"Eh? The Hydro Archon and Chief Justice of Fontaine? My apologies! Lord Rukkhadevata and Lady Nahida are both at the Sanctuary of Surasthana. You can go straight there."
Lumine: "Shouldn't we inform the Great Sage first?"
Collei: "The Traveler's word is absolutely trustworthy. I'll notify the Great Sage myself later."
When asked why she wouldn't notify him immediately, Collei explained that she wanted to spend more time with Chu Xi, whom she had only just reunited with.
The group proceeded to the Sanctuary of Surasthana, now with Collei joining them.
Chu Xi: "Collei, I've been meaning to ask—weren't you working as a Forest Ranger in Vanarana? How did you end up in Sumeru City? And you seem to be on official duty."
Lumine and Paimon perked up their ears, curious about this as well.
Collei: "It's all thanks to my mentor, the Great Sage Alhaitham. After he took office, he personally went to Vanarana to find my mentor and invite him to take a position at the Akademiya. My mentor couldn't refuse, so we came here. Since I have a Vision, I was assigned to this position."
Chu Xi: "I see! So, will you be staying in Sumeru City from now on, Collei, or do you plan to return to Vanarana?"
Collei: "Even though Master serves in Sumeru City, he occasionally returns to Vanarana, and I go with him. The current Forest Ranger there has learned a lot from him, but since he's still new to the job, Master worries and always gives him thorough guidance whenever we visit..."
As the group made their way to the Sanctuary of Surasthana, Chu Xi and Collei did most of the talking.
Soon, they arrived at the Sanctuary's entrance.
"You're finally here! I've been waiting for you so long."
Nahida stood waiting at the Sanctuary's gate.
Paimon asked, puzzled, "Nahida, did you know we were coming?"
"Mhm! I learned about it through the Akasha~"
Paimon: "The Akasha?"
Nahida: "Yes, the Akasha. Mom has completely revamped it, and the Akasha Terminals will be redistributed soon. But don't worry, the newly rebuilt Akasha Terminals are completely different from the old ones. You can think of them as 100% beneficial now~"
Neuvillette stepped forward. "Thank you for waiting here, Miss Nahida. Is there a convenient place we can talk?"
Despite Nahida's small stature, her age was not far off from Neuvillette's.
Nahida: "Mom's inside. Come in with me."
Collei didn't follow them in, knowing that Lumine and the others needed to discuss something very important with Rukkhadevata.
Only after Chu Xi promised to visit Collei after the meeting did she and Lumine enter the Sanctuary of Surasthana together.
Within the Sanctuary of Surasthana, Neuvillette explained his mission to Rukkhadevata. After hearing his request, the Dendro Archon nodded and began contemplating how to proceed.
"In exchange for your assistance," Neuvillette said, "Fontaine will provide Sumeru with..."
He laid out the terms Fontaine could offer—a substantial and far-reaching proposal that far exceeded the cost of crafting a physical body for the Dendro Archon.
When drafting these terms, Neuvillette had focused on the paramount importance of Fidelle and Focalors to Fontaine, and to Furina herself, rather than the cost of the Dendro Archon's efforts.
This led him to propose such a generous offer, specifically targeting Sumeru's widespread poverty, vast desert regions, and chronic resource shortages.
"Mr. Neuvillette," Rukkhadevata replied, "you misunderstand. Fidelle possesses a Pure Soul, and both you and I recognize her significance. I would help her regardless. I'm simply considering the best method for crafting her body."
"While conventional methods using dendro materials are feasible, they have drawbacks, such as dulled senses. Knowing Fidelle is a remarkable chef, this would be particularly cruel."
Furina nodded emphatically. Losing one's senses was a terrifying prospect! The thought that Fidelle might never know how delicious her own cakes were was unbearable to Furina.
"Is there another way?"
Rukkhadevata replied, "Yes. The Electro Archon of Inazuma, Beelzebul, is a master of puppetry. You can seek her assistance, then bring the puppet here. I will perfect it with Dendro meridians and infuse it with life force."
Neuvillette pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.
Now that they knew what to do, there was no time to waste. They should set out as soon as possible.
Lumine once again stored Furina inside the Serenitea Pot. Chu Xi, having made a promise to Collei, decided to stay in Sumeru for a few days until Lumine returned to pick her up.
Just before their departure, Rukkhadevata stopped Lumine.
"Traveler, could you return once this matter is resolved? I've made a new discovery about her."
"Her?"
A name immediately sprang to Lumine's mind, and she looked at Rukkhadevata with anticipation.
"Yes, her. Ever since you told me about this, I've been wondering how someone like her wouldn't have left herself a backup plan. Even though Irminsul's deletion rules are absolute, her soul was inherently extraordinary. She must have known that."
"Driven by this question, I delved into Irminsul hundreds of times. Finally, I found it. I'll explain the details after Fidelle and Focalors have regained their physical forms. I'll need your help then..."
Lumine nodded vigorously. She would definitely return!
"Mm-hmm!!!"
Inazuma.
Lumine teleported directly to Inazuma City and immediately headed for Tenshukaku.
Upon hearing Neuvillette's request, Ei readily agreed, and Neuvillette reciprocated with several promised concessions.
Fontaine had to make significant concessions this time, but Neuvillette believed it was worth it.
Compared to other nations, Fontaine was indeed somewhat wealthier.
Creating puppets was no easy task, especially since Ei intended to craft exceptionally refined ones. This process would require considerable time.
This left Furina, who had been eagerly anticipating seeing Fidelle and Focalors that very day, deeply disappointed.
To cheer her up, the small purple orb she had been carrying in her bag finally showed a hint of change.
Focalors noticed the change first and, equally excited, urged Furina to take it out and look.
Flustered, Furina retrieved the purple orb and cradled it carefully in her palm:
"Fidelle, Fidelle?"
The purple orb flickered briefly, but even this tiny change sent Furina into rapturous joy, her face radiating happiness like honey.
"Focalors, did you see it? Did you see it? She's really changing! Hehe..."
Furina held the purple orb up to Focalors.
"Yes, I saw it," Focalors replied. "You're not imagining things, Furina..."
Furina continued calling out, "Fidelle, Fidelle?"
With each call, the purple orb would flicker.
Furina was having so much fun she couldn't stop until Focalors intervened, reminding her that Fidelle needed rest. Otherwise, Furina might have kept playing indefinitely.