"Single 6!"
"2!"
"Bomb!"
"Pass!"
"Pair of 6s!"
"Pair of Aces!"
"I can't afford to!"
After finishing the funeral rites for her last client, Hu Tao, who was forbidden from privately promoting her business in Liyue Harbor, found herself bored. She had planned to drag Chen Feng to explore Wuwang Hill, but instead, Chen Feng roped her into playing the card game he had commissioned.
Zhongli was also roped in to make up the numbers.
The loser had to have a paper strip stuck to their face by the winner. Hu Tao's face was now covered in so many strips that her small features were almost completely hidden. Zhongli's face also bore several strips, while Chen Feng had the fewest.
"Director Hu Tao, you've lost again!"
Chen Feng tossed his last two cards onto the table, grinning as he stuck a paper strip onto Hu Tao's nose. With each breath, the strip fluttered comically in front of her face.
Huff!
Hu Tao puffed out her cheeks and blew upward, sending a flurry of paper strips flying. Her eyes caught the barely suppressed grin on Chen Feng's face, and her composure instantly shattered.
She threw her remaining cards onto the table and furiously tore off a handful of paper strips from her face, declaring, "I quit!"
"I'm done! I'm not playing anymore!"
This game was actually quite fun, but losing repeatedly was getting unbearable.
Seeing Hu Tao's movement, Zhongli immediately raised his hand to tear off the strips of paper from his face. However, a sharp click froze him mid-motion.
Hearing the sound, Hu Tao whipped her head toward Chen Feng, only to see him aiming a Kamera at her, snapping a photo. Her mind went blank for a moment.
"I wouldn't miss such a memorable moment for the world!" Chen Feng said with a grin, slowly lowering the Kamera. Hu Tao finally snapped out of her daze.
"Damn it! This thing absolutely must be destroyed!"
"This Director's lifetime of heroic glory... tarnished beyond redemption!"
"Consultant Chen Feng, hand over the Kamera!"
Hu Tao slammed her hands on the table, launching herself into the air like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey. But Chen Feng, who had anticipated this, easily dodged her attack.
"Hahaha, not a chance!"
"I think this photo would make the perfect background for our latest Wangsheng Funeral Parlor brochure!"
Hearing this, Zhongli's eye twitched. After all, he had been caught in the shot as well.
To avoid being mocked by his old friends if they saw the photo, Zhongli quickly and secretly cast a seal to destroy the Kamera's core.
"Damn you, Chen Feng! Stop right there for This Director!"
"You're a Consultant at our Wangsheng Funeral Parlor! You have to listen to This Director!"
Her initial attack thwarted, Hu Tao quickly regained her balance and lunged at Chen Feng again, reaching for the Kamera.
"No way! It's after work hours now. No one can make me work overtime..."
"I'll pay you overtime!"
"Anything but Mora!"
"Overtime accepted!" Chen Feng immediately changed his tune.
"Hand over the Kamera to This Director, now!"
"No way! I bought this Kamera myself—it's my personal property and means a lot to me. Even if Director Hu Tao herself asked, I wouldn't give it to you!"
"You're going to have to pay more!"
"Just sleep in a pile of Mora already!" Hu Tao retorted sharply.
"Alright, alright, This Director agrees! Now give it here!"
With that, Hu Tao finally snatched the Kamera from Chen Feng's grasp.
Hu Tao immediately opened the Kamera, intending to destroy the film. However, she smelled a burning odor—the film was already ruined.
"Consultant Chen Feng, you must have plenty of money by now. Why did you buy such a cheap piece of junk? It's already broken." Hu Tao looked at Chen Feng with a strange expression as she spoke.
"Broken?" Chen Feng exclaimed. "How could that be?! I just bought the latest model yesterday!"
Hearing Hu Tao's words, Chen Feng immediately snatched the Kamera back and meticulously examined it. When he confirmed it was indeed broken, he completely lost his composure.
"That cursed shopkeeper! Selling me defective merchandise! Tonight, I'll throw pamphlets into his house and scare him to death!" Chen Feng roared, clenching and unclenching his fists in fury.
A hint of embarrassment flickered across Zhongli's face, but he quickly regained his composure. To prevent the Kamera shop owner from suffering undeserved consequences, he quickly intervened.
