Chapter 167. Various Situations
The conversation went on very late. There were no native Fontainians in the group, so they only had a partial impression of Fontaine.
But even with just a partial impression, Futsu Mitama had a general understanding.
Fontaine is very prosperous. Its technology is advanced. It's a nation of justice that enjoys judging others. There's a mysterious obsession with trials—anyone who commits a crime goes to trial. Hydro Archon Focalors never misses any trial. Want to meet her? Attend a trial.
Also, Fontaine has a Chief Justice named "Iudex" Neuvillette. No one knows what race he is. But one thing is certain—as the Chief Justice, he achieves absolute fairness and justice.
The exact truth was unclear to the group, but that was all the information they had.
Venti said that in a couple of days, he would go to Sumeru to find The Original Hydro God, and also visit Maha Rukkhadevata and Nahida. He hoped they would give him some Sumeru specialty wine then.
Maha Rukkhadevata and Nahida readily agreed. When Venti came, they would certainly fulfill their duties as hosts.
Then, time passed minute by minute. In a blink of an eye, it was morning.
Aila and Black Aila also returned.
Apparently, the two of them had fought all night without a clear victor.
—
Futsu Mitama was accustomed to this. After waking up in the morning, he went downstairs and found Aila, Black Aila, Kokomi, Shinobu, Lumine, Paimon, and Mona already preparing to eat breakfast.
"Morning."
Mona greeted Futsu Mitama, still feeling a bit embarrassed. She'd only learned yesterday that the place she was living in was actually a house Futsu Mitama had bought.
"Are you sleeping comfortably?"
Futsu Mitama smiled slightly at Mona's somewhat embarrassed look, then sat in his designated seat and picked up a large, white steamed bun from the table, putting it into his mouth.
"Thanks to you."
Mona secretly breathed a sigh of relief, seeing Futsu Mitama's nonchalant demeanor.
Paimon, seeing her being so polite, also said somewhat strangely,
"That's odd, Mona, why are you being so polite? Didn't we all have dinner together yesterday? We've all eaten together and are friends living under the same roof, no need to be so polite!"
Mona was speechless at Paimon's words.
Did you think everyone was as thick-skinned as you? Who did you think the person eating with you was? He was the next Archon!!!
When the current Electro Archon abdicates, he will bear the title of Raiden Shogun and become the next Electro Archon.
Moreover, even if Futsu Mitama didn't emit any aura at all, Mona could still sense his terrifying presence.
So, in Mona's eyes, Futsu Mitama was an existence no less than an Archon.
Plus Mr. Zhongli, who lived next door at the Wangshu Funeral Parlor, whose identity was suspected to be the Geo Archon among The Seven Archons.
She was just a small Astrologist. Although her talent was outstanding, it wasn't enough for her to encounter two "Archon-level" existences just by completing the Old Hag's task.
And like this, when she went to Mondstadt next, she would probably encounter the legendary Anemo Archon Barbatos.
Paimon naturally couldn't understand Mona's feelings. She, who often hung out in the Chat Group, had almost forgotten the terrifying labels attached to Futsu Mitama.
Moreover, Futsu Mitama's status in the Chat Group was not the most noble, although he was indeed the Group Leader. But in the Chat Group, there were also three Archons from The Seven Archons. For example, the Anemo Archon, the Electro Archon, and the Dendro Archon. It was said that during this Rite of Descension, the legendary Rex Lapis would also join the Chat Group.
It was quite exciting to think about, so Paimon's attitude towards Futsu Mitama was very natural, as if they were old friends who had known each other for many years.
"By the way, do you have any plans for today?"
Paimon asked Futsu Mitama.
"Lumine, Mona, and I are planning to go to Wangshu Inn today to help the boss there deal with the surrounding monsters. Recently, the monsters there have become a bit rampant, the Millelith are short-handed, and the boss there is an old acquaintance, so he directly contacted Lumine through the Adventurers Guild."
Futsu Mitama blinked.
Wasn't Wangshu Inn Ningguang's property?
They were even short-handed there. It seemed Liyue was indeed having some difficulties.
