The people of Fontaine were momentarily stunned by Venti's appearance, but then they erupted into thunderous cheers.
They revered King, and naturally, that affection extended to King's friends.
Immediately, countless flowers, small Fontaine specialty pastries, and several bottles of exquisitely packaged fruit juice were thrown toward Venti by the enthusiastic crowd.
"Mr. Venti, welcome to Fontaine!"
"Try our Fontaine Bulle Fruits!"
"This bottle of Fonta is for you!"
Venti was like a fish in water.
With a crisp laugh, he moved fluidly through the air, his wide bard's hat serving as an excellent storage tool, precisely catching the gifts thrown his way while his cape swept up several bouquets of flowers.
Before long, his arms were full of various gifts, and a vibrant Rainbow Rose was tucked into the brim of his hat; he looked as if he had just returned from a harvest festival.
He floated back to the deck contentedly, carefully setting down the armful of gifts, and winked at King: "Everyone is so enthusiastic! Fontaine really is a wonderful place~"
Paimon had just flown over from Lumine's side and happened to witness Venti's "bountiful harvest." She immediately puffed out her cheeks and pointed her small finger at him:
"Tone-Deaf Bard! You... you're too thick-skinned!"
"Everyone came to welcome King, not you!"
"Ehe~"
Venti didn't mind at all. He picked up a bottle of Fonta, skillfully used the Anemo Element to pop the cap, and took a delicious sip.
"Everyone gave these to me voluntarily!"
"How can you call that thick-skinned?"
"These are gifts of friendship, a fate brought about by the wind and poetry!"
He picked up a few pieces of beautifully wrapped small cakes and handed them to Paimon: "Here, a share for everyone present. Little Paimon, why don't you try some? I hear Fontaine's desserts are unparalleled."
Paimon looked at the tempting little cakes, her throat giving an involuntary "gulp" as her inner principles wavered in the face of gourmet food.
She snatched the cakes and said stubbornly, "Hmph! This... this is your tribute to Paimon! It's not that Paimon has accepted your thick-skinned behavior!"
Venti smiled slightly and gave an exaggerated bow: "It is my honor to offer tributes to Lord Paimon~"
Lumine shook her head with a helpless smile.
Ganyu stood slightly behind them, observing Fontaine's customs with quiet curiosity, the lively scene reflected in his lavender eyes.
Raiden Ei frowned slightly; her nature as a shut-in made her a bit uncomfortable with such an overly boisterous welcome, but she tried to stand straight and maintain her divine poise.
King looked at the chaotic yet strangely harmonious scene on the deck, then glanced at the fanatically cheering crowd below, sighing in his heart.
Fine, there was no hiding from this.
*Cough.*
A very light cough.
The sound wasn't loud, yet it seemed to possess a strange magic.
The boiling clamor at the dock quickly fell silent.
Thousands of gazes focused on the figure in the blue windbreaker.
Looking at the dense, expectant crowd below, King felt his scalp tingle.
He really wasn't good at these kinds of situations.
"The matters in Inazuma have been resolved."
King spoke, his voice carried by the wind to every corner of the dock.
"The true culprit has been identified; it was the result of collusion between the Fatui and some scum within Inazuma."
"Inazuma has undergone a purge."
"Foreign trade can resume. Current Inazuma is a trustworthy nation."
He was concise, glossing over the bloody storm in Inazuma in just a few sentences.
A low murmur of amazement rippled through the dock.
Although they had heard rumors, and The Steambird's publications had already spread throughout Fontaine,
Receiving confirmation from Lord King himself was still incredibly shocking.
King paused, then turned slightly to point at the serious-looking woman in a purple furisode behind him: Raiden Ei.
"This is the deity of Inazuma, Raiden Ei."
"For the coming period, she will be studying here in Fontaine."
"When you see her, remember to respect her just as you respect the god of water."
The dock fell silent for a moment before erupting into even more enthusiastic applause.
"Welcome, Raiden Shogun!"
"Fontaine welcomes you!"
"Please be sure to try our Fontaine desserts!"
Raiden Ei was a bit overwhelmed by this sudden passion.
She tried her best to maintain her divine dignity and nodded, though a trace of imperceptible fluster flashed in her eyes.
King cleared his throat and dropped today's second bombshell.
"There is one more thing."
"Liyue and Fontaine have officially formed an alliance."
His tone remained flat, as if he were saying, "The weather is nice today."
"Liyue has supported Fontaine with..."
He paused, seemingly recalling the figure.
"Ten trillion Mora."
The moment the words fell—
Time seemed to freeze.
On the dock, the expressions of all the Fontaine people froze in a uniform state of "dullness."
A Fonta bottle slipped from a vendor's hand, shattering on the ground with a "pop." The orange liquid flowed out, but the owner didn't react at all.
A mother holding a child opened her mouth wide; the infant in her arms pulled her hair, but she didn't feel the pain.
The young people who were just cheering seemed to have been collectively hit by a freezing spell, their raised arms stuck in mid-air.
Even the Equitable Judgment maintaining order forgot to stand guard, not even noticing when their halberds tilted.
Ten... trillion?
Mora?
They understood every word, but when put together, why was it so dizzying? They wondered if they were having auditory hallucinations from eating too many carbs.
"Ten, ten..." An old merchant tremblingly held up ten fingers, counting them over and over, his face flushing red until he suddenly clutched his chest. "My heart... quick, give me my medicine..."
"Am I still asleep?" A young craftsman pinched his thigh hard, grimacing in pain. "It's not a dream... it's not a dream!"
"Did I eat a poisonous Mushroom?" a housewife murmured, her vegetable basket falling to the ground as Mushrooms rolled everywhere.
After a brief, dead silence—
"BOOM—!!!"
A cheer a hundred times more enthusiastic and a thousand times crazier than before erupted like a volcano!!!
"Aaaaaahhhhhhh—!!!"
"Ten trillion! It's ten trillion Mora!!!"
"Long live Liyue! Long live Lord King!!!"
"Fontaine! Our Fontaine is going to take off!!"
People went completely mad!
Hats, scarves, handkerchiefs... anything that could be thrown was tossed into the sky!
Total strangers hugged each other in excitement, crying and laughing.
Young people screamed at the top of their lungs, letting out meaningless howls of excitement.
Elderly people wiped away tears of joy, muttering repeatedly, "The good days are here, the good days are finally here."
The entire Fontaine Court dock turned into an ocean of ecstasy!
Every face glowed with an unprecedented flush, chests puffed out high unconsciously, and heads were raised with pride!
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"