TN: And we're back! sorry for the week long hiatus, it was not intentional since I had to get my right leg in a cast after tripping 3 floors down a stairwell (like an idiot ://) and be unable to use my PC setup upstairs BUT I should be OK now.
Anyways, Thanks for Arcanic Madness, WeissAkumu and WolfWTF for becoming as Supporters!
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As Neuvillette left to distribute the remaining follow-up tasks, Lyney, who had been standing silently to the side the whole time, suddenly took a deep breath, gathered all his courage, and stepped forward.
He hesitated for a moment, glancing at Lumine, Paimon, and Shao Yun before finally speaking.
"Lumine, Paimon, and Mr. Shao Yun… may I take a little of your time to say a few words?"
Noticing that Lyney had taken the initiative to approach them, Shao Yun's expression instantly cooled, though he still asked politely, "What is it?"
Lyney looked extremely nervous, his hands fidgeting unconsciously, unsure of where to put them.
He looked at everyone with deep remorse and stammered as he explained, "I'm truly sorry. We concealed things from you before and didn't tell you our real identities."
"But please believe us—we didn't do this out of malice. We had our own unspeakable difficulties."
Shao Yun expressionlessly raised his right hand and interrupted Lyney.
"That's enough, Lyney. Listen carefully. We don't want any involvement with the Fatui. Let's end it here. We have far more important matters to attend to."
Lyney froze, his eyes widening slightly in disbelief.
"How could this be? Are we… no longer friends?"
A cold, mocking smile tugged at the corner of Shao Yun's mouth.
"Friends? Hah. Then tell me—when exactly did we ever become what you call friends?"
Seeing this, Lyney hurriedly raised his hand and mimicked a clinking gesture, trying to jog Shao Yun's memory.
"At Romaritime Harbor! And from beginning to end, I never intended to harm you. Just because I belong to the Fatui, is that reason enough for you to be this heartless?"
Lumine suddenly spoke up.
"I don't have any good feelings toward the Fatui."
As she said this, Lumine recalled how the Fatui abducted children in Vimara Village to lure out the Aranara, how they injured Dehya twice, and how they used Jeht for human experimentation.
Those memories had left deep scars, making it impossible for her to feel even the slightest goodwill toward the Fatui as a whole.
As for Childe "Tartaglia", it was only because he had left a decent impression during a time when she was most easygoing, combined with the matter of his younger brother Teucer.
Otherwise, she wouldn't even want to speak with Tartaglia.
Lyney naturally understood the Fatui's reputation in the eyes of others—it could hardly be called beloved, only something people desperately avoided.
Even so, he still did his utmost to explain, hoping to leave a better impression on those before him.
"I know you've had countless entanglements with the Fatui on your journey, and just hearing the name makes you uncomfortable."
"But the Fatui is a vast organization. The Harbingers all have vastly different personalities, and the things they seek to accomplish are completely different as well."
Shao Yun rudely cut him off and shot back, "So you want us to pan for gold in a cesspool?"
Faced with such a fierce reaction, Lyney understood that Shao Yun's anger stemmed from his own concealment of the truth.
Still, he refused to give up the chance to defend himself.
"That's not what I mean. The Fatui are indeed unclean, but please believe me—we are absolutely not like the Fatui you've encountered! We want to save Fontaine."
Immediately afterward, Lyney brought up the Fontaine prophecy, attempting to appeal to their sympathy.
"You've heard of the prophecy, haven't you? That Fontainians will dissolve in water! The House of the Hearth is not Fontaine's enemy. We also want to save Fontaine!"
Shao Yun frowned impatiently, clearly unwilling to listen to this sort of pity-seeking talk any longer.
"Stop spouting useless nonsense. What does that have to do with why we hate the Fatui?"
In truth, Shao Yun had nearly blurted out something even harsher—What does it matter to us if all Fontainians die?
But when images of Navia and Charlotte flashed through his mind, he ultimately restrained himself and tempered his words.
Lyney was momentarily stunned by Shao Yun's perfectly reasonable retort, unsure of how to respond.
"I…"
Just as Lyney stood at a loss, Shao Yun grabbed Lumine and Paimon, preparing to leave.
At the same time, he tossed out a final remark as farewell.
"If there's nothing else, we're leaving. We have more important matters to handle—accepting Furina's apology."
With that said, Shao Yun quickened his pace without looking back.
...
At the Palais Mermonia, inside Neuvillette's office.
Neuvillette led Shao Yun, Lumine, and Paimon into his office.
They sat at a specially prepared dining table, waiting for the meal to be served.
