After bidding farewell to Lyney, Yuto returned to Palais Mermonia with great speed.
This was not only because he still had a small portion of documents left to approve, but also partly because... he needed a quiet space to contemplate future deployments.
After all, popularity points were not endless; as the plot advanced bit by bit, the urgency to improve his strength grew stronger.
To give an inappropriate example, before the plot officially began, it was as if a small puppy was barking at Yuto, wanting to bite him.
There was a threat, but not much, even negligible.
However... after fighting Tartaglia, the small puppy behind him transformed overnight into a three-headed hellhound guarding the gates of hell, the kind that could tear him to shreds at any moment.
After all, the Devouring Whale's strength was evident; without some real skill, one truly couldn't deal with that fellow.
Thinking of this, Yuto sighed softly and murmured,
"Forget it... I'll deal with the documents at hand first before considering this matter…"
"One cannot do two things at once, lest I make some headache-inducing decision on a whim later."
And so, Yuto picked up his quill and began his work.
...
As time passed bit by bit, the sun, which had been directly overhead outside the window, gradually tilted until dusk, when Yuto finally put down his pen.
"Phew... it's finally done…"
Yuto let out a long breath, then picked up Little Sanhua, who had been quietly accompanying him curled up in a corner of the desk, and began gently stroking her.
For a professional office worker like Yuto, a docile kitten was truly priceless.
She could not only accompany Yuto but also help him alleviate anxiety and mental blocks when he was feeling a bit stressed or his thoughts were sluggish, greatly improving his work efficiency.
And just as Yuto finished his day's work and was contentedly petting the cat... a white cowlick suddenly poked out from the crack in his office door.
Perhaps because the white cowlick contrasted too sharply with the color of the office door, Yuto immediately noticed the peeking Furina.
Looking at the swaying cowlick and the constantly scanning little head, Yuto couldn't help but smile wryly.
"Furina? Is something wrong?"
Hearing Yuto's voice, Furina visibly relaxed, then pushed open the door grandly and placed a luxurious, hot-stamped envelope on the desk.
"When I just returned to Palais Mermonia, a Melusine handed me this letter, saying it was from Ritou, and asked what you thought."
Yuto took the letter, and seeing the somewhat familiar wax seal and exquisite, luxurious envelope, he remembered someone—
Tianquan Star, Ningguang.
Yuto picked up a paper cutter nearby, expertly opened the letter, and then began to carefully read the words on the luxurious stationery.
During this time, Furina scrutinized Yuto's attire.
She seemed to notice the Vision, which was out of place with the overall color scheme, and then fell into thought.
"Perhaps... it's time to arrange for Yuto to get a new set of clothes?"
Furina thought to herself.
She knew very well that although Fontaine's diplomatic counterparts rarely brought up Yuto's attire,
"Rarely" didn't mean "never."
There were always some people in the world who liked to find trouble for others in the minutiae, such as the so-called "sages" from the Sumeru Akademiya.
The last time they came to Fontaine, they criticized Yuto's everyday clothes he wore to meet them, rather than diplomatic attire.
In their logic, because Yuto wore his everyday clothes instead of diplomatic attire, it failed to show Fontaine's respect for them.
For this reason, they refused to cooperate and declared Fontaine a country with very low diplomatic standards.
But... the fundamental reason was that the diplomatic cooperation didn't work out; Yuto rejected their so-called "cooperation," which was all about taking advantage without putting in effort, and then they started complaining.
Thinking of this, Furina shrugged slightly, seemingly a bit helpless about it.
Although Yuto's statement at the time was... not to bother with old fuddy-duddies who were half in the grave, he ultimately did bother.
For example... a 20% price increase for mechanical parts supplied to the Sumeru Akademiya, and a 50% increase in the labor dispatch fees for Fontaine mechanics—such "bothering."
...
After about five minutes, Yuto read the letter three or four times, ensuring he hadn't missed any information, before slowly speaking:
"The Chief Secretary of the Seven Stars from Ritou's Yuehai Pavilion will be bringing people to Fontaine in a few days. This letter is a personal correspondence from Tianquan Star, saying she wants to sign a big deal with us."
Hearing this, Furina blinked slightly and asked, somewhat confused,
"Ritou's envoy? A big deal? Didn't they just come three years ago?"
"Yes, the contracts for ore procurement and machinery introduction signed three years ago have expired. Plus, Ritou announced its transition from 'God-rule' to 'human-rule' a few years ago, so slight changes to the contract are normal."
Furina nodded gently at this, then picked up the kitten nearby, and while stroking Little Sanhua, asked,
"It seems... this partner is very satisfied with us?"
"They should be. After all, compared to the Akademiya in Sumeru, we are more like a responsible partner."
Yuto shrugged, stating it as a matter of course.
After all, in his eyes... both he and Furina were far more benevolent than those old fuddy-duddies from the Akademiya who only wanted to take advantage and spend less.
"But... speaking of which, Yuto, shouldn't you change your clothes?"
Furina asked abruptly, holding the kitten.
Before Yuto could reply, Furina adorably counted on her fingers, explaining why he should change his clothes.
"Didn't those people from the Sumeru Akademiya attack you because of this before? Let them see who truly deserves respect and who doesn't, right?"
"And besides, the main reason for getting you a set of clothes similar to Neuvillette's back then was that Palais Mermonia simply didn't have enough money for custom tailoring."
With that, Furina slowly sat down on a chair, speaking as if recalling past events:
"Fontaine was in ruins back then, and without your support... Fontaine might not have today's prosperity, nor would they be as happy as they are today."
"Plus... isn't your birthday coming up soon?"
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