It was no wonder Apep didn't believe it. Although she didn't take the Abyss Order seriously, she had to admit it was a formidable force on the continent of Teyvat.
Some of its members even possessed power comparable to her own. And now, what was she hearing?
Thousands of Abyss Monsters were one thing, but the Overlord of the Vortex Osial?
That was an opponent even she had to take seriously. Yet Fontaine had repelled him with such minimal losses?!
Not a chance!
The Dendro Dragon seemed to have finally found Neuvillette's weak spot and seized upon it, mocking him relentlessly.
"Neuvillette, are you afraid of losing face in front of me? Did you have them rehearse this story beforehand?"
"But couldn't you have thought it through a little more? How could you say something so ridiculous?"
"Lia, stay away from this man from now on. Don't let him corrupt you!"
Finally, Apep didn't forget to lecture the child. The scene left Furina and Focalors too intimidated to intervene.
The family drama among dragonkind was terrifying!
"Apep, haven't you been following me this whole time? If I had arranged for them to prepare a script, you would have known long ago."
"Is that so? Still being stubborn, Neuvillette?"
"In that case, why not let me witness the strength of your Fontaine?"
"It's not that I don't believe you, you see. I just want to broaden my horizons!"
Hearing Apep's words, Neuvillette decided there was no point in arguing further.
Unless she saw it with her own eyes, this reclusive dragon would never believe that the times had changed.
So Neuvillette glanced toward Furina and Focalors, and Focalors immediately spoke up.
"The All-Devouring Narwhal has been released. The Traveler cleared Clorinde of suspicion after her return, so her movements are no longer restricted. She's off adventuring somewhere now."
After receiving this answer, Neuvillette nodded.
Although he couldn't showcase Fontaine at its absolute strongest, it would be more than enough to make Apep question her entire existence.
"Is something fun happening?!"
Hearing the commotion, Lia tossed her mobile phone aside, climbed into Apep's lap, and looked at the others with an expectant expression.
Seeing this, Furina couldn't resist picking up the phone and starting to play it herself, earning a disdainful glare from Focalors. But as Focalors watched, she too became engrossed.
Neuvillette nodded to Otillia and then spoke.
"Lia, I'll take you to see fireworks in a bit."
"See fireworks? Yay!"
Otillia jumped to the ground, grabbing Apep's hand with one hand and Neuvillette's with the other, and said happily,
"Dad and Mom have to come too! Let's all go see the fireworks together!"
Apep and Neuvillette, whose hands were being held, felt a bit awkward but didn't pull away from the child, even though they could have easily done so with just a little more force.
Soon, the group left the Palais Mermonia, preparing to find an open space to broaden Apep's horizons.
Of course, there were other matters to attend to first. Neuvillette went directly to Furina and Focalors, who were huddled together playing on their mobile phones, and said,
"Our arrival earlier caused quite a stir. This matter needs to be resolved as soon as possible."
"Lady Focalors, please contact the biggest newspaper agencies as soon as possible and have them jointly clarify the misunderstanding.
"Lady Furina, I trust there will be quite a few unscrupulous reporters causing trouble this time. Please lead a Special Task Force to patrol and apprehend any suspicious individuals."
After speaking, Neuvillette snatched the mobile phone back from Furina's hands.
Hearing Neuvillette's arrangements, Furina and Focalors immediately put on bitter expressions, surprised that his retaliation had come so swiftly.
However, sparing them from paperwork was a mercy in itself, so to prevent Neuvillette from changing his mind, they quickly accepted the tasks.
"Leave this matter to us!"
Furina patted her chest, then pulled Focalors away.
"Well, your subordinates are quite energetic."
Seeing Neuvillette return, Apep teased.
"They are not my subordinates."
Neuvillette shook his head.
"Then who are they? Don't tell me they're your mortal lovers?"
"They are Fontaine's Hydro Archon."
After hearing Neuvillette's words, a question mark slowly materialized above Apep's head.
"The Hydro Archon? Them?!"
