Are you kidding me, man?!
If that alloy plate was already absurd enough, then the drone suspending it was straight-up black technology. Cloud Retainer's eyes nearly popped out of her head, unable to comprehend it at all.
"How was it, Lady Xianyun? Our Fontaine weapons are quite impressive, aren't they?"
Cloud Retainer looked at the cheerful Rene in a daze, feeling that he must be doing this on purpose.
The firepower was indeed fierce, honestly far exceeding her expectations. But wasn't the armor obviously even more absurd right now?!
Although Cloud Retainer had seen Gardemeks before, the armor on them certainly wouldn't be as thick as the one in the test, yet it was still powerful enough.
Cloud Retainer suspected that even if she wanted to take down a single Gardemek, she would have to use all her trump cards.
If she encountered three of them at once, haha, she would definitely turn and run without hesitation.
So, what exactly is going on in Fontaine right now? Why does she feel like it has evolved without her?
And if Fontaine is this powerful, yet it's been turned upside down by that organization, then thinking about it, Liyue's current situation seems quite reasonable?
If Cloud Retainer saying she was here to learn before was just modesty, now she was truly adopting a new attitude. Fontaine's technology was absolutely terrifying!
"Cough, cough, Monsieur Rene is being too humble. This is far more than just 'quite impressive.' It has truly opened this Adeptus's eyes."
"I hope that in our future exchanges and learning, you won't hold back too much. This Adeptus will also present some of my own masterpieces in return."
Cloud Retainer looked at Rene with pleading eyes. Before, she had felt they were on equal footing, but now she felt she had fallen a head shorter.
Without enough martial force, she couldn't be arrogant!
If Rex Lapis didn't intervene, she believed Liyue's military would definitely be crushed facing Fontaine.
Even if Rex Lapis did intervene, don't forget Fontaine also had Neuvillette, the Sovereign Dragon, whose strength was not much weaker than Rex Lapis.
So Liyue had become this weak all along?!
"Haha, of course."
"Since this is an exchange for learning, it means sharing our respective experiences and ideas. We should make progress together."
Hearing Rene's words about making "progress together," Cloud Retainer blushed slightly.
Fontaine, whose weapons had already reached such a level, along with a mobile phone that had stunned her, would clearly not be too bad in other aspects either. She had definitely gotten a great bargain this time.
Of course, Cloud Retainer was also comforting herself. Although she had lost in military technology, she was still skilled in many other things.
Take one example: the Adepti's unique pocket dimensions like the Serenitea Pot. She simply refused to believe Fontaine could replicate it.
Cloud Retainer was extremely confident in this!
Then, after Rene introduced her to a portable dwelling that could be stored in a capsule, her Dao Heart shattered.
Cloud Retainer watched in bewilderment as Rene tossed a palm-sized capsule onto the ground. A three-story western-style house then appeared out of thin air. After he pressed a button on the wall and the house shrank back into a capsule, she was completely stunned.
Though this thing wasn't as spacious as the Serenitea Pot, anyone could use it, and it could even be mass-produced!
The cost of the Serenitea Pot was on a completely different level compared to this. Moreover, if they increased the investment, could the space not be expanded further?
At this moment, Cloud Retainer truly felt the disparity of this world. It even made her feel as if she had lived these past few thousand years in vain.
Subsequently, each time Rene introduced a new technological product to Cloud Retainer, her head bowed a little lower, until finally, it was almost buried in the Abyss.
At this moment, Cloud Retainer's pride and dignity were completely shattered. The only thing still keeping her going was her proudest creation: the automatic rice cooker.
Then, after touring the fully automated kitchen at the Fontaine Research Institute, Cloud Retainer was completely stunned.
So she was crushed even in her most specialized field? Was there anything left she could offer?
Wasn't she an Adeptus of Liyue?
Why did she seem to see a whole crowd of deities in Fontaine?!
"Heh, because the number of people successfully promoted to full researchers has increased, the Fontaine Research Institute is now short-handed in other areas. So, everyone worked together to conquer the relevant technology in this field."
