Several days later, "Teyvat's Strange Tales" released its "Prologue: Act II."
Ordinary people finally learned the continuation of the Mondstadt story.
This part of the tale wasn't as explosive as Act I, so it didn't spark widespread discussion.
The only ones suffering were the Fatui across various nations, who became even more unwelcome.
Some time had passed since Vacher's death.
Thanks to Charlotte's reporting, the process of solving the serial disappearances of young women had become widely known throughout Fontaine.
"The Unjust Carles" case was completely overturned.
But the one who truly stood out was Lucian. On one hand, it was because he had provided the key evidence.
On the other hand, it was because Lucian, a foreigner, had resolved an issue that had plagued Fontaine for years.
"Fontaine's problems being solved by a Liyuean—has Fontaine lost its confidence?" Some Fontaine locals began to voice dissent.
However, as Charlotte exposed Lucian's identity, the skepticism vanished in an instant.
The Prophet · Lucian.
Though there hadn't been an official report yet, the affairs of Mondstadt and the "Outlander" had already spread to Fontaine through merchants.
Even ordinary citizens of Fontaine now knew that it was a book of prophecies.
With such a title hanging over his head, no one dared to question him further.
A prophet being able to uncover the truth—wasn't that perfectly reasonable?
Regardless of outsiders' opinions, Lucian was thoroughly enjoying himself at this moment.
The emotional value gained from solving the serial disappearances and the exposure of his identity, combined with what he had saved up earlier, had now broken through the ten-thousand-point milestone.
If not for the fact that only major story characters provided high emotional value (ordinary people contributed less than single digits), he could have earned even more.
On top of that, Lucian's third move was about to be released, which would likely bring even greater emotional value. By then, he could finally strengthen himself.
"This thing is ridiculously expensive."
Lucian stared at the small Waypoint in his hand—it was truly pocket-sized.
Yet this tiny object had cost him a full ten thousand emotional points.
But there was a reason for its high price.
First, it was permanent and nearly indestructible.
Second, though others couldn't use it, Lucian could employ it to bring people along during teleportation.
In essence, he had exchanged ten thousand emotional points for a group teleportation array—absolutely worth it.
After storing the Pocket Waypoint, Lucian stepped outside.
Today was the day he had agreed to attend a tea party with Furina.
As he walked toward the Palais Mermonia, Lucian got a taste of the troubles of fame.
"Wow, Dad, look! It's the Prophet!"
"It really is him! I saw him running a fortune-telling stall before—ugh, why didn't I give it a try back then?"
"Prophet, can you tell my fortune?"
The people of Fontaine swarmed around Lucian with such enthusiasm that he could barely move.
Their fervor did provide him with a small amount of emotional value, though.
Charlotte hadn't actually exposed Lucian's appearance.
But the Opera Epiclese had been packed that day, and everyone had seen him. His face was no longer a secret in Fontaine.
Lucian couldn't just shoo them away, so he reluctantly tried to calm the crowd.
Fortunately, Clorinde was still accompanying him.
With a single icy glance at the crowd, she didn't say a word.
"Hey, hey, Miss Clorinde's staring at us..."
"Huh? Why? Did we interrupt their date or something?"
"Not sure, but she looks really unhappy. Maybe we should leave?"
"Yeah, she's kinda scary. Let's go." Whispers spread...
Ahem. "Well, I won't disturb you anymore. I'll take my leave."
"Oh, right, right. I've got things to do too." The crowd began dispersing.
It had to be said—someone like Clorinde, who naturally seemed unapproachable, was perfect for handling situations like this.
No words needed. Just a look, an expression, and people would scatter.
Maybe this was also why Furina never got mobbed when Clorinde was guarding her?
Lucian gave Clorinde a strange look. He didn't find her scary at all.
Clorinde returned his gaze with the same icy stare.
Truthfully, she wasn't angry or anything. Her job was simply to protect Lucian—whether he got surrounded or not didn't matter to her.
If danger arose, she'd just cut it down.
Her cold demeanor was innate; she hadn't meant to drive anyone away.
After a long, "deep" staring contest with Clorinde, Lucian still couldn't see what was so intimidating about her. He only thought, She's really pretty.
"Look, look—they're gazing into each other's eyes."
"Was it really because we interrupted their date?"
As Lucian kept staring, Clorinde finally asked,
"Is something wrong?"
"Nothing. Just thought you're really beautiful." Lucian answered honestly.
Shikikan's "sincerity" was the sincerity of honesty!
"Thank you." Clorinde remained expressionless.
Lucian's direct approach had minimal effect.
This was inevitable. Someone like Clorinde wouldn't show emotions on her face even if she felt them.
The only way to gauge her mood was through "intuition."
Lucian didn't press further. He had only spoken his mind because Clorinde happened to ask.
The two continued toward the Palais Mermonia for Furina's tea party.
The people at the Palais knew Lucian had an appointment with Furina, so they didn't stop him.
"Mr. Lucian, welcome."
Furina rose gracefully, doffed her hat with a smile, and greeted him.
Honestly, if Lucian hadn't already known Furina's true nature was that of an adorable young girl,
he might have been completely fooled by her impeccable acting. She really seemed like a mature, dependable Hydro Archon.
Feeling playful, Lucian decided to play along for a while.
"To stand before the Hydro Archon is an honor spanning three lifetimes." He mimicked Zhongli's eloquence.
Furina, who had long wanted to meet Lucian, had naturally researched his habits and personality traits beforehand.
Hearing him speak like this immediately struck her as out of character—clearly an act.
Pfft. "No need for formalities. Please, have a seat."
The "mature and reliable" Furina giggled—adorably.
Lucian didn't stand on ceremony either, sitting directly across from her.
He knew Furina had seen through him, so he dropped the act!
Glancing at the pastries and black tea before him, Lucian didn't know much about them, but they certainly looked high-class.
"Before the tea party begins, I've prepared a little surprise for you, Mr. Lucian."
Furina wore a mischievously playful smile.
This piqued Lucian's interest.
He hadn't expected Furina to go out of her way to prepare a surprise for him.
Luckily, he had never been one to fall short in such matters—he had also brought a gift.
"Actually, I prepared a surprise for you too."
Lucian retrieved an item from his Vision—a small cake.
It wasn't as visually impressive as the pastries on the table.
Knowing Furina loved cake, Lucian had spent the past few days learning dessert-making from Navia.
This had led to Navia complaining endlessly—
"I've gained so much weight from taste-testing all your practice desserts!"
"Thank you!" Furina didn't disdain it at all. In fact, she loved it.
"The surprise I prepared for you—I'm sure you'll love it too."
With that, Furina signaled to Clorinde with a glance, indicating that she could now bring out the "surprise."
===✧✦✧===
Character Voiceline · Furina: About Lucian's Gift
"I had no idea that cake was handmade by him. If I'd known, I wouldn't have eaten it—I would've kept it as a memento.
Wait, but wouldn't the cake spoil if I didn't eat it? Ugh... such a dilemma!
Keeping a half-eaten cake as a souvenir would be weird too, especially with my bite marks still on it..."