Yuto nodded, indicating his understanding, as he looked at Lyney's solemn expression.
"Those matters beneath the surface and in the shadows... I'll leave them all to you."
Lyney didn't speak. He silently turned around, leaving Yuto with only his back slowly disappearing into the shadows.
"That is our agreement."
After dropping that phrase, his figure completely vanished from Yuto's sight.
After seeing the Duke off, Yuto also turned and boarded the elevator, preparing to return to the surface.
"...I should also go do what I ought to do."
...
Nonomi looked at the two people separating at the boundary of light and shadow, and subconsciously opened her screenshot tool to capture the image.
"This composition... one side is light, the other is shadow; one side is the administrator above the surface, the other is the administrator below the surface. This damned sense of destiny..."
Nonomi gently shook her head, then sent the image to her friend who specializes in making animated wallpapers.
"I wonder how long it will take from creation to release..."
Although she wanted to use this wallpaper right now, it had to be a good one.
Nonomi mumbled a few words, then turned her attention to the barrage of comments in front of her.
"How come Yuto seems to be connected to every character in Fontaine...?"
"Very familiar with Charlotte, an elder to Navia, Fufu's Assistant Administrator and personal pastry chef, Lyney's benefactor, and the rule-maker of Meropide..."
"So this is the network accumulated over five hundred years... I can't imagine how many important figures Yuto knew during the period when Fontaine was just recovering and rebuilding..."
"By the way, why do I feel like the main story of Meropide is a bit messy, with the Fatui and Palais Mermonia, it's making me a bit confused..."
"Exactly, exactly. I just know there was a bunch of 'rules of the uncanny' and that Yuto is the rule-maker of Meropide, but I don't know anything else."
Looking at the comments that were rapidly filling the screen, Nonomi nodded slightly and mumbled softly:
"This free traffic, it would be a waste not to take it."
With that, Nonomi turned her gaze to the secondary screen, cleared her throat, and began to speak:
"I see that many of you don't know what we're here at Meropide for, so I'll explain it briefly now."
"Our objective changed twice: the first time was when we met Lyney, and the second was after we received Freminet's intelligence."
"Initially, our goal was to find the Vanguard and investigate the reason for his disappearance. When we met Lyney, an additional objective was added – to investigate the secret of Meropide."
"During the process of investigating the secret, we encountered three 'rules of the uncanny.' Although very abstract, they were indeed quite frightening when we first heard them."
"And when we had investigated almost everything, the Duke offered to exchange the answers to three questions for access to the 'secret,' and also helped us notify Yuto."
"Finally, we understood that what was sealed beneath Meropide was the Primordial Sea, and Wriothesley chose the 'floating ship' as a countermeasure."
"Overall, that's the situation. It can't be much more, nor can it be much less."
After saying all that, Nonomi pursed her somewhat dry lips and then said with a hint of emotion:
"But Yuto and the others hid things well enough, with the escape floating ship and the gates suppressing the Primordial Sea. Most people would have already blabbed it out."
After hearing Nonomi's words, the comments in the live stream paused for a second before resuming their normal discussion pace.
"Looking at it this way... Wriothesley is overseeing the construction of the floating ship and the dashboard underwater, Yuto and Neuvillette are in charge of the surface, and Clorinde is on call..."
"Shouldn't the focus be on the rules of Meropide, which have been modified over forty times?"
"Wriothesley has only been here for over ten years, and Yuto has to change Meropide's rules four times a year. This is truly..."
"This is our Fontaine's workaholic. The characters are not only like the San-Ti, but their administrative abilities are also like the San-Ti."
Perhaps because of Nonomi's concise summary just now, the number of viewers in her live stream was gradually increasing.
Looking at the noticeably faster refresh rate of the comments and the occasional eye-catching messages, Nonomi felt a sudden surge of satisfaction.
"Ah~ I feel like I'm about to be showered with immense wealth at any second~"
Nonomi's expression was somewhat excited. If she wasn't still mindful of the ongoing plot and the rising status of her live stream, she would have already started making analysis videos about Yuto.
She could even use that concise summary she just gave to find an abstract hand-drawn animation UP and make a joint post.
"Good! Next is my career's upward trajectory! To earn back the cost of those three max-constellation, max-refinement characters, let's go!"
She still hadn't forgotten her promise. In a way... she had already surpassed many streamers.
...
After Yuto left Meropide, he rushed back to Palais Mermonia, and then quickly left again under Sedna's somewhat confused and bewildered gaze.
He knew very well what he was about to face.
If the problem of Beryl Region wasn't handled properly, then Furina would be the one to suffer next.
And in Yuto's current state... the last thing he wanted to see was Furina suffering.
As the saying goes, a mortal who has secretly protected Fontaine for five hundred years, her will has long surpassed that of a God.
Her ending could be many things, but it absolutely could not be to be harmed by the people she had protected for five hundred years!
In Yuto's understanding, what was the difference between Furina's ultimate fate and Ritou's 'God of Salt,' Havria?
Both were harmed by the people they protected, except the former's body was not dead, while the latter was completely dead.
Thinking of this, Yuto slightly raised his head, looking at the sun hanging high above Fontaine, seemingly pondering something.
After a long silence, he gently closed his eyes, his lips moving.
"As long as I am here, I will absolutely not let you become a second Havria."
"Although I don't know what the consequences or outcome of forcibly changing the script will be, but..."
"You deserve a better ending."
-------------------------------
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