Yuto soon arrived at the Palais Mermonia reception room. He couldn't help but nod as he looked at the elegant woman already seated on the sofa, holding a cup of black tea.
Setting aside their current positions, from the perspective of a collaborator… he appreciated the practice of being "on time" or arriving early at the appointed location.
During a collaboration, this gives the collaborator a sense of being respected, which only benefits future cooperation and causes no harm.
Furthermore, as a transmigrator, he knew very well that Arlecchino had no ill intentions towards Fontaine, but… what he worried about was something else.
Most of the children in the House of the Hearth were war orphans and felt no sense of belonging to the House of the Hearth.
Because of this, most of them would choose to escape or defect after joining the Fatui.
Given the Fatui's methods… the fate of defectors would be quite tragic.
Direct death was already a rather merciful punishment.
Honestly, Yuto naturally didn't want to see this happen.
But if he waited until the main story ended, until Arlecchino showed willingness to cooperate, to do this… he would probably face significant resistance, and those children wouldn't have a good outcome.
So… if he wanted to act, now was the time.
Thinking of this, Yuto slightly adjusted his tie, then sat down quite calmly in front of Arlecchino.
"My deepest apologies, The Knave, for keeping you waiting."
Hearing this, The Knave slowly put down her teacup. Her eyes, marked with blood-red "×" symbols, also scrutinized Yuto up and down, then she spoke:
"Not long at all, Assistant Officer. I merely arrived five minutes early."
"The black tea and snacks you prepared in advance are excellent, but… can we get straight to the point?"
Arlecchino's words brought a slight smile to Yuto's face, and he immediately spoke directly:
"The invitation letter clearly stated, The Knave, that our meeting today…"
"…is entirely for the future of the children of the House of the Hearth and any potential orphans that may appear in Fontaine."
After saying this, Yuto lowered his head, pondered for a moment, and then continued to speak:
"Forgive my bluntness, The Knave, but according to my understanding of the Fatui's recent actions… you want the god's heart, don't you?"
Hearing this, The Knave was first startled, then gently nodded.
In her opinion, this was no secret; after all, her colleagues had already made the matter almost public knowledge, so she had nothing to deny.
"But is there any necessary connection between this and what we are discussing today?"
"Of course there is, The Knave."
Yuto said with a chuckle.
"Once your mission is complete, regardless of whether you acquire the Hydro Archon's god's heart, will the House of the Hearth, which has long been out of favor within the Fatui… truly still exist?"
"And without the Fatui's support, how far can the children of the House of the Hearth go? Will their lives be peaceful and happy?"
Arlecchino was slightly taken aback by this, then smiled indifferently, appearing completely unconcerned.
"So? Esteemed Assistant Administrator, you're not planning to take over the House of the Hearth at this time, are you?"
"Of course not, esteemed The Knave. I merely wish to… admit some of the children who do not wish to stay into Fontaine's public welfare institutions."
"This way… that newly built structure won't remain empty pointlessly, and you'll save on operating costs, won't you?"
"..."
Yuto's words caused Arlecchino to fall silent.
As the Father of the House of the Hearth, she had a responsibility to settle those children.
And this… was also her promise to her.
But the time for this promise to be executed could not be now, because… she still had too many things to do, too many schemes to lay.
Of course, in the coming period, she would also have more than one confrontation with the man before her.
Thinking of this, Arlecchino let out a soft sigh, then slowly rose and said:
"I will consider your suggestion, Auxiliary Officer Chang Ming."
"I apologize, but as I have only recently returned to Fontaine, there are still some matters at the Northland Bank that require my attention. Please excuse me."
With that, Arlecchino was about to leave the reception room, and Yuto showed no intention of stopping her. He simply calmly poured himself a cup of black tea and drank it unhurriedly.
It wasn't until one of Arlecchino's feet had already stepped outside the meeting room that Yuto, holding the teacup in one hand, softly said:
"The Knave, I learned a saying from the Tianquan Star of Ritou: 'Once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back.'"
"But the current situation… is clearly not suitable for this ancient Ritou proverb."
"However… what's important isn't that, but whether your 'arrow' has a rope tied to it."
"If it does, then even if the bow is drawn, the arrow can be pulled back before it hits someone."
Upon hearing Yuto's words, Arlecchino's steps, which were about to leave the meeting room, suddenly froze. After a long silence, she slowly said:
"Thank you for your reminder, Assistant Officer."
With that, Arlecchino left the meeting room unhurriedly.
Looking at her tall and elegant back, Yuto couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.
"This is all I can do… Arlecchino, I hope you understand what I meant…"
As Arlecchino left, the task on Yuto's panel began to settle.
[Task: "Complete a conversation with The Knave, Arlecchino" has been completed. Rewards are being distributed, please wait…]
[Reward: Delayed Popularity x100]
[Delayed Popularity: Everything you do now will affect the future popularity settlement]
[Current Delayed Popularity settlement time: Arlecchino's Story Quest goes live]
Looking at the light screen in front of him, Yuto frowned, somewhat puzzled, not quite understanding what this sentence meant.
Before he transmigrated, he often read web novels. He had seen all sorts of bizarre system-based, reincarnation, fourth-catastrophe, and life-draining genres.
Only this… seemed like something entirely new to him.
"Could it be that everything I'm doing is affecting the progress of the entire Teyvat? But ever since I came to this world… my actions have already been affecting this world, haven't they?"
Thinking of this, Yuto shook his head, somewhat bewildered, then turned his gaze to the "11.5h" limit.
"We only talked for half an hour just now… Perhaps I'll understand what all this means when that 'Full-View Live Stream' appears before me?"
Yuto thought this as he stood up from the sofa, then walked towards the Chief Justice's office.
In his opinion, the Melusine could serve purposes beyond just working in the Shadowy Court and acting as tour guides in Fontaine.
This would not only save a significant amount of manpower and resources but also allow the Melusine to better understand and comprehend humans.
"However… all of this still needs to be discussed with the president of the 'Melusine Protection Association'."