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Seeing that Arlecchino had such a clear understanding of him, Shao Yun spoke in a calm tone. "As long as you understand, that's enough."
Arlecchino tilted her head slightly upward and looked at Shao Yun, a hint of expectation in her voice as she asked, "Do you think there's a possibility for cooperation between us?"
"Please note, I'm not referring to the Fatui, but discussing this solely in my personal capacity—as Arlecchino."
Shao Yun curled his lips into a teasing smile and mocked her in a sarcastic tone. "I really have to say, you Fatui folks really have some thick skin."
Hearing his remark, Arlecchino reminded him solemnly, "I've already made myself very clear. This is in my personal capacity as Arlecchino, and has nothing to do with the Fatui."
However, Shao Yun clearly didn't take her explanation seriously.
He shrugged casually and replied indifferently, "You should know, when Tartaglia came to talk to me before, his pitch was a lot stronger than what you're saying now."
"And how did that end? I'm sure you know very well. If not for his powerful master stepping in, his little brother Teucer would probably have the surname Snezhevich by now."
Faced with Shao Yun's words, Arlecchino reiterated firmly, "I believe I can maintain good communication with you. In that regard, I am completely different from Tartaglia."
"Once he starts fighting, he can't be bothered with anything else. I won't act as impulsively as he does."
After hearing this, Shao Yun neither clearly agreed nor outright refused. He merely said flatly, "If it's a commission, go to the Adventurers' Guild and assign it under the name Tacitus Kilgore. Whether he accepts it is another matter entirely."
Arlecchino silently counted the aliases of Shao Yun she knew of, then couldn't help but sigh.
"You really do have a lot of names."
Shao Yun looked unconcerned and shrugged lightly. "A name is just a simple label. It helps avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble."
Hearing this, Arlecchino assured him, "Don't worry. I absolutely won't cause you any trouble."
As soon as she finished speaking, Arlecchino reached for the coffee pot on the table, only to realize it was already empty.
"Would you like some more coffee? I have a feeling neither of us will be busy for a while."
Shao Yun casually handed his empty cup over to her.
"Sure, thanks. Just hope I don't drink through the Fatui's entire coffee budget."
...
The two of them passed the time idly, sipping coffee and chatting about nothing in particular.
Meanwhile, in the main hall of the estate, Lumine was hosting a tea party with Paimon, Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet.
...
At the same time, in Neuvillette's office at the Palais Mermonia, Yelan arrived at his invitation.
She sat across from Neuvillette and took the initiative to ask, "Oh? I wonder what Mr. Neuvillette specifically invited me here for today?"
Neuvillette asked in an even tone, "Miss Yelan, you are a special envoy who traveled all the way from Liyue, so you must be well-informed about many matters. Regarding Shao Yun…"
At this point, Neuvillette paused slightly, considering how to continue.
The moment Shao Yun was mentioned, Yelan immediately warned him with caution, "If you're thinking of scheming against him, I advise you not to."
Neuvillette knew as well that Shao Yun wasn't someone who sought trouble.
Recently, according to the guards, aside from going fishing with Lumine and Paimon, he hadn't done much of anything else. Naturally, Neuvillette wasn't about to stir up unnecessary problems either.
"I know. This is simply a matter I wish to discuss with him," Neuvillette stated his purpose plainly.
Upon hearing that Neuvillette wanted Shao Yun's help, Yelan asked curiously, "Oh? What is it about? Is it convenient to share? That's why you called me here, isn't it—to learn how to deal with him?"
Neuvillette nodded and shared his situation with her.
"That's right. Here's the situation."
"At present, Lady Furina's guard, Miss Clorinde, is recuperating at home, and Captain Chevreuse of the Special Patrol is also bedridden and unavailable."
"As Fontaine's Chief Justice, my daily workload leaves me with no spare time. So, the only suitable candidates I could think of were these three 'tourists' who came to Fontaine."
After listening to his reasoning, Yelan froze briefly, then showed a look of sudden realization.
"Oh, I see. If you really manage to hire him, then without a doubt, it would be an extremely worthwhile deal."
