The Future Revelation System's screen remained pitch-black.
However, its chat function was still fully operational.
While the light screen showed no new content, the people of Teyvat finally had a rare chance to catch their breath.
Morning sunlight streamed into a room inside the Palais Mermonia.
On the bed—
Furina, dressed in pajamas and wearing a sleeping cap, lay sprawled out in the shape of a starfish.
One corner of her blanket had slipped onto the floor without her noticing.
From time to time, she unconsciously rubbed her stomach, mumbling something incoherent.
Her lips smacked lightly, as if she were dreaming of delicious little cakes.
Suddenly—
hurried footsteps echoed outside the door.
"Lady Furina!"
"Lady Furina!"
The footsteps stopped abruptly at the door, followed by urgent shouting.
"No response?"
"Could something be wrong?"
Navia asked anxiously.
Clorinde frowned.
"What could go wrong? Lady Furina's will was personally acknowledged by Lord Aerin."
"And I even saw her happily buying cakes last night."
After a brief exchange, Clorinde's expression suddenly changed.
"Now isn't the time for this."
"Lord Aerin has already arrived in Fontaine. As a key figure, Lady Furina must go greet him."
"If she doesn't show up at a moment like this—are you trying to let Fontaine collapse right in front of us?"
Navia froze.
"…She didn't oversleep, did she?"
After nearly dying from fear just days ago, and now finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel, Furina relaxing too much—and oversleeping—was honestly understandable.
"No time for etiquette."
Clorinde barked sharply.
In Navia's horrified gaze—
BANG!
She kicked the bedroom door open.
"Enemy attack! Assassin!"
"Clorinde—!"
The violent noise jolted Furina awake.
She shot upright, heart pounding.
When she recognized Clorinde and Navia, she finally exhaled—
But the next second, her nerves snapped taut again.
"Clorinde—what are you doing?!"
Kicking down her door.
That furious expression.
Furina's first instinct was—
She's here to arrest me.
"No way… wasn't everything settled already?"
"Did the people not accept it after all?"
Terrified, Furina shrank into the corner of the bed.
Clorinde hurriedly explained,
"Lady Furina, this isn't the time to sleep."
"Get up. Quickly."
"Lord Aerin has arrived in Fontaine."
The instant she heard Aerin's name—
Furina sprang out of bed.
"What?!"
"Seriously?! You're not messing with me, right?!"
Clorinde nearly passed out and rolled her eyes.
Navia added flatly,
"Who would dare joke about Lord Aerin? This is absolutely real."
Furina snapped fully awake.
She spun around frantically.
"My clothes—where are my clothes?!"
"This is a life-or-death situation!"
She jumped down, throwing on clothes while muttering,
"For someone that important… how does he not sleep in?"
"This is completely unreasonable…"
The Highest-Ranking Reception Hall, Fontaine Court
Neuvillette carefully placed freshly brewed tea and pastries on the table.
Bowing slightly, he said,
"Please enjoy."
"If you require anything, do let me know."
Only after seeing Aerin nod did Neuvillette step out.
Once outside, he finally relaxed—
Then immediately frowned.
"What on earth is Furina doing?"
"She vanishes at a moment like this?"
"Is she trying to watch Fontaine fall with her own eyes?"
Inside the hall.
Arlecchino spoke respectfully,
"Lord Aerin, Her Majesty the Tsaritsa has learned of your arrival in Fontaine."
"She specifically sent me to relay her intentions."
"Snezhnaya is preparing a grand reception and hopes you will visit."
Despite her composed words, her voice trembled faintly.
She didn't know how the Tsaritsa learned that Aerin had passed through Sumeru, reshaped the desert, and then immediately changed course toward Fontaine.
But the Tsaritsa's order was clear—
Convey everything. Hold nothing back.
She was already preparing a ceremonial welcome.
When Arlecchino received the mission, her head nearly exploded.
Given the Fatui's reputation across Teyvat, this was a terrifying assignment.
No matter how unhinged she was, facing Aerin still filled her with instinctive fear.
"So the Tsaritsa finally bows her head too?"
Yae Miko chuckled lightly while massaging Aerin's shoulders.
Arlecchino instantly broke out in cold sweat.
"Her Majesty is indeed proud—but pride depends on who one is facing."
"And even then, she's still far from the level of Tartaglia's master."
