Is there a possibility that Seawater is about to submerge Beryl Region? With such a large volume of water, and considering the iron gate that was washed open, imagine how big the hole beneath the pool must be.
(Whispering: Yuto was swept in, so it's not like his clothes and staff couldn't have been swept away too, right?)
——————
Hearing Miss Navia's conclusion, Clorinde nodded slightly.
"I think Miss Navia is right, after all, in The Shadowy Court's records, most missing persons cases are closed with the reason 'victim deceased'."
"Of course, this doesn't mean we should approach this with the most pessimistic attitude. We also need to maintain hope, after all..."
Clorinde said, her gaze fixed on the piece of dress fabric in Miss Navia's hand.
"If Mr. Yuto was 'dissolved,' then his clothes should have appeared here intact, not as a fragment."
"Of course, there's also his Vision and staff. Following usual practice... these things would more or less remain."
Hearing this, Paimon blinked slightly and blurted out without thinking:
"What if the other clothes and staff were all swept away by the gradually flowing back primordial sea water—mmph!"
Before Paimon could finish, the Traveler clapped her hand over Paimon's mouth, then looked at Miss Navia apologetically.
'Clorinde can talk like that because she has a good relationship with Miss Navia. Why are you butting in?'
The Traveler muttered to herself.
Miss Navia was startled at first, then nodded gently.
"Paimon is right. We can't have too much hope just because of this piece of fabric, nor can we give up searching for Mr. Yuto because of it."
"Just as I said, we must keep searching until we find evidence that confirms Mr. Yuto's death."
"Clap—clap—clap—"
A rhythmic clapping sound came from behind them, making everyone turn their heads.
—Which guy is so inconsiderate as to clap at a time like this?
A tall woman with short Silver-white hair, dressed in a white women's suit, was walking towards them, clapping her hands.
Mr. Neuvillette frowned slightly at the sight, then asked in a deep voice:
"The Knave... what is your purpose?"
For Mr. Neuvillette, dealing with someone like Arlecchino, who likes to beat around the bush, was truly troublesome.
But fortunately, this was Fontaine, not Snezhnaya. He had enough space to negotiate with her according to his own speaking habits.
After all, Yuto used to handle these matters, and Mr. Neuvillette rarely participated. Now that Yuto is missing, this task naturally fell to him.
Seemingly sensing the wariness in Mr. Neuvillette's words, Arlecchino chuckled and shook her head, as if she didn't care about Mr. Neuvillette's guard.
"Mr. Neuvillette, I have no purpose. I merely heard that something happened in Beryl Region and wanted to see if there was anything I could help with."
"Furthermore, this time my identity is not The Knave, a Fatui Harbinger, but rather a child who grew up in Fontaine, coming before you all."
"So... I'd prefer you call me 'Arlecchino,' to separate the Harbinger from what I'm doing now."
Everyone looked at Mr. Neuvillette, awaiting his reply.
Mr. Neuvillette, however, looked at Miss Navia and said softly:
"Since it concerns Beryl Region... it would be better to ask Miss Navia for her opinion than to ask mine."
Hearing this, Miss Navia instantly understood Mr. Neuvillette's meaning. After a slight pause to choose her words, she spoke:
"Thank you for your concern, Miss The Knave. Assistant Administrator Yuto has already made the necessary arrangements for Beryl Region's present and future, so your goodwill is not needed."
As Miss Navia spoke, she symbolically showed Arlecchino the proposal Yuto had given her, then fell silent.
Although Miss Navia herself had no prejudice against Arlecchino, she was, after all, a Fatui Harbinger.
No one knew what purpose lay hidden beneath that smile, so... she had to be careful, and wariness was necessary.
Seemingly noticing Miss Navia's vigilance, Arlecchino chuckled and shook her head.
"Is that so... but I just heard you all say... that Assistant Administrator Yuto, who wrote this proposal, is currently... 'missing,' right?"
