After resolving the transnational issue, Neuvillette followed the unique sensation he had for the living beings of Fontaine.
The closer he got to the area, the stronger the salty, fishy smell of the sea became, and the ground was muddy from constant dampness, increasing his concern about this Melusine's living conditions.
His steps finally halted beside an old-looking wooden house, whose door panels even had slight cracks.
This must be the place.
However, the tightly closed door he expected wasn't there. The sight he witnessed caused the widely knowledgeable iudex to momentarily freeze, and then his heart felt as if it had been gently pricked by something.
Right in front of the simple wooden house, a small figure was crouching on the ground, her back facing him.
She was wearing extremely strange, even ragged, clothing.
Neuvillette estimated it was originally some kind of simple Liyue-style dress, but its owner had modified it, crudely cutting several holes in the back and the hem of the skirt.
A pair of small blue wings and a similarly blue tail were exposed just like that. The little tail drooped listlessly, and the edges of the wings were even stained with fish scales and blood.
The fabric of the clothes looked faded from washing, and the edges had frayed threads.
Was it because... Liyue had no tailors who could make clothes for her? Or perhaps, no one was willing?
Neuvillette's gaze darkened.
And what this small figure was doing right now caused Neuvillette's gaze to instantly solidify.
A wooden basin was placed in front of her, containing several struggling sea fish. She was using a short knife that didn't look sharp, clumsily yet extremely focused, to process the fish scales and guts.
Her movements were not skilled; the splashing water from the fish tails wet her cuffs and the already worrying fabric in front of her. Her fingertips were covered in slimy fish scales and blood, but she didn't care, as if she were already accustomed to it.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the eaves, illuminating her pair of slightly trembling blue antennae, and highlighting a speck of dirt on the side of her face.
At this moment, all the clues in Neuvillette's mind—about being different, weak, having an erratic whereabouts, and disliking contact with others—were instantly connected, pointing to a conclusion he least wanted to believe, yet seemed undeniably clear.
Stranded in a foreign land, solitary and helpless, forced to hide her identity, and wearing such shabby clothes, all just to struggle for survival in this unfamiliar nation.
How could this be the "relatively stable situation" mentioned by the Tianquan Star? This was clearly... suffering the utmost hardship of hunger and cold!!
A mixture of heartache, self-reproach, and an unspeakable anger rarely surged up in Neuvillette's calm inner lake.
Heartache for the plight of this Little Melusine, self-reproach for failing to discover her sooner and offer sanctuary, and anger toward... the unknown factors that might have caused all of this.
He even considered some darker possibilities: Was she perhaps abducted here by illegal transnational traffickers, forced to separate from her homeland, and after barely escaping, was now afraid of being caught, leading her to hide herself so cautiously and live this kind of life?
The heavy anger in Neuvillette's chest had not yet subsided, but his gaze was involuntarily drawn to the other party's human-like hands. Only now did he realize the overly "humanoid" appearance of the Little Melusine before him.
In Fontaine, only Head Nurse Sigewinne had a similar form, and that was due to medicine. This further confirmed his worst suspicion. The thought that this small figure might have been forcibly given medicine made his knuckles clench into fists.
However, just as Neuvillette's heart was filled with anger toward the perpetrators, he subconsciously mobilized the perception unique to dragon of all, cautiously probing the small figure focused on scaling the fish.
The expected sense of disharmony and stagnation caused by the forced alteration of life form by medicine did not appear. Instead, what he perceived was a clear and pure life aura.
The form of this Little Melusine was not an illusion created by medicine; rather, it was closely linked to her entire life essence, an inherent part of her being.
She was... natural?
Neuvillette paused slightly, and his towering rage and dark suspicions about traffickers forcibly administering medicine abruptly ceased.
There had never been a recorded Melusine in Fontaine, or even all of Teyvat, who was naturally born in this form.
So, this was her "difference"? Was this why she was afraid of contact with others?
He secretly rejoiced at the decision he had made (referring to coming in person).
Regardless of what happened, he would protect her.
Neuvillette stood silently nearby, momentarily unable to bear disturbing her, nor did he want to imagine the look of terror that would appear in her eyes when the small figure turned around and saw him, a stranger.
Lovia, completely unaware of anyone behind her, was wholly concentrated on wrestling with the last stubborn fish in the basin.
"Tsk, why are these scales so hard to scrape off..." she muttered quietly. Using too much force, a few drops of fish blood splashed onto her cheek. She subconsciously wiped it with the back of her hand, only to smear a red streak, which, combined with her slightly furrowed brow and focused expression, made her look even more pitiful in Neuvillette's eyes.
Finally finishing the last fish, Lovia let out a long sigh and shook her aching wrist. She looked at the cleaned fish in the basin and nodded contentedly: "Hmm, enough to eat for two days. Turning them into dried fish is also a good idea..."
She picked up the wooden basin, ready to enter the house, but the moment she turned around, the corner of her eye finally caught sight of the tall figure standing not far away, whose aura clashed completely with the surroundings.
Lovia's movements instantly froze, and her heart leaped violently, almost pounding out of her chest.
Her subconscious urge was to retreat and hide back inside the house. Her fingers clenched tightly around the wooden basin out of nervousness.
The Hood and cloak are inside! She is completely exposed right now!
Who is it?!
Shouldn't this place be deserted?!
Not far away, Neuvillette clearly saw her fair and delicate little face. Her cheek was stained with a bit of unwiped blood and water, and her blue eyes, like the clearest shallow sea, were now filled with startled vigilance.
Her antennae swayed gently as she turned her head.
Very cute, Neuvillette thought.
Lovia's brain completely crashed the moment she clearly saw the visitor's appearance.
Silver-white long hair, elegant and intricate blue attire, and that face... Good heavens, she was too familiar with it!
Isn't that Neuvillette?! The Iudex of Fontaine!!
Why is he here?! In Liyue?! Right outside her house?!
Why did dragon of all run off to Liyue? Is Fontaine finally going to Blitz Liyue? Or is he here to judge Old Zhongli?
Wait a minute... surely he didn't come looking for her...?
Lovia's heart pounded wildly in her chest. The fear of being discovered by a stranger instantly transformed into the extreme panic of "being sought out by a big shot."
Neuvillette took in Lovia's instantly rigid body, suddenly constricted pupils, and nearly frozen breathing. This reaction of "fear," which was even stronger than he had anticipated, intensified the "pity" he felt for her.
Sure enough, she had suffered something truly terrible, and... he had scared her.
Neuvillette's eyes slightly dimmed.
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