Hello I'm back, thy leg is healed but I don't have molars anymore.
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After leaving Neuvillette's office, Shao Yun complained, "They made such a big show of calling us over from Poisson just for something this boring?"
Clorinde glanced at the still-angry Furina and explained softly, "Lately, Lady Hydro Archon has indeed been rather sensitive. When I returned a few days ago, Miss Furina practically wanted to cling to me the moment she saw me."
Hearing the quiet murmurs behind her, Furina grew a little impatient.
She turned around, frowned tightly, and asked with a hint of displeasure, "Hey, what are you whispering about back there?"
Shao Yun answered without batting an eye or skipping a beat, "Nothing. You all head to Poisson first. I still have some matters to take care of here—I'll meet up with you later."
When Furina heard that Shao Yun wanted to act alone, a strong sense of unease immediately welled up inside her.
She said anxiously, "Hey! What are you planning to do? Are you trying to sneak off on your own?! No way—wherever you go, I'm going with you!"
Faced with Furina clinging to him like a stubborn piece of glue, Shao Yun decided to scare her using Arlecchino's name.
Putting on a serious expression, he said, "I'm going to notify Arlecchino. What, you want to come along too?"
Furina froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered her fearless composure.
"Then we'll wait for you at the entrance! You just need to notify Arlecchino and come right back out, don't you? If it's just a notification, one minute should be enough, right?"
...
After everyone had left the Palais Mermonia, an unexpected scene unfolded.
No one knew what method Charlotte had used, but she was hiding in the bushes along the greenery. The moment she saw Furina come out, she suddenly jumped out and excitedly shouted, "Lady Furina! May I have an interview with you?!"
In order to obtain the most direct and authentic firsthand information, Charlotte truly spared no effort at all!
Startled by the sudden appearance, Furina instinctively ducked behind Clorinde, looking somewhat flustered.
Once she took a closer look and realized it was Charlotte, she finally relaxed a little and said with a mix of helplessness and surprise, "Ah? Miss Charlotte, appearing so suddenly like that really gave me quite a scare!"
Seeing that she had startled Furina, Charlotte hurriedly apologized, yet she still refused to give up and continued pressing, "I'm really sorry, Lady Furina, but would you be willing to accept my exclusive interview?"
Furina had originally intended to refuse the interview.
"No, I—"
However, Furina suddenly rolled her eyes as inspiration struck, coming up with a plan on the spot—completely impulsive, with the memory span of a fish.
Immediately afterward, she changed her stance and agreed readily, "Alright then. Since I happen to have some free time right now, how about we go to the Café Lutece? We can enjoy some food while having our conversation—how does that sound?"
When Charlotte learned that she would be getting an exclusive, face-to-face interview with Furina, the Hydro Archon herself, her excitement skyrocketed—like Shao Yun back when he robbed a bank.
"Wow! That's amazing! Then let's not waste any time—let's get going!"
As Charlotte dragged her along, Furina turned back and shouted at Shao Yun, "Hey! We're heading to the Café Lutece first! Once you're done notifying the Fatui, just come straight to the café to find us!"
Watching Furina get pulled away by Charlotte, Shao Yun felt utterly out of place. What even is all this supposed to be?
"What does Furina even mean? She was clinging to me like glue just a moment ago—how did she suddenly run off so fast?"
Seeing the troubled look on Shao Yun's face, Lumine walked up, gently patted his arm, and said, "Ah, don't think too much about it. We'll meet again at the Café Lutece later."
...
Evening, at the Hotel Bouffes d'ete.
Because of the secret agreement reached between Shao Yun and Arlecchino, the Hotel Bouffes d'ete had not been burned down by Shao Yun.
The children of the House of the Hearth who had been hiding out in the wilderness had also safely returned, and everything was back on track.
At this moment, it was dinnertime at the Hotel Bouffes d'ete, and the air was filled with the aroma of delicious food.
When the guards at the entrance saw Shao Yun arrive, they didn't ask any questions and let him straight in. It was obvious they had received prior instructions—otherwise, they definitely would have stopped him.
The moment Shao Yun entered the building; his tall figure immediately drew attention.
He swept his gaze across the hall and called out, "Lyney? Freminet?"
However, no matter how he called, neither Lyney nor Freminet was anywhere to be seen.
At that moment, Lynette—who had been strolling through the hall to digest her meal—heard Shao Yun's voice.
She quickly walked over, still wearing her signature blank expression, and asked, "Ah? Mr. Shao Yun, are you looking for my brother and Freminet for something?"
Shao Yun wasn't in the mood for small talk and got straight to the point. "I'd like to see your 'Father.' Where is she right now?"
Hearing that Shao Yun had come looking for Arlecchino, Lynette paused slightly, then tilted her head and showed a cute, dazed expression. "Oh, so you're here to see Father? Please wait just a moment, then."
