After hearing Neuvillette's explanation, Furina was completely stunned.
"Neuvillette, what are you saying? Isn't New Eridu a city in Liyue?"
Neuvillette's expression turned solemn. "It's not."
How could that be possible?
Furina quickly tried to explain. "I saw the Seven Statues of the Geo Archon in both the outer ring and within the city of New Eridu. It's true! I've seen the Geo Archon statues in Liyue before, and the ones in New Eridu are exactly the same…"
When she first arrived at the outskirts of New Eridu, Furina had suspected she might have gone to the wrong place.
She questioned whether it was truly part of Liyue.
But once she saw the Statues of The Seven, her doubts vanished. After all, such statues couldn't be faked—there was no way to replicate them.
After listening to her explanation, Neuvillette's expression grew even more serious. "That's exactly what makes it more suspicious. The statues are clearly genuine, but the response from Liyue claims they have no knowledge of that land…"
As he finished speaking, Neuvillette turned to the phone on the table and picked it up.
He lightly pressed it, and the screen lit up instantly—an expression of surprise even appeared on his face.
Such a refined and mystical device couldn't have been made even with Fontaine's technological advancements, let alone in nearby Liyue Harbor, where science has never truly flourished.
Neuvillette came to a conclusion.
This device definitely couldn't have been created by Liyue, and that land certainly didn't belong to Liyue.
Seeing him deep in thought, Furina continued, "If you don't believe me, go see New Eridu for yourself. The Geo Archon statues are really there."
Neuvillette nodded. "I believe you."
But—
He absolutely didn't believe that land belonged to Liyue.
Especially when Liyue had already denied it.
Still... how could a new region suddenly appear out of nowhere—with statues of the Geo Archon, no less?
Then, as if a thought struck her, Furina spoke earnestly, "Could it be that this land is actually an ancient overseas territory of Liyue? Maybe it got cut off during the Archon War thousands of years ago and evolved independently, developing its own unique powers and technology over time?"
As she spoke, her expression grew more and more confident.
That must be it. Otherwise, how else could New Eridu's existence be explained?
But—
After hearing her theory, Neuvillette shook his head. "That's impossible. The original Geo Archon is still alive. There's no way Liyue could've lost any of its lands overseas…"
Furina blinked in confusion. "Huh? Hasn't the Geo Archon been dead for almost three years now? I heard the funeral was handled by the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
Neuvillette: "…"
Furina continued, "Oh right, I ran into Consultant Zhongli in New Eridu. I heard he was the one who presided over the Geo Archon's funeral. But for some reason, he seems to have left Wangsheng and joined an organization called Hare's House…"
Neuvillette was even more puzzled after hearing that.
After a brief silence, he asked, "Did you encounter anyone else from Teyvat?"
Furina thought for a moment. "Of course. I saw a bard who was singing—he's from Mondstadt. I met him once in Liyue Harbor, and he was the one who brought us back…
"Billy also said that someone named Arataki Itto had visited New Eridu. Apparently, he's one of the Traveler's friends too…"
The more Furina talked, the more complicated things became.
Seeing Neuvillette lost in thought, Furina grinned. "Since Liyue officially claims it's not their territory, why don't we just take it over for Fontaine? No reason to waste it."
Neuvillette: "…"
Clorinde: "…"
What kind of joke was that?
Furina had just been playing around during the trip.
But Clorinde had been quietly observing the situation in New Eridu—its military forces, organizations, and local powerhouses.
New Eridu's firearms were far more advanced than Fontaine's…
Its technological level, far ahead…
Its military and law enforcement presence, more extensive than Fontaine's…
In terms of overall capability, New Eridu was in no way inferior to Fontaine.
That is, unless Neuvillette personally intervened.
If he did, they might surpass New Eridu, but trying to absorb it into Fontaine would still be incredibly difficult.
The biggest obstacle wasn't the local powers—
It was those statues of the Geo Archon… their presence linked New Eridu to Liyue beyond dispute.
Despite all the talk between Furina and Neuvillette…
Rather than clearing Neuvillette's doubts, Furina had only deepened them.
She sighed. "Anyway, I think we should communicate more with New Eridu. Their tech is super practical and pretty cheap. Next time we go, we should definitely bring more back…"
Motorcycles, for example—perfect for the Shadow Hunters to use in high-speed pursuits.
Or smartphones—they could be distributed across all departments in Fontaine…
Standing nearby, Neuvillette took a deep breath and said, "Liyue has already sent a team to investigate New Eridu. I believe we'll have results soon. I also heard that one of the Liyue Qixing will personally lead the mission—and the Traveler will be invited to join."
Upon hearing this news, Furina lit up. "That's great! I want to go too!"
Neuvillette shook his head. "You just got back. Rest for a few days first. We'll decide after Liyue finishes their investigation."
She'd already snuck out once.
Not wanting to worry Neuvillette again, Furina agreed. "Alright…"
After finishing their talk, Furina glanced at the phone on the table, and her eyes sparkled. "Clorinde, Billy said the signal's better from high up. Let's climb to the palace roof and give it a shot—maybe we'll get a signal."
Clorinde: "…"
Neuvillette: "…"
...
When Furina and Clorinde returned from New Eridu and told Neuvillette everything they'd seen and heard...
At that same moment—
In Liyue Harbor, atop the Jade Chamber.
Tianquan Ningguang, Yuheng Keqing, and Ningguang's two secretaries stood overlooking the land of Liyue.
Ningguang slowly asked, "How's everything progressing?"
Secretary Baiwen answered earnestly, "Lady Ningguang, the letter you wrote has been sent to the Traveler, inviting her to visit Liyue. If all goes smoothly, she should arrive at Liyue Harbor by tomorrow."