"Consultant Chen Feng, such actions would be inappropriate and would damage the reputation of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
"You're right," Chen Feng conceded. "Then I'll demand a refund!"
After listening to Zhongli's words, Chen Feng pondered for a moment, then nodded, his voice brimming with righteous indignation.
"That despicable, black-hearted merchant! I'll confront him immediately!"
With that, Chen Feng stormed out of the room.
"Wait, Consultant Chen Feng! This Director is coming with you!"
"No one dares bully the Consultant of our Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!"
Worried that Chen Feng might be taken advantage of, Hu Tao chased after him, only to dash back into the room moments later. She grabbed the Staff of Homa from the wall and hurried out again.
"We might need to reason with him later—can't go unarmed!"
Zhongli watched their departing figures, silently sipping his tea.
To clear his name, he would properly compensate the owner in a few days.
-
[Abnormal situation detected. Aquabus, reduce speed and increase vigilance!]
[Second Squad, advance one hundred meters, scout the road ahead, and provide early warnings!]
"Fourth and Fifth Squads, weapons loaded! Prepare to engage the enemy at any moment!"
Upon receiving intelligence from Navia, Chevreuse immediately began issuing orders.
While Hilichurls no longer posed a significant threat to modern Fontaine, complacency was not an option. These Hilichurls were clearly being used as cannon fodder, with even Abyss Mages serving as vanguard units. The forces deployed this time were far from ordinary.
"What's going on? What's happening?" Paimon asked, her voice tinged with unease as she observed the sudden tension gripping their escort. "Why are they acting like they're facing a major threat? Could it be bandits?"
Lumine and Enjou exchanged puzzled glances. The thought of someone coming to rescue them hadn't even crossed their minds. After all, they were new to Fontaine and knew almost no one here.
Suddenly, a violent explosion echoed from the distance, rattling even the three passengers inside the Aquabus. The tremors instantly heightened their anxiety.
Given their current state, the three of them couldn't even take down a wild boar. Lumine, with her sturdier build, retained some confidence, but Enjou and Paimon were starting to panic.
"Traveler, it looks like the road ahead has been blown up!" Paimon exclaimed nervously, eyeing the plumes of black smoke rising in the distance.
"Oh no, oh no! Could we really be facing bandits?"
"I wonder if they can beat those bandits..." Paimon muttered, staring nervously at the black smoke rising in the distance.
"That's even better!" Lumine retorted. "If they can't defeat the bandits, we can make them release us and let us fight them! That should clear our names once and for all!"
Hearing this, a flicker of hope ignited within Lumine's heart. But when she spotted figures rushing toward them from afar, her pupils dilated instantly.
"Those look like Hilichurls, Mitachurls, and Abyss Mages!" she gasped.
Paimon also recognized the "bandits" and exclaimed in shock, turning to Enjou. "Enjou, did you summon them here?"
"I have no idea!" Enjou stammered, his face blank with confusion. But his eyes quickly brightened.
"Could it be the Prince?!"
"Wonderful! We're saved now!"
As Enjou finished speaking, Captain Chevreuse of the Special Task Force immediately gave the order:
"Fire!"
A barrage of projectiles rained down upon the Hilichurl horde, wiping out the entire group of over a hundred in less than two minutes. Even the three Abyss Mages among them couldn't escape the onslaught.
"Captain Chevreuse, the threat ahead has been eliminated," a Special Task Force member reported.
"Hmm, you did alright," Chevreuse nodded, then added, "But you wasted too much ammunition. Remember to practice your accuracy drills when we return."
"Yes, Captain Chevreuse!"
Witnessing this, Enjou's eyes widened, and a strangled "Gah!" escaped his throat, as if he were being choked.
What? It's over already?!
Was that... too easy?!
They haven't even deployed the Gardemeks yet!
"Enjou, is this the 'rescue' you promised?" Lumine asked, her voice dripping with disdain.
Faced with Lumine and Paimon's scornful glares, Enjou was utterly humiliated, his faith in the Abyss Order shaken to its core.
Are we really this weak?!