"Hmm… how about this—why don't you head to our reception room first and rest there for a bit while you wait?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Lynette turned around and ran off toward where Arlecchino was, without even waiting for Shao Yun's response. Her petite figure quickly disappeared down the corridor.
Seeing this, Shao Yun nodded to himself and replied, "Alright."
Then, as if it were his own home, he walked familiarly toward the reception room, arriving at its door in no time.
Shao Yun went straight to the sofa and sat down, adjusting his posture so he could relax a bit more.
Time passed little by little. After roughly ten minutes, Arlecchino finally learned of Shao Yun's visit from Lynette.
She had already guessed that Shao Yun would come looking for her over the use of the name "Dutch van der Linde."
With that in mind, Arlecchino quickly hoisted up a large burlap sack stuffed full of Mora and hurried toward the reception room.
When Arlecchino stepped inside, she immediately spotted Shao Yun sitting upright on the sofa.
Before Shao Yun could even speak, Arlecchino beat him to it. "I knew you'd come! Here—your Mora's already prepared."
As she spoke, she set down the burlap sack—nearly as tall as Lumine—beside Shao Yun, producing a loud clatter as the coins inside shifted.
Then, without any regard for anyone else, Arlecchino walked straight up to Shao Yun and sat down across from him.
She tilted her head slightly, a smug smile curling at the corner of her lips, and asked, "So? If you're not satisfied, just say the word—I can take you to the Northland Bank."
With an expressionless face, Shao Yun reached out and slowly loosened the rope at the sack's opening.
As the bag opened, it revealed Mora packed to the brim, gleaming with dazzling light.
Faced with such tempting wealth, Shao Yun merely gave it a brief glance and replied flatly, "Put the money aside for now. I've got something to ask you."
Hearing this, Arlecchino was momentarily stunned. If he didn't want Mora, then what did he want?
"Oh? You don't want the money? Is there something else you need my help with, then?"
Realizing his words might have been ambiguous, Shao Yun clarified.
"You borrowing Dutch's name to stir up trouble—what kind of twisted idea possessed you?" His tone grew noticeably heavier as he spoke, clearly irritated.
Seeing Shao Yun "opening fire," Arlecchino looked at him with interest and asked, "I don't quite understand. Are you saying you came all this way just to scold me, without even wanting Mora?"
Shao Yun stopped beating around the bush and shot straight back, "What you've done using the name 'Dutch van der Linde'—you know perfectly well yourself! Scolding you is already being lenient!"
Upon realizing that Shao Yun had still come over this very matter, Arlecchino instead seemed to relax, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
"Oh, so it's still about that. Don't worry—I didn't leak your real identity."
Listening to Arlecchino's casual tone, Shao Yun's anger flared instantly. "No—why did you drag me into this just to seize a Gnosis? Give me a reasonable explanation!"
Arlecchino calmly raised two fingers and explained, "First, I didn't provoke you. Second, I didn't lay a hand on Lumine or Paimon. So why are you this angry?"
Seeing her continue to play dumb, Shao Yun emphasized again, "You used my alias, and you're saying you didn't provoke me?"
Arlecchino then revealed the countermeasures she had prepared long ago.
"Relax. I've already arranged a scapegoat. If Fontaine's authorities truly start suspecting you, I'll handle it for you. I won't let the trouble fall on your head."
Hearing Arlecchino mention a scapegoat, Shao Yun recalled Lumine casually telling him a few days earlier that Lyney and the others had disappeared for no apparent reason. Don't tell me they went off to find that 'scapegoat'?
"A scapegoat? So that's why Lyney and Freminet have been gone these past few days?"
Seeing that Shao Yun immediately grasped the point, Arlecchino couldn't help but praise him. "That's right—your guess is spot on."
She then smiled slightly and continued, "The Mora for the apology has already been prepared for you. This operation was somewhat rushed, and I failed to inform you in advance—please forgive me." As she spoke, she gestured to the side.
Shao Yun looked at the sack beside him, one as tall as Lumine.
He narrowed his eyes unhappily, thinking that the Fatui really did things in a rather crude manner.
Still, despite his displeasure, he ultimately accepted it. At this point, he didn't want to ruin his vacation in Fontaine over something so trivial.
"You Fatui really are crazy when it comes to a Gnosis…" He paused, then added coldly, "But let me make this clear—if I end up getting dragged into trouble because of this, the first thing I'll do is send you to meet your colleagues."
After that, he paused again and added, "Neuvillette has agreed to your diplomatic request. He's waiting to meet you at the Palais Mermonia."
Upon hearing that Neuvillette had finally agreed to the diplomatic meeting, Arlecchino thought of all the running around and careful planning she had done over the past week, and felt that it hadn't been in vain after all.
"Seems all that effort finally paid off…"
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