"Your Fontaine is truly... unique."
After tossing out this remark, Apep thought carefully and suddenly felt that Sumeru's Dendro Archon was even worse, leaving her speechless.
No, my strength may not match Neuvillette's, but Sumeru's Dendro Archon must be superior to Fontaine's!
Looks like I'll have to properly train that Little Dendro Archon when I get back.
A strange sense of rivalry flared in Apep's heart. Just as she made this resolution, Nahida in Sumeru suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
"Let's go. Hurry up and show us the sights."
Neuvillette paid little mind to her words and led Otillia and Apep to a small hill outside Fontaine.
When they finally arrived, Neuvillette stopped. Apep scanned the surroundings but found nothing special about the place. Otillia also looked around curiously before turning to Neuvillette with hopeful eyes.
"Dad, where are the fireworks?"
"Neuvillette, where are your preparations? There's nothing here!"
"Doesn't your conscience hurt for deceiving a child?"
Hearing their words, Neuvillette just calmly tapped his phone a few times, sending out the command. Then, he stood ramrod straight on the hilltop, gazing at the cliff face of a taller mountain in the distance, and said slowly,
"Be patient. Let the fireworks burn for a while."
Not long after Neuvillette finished speaking, a dazzling burst of fire suddenly erupted from the distant cliff.
This burst of fire acted as a signal. Soon, the entire cliff face was engulfed in countless flames of various colors, the sound of explosions echoing ceaselessly.
"Fireworks! The fireworks are here!"
Seeing the spectacle before her, Otillia immediately started jumping up and down, cheering with delight, while Apep was completely stunned.
An ambush by a god?!
No, the intensity of these explosions isn't at the god level. They're just... overly dense, making the display look terrifyingly powerful.
Of course, each individual attack is not weak; even I couldn't handle them carelessly.
But where are the things launching these attacks?!
Apep scanned the area but found nothing, only seeing numerous streaks of light in the sky, like falling meteors.
And what made Apep even more stunned was that the countless bursts of fire seemed to come alive, performing various patterns for her.
The explosions continued for ten minutes before finally stopping.
A final, fat missile flew slowly from the distance, crashing directly into the mountaintop, and a dazzling light bleached the entire world white.
Feeling the power contained within that missile, even Apep's body trembled twice.
God-level destructive power, and the core of the blast reached the full strength of an average god's attack.
When the white light finally faded, revealing a mountain peak that had been given a flat top, Apep's eyes were noticeably clearer.
"So beautiful, so beautiful! It was absolutely gorgeous! Thank you, Dad!"
"I'm glad you liked it."
Neuvillette gently stroked Otillia's small head, then turned to Apep beside them.
Seeing Apep completely lost in a daze, Neuvillette's lips curled into a slight smile, and he slowly asked,
"How did you find it?"
"Are these things made by you Fontaine people?!"
"That's right. This is the collective masterpiece of countless generations of dedicated researchers in Fontaine."
Apep was completely stunned. Was this still the weak human race she knew?
"Where are the people who launched the attack?"
Apep asked. This was her most pressing concern, as she still hadn't found any trace of anyone nearby.
"Hmm, it's afternoon tea time now. They should be gathered in Fontaine, drinking black tea."
Although Neuvillette's words were a bit exaggerated, the distance he mentioned was entirely true.
Sumeru had already connected Fontaine to the network. Neuvillette only needed to explain to his subordinates how to use the local area network built with Ley Lines to achieve remote weapon control.
This was just a test for Neuvillette, but the final result was highly satisfactory. He believed that after witnessing this scene, Apep would no longer casually threaten the Fontainians.
To be honest, he had to try very hard not to laugh.
If Apep were at her peak, she might have caused considerable trouble for Fontaine. But with her current strength, her weight was probably the only thing she could use effectively.
And her large size made her an easier target for precise firepower.
Fontaine currently isn't afraid of massive bulldozers, but of small, agile enemies.
