"Furina."
"What is it?"
As soon as Lumine spoke, Furina felt a dizzying flash before finding herself inside the Serenitea Pot.
"Wow, what just happened?"
After taking a long look around, Furina finally realized she was indeed inside the Serenitea Pot.
"So this is what the inside of that pot looks like! There's so much space! Focalors, could you make something like this?"
Focalors' voice echoed from the orb in Furina's pouch:
"In the past, perhaps I could have. But now..."
Feeling guilty for bringing up Focalors' painful memories, Furina felt a pang of self-reproach.
Whoosh—
Chu Xi suddenly appeared beside Furina, startling her.
"Oh, it's just you, Chu Xi."
Throughout their journey, Lumine and Paimon had gradually been decorating their home, and since arriving in Fontaine, Chu Xi had been helping them too.
When it came to interior design and renovation, Chu Xi was practically a superhuman!
Not only did she know exactly how to arrange things and what materials to use, but she was also incredibly skilled with her hands, personally crafting many of the ornaments herself. She could work tirelessly from morning till night, needing only a steady supply of Black drinks to keep going.
Lumine had prepared a large stockpile of these items in a storage room within her Serenitea Pot, allowing Chu Xi to take them whenever she wanted a drink.
Soon, Furina's attention was drawn to a patch of land ahead.
"These are Zaytun Peaches from Sumeru! You're growing them here too?"
"The Traveler cultivated them," Chu Xi replied. "Would you like one?"
Furina nodded eagerly.
Chu Xi walked into the Zaytun Peach grove, carefully selected the largest peach, and handed it to Furina.
Furina glanced around, but seeing no water nearby, she plucked a Zaytun Peach leaf and gently rubbed away a small patch of mud from the peach's bottom.
Taking a bite, Furina's face lit up with satisfaction.
"How is it?"
"Delicious! The flesh is firm, and the flavor is sweet and refreshing. By the way, aren't you having one?"
"I... I've already eaten."
Chu Xi had barely finished speaking when, after Furina had taken only two bites of her peach, they suddenly found themselves outside Sumeru City.
Paimon exclaimed, "Furina, we're in Sumeru!"
"So fast!"
Lumine stowed away her Serenitea Pot. "Neuvillette didn't enter the Pot with us. We should wait for him."
About five minutes later, Neuvillette emerged from behind a tree.
"My apologies for the wait, everyone. Let's proceed."
Inside Sumeru City:
"If we want to find Nahida and Rukkhadevata," Paimon suggested, "let's go to the Sanctuary of Surasthana. We always run into Nahida there, and sometimes Rukkhadevata is there too."
Lumine and Paimon led the way, passing through the Grand Bazaar where the Zubayr Theater was performing.
Paimon exclaimed excitedly, "Ooh, it's the Zubayr Theater troupe! I wonder if Nilou will be on stage?"
Furina showed great interest at first, but after glancing at the small bag slung over her shoulder, she turned her gaze elsewhere.
Lumine didn't linger, buying some fruit for Paimon before heading toward the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
As they walked, a group of Sumeru soldiers approached, clad in full armor.
Since becoming the Great Sage, Alhaitham had completely overhauled the Sumeru Army.
The previous Abyss attack on Sumeru had exposed numerous problems. The Corps of Thirty was lax and lacked combat readiness, with some defensive lines even experiencing desertions.
To prepare for future crises, Alhaitham implemented sweeping military reforms.
The most visible change for the public was that the army now projected a more imposing presence, and their armor was more aesthetically pleasing.
Thinking of Alhaitham, Lumine asked Neuvillette, "Speaking of which, you two are prominent figures in Fontaine. Shouldn't you inform Sumeru's Great Sage about your arrival?"
Neuvillette replied, "That aligns with diplomatic protocol. I agree."
"Alright, let's proceed while keeping an eye out," Lumine said.
When Lumine and her companions first arrived in Sumeru City, they were immediately placed under surveillance. Now that Alhaitham had replaced Azar as the Great Sage, Lumine was certain that someone with his meticulous nature would already be aware of their presence.
Sure enough, after walking only a short distance, an official from Sumeru approached them. However, the person who came was far from who Lumine expected.
"Collei?"
"Hello everyone! I just heard the report about your arrival. I thought it must be a mistake, but it really is you!" Collei exclaimed with a bright smile, her eyes sweeping over the group accompanying Lumine. When she spotted Chu Xi, she visibly froze.
"Chu... Chu Xi!"
"Long time no see, Collei," Chu Xi responded with a gentle smile.
Collei immediately rushed forward and embraced her tightly.
"Chu Xi, where have you been? You promised you'd come back to see me! Why did you leave Sumeru without a word?"
Collei's sudden pounce startled Chu Xi for a moment, but after hearing her words, Chu Xi understood.
Collei must be mistaking me for Silaya.
When they parted ways at Gandharva Ville, Chu Xi distinctly remembered Silaya promising Collei that she would return after resolving matters in Sumeru City. She had also said she would definitely develop a cure for Eleazar by then and treat Collei to grilled meat.
Collei's eyes rimmed with red, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
Chu Xi gently patted Collei's back. So, Collei has transferred all her affection for Silaya, along with her own feelings for me, onto me?
"Don't cry, Collei. I'm back now, aren't I?"
Collei's sobs gradually subsided, not because of Chu Xi's comforting words, but because...
Collei touched Chu Xi's distinctly non-human body, her hands tracing down the smooth, metallic texture of her neck. Her fingers continued down Chu Xi's shoulders, finally cradling her cold, mechanical hands.
"This... how could this happen... Chu Xi, you..." Collei's voice trembled, and her hands shook uncontrollably.
Chu Xi placed her hands on Collei's shoulders. "The Doctor modified me. It doesn't hurt. It's alright."
Collei's emotions, instead of calming down after Chu Xi's reassurance, surged even more violently.
"How can it not hurt? He completely modified your body! How could he do such a thing?!"
"Not completely. I still have my own head."
"Waaah..."
Hearing Collei's increasingly heartbroken sobbing, Chu Xi scratched her head, wondering if she had said something wrong.
The soldiers behind Collei exchanged glances. At their captain's silent signal, they quietly withdrew.
Chu Xi gently patted Collei's back, finally managing to calm her down.
"Collei, can we talk about this later? We're here on a very important mission."
"Right, right. I'm sorry for losing control." Collei straightened up, wiping away her tears and sniffing.
Seeing the situation stabilize, Lumine stepped forward. "Collei, this is Furina, the Hydro Archon of Fontaine, and this is Neuvillette, the Chief Justice of Fontaine. We're here to meet Rukkhadevata and Nahida."
Collei's attire was clearly not her usual forest ranger uniform. Instead, she wore a streamlined, official-looking uniform more typical of Sumeru's military.
Her commanding demeanor earlier confirmed that she had been promoted.