"Demon, give us back our grandpa!"
A group of colorfully dressed brats, each with a gourd on their head and wearing split-crotch pants, surrounded Lumine.
"Demon, give us back our grandpa!"
The first child stepped forward. "If you don't give back our grandpa, I'll give you a super-sized slap!"
The second child stepped forward. "I'll tell everyone what color underwear you wear every day!"
The third child stepped forward. "I'll roll around in your rice jar and leave behind some crumbs to choke you!"
The fourth child stepped forward. "I'll crank your bathwater up to a hundred degrees!"
The fifth child stepped forward. "I'll replace your bathwater with my pee!"
The sixth child stepped forward. "I'll turn invisible and spy on you while you bathe!"
The seventh child stepped forward. "While you're bathing, I'll suck all your clothes into my gourd!"
Hearing this, Lumine's eyes widened. What a vicious bunch of brats!
"If you still don't give back our grandpa, we'll fight you one-on-one!"
"You, one-on-one against the seven of us!"
-
Lumine's eyes snapped open to the sight of a familiar yet strange ceiling.
Oh my god! She, the great Traveler, had just been beaten up by seven gourds in her dream!
And in that dream, she hadn't dared to eat or bathe, surviving only on wild fruits and forced to wear heavy armor whenever she went out.
This is too much!
"Traveler!"
Paimon flew into Lumine's arms with a dive.
"Thank goodness, Traveler! You're finally awake."
"You were screaming so horribly just now. We were all so worried about you!"
What? I was screaming?!
Lumine, who had been about to pat Paimon's head, froze. She slowly looked around.
Four pairs of eyes were staring at her. Lumine suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to travel to another planet.
She, the great Traveler, was being tormented so miserably by such absurd dreams. When would this nightmare ever end?!
"Traveler, how are you feeling now?" Dr. Edward asked with concern.
Lumine quickly assured him she was fine, just suddenly desperate for a bath...
"Your body was severely overexerted before," Dr. Edward explained. "You pushed yourself to use your Elemental Power, which is why you fainted again."
"But don't worry now," Dr. Edward said. "I've already administered your medicine. Your condition should be much better."
Medicine?
How did I take it?
Wasn't I unconscious just now?
Lumine's gaze suddenly fell upon a funnel-like object on the bedside table. Dark brown liquid residue still clung to its surface.
She then glanced at the unnaturally stiff expressions on the faces of the other four people—everyone except Dr. Edward. A look of horror slowly spread across her face.
"Ahem, don't worry. This is quite normal," Dr. Edward said, clearing his throat. "Some people can drink their medicine properly, while others need a little... assistance."
He paused. "Actually, I think you should be more concerned about the fact that Paimon recorded the whole thing."
As Dr. Edward's words hung in the air, both Lumine and Paimon froze in stunned silence.
A moment later, Lumine snapped back to reality, her eyes blazing with murderous intent as she glared at Paimon.
You've chosen the path of death!
Paimon shivered violently and immediately tried to flee. But she hadn't flown far before a hand seized her by the scruff of her neck, sealing her fate.
Three minutes later, Lumine stared at the Kamera, scrolling through one embarrassing photo of herself after another. There was one of her drooling in her sleep, another of her being sent flying by a boar, and—worst of all—one showing a funnel shoved into her mouth, medicine being poured directly down her throat. With each image, Lumine's body trembled more violently.
Paimon had already started inching toward the door the moment Lumine began looking at the Kamera. By now, she had one foot out the door. Seeing Lumine on the verge of erupting, Paimon bolted without hesitation.
"Stop! Don't you run!"
"Tonight's dinner is Iron Pot Stewed Paimon!"
Lumine shot out of the room with astonishing speed, looking nothing like a patient who had just been unconscious. The four people left behind could only watch with wry smiles.
"Dr. Edward, we owe you our thanks once again," Dehya said gratefully.
When she had returned earlier and seen Dunyarzad suffering from an attack, her heart had leaped into her throat. Fortunately, she had confirmed that the Restricted Zone was stable for the time being. She had then secretly coordinated with Dr. Edward to return to the Homayani Estate together, arriving just in the nick of time.
