Gradually, the dark clouds dispersed.
Chief Justice Neuvillette also descended from the sky.
Most of Fontaine's citizens could tell that something must have happened, but since they couldn't find any obvious change, they stopped being curious.
After all, something that dramatic had taken place—Palais Mermonia would certainly know what it was. They could simply wait for an official announcement.
And it even seemed to have mentioned Lord Neuvillette's name.
Back at the Palais Mermonia, Nolan watched as the changes in Navia, as well as in Melus and Silver, finally came to a stop.
If nothing unexpected happened, then from this moment on, they should no longer be dissolved by Primordial Sea water—they had become true humans in the fullest sense.
It was just that, since they didn't feel any particular difference, no one could be sure whether they truly no longer needed to fear the Primordial Sea.
"Lyney." Arlecchino called out to the siblings behind her.
"Yes, 'Father.'" Lyney stepped forward and retrieved a bottle shaped like a flask from his Vision space.
Naturally, it contained Primordial Sea water.
Lyney uncorked it and, without hesitation, poured the water directly onto his hand. The Primordial Sea water streamed down from his palm—
Yet it caused no effect at all.
So it was real. The prophecy crisis had indeed been resolved perfectly… Arlecchino let out a barely noticeable breath of relief.
She wasn't from Fontaine, so she could only have Lyney test it.
Still, Arlecchino had sensed the strange power within the rain and believed nothing would go wrong.
Besides, light contact with Primordial Sea water wouldn't cause too serious an effect, which was why she was willing to let Lyney try.
Now that Fontaine's crisis was confirmed to be lifted, she could focus wholeheartedly on helping Her Majesty the Tsaritsa obtain the Gnosis.
Not long ago, she had sought out Furina—and Furina had been frightened like an ordinary girl. Clearly, the Hydro Gnosis wasn't on her.
Because of that, Arlecchino had once suspected that Neuvillette was the true Hydro Archon—though she couldn't imagine what reason he would have to hide his identity.
When she saw Focalors—who looked identical to Furina—she understood at once. This one was the true Hydro Archon.
And the Hydro Gnosis would inevitably be with her.
If she wanted the Gnosis, she would have to find Focalors. But this was not an appropriate occasion—setting aside the fact that the Archon's own power was far from weak—
Nolan, the Traveler, and Neuvillette were all here. Even if she had the ability to snatch the Gnosis from the Hydro Archon, she had no opportunity right now.
The problem was, if she missed this chance, it wouldn't be easy to find this Hydro Archon again. She was far too good at hiding.
Arlecchino glanced at Focalors—still in a soul state, not materialized. Those with weak spiritual perception couldn't even see her.
Then her gaze shifted to Nolan at Focalors' side.
Clearly, Nolan was extremely familiar with the Hydro Archon. Perhaps she could continue seeking his help.
She walked over to Nolan. Without deliberately looking at Focalors, she spoke to him naturally:
"I still have official duties to attend to, so I'll be leaving first. If you have time, you're welcome to visit the Hotel Bouffes d'Azur as a guest."
"Oh? Sure."
Nolan looked at Arlecchino with mild surprise—she had come over specifically just to say that. Could it be she wanted to discuss something with him, but it wasn't suitable to say it now?
He thought for a moment and roughly guessed what it was, so he nodded and agreed.
He planned to visit the Hotel Bouffes d'Azur in the next couple of days.
Seeing that Nolan understood her meaning, Arlecchino left with Lyney and his siblings.
As for the others—Fontaine officials, merchants, and the like—after learning that the prophecy crisis had been lifted, they all politely expressed their gratitude to Furina and Neuvillette.
Furina first, Neuvillette second.
After all, in everyone's eyes, although Chief Justice Neuvillette had stepped in to resolve the prophecy crisis, it could only have been accomplished under the wise leadership of the Hydro Archon.
So no matter what, they naturally had to thank the Hydro Archon first.
And Furina, unsurprisingly, accepted everyone's thanks without the slightest hesitation—wearing a proud, smug, thoroughly pleased expression.
At the same time, Charlotte began her interview work.
She intended to seize this opportunity and interview every major figure present, mainly asking about the specific details of the "prophecy crisis."
In other words, the parts that were meant to be disclosed so that the people of Fontaine could understand the situation.
Not long after, the interviews ended. Charlotte hurried back to the newsroom, eager to have everyone organize the report. The follow-up would likely be posted first on the "Akasha Interconnected Network," while the newspaper edition would be a bit slower.
