"These are so good! Were they really brought from another world?"
After tasting the alien snacks for the first time, Furina suddenly felt that all the little cakes she'd eaten before had lost their charm.
"Of course. Have you ever seen snacks like these anywhere in this world?"
Su Ran watched Furina happily munching away like a carefree child.
A smile appeared on his face.
Whether there was still a bit of acting involved or not, most of this—
Was probably her true self.
Perhaps because he was still technically a stranger, she was holding back a little.
But that didn't matter.
At least right now, her smile was genuine.
"By the way, I still don't know your name."
Between bites, Furina finally remembered to ask.
He's a good person!
Making a friend shouldn't be a problem, right?
"Me? 85."
"Huh?"
Furina blinked blankly.
"That's your name? 85? Who names themselves something that strange?"
Normally, handsome people had decent names.
But 85?
That sounded ridiculous.
Using a number as your identity?
"Well, I'm the 85th member. So… 85. A certain little puppet calls me that anyway."
"That's so weird…"
Furina decided not to dwell on it.
Strange things happen in this world all the time.
If his name was 85, then so be it.
At least it was easy to remember.
Much easier than those long, complicated names.
"85" was pretty catchy.
Su Ran casually picked up the intelligence report Furina had received from Neuvillette.
He began flipping through it.
The contents were surprisingly detailed.
It even mentioned how he had granted Tartaglia power at the level of a god.
Naturally, his real name was also recorded there.
If he casually said it out loud now—
Furina might shoot straight into the ceiling from fright.
As he flipped to the later pages, he even spotted his photograph.
Good thing he arrived early.
If Furina had kept reading—
His disguise might've collapsed on the spot.
With a subtle surge of power, Su Ran altered the face in the photograph.
It now displayed Zhongli's face instead.
Couldn't be helped.
The report had clearly stated that "The Genius" resembled someone from Liyue.
Using another Harbinger's face would've been harder to justify.
That might've raised suspicions.
Hm… Pantalone could've worked too.
But what if Furina actually knew what Pantalone looked like?
"I want to see!"
Furina noticed him flipping through the file and leaned closer.
"Oh? So this is what The Genius looks like? Why does he look older than the description says?"
The report clearly described him as a young man in his early twenties.
But the person in the photo?
At least thirty.
That weathered gaze.
That composed, steady aura.
Didn't look early-twenties at all.
Or maybe he'd accumulated thirty years of work experience in just twenty years of life?
"You can't judge a Harbinger's age by appearance. I heard there's one named Scaramouche who's over five hundred years old but still looks like a teenager."
"Ohhh."
Furina accepted the nonsense explanation without question.
Come to think of it, that made sense.
If he were really just some twenty-year-old kid, how could he be the Second Harbinger?
The youngest was supposedly the Eleventh, and even he was nearly twenty yet still ranked last.
"So, 85, have you fought him before? Is he really that strong?"
Furina was still more concerned about The Genius's strength.
The "instant-killed a god" feat was terrifying.
She couldn't even defeat an ordinary human.
How could she possibly deal with someone like that?
"The Genius is extremely powerful. I can only match him evenly. Defeating him outright would be incredibly difficult."
Su Ran intended to hype up The Genius's terrifying strength.
But as he spoke, he noticed Furina's expression gradually changing.
Was she… seeing through him?
Did she figure it out?
Was Furina that sharp?
"You don't have to exaggerate. Neuvillette already said he's strong. If you can't beat him, that's fine. I won't look down on you."
Furina offered him a comforting smile.
She assumed his "evenly matched" claim was just bragging.
Someone who could instantly kill a god—
How could he be compared to some unknown guy called 85?
"I'm not saying I can't beat him. We really are evenly matched…"
"Bragging has limits."
Furina clearly didn't believe him.
Just look at the photo—
The Genius stood there radiating lethal intent.
He looked like a top-tier powerhouse.
Meanwhile, 85?
He didn't look threatening at all.
If anything, he looked like a fresh graduate.
"I don't usually brag. And even when I do, I make it happen."
Furina's skepticism wasn't unreasonable.
The Genius's recent achievements were outrageous.
For an unknown like 85 to compare himself—
That was a stretch.
"Fine, fine. I believe you, okay?"
Seeing how stubborn he was, Furina gave in halfheartedly.
"Since I can't tell you a story, why don't you tell me one? Just eating snacks is boring."
She said that—
But her hands never stopped moving.
Didn't he say he could travel to other worlds?
Perfect.
She could hear stories about them.
Expand her horizons.
If she ever met someone from another world—like that Traveler—at least she'd have something to talk about.
"Well… if I told you my identity outside this world is even more shocking than 'Second Harbinger,' you probably wouldn't believe me."
"Oh…"
Furina kept eating.
Clearly not convinced.
Sure, sure. Of course it is.
Whatever you say.
More importantly—
These snacks were amazing.
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