After all, no matter how powerful the weapons are, they're meaningless if they can't hit the enemy.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Upon hearing Neuvillette's words, the Dendro Dragon immediately denied it.
To achieve this level of firepower coverage from such a great distance... didn't that mean the Fontainians already possessed God-level strength?
Though the new generation surpasses the old, this new wave was a bit too fierce, completely crushing the old one on the shore.
"Apep, you tried searching, didn't you? You shouldn't have found anyone nearby."
"You must have hidden them!"
Apep retorted stubbornly, her words the only hard thing about her.
But Neuvillette had anticipated this and directly led her to the weapon emplacement site.
When Apep followed Neuvillette ten kilometers away and saw the rows of cannon muzzles, still warm, she was utterly dumbfounded.
Even here, she couldn't find any trace of anyone nearby.
"Apep, the times have changed."
Neuvillette sighed.
"Our era, the era of dragons, has passed. Now is the era of humans."
"Don't let past glory blind you any longer."
Apep wanted to say something, but in the end, it turned into a faint sigh.
She actually knew this in her heart, but she never imagined that ordinary humans with such weak power could create such terrifying things.
Suddenly, Apep's pupils constricted sharply. In her vision, Otillia first curiously peered into the dark cannon muzzle, then climbed right inside.
"Lia!"
Apep cried out in alarm, then immediately rushed over.
Seeing this, Neuvillette's eye couldn't help but twitch.
What a troublemaker!
On the way back to Fontaine, Otillia was jointly scolded by Neuvillette and Apep. The earlier scene had truly terrified them both.
Although Otillia's strength wasn't weak, in her parents' eyes, she was always a child they couldn't help but worry about.
Something seemed off about that thought, but never mind, it wasn't a big deal.
Right now, Otillia was like a frostbitten eggplant, her little head bowed low, looking completely dejected.
Finally, Apep couldn't bear it any longer. She knelt down, pulled Otillia into her arms, and then glared warningly at Neuvillette.
"Don't you scare the child!"
Neuvillette: "..."
Some dragons are just hypocrites!
Neuvillette glanced around and noticed they were passing Café Lutece. He then turned to Otillia and asked.
"Would you like something to drink?"
"Yes!"
Hearing Neuvillette's words, Otillia's little face instantly lit up with a smile.
"Dad is the best!"
Soon after, Otillia was happily sipping her cold drink. Apep, meanwhile, felt a surge of frustration. She had spent ages trying to comfort Otillia to no avail, yet Neuvillette had managed to cheer her up with just a single drink. It felt like she had lost some crucial battle.
I don't get it. What kind of magic does this thing have to make my own cub love it so much!
Apep thought resentfully, shooting Neuvillette a fierce glare.
Neuvillette felt the glare and thought he was being unfairly blamed, but he had grown used to it by now.
Meanwhile, Apep took a sip of the drink Neuvillette had also bought for her. A complex flavor, cool and refreshing with hints of sourness and sweetness, blossomed on her tongue. Apep's eyes instantly lit up.
Delicious!
Watching the two figures, one tall and one small, happily sipping their drinks, Neuvillette sighed softly. Finally, some peace from these two.
However, a faint "click" from nearby quickly snapped Neuvillette back to attention. When he looked over, he could only see a figure, heavily bundled in thick clothes, furtively scurrying away into the distance.
Neuvillette immediately recognized the person and frowned. He stood up, intending to nip the trouble in the bud, but his hand was suddenly grabbed.
"Dad, Lia wants ice cream too!"
Held captive by Otillia for those crucial seconds, Neuvillette quickly lost track of the person's whereabouts. He finally shook his head in resignation and bought Otillia an ice cream.
The moment she got the ice cream, Apep ran over and demanded one of the same flavor.
"You're paying!"
Apep said curtly, snatching the ice cream from Neuvillette's hand and jogging back to give it to Otillia.
Seeing Otillia's smile and her coaxing words, Apep wore an expression that said, "Just as planned."
Watching the harmonious scene of mother and daughter eating ice cream together, Neuvillette felt mentally exhausted.