But it was understandable. With so many things piling up, plus Mr. Zhongli secretly preparing to stir up trouble, it was impossible for Liyue not to be in chaos now.
However, this made Ningguang suffer a bit. As a Liyue Qixing who was holding the Rite of Descension this year, the responsibilities she had to bear were much greater than those of the other Qixing.
"I don't have anything to do today, so we can act together."
Futsu Mitama said indifferently. He had no plans for today. His original plan was also to follow Zhongli's example:
Idle today, eat, drink tea, watch plays, and listen to stories.
But since Paimon said so, Futsu Mitama thought they could act together.
Futsu Mitama looked at everyone at the dining table and asked,
"Do you all have any plans?"
"I'm going to visit my senior sister."
Shinobu said that she couldn't accompany Futsu Mitama today because she was going to find her senior sister, Yanfei. When she went to find Yanfei yesterday, she wasn't home. It was said that she had gone to handle a case for someone.
"I'm going to Liyue Wanwen Bookhouse to read."
Kokomi also stated her plan; she was very interested in Liyue's books.
"I also need to return to Mt. Aocang to pay my respects to my master."
Aila also spoke, saying she was going back to Mt. Aocang today to visit Cloud Retainer.
Although her strength was now stronger than her master's, Aila was a grateful person. She didn't act with Shenhe yesterday because she had to guard against Black Aila, to prevent her from shamelessly ambushing Young Master at night and disturbing his rest.
In the morning, if Young Master had something to do, she couldn't possibly do "that kind" of thing in the morning, could she?
Finally, Futsu Mitama's gaze fell on Black Aila; she was the only one who hadn't spoken yet. Lumine, Paimon, and Mona were acting together, so their opinions weren't important.
"I also have something to do."
Unexpectedly, Black Aila also said she had something to do. She looked at Futsu Mitama and Aila and said,
"I want to wander around Liyue Harbor and visit the place where I spent my childhood."
Aila didn't speak.
After regaining her childhood memories, she had secretly returned once. Many people were active there, and the surrounding buildings had been renovated. But for Aila, everything familiar from her childhood had disappeared.
She felt out of place there. Although she had learned from the Shopkeeper's Daughter that her clansmen had all moved to another place. Her childhood living area had long been leveled and rebuilt into a rather prosperous commercial street.
This sense of unfamiliarity made Aila at the time just quietly watch for a while, then leave with mixed feelings. And after her parents sold their property, they went to an unknown nation on Teyvat, searching for her.
Afterward, Aila had entrusted Keqing to spread the word, informing her parents, who were somewhere unknown, to quickly return to Liyue to reunite with her and Black Aila. Witness the surprise of one daughter becoming two.
But until now… their parents still had no news, whether they were alive or dead.
"Okay." Futsu Mitama nodded, agreeing with Black Aila, and at the same time, he instructed. "If anything happens, remember to contact me immediately."
"Yes, Young Master."
Black Aila nodded, then she suddenly remembered something and said seriously,
"I won't cause you trouble, even though I want to deal with that guy. But I won't act rashly without your permission."
Futsu Mitama naturally understood Black Aila's meaning. He smiled indifferently and patted his little maid's head dotingly.
Aila, beside him, was a little jealous and also wanted Futsu Mitama to pat her head.
Just like that, a simple breakfast quickly ended.
Futsu Mitama, Lumine, Paimon, and Mona were preparing to go out, while the others planned to pack up and then prepare to leave.
After all, the place they were going was not very far, either in Liyue Harbor or near Liyue Harbor, and it would only take a few minutes or more than ten minutes to get there.
On the contrary, the Wanghsu Inn, where Futsu Mitama and his group were heading, would still take some time if they didn't rush at full speed.
—
Futsu Mitama and his group left Liyue Harbor and hurried towards Wangshu Inn.
Meanwhile, inside Liyue Harbor, the Fatui who were secretly watching Futsu Mitama's side exchanged glances, not understanding why Futsu Mitama was associating with this blonde traveler.
Both Childe and The Knave had issued strict orders: Lumine's movements were very important, and they needed all information about her. Futsu Mitama's group was not to be provoked, but this Traveler, who had a close relationship with Liyue, could be provoked.