Before long, attendants filed in one after another, carrying plates of mouthwatering Fontaine cuisine.
There was steaming Cream of Mushroom Soup, its rich dairy aroma blending with the savory fragrance of mushrooms.
Next came golden-brown Duck Confit, crispy on the outside and tender and juicy within.
After that were generous portions of Fontainian Foie Gras, their rich texture utterly intoxicating.
Then came layers of Lasagna smothered in meat sauce…
In addition, desserts like Conch Madeleine and Crepes Suzette filled the air with enticing sweetness.
Paimon's eyes widened as she stared at the dazzling spread, a thin line of drool slipping from the corner of her mouth.
"Whoa, so much good food!"
Seeing this, Neuvillette made an inviting gesture and said gently, "No need to be shy. Please, enjoy."
The moment Paimon heard that, she immediately abandoned all restraint. She rubbed her hands together excitedly and replied with a grin, "Hehe, then we really won't hold back!"
...
As the saying goes, after several rounds of drinks and countless dishes.
Paimon was already stuffed to the brim. Completely full, she didn't even have the strength to sit up and could only lounge lazily, occasionally letting out contented hums.
Noticing that everyone had eaten their fill, Neuvillette asked, "Did the meal suit your tastes?"
Paimon gave a thumbs-up as she praised, "Yeah, it was delicious. I don't think I can eat dinner anymore…"
Seeing that the timing was right, Neuvillette turned his gaze to Furina, who had somehow already taken a seat on the guest sofa, and spoke.
"Then, Lady Furina, please begin."
At the mention of Furina's name, Paimon's eyes flew open in disbelief.
"Huh? The Hydro Archon? When did she get into the office? I didn't notice a thing!"
At this moment, Furina appeared noticeably more subdued and restrained.
In truth, her uncharacteristic quietness stemmed from two main reasons.
First, although the trial had concluded and yielded a large amount of Indemnitium, it was undeniable that she had lost quite a bit of face—after all, she had falsely accused Lyney.
If Lyney hadn't later exposed himself and committed espionage, she would have truly embarrassed herself beyond repair.
Second, she had been deliberating over how to apologize.
After all, as the Hydro Archon, she had never once bowed her head to admit fault in all these years. This was, without question, a formidable challenge for her.
Now, hearing Neuvillette call on her to speak, Furina sighed inwardly, realizing that what had to be faced could not be avoided.
"Understood."
Furina stood up from the guest sofa in Neuvillette's office and walked over to Shao Yun's group, stopping in front of them.
Before this moment, she had already rehearsed countless ways to express her apology in her mind.
Yet the instant she raised her eyes to look at Shao Yun, all those carefully prepared words vanished without a trace.
What remained in her mind was only emptiness—and sincerity drawn straight from her heart.
She tightly clasped her slightly trembling hands, her expression tinged with nervousness.
"I'm truly, deeply sorry! The other day at Romaritime Harbor, I caused you so much trouble. It was my fault… I sincerely apologize!"
After saying this, she immediately turned toward Paimon and offered an even more earnest apology.
"And Miss Paimon, I'm really sorry as well! I absolutely never intended to offend you on purpose. Please believe me, and forgive my recklessness!"
After listening to Furina's apology, Paimon paused for a moment before smiling generously. "It's okay. I stopped being mad a long time ago."
"Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, right? And we really don't want to let something so small make things awkward between us. So, let's just put it behind us!"
Hearing Paimon's forgiving words, Furina finally felt the weight on her heart lift a little, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
Then, she cautiously shifted her gaze toward Neuvillette, looking very much like a child who knew she had done something wrong.
"Neuvillette, I've sincerely apologized and received forgiveness. So… can I leave now? I really do have very important matters to take care of…"
As she spoke, Furina lightly pointed her slender finger toward the door.
Neuvillette nodded slightly, signaling his approval.
"Yes, Lady Furina. You may leave."
Hearing this, Furina bolted as if she had been granted amnesty.
In the blink of an eye, she had fled Neuvillette's office.
However, just after Furina left, Lumine suddenly remembered something crucial.
She hurried closer to Shao Yun and whispered, "Wait—weren't we supposed to discuss something with the Hydro Archon?"
Prompted by Lumine's reminder, Shao Yun recalled the matter he had promised to handle for Venti and Zhongli.
Still, doubt crept into his mind—was there really a need to speak with Furina about it? Even if they found her, she probably wouldn't know the details anyway.
After all, she was wholly focused on saving Fontaine through her so-called "coal-fired power generation theory"…
"You still want to deal with that? With your brother's plan in place, why bother with this mess anymore?" Shao Yun asked.
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