If someone like Skirk could become a servant…
Then the Tsaritsa—cold, not stupid—would never cling to meaningless arrogance.
Arlecchino clearly expressed the Tsaritsa's willingness to submit.
Because Aerin's response would determine how the Fatui would be treated going forward.
Listening to the chatter, Aerin waved his hand.
"Enough. I understand."
"We'll discuss it later."
The Fatui weren't pure villains.
Many Harbingers simply resented the existing order.
Only Dottore and Scaramouche were truly beyond redemption.
Even Tartaglia once revealed that Scaramouche never returned the Electro Gnosis—vanishing instead.
The Sumeru god-making plan likely occurred without the Tsaritsa's knowledge.
Aerin had no interest in cleaning up Phanes' mess.
As long as they feared him and behaved, minor sins didn't warrant annihilation.
Hearing "we'll discuss it later," Arlecchino finally relaxed.
Just then—
commotion erupted outside.
Moments later, the door opened.
Three flustered figures rushed in.
Aerin glanced at the drool still at the corner of Furina's mouth and smiled.
"Furina… you didn't wash your face?"
Clorinde and Navia froze.
Hearing no anger in his tone, their hearts finally eased.
Furina panicked, wiping her mouth furiously.
"I'm sorry!"
"The stress from five hundred years just released all at once."
"I slept way too deeply."
She sneaked glances at Aerin.
"If I'd known you were coming, I wouldn't have slept at all!"
"Not even blinking!"
"Well, well~"
"Little Furina's mouth is awfully sweet."
Yae Miko teased.
Aerin shivered slightly.
Foxes in Teyvat were exactly as dangerous as he remembered.
Every word from Yae Miko could be misinterpreted in at least three ways.
"I know, it's fine."
He stopped Furina before she could keep apologizing.
"I've already heard Fontaine's situation from Neuvillette."
All those criminals revealed by the light screen had already been captured.
Neuvillette dared not issue final judgments without Aerin present.
This time, however—
Aerin followed the future exactly.
Death sentences.
"The rest depends on Fontaine's people."
The room went silent.
Navia, Clorinde, and Furina's hearts jumped into their throats.
This was the real issue.
As long as they were Oceanids, they could never truly be human.
Furina knelt slowly.
"Lord Aerin… please save Fontaine."
Clorinde and Navia followed instantly.
Aerin's gaze swept over them—
and stopped on Arlecchino.
"You're a Khaenri'ahn refugee, now serving the Tsaritsa."
"Why are you kneeling?"
Arlecchino answered without hesitation.
"Most children of the House of the Hearth are from Fontaine."
"I wish for Fontaine's salvation as well."
Aerin raised his hand.
Blue light flooded the room.
The women stared, confused—
Until the light condensed into a human form.
He had pulled Focalors out of the Oratrice.
As the glow faded, Focalors opened her eyes.
She immediately knelt.
"Lord Aerin."
"Get up," he said calmly.
Several Stigmata Elixirs appeared on the table.
"The mess Egeria left behind—handle it yourselves."
"Stigmata Elixir!"
Furina practically bounced in place.
She knew exactly what it meant.
With it, even complete dragons would pale in comparison.
Aerin tilted his head.
"…You seem excited."
Looking around, he added,
"All of you seem excited."
Arlecchino gathered her courage.
"Because the world knows—serving you is the highest honor."
Aerin replied evenly,
"Don't let sudden power blind you."
"My old friend wants me dead."
"Think carefully."
Furina, however, seemed not to hear the warning at all.
Softly, she asked,
"…May I take one and drink it?"
Yae Miko laughed.
"See? In her heart, Fontaine comes first."
Facing cosmic threats, she still thought only of saving her people.
But—
Furina stared at the shimmering elixir and blurted out,
"That cosmic entity may be on your level…"
"But I can feel you're far more terrifying."
"So I think there's no safer place than staying by your side."
The room fell silent.
All eyes turned to Furina.
"…Why are you all staring at me?" she asked innocently.
No one answered.
Because—
she'd said exactly what they all secretly thought.
Aerin sighed internally.
"So this is how they measure terror?"
"…Women really do think differently."
"Forget it."
He dismissed them and entered Imaginary Space.
The upcoming audience wouldn't be as easily impressed as Teyvat's people.
He opened the system's invite list.
One name caught his eye immediately.
Aha — Aeon of Elation.
"Aha…?"
"So even Aeons are getting dragged in now?"
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