It's just… at this critical juncture, why did the two of them start acting together?
The Fatui tasked with watching Traveler were very puzzled, but they had no time to be shocked. They could only send the news up, leaving it to the Harbinger to decide.
—
Inside Northland Bank, Tartaglia, upon hearing this news, frowned, his expression very subtle.
Futsu Mitama and Traveler were together, while the people who usually acted with Futsu Mitama were dispersed.
Based on his understanding of Futsu Mitama, this should be an unexpected situation.
But considering Futsu Mitama's terrifying combat power, Tartaglia felt that the Rite of Descension plan might need to be changed.
"Harbinger Tartaglia, what should we do?"
A Fatui soldier directly under Tartaglia asked with some worry in his voice.
"If Futsu Mitama participates in this Rite of Descension, won't our plan—"
Tartaglia waved his hand, saying with an indifferent attitude,
"Don't worry about it, I have my own methods. You don't need to participate in monitoring the Lumine anymore. Once I finish what I'm doing, I will personally monitor that Traveler to get her to assist us."
"But for today, please arrange for me to meet with Zhongli. Tell him I'm very interested in the legend he told me last time about Rex Lapis suppressing Orochi."
"And regarding this Rite of Descension, provide Liyue with fifty million Mora in the name of Northland Bank."
"Also, regarding The Knave, send someone to tell her to behave herself recently and not cause me any trouble."
Tartaglia issued command after command, his expression serious. At this point, even if Futsu Mitama returned to Liyue, he had to bite the bullet and proceed with the plan.
The geo gnosis! He was determined to get it! No one could stop him!!!
—
Inside an inn, Arlecchino was having breakfast. She also received news that the blonde Traveler and Futsu Mitama were acting together.
"You mean those two maids aren't with him?"
Arlecchino seemed to grasp the key point of the information. She looked at her subordinate with interest and asked,
"Can you confirm?"
For Arlecchino, Futsu Mitama's threat was not significant, but the two maids by his side were very dangerous.
Because they had a feud, they would fight as soon as they met. Although Arlecchino was intent on resolving this conflict, she was also aware of Black Aila's personality; it was impossible for them not to fight.
But in the current Liyue, Arlecchino couldn't afford to fight Black Aila. Both of them were powerful individuals below the Demon God Realm. If they fought, it was highly likely to break the contract signed by the Tsaritsa and Rex Lapis. It could also lead to hostility from Liyue, hindering Tartaglia's plan.
But now that Futsu Mitama was alone, this was an excellent opportunity. Although there was some risk, it was worth taking.
"Yes."
The Fatui female member nodded seriously, stating with certainty.
"I observed carefully. They should be acting separately today. Based on the information we currently have, both of the 'Ailas' always stay by Futsu Mitama's side. But today they are not with Futsu Mitama, so if there are no surprises—"
Before the Fatui female member could finish her sentence, Arlecchino stared at her, saying calmly.
"I don't need 'no surprises.' You should know that very well."
The Fatui female member's body trembled slightly, and she quickly assured.
"Yes, The Knave, I will gather all the information and ensure there are no surprises."
"…"
Arlecchino didn't speak. She nodded slightly, indicating approval.
This made the Fatui female member breathe a sigh of relief, then she quickly chose to excuse herself and left the inn.
Arlecchino continued to enjoy her breakfast, while also pondering what to say when she met Futsu Mitama and Lumine.
From Zhongli at the Wangshu Funeral Parlor, Arlecchino had already learned that Futsu Mitama was highly unlikely to participate in the upcoming actions. Going to him now would not be seen as disrupting Rex Lapis's plan.
That Traveler was enthusiastic, kind, and reliable. As long as she subtly mentioned some news about Fontaine to her, the Traveler would definitely go to Fontaine to help. Her plan could also succeed halfway.
Soon, an hour passed, and the Fatui female member returned again.
Similarly, two Electro Cicin Mages also returned with information.
Their information was consistent.
Aila and Black Aila were indeed not with Futsu Mitama.
And through the Adventurers Guild, they also knew that the blonde Traveler was heading towards Wangshu Inn.
After confirming the authenticity of the information, Arlecchino knew that it was time for her to act!