Looking at Dunyarzad's rosy complexion, Dehya felt—though she wasn't sure if it was just her imagination—that Dunyarzad's condition was far better after this treatment than before.
"No need to be so formal. It's thanks to your help that they weren't captured by the Akademiya. I'm the one who should be thanking you," Dr. Edward said, then turned to Faruzan.
"Miss Faruzan, I apologize for dragging you into this."
Faruzan wanted to correct his form of address but ultimately decided against it.
"It was my decision. I never expected the Akademiya to have completely sided with the Fatui."
"I'm still unclear on the specifics of their collaboration," Dr. Edward continued. "I only overheard someone inviting me to participate in what seemed to be research related to the mind."
"That's too little information," Faruzan mused. "If we knew more, we could probably figure out what those Sages are plotting."
She paused, then asked Dr. Edward and Dehya, "What's the plan for the Restricted Zone now?"
Dr. Edward sighed. "The Akademiya's offer this time is very tempting. I'm afraid most people will side with them."
"Even though I told everyone that the Akademiya is running low on medicinal supplies and that this sudden offer must be suspicious, they're all clinging to a sliver of hope and want to take the chance."
"After all," Dr. Edward added, "everyone desperately wants to go home."
His words cast a somber silence over the group.
The people in the Restricted Zone had endured immense suffering. Yet, to prevent their illnesses from spreading, they had silently borne the pain and torment.
Their only wish was to see their families again, but even this small desire was nearly impossible to fulfill.
Now, they saw a glimmer of hope. Even if that light was likely false, no one had the heart to stop them from reaching for it.
"Sigh... The only thing we can do is uncover the Akademiya's true intentions as quickly as possible and eliminate the risks," Dunyarzad said with a shake of her head.
"At this point, it's our only option."
"Your identities are sensitive," Dehya said, addressing the group. "I'll handle the legwork for now."
Dehya looked at the group and spoke. "While Dr. Edward isn't officially wanted by the Akademiya yet, no one here doubts that if he showed his face, they'd seize the opportunity to take him in for questioning."
"Alright, we'll be counting on you this time, Miss Dehya."
"Can't be helped. I took the Homayani Family's money, after all," Dehya said with a shrug.
"By the way, I also have to handle the Sabzeruz Festival preparations. That's basically working two jobs, so my old salary won't cut it anymore."
"Miss, you'll have to pay me more!"
Dunyarzad didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but knowing the real reason behind Dehya's obsession with money, she certainly wouldn't skimp on it.
In fact, Dunyarzad gave her extra.
"Consider the extra a small gift from me to the children."
Dehya smiled gratefully at Dunyarzad and accepted the money.
"Then on behalf of those kids, thank you, Miss."
Smiles touched everyone's faces, their mood not quite as heavy as before.
The main reason for their relatively light mood was that everyone present believed the Akademiya would, at worst, just deceive them. They couldn't imagine how truly insane their actions would become.
-
Soon, after Lumine had thoroughly frisked Paimon and confirmed she wasn't hiding any other dirt on her, the two returned to the room, one after the other.
Paimon's cheeks were now swollen like steamed buns, clear evidence of Lumine's "thorough massage."
Seeing Lumine and Paimon return, the group immediately went over to share their plans.
-
"Sigh... To think that I, a dignified Fatui Harbinger, am now reduced to scrubbing toilets in the humble Fontaine Research Institute!"
Pulonia: "?"
"Well, at least the toilets here don't have any strange smells, and they're not too dirty."
"But even so, this is just too pathetic! A genius like me, ending up as a janitor!"
Pulonia: "?"
"If this place didn't have something truly valuable, there's no way I'd be doing this kind of work. Those guys back home would laugh me to death."
"No, they absolutely cannot find out about this."
"From now on, in the Fontaine Research Institute, there is only Ann, not Sandrone!"
Pulonia: "?"
"I must learn everything here as quickly as possible and then get out of this place!"
"That's right! I can't waste any more time here!"
With that thought, Sandrone stood up and patted Pulonia's chest, producing a dull thud.