Seeing how confident Yelan sounded, Neuvillette followed up, "It seems you know Shao Yun quite well. Could it be that you've hired him before?"
Faced with Neuvillette's question, Yelan didn't hesitate or hide anything.
She nodded decisively and admitted candidly, "That's right. I did pay a considerable price to hire him before."
"But the results proved that every bit of it was worth it."
Hearing Yelan's high praise of Shao Yun, Neuvillette nodded thoughtfully, understanding the key point, and expressed his sincere thanks.
"Very well. Thank you very much for your valuable advice. With your experience, things should go much more smoothly from here."
...
Time flew by, and before they knew it, afternoon had arrived.
Inside Hotel Bouffes d'ete, Paimon swallowed the very last piece of Bubble Orange Cake with satisfaction.
Having eaten too much and too quickly, she felt completely stuffed.
She gently rubbed her round belly and couldn't help sighing, "Today I ate so much, and it was super fun too…"
Nearby, Lumine smiled at Paimon, her eyes filled with both indulgence and helplessness.
Just then, Lumine glanced at the clock on the wall and cried out in surprise.
"Ah! Without realizing it, we played all day long—it's already four in the afternoon!"
Realizing how late it had gotten, Lumine knew it was time to leave.
Seeing Lumine about to go, Lyney grew anxious and quickly called out, "Wait, please don't leave yet! Have our misunderstandings been completely resolved?"
Hearing him bring this up, Lumine looked at Lyney and asked, "Before I answer that, I have a question."
"Why did you go to such lengths to prove to us that you mean us no harm—and even show such a strong desire to befriend us?"
"You know that I really dislike the Fatui."
Lyney straightened immediately, his expression turning serious and earnest.
"If you simply dislike me as a person, then I have nothing to say. But I don't want you to hate us just because we belong to the Fatui."
"The one standing here, speaking with you and wanting to be your friend, is me—Lyney!"
At that, Lynette and Freminet stepped forward as well, speaking in unison, "That's right! We feel the same way!"
Lumine narrowed her eyes slightly, falling into brief contemplation.
After a long moment, she replied in a more tactful tone, "For now, it does seem like we haven't fully returned to a relationship that could be called true friendship."
"But if you have another magic show next time, I'll be the first to come watch."
The implication was clear—while they weren't officially friends yet, they were already something like almost-friends.
Much higher than Tartaglia, at least.
Hearing Lumine's words, Lyney's face immediately broke into an ecstatic smile.
"Mm! Okay!"
...
After leaving Hotel Bouffes d'ete, Shao Yun turned to Lumine and asked, "So… we've just made up with those three kids like that?"
As he spoke, he recalled everything that had happened before.
Lumine thought about her complicated and subtle relationship with Lyney's group.
After a moment, she nodded gently and answered firmly, "Mm, that's right. Lyney already said that much, and from what we can see now, they really don't mean us any harm."
"Rather than clinging to the fact that he deceived us before, it's better to be more open-minded and let it go."
Hearing this, Shao Yun nodded in agreement.
Yanfei had taken the bullet for them, and Lumine was fine. Now that Lumine wanted to be friends with Lyney, he wouldn't interfere in her personal relationships.
With that thought, Shao Yun changed the subject and asked about their next plan.
"So, what do we do next? We can't just stand around here forever."
Lumine suddenly produced the fishing rod she had used the day before, as if by magic.
Holding it in her hand, she said eagerly, "Isn't it obvious? Of course we go fishing again! That's how we earn tonight's dinner money! Miss Deloroche's commission isn't finished yet!"
Seeing Lumine pull out a fishing rod so suddenly, Shao Yun froze on the spot.
He stared at it wide-eyed and stammered, "Huh? You… you're addicted to fishing now?"
...
And yet, in the end, Shao Yun still accompanied Lumine and Paimon to the seaside to fish for mechanical fish, earning their dinner for the night.
The one hundred billion Mora Ningguang gave Lumine was destined to gather dust—this group really had come to Fontaine to experience life.
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