stepped aside and closed the door. Kiana reopened it.

This time, the view through the portal wasn't dark. It showed an elegantly decorated room.

But it seemed empty—probably everyone had gone to bed by now.

Theresa reached out to touch it, but her hand couldn't pass through—an invisible "wall" stopped her.

Kiana tried it, and she passed through effortlessly.

Theresa observed this.

"Looks like only Kiana can use this portal.

Kiana, tomorrow ask if there's a way to let us through too."

Kiana gave her a thumbs-up.

"Sure thing. I'll ask tomorrow. Now come on, Auntie—eat the noodles while they're still hot~"

Inside the Court of Fontaine

Furina and Clorinde had just returned to the city with the Lancelot Knights.

As they strutted confidently down the streets of Fontaine, the residents took notice.

"Isn't that Lady Furina? Who are those knights around her? They look impressive."

"I don't know either. This is my first time seeing them."

"Must be Lady Furina's personal guards. Don't you see how they're keeping her surrounded on all sides?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

Furina led the Lancelot Knights proudly into the Palais Mermonia.

Neuvillette had been waiting at the palace gates for some time, having already heard the news of their return.

Seeing her arrive, he greeted:

"Welcome back."

Furina spotted Neuvillette, waved, and signaled a Lancelot Knight who brought over a large bag.

She rummaged through it and pulled out a bottled water for Neuvillette.

"Here, Neuvillette—this is a gift I brought for you. Try it."

Neuvillette accepted the water and stored it carefully.

"Thank you."

He looked toward the knights beside Furina.

"Lady Furina, who are these people?"

Furina smiled and introduced:

"These are my loyal knights. From now on, they're responsible for my protection."

Neuvillette frowned slightly.

"Lady Furina, I think Clorinde would be a more reliable guardian. You know her well—these people…"

Furina interrupted:

"Oh, relax~ My knights are absolutely loyal to me. Don't worry.

Anyway~ I'm heading off to rest. Long journey—I need some proper sleep."

With that, she led the knights into the palace.

Four of the Lancelot Knights stood tall, swords at their chests and shields at their sides, exuding a powerful aura.

Neuvillette glanced at them, then turned and entered the palace himself.

In Neuvillette's Office

He summoned his secretary.

A cheerful Melusine hopped into the office.

"Lord Neuvillette, how can I help you?"

Her bright demeanor instantly eased Neuvillette's mood.

"Call Clorinde over for me."

The Melusine nodded happily and rushed off—she loved being helpful.

Neuvillette planned to ask Clorinde about the origins of these mysterious knights.

Shortly After

Clorinde entered the office.

"You wanted to see me?"

Neuvillette got straight to the point.

"Who are those knights?"

Clorinde asked:

"You're worried they might be a threat to Lady Furina?"

Neuvillette nodded slightly.

"Yes. Their background is a mystery, and their strength is considerable.

If they had ill intentions, it would be all too easy to cause harm in Fontaine."

Clorinde replied:

"You don't need to worry. They are called the Lancelot Knights. Their loyalty to Lady Furina is absolute."

Neuvillette looked puzzled.

"How can you be so sure?"

Clorinde was about to explain but then remembered Furina's instructions.

This whole trip had been ordered by Lady Calestia—upon returning, she was not to disclose any details.

Better to stay silent than risk revealing anything that could cause trouble for Lady Calestia.

Even something as small as exposing Ye Yun's involvement could lead others to target him.

Greed was a trait most people shared.

If Ye Yun were harmed, Calestia might retaliate—and the wrath of an Heavenly Principles was more than Fontaine could bear.

"I'm sure of it. Don't worry—these knights won't threaten Fontaine. That's all I'll say. I'll be going now."

Clorinde left the office.

This conversation only deepened Neuvillette's curiosity about the Lancelot Knights.

Looking out the window, he saw them patrolling the grounds around the palace in pairs.

"Just where did these people come from?"

Meanwhile, with Furina

After washing up, she lay in her private garden behind her room.

She picked up a floral pastry and took a big bite.

"Mmm~ So good. I'll have someone buy more from Qingce Village once I'm done."

Two Lancelot Knights stood silently behind her.

One of them glanced toward a shadowy area in the distance.

Sensing something off, the knight gave a signal to the other and headed into the shadows to investigate.

Furina remained blissfully unaware, happily munching on her pastry.

***

A few minutes later, Knight Lancelot silently returned to stand guard behind Furina.

After eating some flower cakes and resting on the lounge chair for a while, Furina got up and went back inside to rest.

In the shadows where Knight Lancelot had just gone, two Fatui corpses lay in pools of blood.

The next day arrived.

Kiana got up early, bouncing off the bed full of energy.

"No classes again today, yay~" Kiana was going to the train today to ask about how to bring Theresa and the others over.

So, Theresa specially excused her from class today, which made Kiana absolutely thrilled.

After getting dressed, Kiana came to the living room. Mei had already prepared breakfast and was waiting to eat with Kiana.

Smelling the delicious aroma in the air, Kiana dashed to the dining table and sniffed all the food.

"Mm~ Mei, it's so great having you~"

Mei smiled gently and said, "Come eat. You still have things to do after breakfast."