Hearing this, Mr. Neuvillette frowned slightly, seemingly guessing Arlecchino's intentions.
Clorinde's reaction was more straightforward; she simply placed her hand on the gun at her waist, ready to fight at any moment.
To Clorinde, what Arlecchino had just said was not much different from a provocation.
—It was just a bit more civilized than a typical provocation, but the essence was similar.
Unlike these two, who were either guessing or wary, Miss Navia asked directly:
"Miss The Knave, what exactly do you want to say?"
A hard-to-read smile appeared on Arlecchino's face, and she turned her gaze to the Traveler.
"It's simple. I'll have some of my children help you... or rather, all of you, search for the 'missing' Mr. Yuto;
In exchange, you need to help me explore a ruin not far from Beryl Region."
"It's worth noting that, from a temporal perspective, this ruin might be related to The Prophecy's disaster."
At this point, a confident smile appeared on Arlecchino's face. After a slight pause, she spoke:
"I think... since Beryl Region has experienced the Primordial Sea's outbreak, doesn't that mean the disaster in The Prophecy is also about to happen?"
"Traveler, what do you think of this information... or rather, 'deal'?"
With that, Arlecchino wore a smile, waiting for the Traveler's answer.
Miss Navia, however, looked thoughtfully at the Traveler, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.
From her, or rather, from Fontaine's perspective, the deal Arlecchino proposed... they would definitely profit.
But from the perspective of the Traveler's friend and partner... there might be significant risks.
After all, no one knew what was hidden inside that ruin, no one knew how high the risks were.
Moreover... the Traveler was not from Fontaine, and the terms of this deal were not essential for her.
So... the final outcome would depend on the Traveler's own wishes.
Seemingly noticing everyone's gaze, the Traveler lowered her head slightly, lost in thought. After a long moment, she looked up at Arlecchino and asked softly:
"Why me?"
"It's simple. Because Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet consider you 'family.' I think... having gone through so much together, you should understand the weight of those two words."
Hearing this, the Traveler fell silent once more. After a long moment, she slowly raised her head and said softly:
"I understand. I accept the terms of this deal. I hope... you will act as you have said."
"Naturally."
Arlecchino nodded gently, a confident smile still on her face, as if everything was within her grasp.
She turned her head slightly, observed the expressions of those around her, then spoke:
"If you all have nothing else... then I shall take my leave."
With that, she looked at the Traveler beside her, took a map from her pocket, and said softly:
"The ruin's location is south of Beryl Region. This is the map."
She handed the map to the Traveler, then unhurriedly departed.
Watching her gradually receding figure, Miss Navia let out a slight sigh of relief.
She wasn't Yuto, and dealing with someone as meticulous as Arlecchino wasn't her strong suit, so she had to be extra vigilant.
Thinking of this, Miss Navia sighed softly, rubbed her temples with a slight headache, and murmured:
"Still not mature enough..."
"No way! Miss Navia has done very well!"
Paimon shook her head, comforting her.
"Thank you, Little Paimon, but compared to the effort Mr. Yuto put into me... I still have a long way to go."
After saying this, Miss Navia blinked in confusion, then turned her gaze to Mr. Neuvillette beside her.
For some reason, Mr. Neuvillette had been staring at Miss Navia ever since he finished his own thoughts.
"Mr. Neuvillette...? Are you...?"
Miss Navia asked, puzzled.
"Ah, apologies, Miss Navia, I was a bit distracted. What I wanted to say was..."
"Could I see the proposal Yuto gave you?"
...
Shortly after Arlecchino left Beryl Region, Furina and Silver arrived one after another.
Although Sedna also wanted to come, her main job was a Palais Mermonia guard, and the only one responsible for internal guidance, so she couldn't make it.
Furina, holding Little Sanhua, whom she and Yuto raised together, quickly walked into the ruins of Beryl Region.
Looking at the broken walls and rubble around her, a look of bewilderment appeared on Furina's face.
This was the first time she had seen such a dilapidated scene.
