Thanks for _______ ________ and Nefasturis for becoming as Supporters!
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Fontaine, Café Lutece, two days after Eula began serving as the Hydro Archon's guard.
That afternoon, Shao Yun sat beneath a parasol outside Café Lutece, idly stirring the coffee in his cup to pass the time.
Suddenly, a wave of cheers erupted from not far away.
Furina could be seen standing atop a large crate that Eula had moved over. She spread her arms wide and shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Woohoo! The Hydro Archon makes her appearance, celebrating together with the people! Dear citizens of the Court of Fontaine, have you missed this Hydro Archon lately?"
Hearing that familiar voice, passersby stopped in their tracks, all eyes snapping toward the figure standing high above.
Everyone realized that Furina—who hadn't appeared on the streets for quite some time—had actually shown up!
In an instant, excitement swept through the crowd. People dropped whatever they were doing and rushed toward Furina's direction.
Cheers erupted one after another from the crowd.
"Oh! It's Lady Furina! We finally get to see you!"
Some especially enthusiastic Fontaine citizens somehow produced paper and pens, holding them high as they shouted excitedly, "Lady Furina, please give me your autograph! It would be such an honor to receive your signature!"
Faced with such passionate enthusiasm, Furina couldn't help feeling a little carried away.
She planted her hands on her hips smugly, wearing an immensely satisfied smile as she responded loudly, "No need to rush~ Everyone take it slow, one at a time! This Hydro Archon will fulfill all of your wishes!"
Shao Yun took a sip of his coffee, glancing sideways toward the lively scene in the distance.
He shook his head, set his cup down, and let out a sigh of emotion.
"So, this is what Fontaine people live like every day?"
After a brief pause, Shao Yun nodded thoughtfully and continued muttering to himself, "Still… when it comes to soothing the public, Furina really does have some skill…"
As he observed, his gaze was suddenly drawn to a busy figure within the crowd.
Eula, standing between Furina and the masses, was flustered and overwhelmed as she struggled to maintain order on the scene.
Seeing this, Shao Yun couldn't help feeling sympathetic—while also secretly feeling relieved.
"Seriously, I don't know how Clorinde used to manage being Furina's guard. Good thing I didn't agree to Neuvillette's request… otherwise, the one losing their mind trying to keep order right now would be me."
Thinking that, Shao Yun gave a helpless chuckle and once again looked toward the lively spectacle Furina was creating.
However, just as the saying goes—speak of the devil, and he appears.
Clorinde suddenly showed up without any warning, walking straight to the table where Shao Yun was seated and boldly sitting down across from him.
"Is anyone sitting here? You don't mind if I take this seat, do you?"
Shao Yun froze for a moment at her words, then snapped back to his senses. Looking at the suddenly-appearing Clorinde, he asked in disbelief, "Uh… Clorinde? You… are you healed already?"
Following Shao Yun's gaze, Clorinde glanced at her injured right shoulder.
She raised her left hand, gently touching around the wound, and explained softly, "It's really nothing serious. The doctor said my recovery is faster than they expected."
"So now I can come out, get some sun, and breathe some fresh air. Though, under my clothes, I'm still wrapped up in thick bandages."
After saying that, she let out a helpless sigh.
Shao Yun simply nodded lightly, acknowledging it casually. "Oh, I see."
Then Clorinde began looking around, searching for Lumine and Paimon.
"By the way, Shao Yun, where are Lumine and Paimon? I don't see them anywhere."
When Clorinde mentioned Lumine and Paimon, a complicated smile surfaced on Shao Yun's face.
He took a deep breath before slowly answering, "You might not believe this, but Lumine and Paimon actually went with Charlotte to look for that guy called 'Dutch van der Linde.' The same one who injured you before."
...
Earlier that morning, in the apartment where Shao Yun and Lumine were staying.
After hearing Lumine and Paimon explain what they planned to do that day, the sip of water Shao Yun had just taken nearly sprayed right back out.
"What?! You're going with Charlotte to look for that Dutch van der Linde?!" Shao Yun shouted in shock while scrambling to wipe the water from the corner of his mouth.
"Have you two lost your minds?"
Seeing Shao Yun react so violently, Lumine asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Aren't you curious at all? I thought you'd be begging to come with me to find him."
