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Facing Furina's firm and stubborn refusal, Neuvillette showed not the slightest intention of indulging her.
On the contrary, he decided to take a harsher approach to force Furina to face reality.
"At this point, if you still refuse to accept my proposal, Lady Furina… then when they sue you for racial discrimination, as the Chief Justice, I will be obligated to uphold the law."
"Even without help from that legal consultant from Liyue—Yanfei—the Oratrice Mécanique d'Analyse Cardinale would still declare you guilty. Your only destination would be the Fortress of Meropide."
The moment Furina heard even Neuvillette himself say she might end up in the Fortress of Meropide, she panicked once again, stammering, "Ah… c-can't we think of some other solution?"
Right after saying that, it was as though something suddenly occurred to her. Her eyes lit up mischievously.
Then she laughed and pleaded, "For example… dearest Neuvillette, could you go apologize on my behalf?"
"I mean, if I have to apologize myself, that would be way too embarrassing…"
Looking at her expression, Neuvillette almost laughed in exasperation.
"Oh? Are you truly certain you want me to apologize for you?"
"It's possible, yes… but if I go, the other party might file their complaint directly with me on the spot. In that case, the trial would begin immediately."
Hearing this potential outcome, Furina trembled violently, her voice cracking into a near-cry.
"N-Neuvillette, you wouldn't really do that… right?"
"You'd make them submit an application to Palais Mermonia first, right? You wouldn't start a trial so quickly… right? I'm begging you~"
Neuvillette had said all that needed to be said. It was late, and he did not wish to delay Furina's rest further, so he stated calmly:
"Which is more embarrassing—apologizing? Or entering the Fortress of Meropide yourself? Think carefully."
Seeing she had no escape, Furina finally resigned herself.
"Well… let's talk about it tomorrow. I'm exhausted. I need to return to my room and rest."
However, Neuvillette mistook this for another attempt to avoid responsibility and spoke again to advise her.
"Lady Furina, I hope you choose the most appropriate resolution."
Hearing that, Furina sighed helplessly and opened her hands.
"I know, but even if I wanted to apologize now, I don't know where they are! Are you expecting to accompany me door-to-door in the middle of the night searching for them?"
Seeing that she at least showed signs of willingness to apologize, Neuvillette relaxed slightly and returned to his usual composure.
"Very well. Go upstairs and rest. Tomorrow, you will be attending Lyney and Lynette's magic performance."
"As for locating those three, leave that to me. I will dispatch people to track them down. Once they are found, I will arrange a meeting in my office. At that time, I expect you to offer them a sincere apology."
Upon hearing this, Furina pouted involuntarily, looking thoroughly displeased, yet ultimately muttering in defeat:
"Fine, fine… I'll apologize properly, okay?!"
…
After Furina fled from Neuvillette's office, a lantern drifted out of the shadows like a ghost.
From within the lantern, Alice's voice echoed gently.
"Mr. Neuvillette, have you finished informing Lady Furina? I made it in time, didn't I?"
Neuvillette did not reply immediately. Instead, he let out a sigh.
"Sigh… no wonder she suddenly requested that Lumidouce Harbor undergo maintenance, and stayed unusually quiet this past week. So, she was preparing a big 'surprise' for me."
Children quiet for too long are surely up to mischief—Neuvillette understood the truth of that saying painfully well.
When Furina first mentioned that the harbor should undergo maintenance, he thought the Hydro Archon—who had been a hands-off ruler for centuries—was finally paying attention to governance. He even felt happy.
But she was just causing trouble again. And this time, she almost landed herself in the Fortress of Meropide.
Hearing this, Alice felt a strong wave of dread.
"So… you're saying my warning arrived a little late?"
Neuvillette responded with calm composure, "Yes. But that is to be expected."
"All parcels addressed to Palais Mermonia must undergo layers of rigorous inspection, including Melusine-assisted checks."
"With such procedures, delays are only natural."
Upon hearing that, Alice almost lost her temper.