She found it hard to imagine what the outcome would have been if Yuto hadn't arrived in time to help evacuate the crowd. How many residents of Beryl Region would have survived?
Thinking of this, a sense of powerlessness slowly crept into her heart, making her involuntarily tighten her grip on Little Sanhua.
This was the second time today... no, it should be said, in the past five hundred years, that she had felt so powerless.
The first time was the powerlessness upon learning that Yuto had been swept into the Primordial Sea.
The second... was the powerlessness after witnessing the tragic state of Beryl Region.
'If not for Yuto... how many people would have died in this disaster?'
Such a question instantly climbed into Furina's heart, clinging to her like a nightmare.
The answer was simple: according to the current level of destruction in Beryl Region and Silver's description... it was likely that the fate awaiting the residents of Beryl Region was nothing but 'total annihilation.'
Thinking of this, Furina's heart tightened, and even her breathing became somewhat rapid.
She couldn't imagine the extent of public condemnation she would have faced if Yuto hadn't done this beforehand.
"Yuto..."
She lowered her head slightly, and a layer of mist once again welled up in her beautiful heterochromatic eyes.
Furina knew that Yuto... had saved her again.
But unlike the previous times, this time... he truly used his life to protect her title as a 'God.'
Although she didn't know if this was fate's cruel twist or a simple coincidence—
"Wait?!"
Furina seemed to realize something, her slightly misty eyes widening as if she had thought of something particularly crucial.
"If once or twice is a coincidence... then what about the third, fourth, or even fifth time? Are they all coincidences?"
The young girl slowly closed her eyes, carefully recalling her past with Yuto.
After about five minutes of recollection, Furina realized something she had never noticed before.
—Whenever her identity was questioned by the outside world... Yuto would always step forward immediately.
Things like suppressing Steambird Newspaper, issuing public announcements to maintain her identity... Yuto had done no less of these things in the past four hundred and eighty-nine years.
Even when Furina herself hadn't yet felt that something was amiss, Yuto had already acted to completely crush those rumors.
This level of sensitivity... was somewhat exaggerated.
And for this point, Furina could only think of two possibilities.
First, Yuto was a fanatic of the Water God Focalors, not allowing anyone to blaspheme his God.
Second, Yuto knew what his 'responsibility' truly was, and so he had silently helped her maintain this secret all along.
And among these two possibilities... the first one had already been denied by him.
Although she didn't know how to resolve The Prophecy and could only wait for her Mirror Self to resolve everything, the explanation Yuto gave at the time... indeed fit her situation.
She didn't possess the power of a God, nor could she control the god's heart, or even the most basic water element elemental power.
From a power perspective, she truly couldn't be considered a God.
But he didn't care if she had the Water God's power or the Water God's title.
What he cared about... had always been just her.
This made the answer obvious, and this also perfectly explained why Yuto went to Beryl Region without any warning.
He... seemed to know everything.
Thinking of this, Furina's breathing hitched slightly, and she then looked up at the gradually forming dark clouds, sighing softly.
"You knew all of this would happen, so... you're fulfilling your promise with your life?"
After saying this, Furina gently shook her head and quickened her pace downwards.
If in the future... she had another chance to meet Yuto, she would ask him about all these things clearly, and then...
Tie him to her side, not allowing him to leave her by half a step again.
What he had done... was far more than she had imagined.
Note:
Dear readers,
The Lunar New Year is approaching, and I wish you all a new year filled with success, good fortune, and prosperity!
Holiday Announcement:
I'm writing this to announce that I will be taking a short break from posting to celebrate the holiday from February 15th to February 22nd, 2026. I will officially return to work on February 23rd.
Don't worry though! During this break, I'll be busy prepping a bunch of new chapters so I can post them consistently once I'm back. I promise the upcoming parts will be even more exciting, so please stay tuned!
Thank you so much for your understanding and for always being such a supportive community.
Happy Lunar New Year!