Kiana happily sat down, picked up her chopsticks, and started digging in.

"I wonder what today's dungeon will be?" Kiana said excitedly, fantasizing about the day's challenge.

Yesterday, Stelle told her that the dungeon changes daily—some have fewer rewards, others more.

If the rewards were too small or the challenge didn't look fun, everyone would usually just go do their own thing.

Mei said, "What you talked about yesterday sounded fun. I'd like to try them."

Kiana was delighted to hear that Mei wanted to join.

"Let me tell you, Mei, the dungeon is super fun! Lots of people join in, it's a blast. If you can come, we'll go together!"

Mei smiled and said, "Alright, but eat first."

Kiana nodded and gobbled up her breakfast.

"Mei's food is the best~"

After finishing the meal, Kiana checked herself in the mirror and saw a grain of rice at the corner of her mouth.

She stuck out her tongue to lick it off, tidied her clothes, and called out,

"Mei, I'm heading out~"

With that, Kiana dashed into a portal.

Arriving on the train, Kiana looked around and found Stelle and the others in the middle of a meeting.

Kiana waved her hand.

"Morning, everyone!"

Stelle turned and saw it was Kiana.

"Kiana, good morning. You're here early?"

Kiana grinned.

"I'm looking for Ye Yun. Where is he?"

Stelle pointed to the reception room nearby.

"Ye Yun and Zhongli are playing chess."

Kiana nodded, curious.

"What are you all doing standing around?"

March 7th said, "We're in a meeting. The train is about to depart for our next stop."

As soon as Kiana heard the word "meeting," she instinctively wanted to slip away.

"Oh~ then you keep doing that. I'm going to find Ye Yun."

She darted into the reception room to ask Ye Yun how to bring Mei and the others over.

Meanwhile, the train crew had finished their meeting. Everyone found a spot in Ye Yun's shop to sit, and then asked Pom-Pom to initiate the jump.

Soon, Pom-Pom's voice came through the train's broadcast:

"All set! The train is about to jump—please find a seat to avoid falling!"

March 7th, always a bit rebellious, stood defiantly in an open area, body tense.

"This time I will succeed!"

Kiana, just out of the reception room, saw this.

"March, what are you doing?"

March 7th explained, "It's hard to stay standing during the train's jump—I'm challenging myself to stay upright!"

Kiana was instantly intrigued.

"Me too! I wanna try!"

Kiana mimicked March 7th's stance beside her, fists clenched, muscles tight.

The broadcast rang out again.

"The train is about to jump!

3

2

1!"

Kiana saw the train begin accelerating wildly, and she nearly lost her balance, which only made her more excited.

So fun! So fun! She had to succeed!

As the train hit critical speed, a bright light enveloped it. Kiana's body gave out and she fell to the ground.

Once her vision returned, the train had completed its jump and was beginning to slow down.

Kiana rubbed her sore backside—she had landed hard with zero warning.

"Ow! My butt hurts!"

March 7th hadn't fared much better—she had landed on her knees.

"Oww~ my knees! Ugh, failed again!"

Himeko chuckled.

"Alright, alright, get up and rest on the couch. We're about to arrive."

March 7th and Kiana helped each other up and looked out the window.

Kiana was instantly amazed.

"Wow~ it's different outside!"

March 7 said, "Of course it is! We're in a different place now."

Kiana replied, "Oh, right! But the train's so fast—it felt like no time at all before we got here!"

March 7th puffed up proudly.

"Well of course! Our Astral Express is amazing!"

Just then, Ye Yun and Zhongli exited the reception room.

Zhongli walked into a portal leading to Liyue Harbor.

Before long, Zhongli returned with a large group to the train.

Among them was Xiangling.

After hearing about the large amounts of Stellar Jade in Penacony, Zhongli had already gathered a team the night before.

Xianyun, Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, Xiao, Grandma Ping, Xiangling, Hu Tao, Yelan, Keqing, Ningguang, Ganyu, and Shenhe.

Zhongli intended to personally lead the team to search for Stellar Jade in Penacony.

Ye Yun chuckled.

"Zhongli, have you considered one thing—you all might not be able to enter Penacony."

Zhongli was puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

Yeyun replied, "This is currently the time of the Family Harmony Festival. The checks on travelers are extremely strict. You guys don't even have legal identities in this world—how do you plan to get in?"

Zhongli was stunned.

Now what?

At that moment, Topaz, coming from the bar with fresh juice, spoke up.

"I do have a way to get you in, but… our company is hostile to the Family. If you go in using our identities, you'll definitely be heavily monitored."

At this, Silver Wolf, lounging on the couch playing games, suddenly chimed in.

"That's when you need to rely on the great Silver Wolf!"

With a snap of her fingers, a virtual keyboard appeared in front of her.

Using Ether Editing, Silver Wolf whipped up an ad board:

[Identity Services – 100 credits per person – Guaranteed, After-sales Support Included! Fake (crossed out) REAL IDs – Trust the great Silver Wolf!]

Ye Yun looked over at Silver Wolf.

"Silver Wolf should be able to help. She's a hacker."