"Next time, I'm absolutely asking Kirara from Komaniya Express to deliver it! Who could've guessed my package would dawdle on the road for a whole month?! Everything got delayed!"
After venting her frustration, Alice quickly calmed herself and began brainstorming solutions.
Moments later, she spoke again:
"Actually, if it's Shao Yun we're talking about—as long as you talk sincerely with him, he's surprisingly reasonable."
Neuvillette, who had been quietly thinking about arranging the meeting, suddenly paused upon hearing this.
"Oh? What do you mean by that? Do you have some particular idea or suggestion?"
…
Alice's voice replied:
"Exactly—if you talk openly with Shao Yun, he can maintain a good attitude."
Neuvillette lowered his head slightly, falling into brief contemplation.
After a moment, he asked:
"Could you tell me more about him? To be honest, the information I have only covers their experiences in Mondstadt and Liyue. I know almost nothing about what happened in Inazuma or Sumeru."
Hearing Neuvillette's genuine interest, Alice became immediately enthusiastic.
"Of course! But it's a long story…"
Without reservation, she started retelling the bloody storms the trio had weathered in Inazuma and Sumeru.
When she finished recounting Inazuma's arc, Neuvillette raised a hand for her to pause.
"Wait. You said Shao Yun personally killed Baalzebul? But according to public rumor, it was a Fatui-triggered explosion at Tatarasuna that caused the Electro Archon's death…"
Alice seemed to detect a faint glimmer of satisfaction in Neuvillette's tone, and asked suspiciously:
"You sound almost… happy when I mentioned he killed the Raiden Archon. Why is that?"
Neuvillette replied flatly, as if stating pure fact:
"I simply hold little fondness for 'usurpers' who seize authority that belongs to ancient dragons."
"As for happiness—where did you hear that in my voice?"
…
The conversation continued. When Alice moved on to the Sumeru section, she paused.
"Have you heard about the horrifying wildfire in Sumeru a few months ago?"
Neuvillette nodded. "I have heard a little."
Alice inhaled deeply and spoke in a heavy tone:
"In truth, that disaster was far beyond any ordinary wildfire."
"The sky was torn open, and a rain of burning sulfur poured down, setting the entire rainforest ablaze."
She paused briefly before adding:
"Later, the Dendro Archon instructed the Akademiya to tell the public it was just a normal forest fire—to avoid panic."
"But think about it: what kind of 'forest fire' can engulf the entire Sumeru rainforest in less than half a day?"
Neuvillette frowned, repeating the key detail.
"'Torn sky'… what does that mean?"
Alice replied:
"It means exactly what it sounds like. I don't know how he did it, but… it was related to him."
"I thought Sumeru was doomed. But then, somehow everything returned to normal. I think there are things happening behind the scenes that I don't know."
"I even wanted to ask 'Nico' to perform a divination, but at this point, that man's fate can't be read by normal means anymore…"
She sighed helplessly, the lantern swaying faintly.
Suddenly, Alice seemed to remember something important.
"Oh—when you meet Shao Yun, you might see a man with a curled mustache and a black top hat standing behind him."
She paused, then added:
"Regarding this mysterious figure, we have very little intel. The only thing we know is that he terrifies Shao Yun like a nightmare."
Neuvillette nodded contemplatively after hearing the crucial information.
"I understand. Thank you, Lady Alice. This will be useful."
Having said all she could, Alice left him with a final blessing:
"While Shao Yun hasn't developed a desire to kill the Hydro Archon yet, you should hurry. Good luck."
"I still need to warn Natlan's Pyro Archon. Knowing Mavuika, she probably won't give them trouble—she's too straightforward. But giving an advance notice never hurts."
After those words, the lantern's glow dimmed gradually, then faded away completely.
Neuvillette stared at the extinguished lantern for a long moment, silent.
At last, he murmured to the empty air:
"…Let's hope that talking things out with him really will go smoothly. May everything proceed without incident…"
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