Pulonia was now dressed in a cleaner's uniform, holding a broom in one hand and a mop in the other, diligently scrubbing the floor.
"I'm going to read those research reports. You keep working hard. I'll be back to check on you later. If you do a poor job, I won't give you any oil!"
After dropping this threat, Sandrone immediately dashed excitedly down the corridor, leaving Pulonia frozen in place, stunned.
After an unknown amount of time, Pulonia's eyes flashed violently with red light, but the glow quickly subsided.
Pulonia resumed cleaning the restroom with its tools, but now seemed to be using significantly more force than before. By the time it finished cleaning one restroom, it had already snapped three mops
Meanwhile, Sandrone made her way to the research report repository and casually pulled out a scientific paper.
She had assumed the Fontaine Research Institute focused primarily on energy and offensive technologies. However, as she opened the report, that familiar sense of utter bewilderment washed over her once again.
Just like before, she recognized every single word, but when strung together, they made no sense at all.
And this was a research paper—in theory, anyone following its steps should be able to replicate the final results.
After struggling through a few more lines, Sandrone, now sweating profusely, decided to switch to another report.
This time, she picked a paper from a domain she specialized in. Instantly, she began poring over it as if it were a priceless treasure.
While the content was still challenging, it wasn't the complete blackout she'd experienced with the other fields.
As Sandrone read, she would occasionally let out a soft gasp of amazement. The knowledge and theories within vastly expanded her horizons.
She remained engrossed for an unknown amount of time, completely lost in the text, until the Head of the Research Institute approached her and spoke.
"Miss Ann, it's time for lunch."
If it had been an ordinary colleague, Sandrone would have completely ignored them.
But the person calling her to lunch was the Head of the Fontaine Research Institute. No matter what, she had to show him that much respect.
Reluctantly, Sandrone placed the report back in its original spot.
"Miss Ann, how are you finding your first day of work?" the Head asked.
At his words, Sandrone's face immediately lit up with excitement.
"It's absolutely brilliant! The person who wrote this research paper is a genius!"
"Even though I've studied this domain for quite some time, I'm still leagues behind the author of this report."
"In the field of mechanics, I'd call them the absolute best!"
Realizing she had become a bit too animated, Sandrone's face flushed slightly before she continued.
"I just wish I knew who wrote this. If I could, I'd love to talk with them all night long!"
A look of yearning and longing crossed Sandrone's face.
The ideas in the report were so ingenious that she felt as if she had finally found a kindred spirit.
"I'm very sorry about that, Miss Ann."
"The author of this research report perished in the last incident."
Upon hearing the Head's words, the light in Sandrone's eyes visibly dimmed.
So that's how it is.
Sandrone had suspected as much even before he spoke, but she had still clung to a sliver of hope.
Now, with the Head's confirmation, that last shred of fantasy vanished completely.
"Alright, child, you should go eat now."
"I cooked today, so I hope the food suits your taste."
Hearing him call her "child," Sandrone couldn't help but roll her eyes. She was old enough to be his great-great-grandmother, but she didn't bother to correct him.
"Wait, you cooked?"
Sandrone suddenly realized what he'd said, her voice filled with astonishment.
"That's right. My primary profession is a chef. Managing the Fontaine Research Institute is just a temporary assignment."
The Head smiled.
"Didn't I explain this to you before, Miss Ann? Currently, the Fontaine Research Institute has only two official researchers."
"One of them is, of course, the renowned Monsieur Rene. He is the one who led us into this new era."
"And the other is Monsieur Jacob, Rene's close associate."
"Jacob understood it?!"
Sandrone cried out, losing her composure. It wasn't that she lacked self-control; the situation was simply far beyond her expectations.
She could accept that Rene had understood the report's contents. After all, his genius had left countless people in awe for centuries.
But Jacob? How could he possibly understand it?
Sandrone shot a questioning look at the Head. If Jacob had truly passed the assessment, her composure would shatter completely!
"Monsieur Jacob doesn't need to be assessed."
The Head paused, looking at Sandrone, before continuing.
"He and Monsieur Rene were already official researchers before. They are both survivors of the last incident."
Sandrone: "..."