"Alright, that's enough for today. If there's any unusual movement at the floodgates… remember to inform me immediately."
"Oh, right, starting next month, those high-quality teas from Chenyu Vale will be sold normally in Fontaine. There's no need to drink these old teas anymore."
Yuto said this while taking his cane, which was leaning against the wall, into his hand. Then he slowly stood up, looking as if he was about to leave early.
Lyney seemed accustomed to this. He glanced at Clorinde in front of him, shrugged helplessly, and then said,
"Okay, I understand. Do I still need to inform you about the Vanguard's matter? As for the Fatui… what do you plan to do?"
Hearing these two questions, Yuto's steps suddenly halted. He lowered his head slightly, seemingly pondering the situation.
Although he didn't know if Tartaglia in the original plot had immediately sought out the Star-Devouring Whale's aura upon entering Meropide, still…
It hadn't reached the specific time node corresponding to Version 4.2 yet, so he didn't need to be overly anxious.
As the saying goes, 'when soldiers come, we block them; when water comes, we cover it with earth.' He didn't need to worry about those things so early.
After all… there were at least fourteen days left until the end of this version's major event, and at least twenty days until the start of the next version's story.
—So he didn't need to put all his energy into meaningless anxiety.
Thinking of this, Yuto nodded slightly, then said without raising his head,
"Whether to inform or not is fine. Tartaglia himself violated Fontaine's laws, so being punished is normal."
"As for the Fatui… I naturally have my countermeasures, no need to worry."
"Okay, if you need help later… just say the word."
Lyney said after a moment of contemplation.
"If you need help or an escort, I have no problem either."
Clorinde said this while taking a small sip from the teacup in front of her, as if what she had just said was nothing more than trivial matters.
Hearing their replies, Yuto's lips curved slightly, and then he unhurriedly left the office.
If possible, he hoped to see the busy dragon, Neuvillette, again today.
Again, the Opera House can be without Furina, and it can be without Yuto, but it cannot be without Neuvillette.
"Forget it, if I run into him, I'll say a few words; if not… then so be it."
"After all, we agreed back then that he would be the trump card, and I… would take care of everything."
...
Just as Yuto was leaving Meropide in the underwater elevator… Lumine and Paimon had arrived in front of a ruin marked in the archives.
Paimon looked at the inconspicuous grotto in front of her, then lowered her head to look at the map in her hand, a look of annoyance appearing on her face.
"Lumine… you're saying that such an inconspicuous cave can be a ruin older than the formation of Fontaine… then how much have we missed?"
"If we had gone in to look every time we swam underwater before, if we could have brought out something related to the Lemuria Dynasty, we wouldn't have to worry about travel expenses ever again!"
Hearing this, Lumine gave Paimon a strange glance, then sighed and said,
"Do you want to be caught by the Melusine of the Shadowy Court and the security officers of the Law Enforcement Office, and then handed over to Neuvillette for Judgment?"
"Eek! Is it that serious?! Th-then let's just forget about it…"
A look of panic appeared on Paimon's face, and she immediately began to look around, as if afraid someone had heard what she had just said and would report her.
Lumine turned her head to look at her somewhat unreliable travel companion, guide, and emergency food, sighed slightly, and then slowly swam towards the seemingly inconspicuous grotto.
Perhaps sensing the movement of the water around her, Paimon snapped out of her panicked state and hastily followed.
"Huh?! Lumine! Wait for me!"
...
Perhaps because it was a grotto, or for some other reason, after the water entered this narrow passage, its direction changed from stable to flowing inward.
"Hmm…? The water flow here seems a bit fast? Does this mean the space inside is actually very large?"
Paimon said this while being carried forward by the current.
Lumine, however, remained silent, because she always felt… something was off about this place.
The moment Lumine had this thought, a strange murmur reached her ears.
"phobos…"
Hearing these three words, Lumine's eyes suddenly widened, and she then looked around in disbelief, as if trying to find someone who didn't exist there.
"Lumine? What's wrong?"
Paimon asked, somewhat confused.
Lumine gently shook her head in response, assuming she had misheard.
—After all, in a place like this, how could there be anyone other than her and Paimon?
Besides, according to Yuto and the Shadowy Court, this place had already been thoroughly investigated by the Melusine, so how could there be anything strange left?
With that, Lumine once again calmed her mind and quietly swam further into the grotto with the current.
Carried by the current, the two moved faster and faster in the water, eventually reaching an uncontrollable speed.
"Waaahhh!!! Why is it so fast!!!"
Paimon shrieked, seemingly unable to comprehend what was happening.
Lumine and Paimon were thus carried by the current and rapidly rushed into a brass-colored room completely filled with water.
Perhaps because the force of the current was too strong just now, it took Lumine and Paimon a while to barely open their eyes and look at their surroundings.
"Ugh… why did the water flow suddenly become so fast…"
Paimon shook her small head, her eyes almost turning into mosquito coil patterns from the speed just now.
—The speed was indeed quite uncomfortable.
After the nausea from the high-speed movement subsided a little, Lumine began to observe her surroundings.
Rather than calling it a room, it was more like a transition point.
Lumine slightly raised her head and looked at the vertical water curtain in the distance, a look of understanding flashing in her eyes.
At first, she thought she might have followed the waterway to another place, but now it seemed… it was the ruin recorded in the Shadowy Court's archives.
"But… why didn't the archives record the special flow velocity of this waterway?"
Lumine tilted her head, seemingly puzzled.
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