Paimon, even more excited, chimed in eagerly, "That guy is amazing! He managed to defeat both Clorinde and Chevreuse at the same time!"
"Shao Yun, aren't you even a little curious? Someone that strong—don't you want to see what he's like?"
Looking at Lumine and Paimon's excited faces, Shao Yun rolled his eyes and complained irritably.
"Tch~ it's not like he's Landon. What's there to get excited about…"
As soon as he finished speaking, Shao Yun waved his hand impatiently, trying to dissuade them from joining such a strange manhunt.
"I'm telling you, don't waste your time on this! That guy isn't someone you can just casually track down!"
Inner thoughts:That guy is literally me in disguise. If you really manage to find him, it's one hundred percent a scam!
However, Lumine was stubborn. She shook her head forcefully, firmly rejecting Shao Yun's opinion.
"No way! Paimon and I already settled this with Charlotte. This is a legitimate commission! Don't believe me? Look—the Adventurers' Guild-issued commission slip is right here!"
With that, Lumine quickly pulled out the officially certified commission slip and waved it proudly in front of Shao Yun to shut him up.
After all, the two of them had long agreed—work is work, life is life, and the two must never be mixed!
When Shao Yun saw the commission slip in Lumine's hand, he was left completely speechless, his face filled with helpless resignation.
Using an Adventurers' Guild commission to silence him—only Lumine and Paimon would pull something like that!
Shao Yun muttered helplessly, "I'm telling you two, can't you do something actually worthwhile? Wouldn't it be better if I took you to Merusea Village to play with those adorable Melusines?"
"Or we could go 'scavenging' around the Fontaine Research Institute—who knows, maybe we'd discover something interesting! Anything's better than messing around with these weird commissions!"
But in response to Shao Yun's endless nagging, Lumine merely shrugged and waved her hand. "Alright, alright, stop rambling! We'll talk when we meet again tonight!"
With that, she left the apartment with Paimon without even looking back.
...
After Shao Yun finished recounting what happened that morning, Clorinde frowned slightly, pinching her chin as she muttered thoughtfully, "Oh… so that's how it is. They're looking for clues about that man named 'Dutch van der Linde.'"
"Hmm… I'm starting to get a little curious myself. I'd like to see what kind of person he really is."
Seeing Clorinde show growing interest in the "Dutch van der Linde" he had once impersonated; Shao Yun's heart skipped a beat.
He really didn't want this topic to continue. If Clorinde got too interested and uncovered the truth, things would get troublesome!
Even though his disguise had been flawless—and Arlecchino had already helped keep it secret—it was always better to be cautious.
So, he hastily and awkwardly changed the subject. "By the way, how did you find me this time? Last time, it was because I casually said I'd treat you to coffee—what about now?"
"Don't tell me you secretly installed some kind of Fontaine Research Institute tracking device on me?" As he spoke, Shao Yun deliberately exaggerated, looking himself up and down.
Clorinde was clearly surprised by his sudden question and replied in confusion, "Don't you usually show up around here pretty often?"
"Uh… what I mean is, I don't actually know exactly where you'll appear. I was just out for a walk today and thought I'd try my luck here first—purely coincidence."
Hearing that she had simply come here on a whim, Shao Yun couldn't help muttering softly.
"So, this café's basically become my fixed respawn point now?" He shrugged helplessly as he spoke.
After thinking for a moment, Clorinde shook her head and explained earnestly, "Um… it's not quite like that. I just happened to be walking nearby and thought I'd drop by to see if I might run into you…"
Shao Yun didn't seem to mind much. He nodded casually and muttered, "Alright then. Since you're already here anyway…"
As he finished speaking, he turned toward the owner behind the counter—Arouet—who was wiping cups, and said, "Boss, I'll have a cup of warm milk. Just plain milk."
Hearing that Shao Yun only wanted a cup of plain warm milk, Arouet looked visibly confused.
Wasn't this a coffee shop?
What kind of order was plain milk?
He paused his work, looked up, and asked with some uncertainty, "Huh? You're sure you want plain milk? Not coffee with milk?"
Shao Yun nodded firmly and emphasized again, "That's right! Just plain milk. No sugar, no coffee."
As the shop owner, Arouet had seen all kinds of customers and heard all sorts of strange requests over the years—this hardly surprised him anymore.
Plain milk it was, then.
With that thought, he replied calmly, "Alright."
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