Rene was very satisfied with Cloud Retainer's performance at this moment, smiling as he explained.
Rene was, of course, doing this on purpose. Everything he had showcased before Cloud Retainer today had been carefully selected by him. As he said, the Fontaine Research Institute still had too few people. As the head of the Fontaine Research Institute, how could he not consider the matter of new members?
Rene didn't expect to completely recruit Cloud Retainer, but as long as she could stay here for a few years, it would be a win. There were still so many research projects yet to be conquered, and they were simply too short-staffed!
Of course, it would be even better if she could stay permanently, but Rene also knew this was somewhat unrealistic.
Cloud Retainer fell silent. The once-loquacious True Lord now found herself at a loss for words, completely unsure of what to say.
This trip to Fontaine had nearly crushed her spirit, yet as Cloud Retainer lowered her head, a glimmer of excitement gradually appeared in her eyes.
For her, nothing was more important than discovering new things, just as she had traveled all the way to Fontaine after seeing a mobile phone.
And now, it wasn't just mobile phones, but so many technological marvels she couldn't even begin to understand. How could she not be excited?!
Seeing the look in Cloud Retainer's eyes, Rene knew he had basically achieved his goal. He then led her to the conference hall to formally begin their academic exchange.
Although the knowledge Cloud Retainer possessed seemed to be far behind Fontaine's, Adepti mechanisms were also a new field for Fontaine. Rene and everyone at the Fontaine Research Institute learned a great deal from Cloud Retainer as well.
As the sky gradually darkened and it grew late, Rene arranged for Cloud Retainer to stay the night.
However, Cloud Retainer declined Rene's kind offer, eager to immerse herself in her research immediately.
Hearing her request, Rene generously assigned her a secluded laboratory. He then led Jacob to another equally secluded but more specialized room.
After Jacob operated a control panel by the door, a translucent film retracted from the entrance. Rene then knocked, and upon receiving permission from inside, pushed the door open and entered.
They were met by a massive Pulonia, which paused for a second upon seeing Rene and Jacob before stepping aside.
Rene and Jacob then approached Sandrone, who was deeply engrossed in a research project.
"Are you here to let me go?"
"Snezhnaya is finally paying my ransom, I assume?"
Sandrone spoke with feigned indifference. In truth, whether she returned to Snezhnaya or not mattered little to her. She had never harbored much loyalty to begin with; as long as the Fatui didn't treat her as a traitor, she was fine. If those monsters came to hunt her down, she knew she couldn't defeat them.
Actually, not long ago, Sandrone had been more inclined to return. For some reason, she had always felt a strange urge to escape Fontaine.
But lately, Sandrone had suddenly found Fontaine to be so welcoming, with so many research projects waiting for her to conquer. She really didn't want to leave.
Rene shook his head and replied.
"I'm not here for that."
"I'm not even here to see you."
Hearing Rene's words, Sandrone looked at him with some confusion and said.
"If you're not here to see me, then you're here to see..."
Suddenly, Sandrone's eyes went blank for a moment. When they regained their vitality, a steadiness that didn't belong to her appeared in her pupils.
Clearly, the one standing before Rene and Jacob was now Alain.
"It's been so long since you met Ann. I believe you must have made a decision by now, Alain."
After hearing Rene's words, Alain fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
"She is not Ann, nor is she the Director... Fusing two fragmented memories, she makes me feel both strange and familiar."
"But no matter what, there is no doubt that she is my relative. I want to create a body for her that is sufficient to walk in this world."
Hearing this, Rene frowned slightly.
In his view, the best outcome would be for Mary-Ann to remain in that isolated place, continuing to immerse herself in the memories of the past.
Just as Alain had said, she was both Mary-Ann and the Director.
But she was also neither Mary-Ann nor the Director.
Rene could roughly guess Alain's thoughts: he simply wanted to try his best to see if, by bringing more of Mary-Ann's memories, he could make this new soul lean more toward Mary-Ann.
"Since you have already made your choice, then let's do it this way."
Rene shook his head, not intending to change Alain's mind, and then shifted the topic to Sandrone.