Though his confidence had been shattered, Enjou still desperately wanted to be Lumine's top lackey. He couldn't afford to lose face in front of Paimon. So, he forced himself to speak again:
"Don't get ahead of yourself! This is nothing. Our Abyss Order's main forces haven't even arrived yet. Clearing out a few grunts hardly counts as an achievement!"
After hearing Enjou's words, Lumine and Paimon exchanged even more skeptical glances. His tone lacked conviction, making them seriously doubt the truth of his claims.
Just then, a violently distorted and malevolent aura erupted from behind them, swiftly enveloping the entire area. The chilling dread emanating from this presence sent shivers down their spines.
Sensing an Abyss Aura several times denser than Enjou's, Lumine's expression instantly darkened. She twisted around to look behind her and beheld a sight that left her utterly stunned.
The figure resembled a fusion of an Abyss Herald and an Abyss Lector. A massive disc hovered behind him, radiating the potent Elemental Power of Pyro, Cryo, and Electro—each aura impossibly powerful.
"A powerful enemy has appeared behind us! First Squad and the Clockwork Meka, deploy immediately! The rest of you, maintain your positions!" Captain Chevreuse ordered grimly, her expression hardening as she sensed the malevolent aura.
Simultaneously, Chevreuse handpicked several elite soldiers to join the Clockwork Meka's charge toward the formidable figure.
"Iniquitous Baptist," Enjou murmured, a flicker of wariness crossing his face.
"The Iniquitous Baptists have been so thoroughly corrupted by the Abyss that they've practically lost their selves. It's likely only His Highness the Prince can command them, but even he rarely deploys them for missions due to the high risk of them losing control."
"To think even the Iniquitous Baptists have appeared... His Highness the Prince must be nearby."
"The Prince has come to rescue me! He hasn't abandoned me after all!" Enjou sobbed dramatically, making Paimon feel too awkward to remind him that the Prince might not actually be there to save him.
Meanwhile, Lumine's expression turned dazed. She hadn't fully registered Enjou's words earlier, but now she felt a faint, almost imperceptible connection stirring within her.
Suddenly, Lumine glanced toward a nearby mountain peak and locked eyes with a pair of golden irises.
Older brother...
She couldn't believe she was actually seeing her brother. Lumine began to struggle fiercely. She had finally caught a glimpse of her older brother's trail, and even if this wasn't the time for their reunion, she desperately wanted to speak with him.
But the ropes and shackles binding Lumine were too secure, plunging her into despair.
Being so close and unable to reach her older brother was bad enough, but now he had to see her in this disheveled state? Lumine was ready to move to another planet.
When she glanced back at the mountain peak, the golden figure had vanished.
The battle had resumed.
Compared to the earlier clash, this battle was much quieter, but the combatants were terrifyingly powerful. Every attack that struck the ground left behind massive craters, and even a section of the railway line was completely obliterated.
Enjou had been secretly hoping the Iniquitous Baptist would gain the upper hand, but the outcome disappointed him. The Iniquitous Baptist was holding its own against the Clockwork Meka Squad and Chevreuse's team.
Seeing this, Enjou's eyes widened again. Seriously, Fontaine, is your combat power even fair?!
He'd initially thought he'd been captured due to his own carelessness, but now it seemed Fontaine was straight-up cheating!
Hey, isn't anyone going to step in? An entire nation is using hacks!
Enjou's composure crumbled. It turned out those Maison Gardiennage officers hadn't been exaggerating—in Fontaine, he really was just a weakling.
Just then, dozens of Geo Samachurls in the distance joined forces to create several new bridges, causing even more Hilichurls to surge toward the Aquabus. Large numbers of Hilichurls and Abyss Mages also flooded in from the front, totaling roughly a thousand enemies!
Keep in mind that this was with at least half of the Hilichurl forces being intercepted by personnel stationed on the perimeter. The scale of this Hilichurl mobilization was unprecedented in Fontaine's history.
However, for the Special Task Force members, who had already switched to their upgraded weapons, this posed no significant problem. By emptying their magazines in rapid succession, they effectively kept the Hilichurls at bay, preventing them from advancing an inch.
Then, several spatial portals opened, and figures resembling Enjou appeared directly behind the Special Task Force members. They swung their blades, and crimson light erupted as the defense line shattered instantly.