Navia and her group also left—she needed to return and inform everyone in the Spina di Rosula that the prophecy crisis had been resolved.
The Special Patrol, tasked with maintaining order, also returned to their duties under Chevreuse's lead.
In the end, Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon returned inside the Palais Mermonia together with Focalors, Furina, and the others.
Next, there was nothing particularly urgent left to do.
However, now that Focalors and Furina had met again, there were surely many things they wanted to say to each other.
Back in the Hydro Archon's reception room, Focalors expressed her gratitude to Neuvillette, praising and affirming his work over the years as Chief Justice.
Fortunately, she had that half of the "Hydro Dragon Authority." Otherwise, Fontaine would have had nothing of sufficient value to repay Neuvillette.
"Mm. Since everything is settled, I'll return to work first."
Neuvillette wasn't good at dealing with Focalors. Faced with such direct affirmation, he felt a little unaccustomed—especially since she might try to coax him into something again.
It was better to return to his office and handle cases.
Watching Neuvillette leave just like that, Focalors wasn't surprised—she knew his personality was simply like that.
Only… was he really that busy?
Focalors looked toward Furina. "You didn't dump all your work onto Neuvillette, did you?"
"Y-you—what are you talking about? Haven't I been properly playing the Hydro Archon this whole time?!"
Furina sat down on the sofa and, acting as if nothing was wrong, reached for a small cake on the table.
Most of her time was spent at the opera house watching trials or performances, or appearing across Fontaine to display the Hydro Archon's majesty.
As for the actual governance work—everything unimportant was handed over to the officials below, while anything important was handled by Neuvillette.
All she had to do was make the final decision.
There was no helping it. She truly wasn't good at administrative affairs.
"…Alright."
Focalors more or less understood what had been going on. In any case, she would handle those duties from now on—and along the way, she could guide Furina as well.
After all, if you were going to be a ruler, how could you not understand governance?
Once Focalors arranged the plans for what came next, Nolan also found a reason to speak up. Her soul body still hadn't fully recovered—if she needed to, she could continue recuperating at his place for a while.
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?" Focalors said, looking a little embarrassed.
"How could it be? If you're going to help, you help all the way. It was hard enough to separate the authority safely—better not leave any lingering aftereffects."
Nolan shook his head.
Lumine and Paimon looked at him with disdain from the side. Even if what he said made some sense, did they really not know what he was scheming?
They didn't really mind, though. With so many girls at home already, a few more would only make things livelier.
"Then… I'll trouble you for a while."
Focalors didn't think too deeply about it. Because her affection toward Nolan was already high, she didn't feel any resistance to staying at his place.
Moreover, with the ability of Interstellar Travel, she could keep an eye on Fontaine's situation at any time.
Staying a few more days and returning only after fully recovering sounded good to her. Thinking of this, and feeling Nolan's concern for her, she once again developed goodwill toward him:
[Focalors Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 620 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.9 (550/900)]
Seeing the notification pop up on the character panel, Nolan couldn't help but feel secretly pleased. With just one more affection gain, Focalors' affection toward him would reach the maximum level.
With that thought in mind, his gaze shifted to the sofa, where Furina was already eating a small cake. He spoke to her:
"You said you were scared by that Arlecchino person some time ago, right?"
"Why are you bringing that up again?! That time was only because Clorinde happened not to be around—otherwise I wouldn't have been startled at all!"
Furina looked at him in embarrassment and irritation, like a kitten whose tail had just been stepped on.
"That Fatui Harbinger is extremely strong. Even Clorinde would probably have a hard time dealing with her."
Meeting Clorinde's displeased look, Nolan coughed lightly and continued,
"So I'll give you a few life-saving abilities. If you run into something like that again in the future, you won't have to be afraid. Of course, this includes Clorinde as well—once she has these abilities, she'll be able to protect you even better."
As he spoke, Nolan finally looked toward the woman standing quietly behind Furina.
That's right—he was once again finding an excuse to hand out abilities, seeing whether he could gain some affection in the process.
"Hmph. If that's the case, then I'll forgive your rudeness."
Furina already had Interstellar Travel from him. Knowing this guy could still pull out more goodies, she naturally felt a sense of anticipation.
Nolan briefly introduced the few affection-based skills he could bestow upon others.
Purification, attack redirection, damage negation…
Hearing about these incredibly powerful effects, Furina—whose combat strength was only slightly above that of an ordinary person—had her eyes light up.