"Then how do you plan to handle the Fatui Harbinger Sandrone?"
As the most perfect replica of Mary-Ann in Alain's heart, Sandrone's status within his mind naturally went without saying.
But now that the original had appeared, the status of the replica was a bit awkward.
If Sandrone were just an ordinary pre-set program, Rene wouldn't have asked this extra question, but Sandrone was simply too special. She was highly intelligent and possessed an extraordinary learning ability, a point that had already been verified in the previous competition.
"...I will modify her memories. From now on, she will be Ann's younger sister."
"I will do everything in my power to protect them both."
Alain likewise could not bear to simply give up his most perfect masterpiece of many years, not to mention he had also invested too much of his own emotions into Sandrone over these years.
"That's good."
Rene nodded, quite satisfied with this outcome.
After all, a sufficiently advanced artificial intelligence requires continuous learning, in other words, a vast amount of cultivation time, and Sandrone was a completely mature artificial intelligence, who could even be directly put into use if circumstances truly became desperate.
It could be said that Sandrone was the trump card of the Fontaine Research Institute before they researched the next mature artificial intelligence, so if Alain chose to directly give up, Rene would feel it would be a pity.
"And then there is the last thing."
"Stay and help me, Alain."
"This time, we can create our own future together!"
Rene extended his hand to Alain, and Alain merely hesitated for a moment before reaching out and shaking Rene's hand firmly.
Seeing this scene, Jacob stood to the side and revealed an incredibly pleasantly surprised expression.
-
"Well done, Aoba. You've achieved a great feat this time."
Kamisato Ayato spoke in praise, while looking at the young man before him with utmost admiration.
Designing the plan to annihilate over half of the samurai who had come to besiege them, and driving away all the survivors, while only two people on his own side sustained minor injuries after completing all this, this was absolutely a great victory, and the person who formulated this plan was precisely Aoba.
"My Lord overpraises me, this is all thanks to everyone."
Seeing that Aoba did not claim all the credit for himself, the gazes of everyone present turned much softer and more appreciative as they looked at him.
Feeling Kamisato Ayaka's gaze on Aoba grow even more fervent, Kamisato Ayato felt a surge of suffocation in his chest, wishing he could pull out his Haran Geppaku Futsu on the spot and subject Aoba to a big brother-in-law's trial.
However, since Aoba had just achieved a great feat, not only could he not reveal a stern expression, but he even had to lavishly reward the man.
"Haha, there's no need to be so modest, Aoba. It was your strategic planning that enabled us to achieve such a victory."
"As for the rewards for the others, I will see to it that they are not diminished. Therefore, you need not relinquish your own credit to them."
Upon hearing Kamisato Ayato's words, Aoba ceased his protests. He bowed slightly and thanked him.
Seeing Aoba's respectful demeanor and recalling the young man's exceptional talent, Ayato silently sighed in relief, letting go of the idea of making things difficult for him.
After careful consideration, he realized that his sister would likely never be married off. Instead, the Kamisato Clan would ultimately have to recruit a man to marry into the family.
Although a political marriage with another clan could solidify the Kamisato Clan's position, Ayato was unwilling to sacrifice Kamisato Ayaka's happiness for such gains.
In that light, Aoba was indeed an excellent choice, and his presence aligned with his sister's wishes.
The only point of dissatisfaction for Ayato was Aoba's frailty. Even an ordinary samurai could easily take his life.
Yet, looking at it from another perspective, he realized he no longer needed to worry that Kamisato Ayaka might be bullied in the future.
Thinking this way, Kamisato Ayato's gaze as he looked at Aoba softened a bit.
However, Aoba still needed to continue honing himself. Since he couldn't protect his sister with his own strength, he would have to ensure that his sister wouldn't have to worry too much about other things.
Suddenly, Kamisato Ayato sensed something and turned his gaze to a figure rolling rapidly toward them. It was Sayu who had returned.
Kamisato Ayato had thought Sayu would have brought a message from Yae Miko, but to his surprise, Sayu brought back the news that Grand Narukami Shrine had been sealed for several days, and Yae Miko had gone missing.