With these abilities, she wouldn't have to worry about someone suddenly popping out to scare her anymore!
"I'll take them! Hurry up and give them to me!"
Furina grabbed Nolan's wrist with one hand, staring at him with excited eyes.
"Don't rush. I'll give them to you now."
Nolan tried to pull his hand back, only to find her grip surprisingly tight. Left with no choice, he used his other hand to activate several affection skills one after another, bestowing the abilities upon her.
At the same time, Furina felt the information about these abilities flow into her awareness.
She turned her head to the side and said eagerly,
"Quick, Clorinde—hit me and try!"
"Uh… Lady Furina, what are you saying?"
Clorinde looked utterly dumbfounded, her fair face under the blue side-hat frozen in disbelief.
She seriously suspected she'd heard wrong.
Nolan raised a finger and gently flicked Furina on the forehead.
"See? Doesn't hurt, right? The effect works. Stop making things difficult for Clorinde."
"Hmph. I just wanted to test it."
Furina rubbed her forehead. It only felt like a light tap—indeed, it didn't hurt at all. That damage-redirection ability was pretty nice!
[Furina Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 660 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.9 (160/900)]
As expected, Furina once again developed affection toward him. Her affection level had reached nine as well—just a step away from being maxed out.
"Here—please extend your hand."
Nolan looked toward Clorinde and stepped closer.
She was wearing a form-fitting black top, with the white shirt underneath visible at her full chest. Tight creases formed around two buttons, as if they might pop open at any moment.
"…Mm. Thank you."
After a moment of thought, Clorinde extended her hand.
She technically had no reason to accept Nolan's gift—after all, she hadn't really helped him with anything.
But considering that protecting Lady Furina required greater strength, she decided to accept it. She could repay him properly when she had the chance in the future.
[Clorinde Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 660 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.8 (260/800)]
After Nolan bestowed several affection-based abilities—including Interstellar Travel—upon Clorinde, she too once again developed affection toward him.
Before long, it was about time to leave. Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon prepared to head back, and Focalors naturally followed them to the Wonderland Space to recuperate for a few days.
This time, however, she couldn't casually sleep in Nolan's room—he needed to prepare a new room for her.
After all, he planned to take advantage of these few days to max out her affection, so it made sense for Focalors to stay in the Wonderland Space.
Time flowed like water. By the time the room was ready, dusk had already arrived.
Focalors' soul was still somewhat weak, so she went off to rest and recover. With nothing urgent to do, Nolan decided to focus on some earnest cultivation.
At this hour, most people hadn't gotten off work yet—but figures like Raiden Ei, Makoto, Greater Lord, and Guizhong were all staying in the Wonderland Space.
As soul entities, if they remained in the outside world without physical bodies, they would inevitably grow weaker over time and be unable to recover naturally.
Inside the Wonderland Space, however, they could become stronger.
So unless necessary, they only went out briefly and spent most of their time within the Wonderland Space.
Which made it a perfect opportunity to cultivate together with them—up close.
As for Lumine, who had returned with him earlier, he decided not to disturb her for now. She was in the kitchen with Paimon, preparing dinner ingredients ahead of time.
Thinking this over, Nolan headed upstairs.
As soon as he reached the second floor, he saw a shrine maiden dressed in red and white standing on the beach to the right, gazing out at the sea.
It was Kitsune Saiguu.
The ceiling of the second floor had always used the Wonderland Space's Mirage property to simulate a normal sky, complete with day and night.
To the left was the hot spring bathhouse; to the right lay the beach and the sea.
Although the ocean only occupied half of the second floor, the walls were also transformed by Mirage into the illusion of an endless sea—visually just as boundless as the sky above.
Nolan looked at Kitsune Saiguu's figure and noticed that her soul had fully materialized. She had completely recovered from her former weakened state.
[Kitsune Saiguu's Current Affection Level: Lv.9 (320/900)]
He checked her affection level. After living together in the Wonderland Space for so long, spending day after day together, her affection toward him had also gradually reached level nine.
With just one more affection gain, Kitsune Saiguu's affection toward him would reach the maximum.
Based on his extensive experience, Nolan judged that this was an absolutely perfect opportunity to farm affection.
He subtly shifted his direction and, without the slightest hesitation, walked straight toward Kitsune Saiguu by the beach.
(End of Chapter)
RedX43's Note:
➤ Want More? Get up to +25 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ [email protected]/RedX43
➤ +400 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
➤ Thanks for reading! 🙌