Furina and Focalors waited anxiously for news at the Palais Mermonia.
It wasn't that they didn't want to go themselves. The ambush had been planned with minimal personnel to avoid drawing attention. As figures constantly in the public eye, their every move was scrutinized. Secretly tailing the escort team would have been nearly impossible.
If they had been at the scene, the enemy would likely have deployed forces several tiers stronger, putting their allies in even greater danger.
"Why is it taking so long? Don't tell me something went wrong..." Furina murmured, her voice laced with worry.
"They should be fine," Focalors said reassuringly, though her own heart was pounding with anxiety. "We sent dozens of Marechaussee Hunters this time, not to mention we asked Navia to keep an eye on things from the shadows."
Navia was indeed powerful, and their preparations had been thorough. But the enemy was too dangerous. Until they received the final report, neither of them could truly relax.
"Sigh... I wonder when the first batch of mobile phones will be ready. Without them, news travels so slowly," Furina lamented.
Focalors shook her head. "It should be soon. I heard from Neuvillette that they're already in production. This batch will be prioritized for law enforcement and won't be available to the public."
Just then, a knock came at the door. The two women, who had been waiting for this moment, spoke in unison, telling the person outside to enter.
Soon, a Melusine secretary appeared before Furina and Focalors, her expression sorrowful. Seeing her reaction, both their hearts sank.
"Lady Furina, Lady Focalors, Captain Chevreuse and her team have returned."
"The suspects have also been brought back, but... we lost many soldiers during the escort..."
Hearing this, Furina and Focalors' hearts tightened. They immediately rushed out of the office.
Moments later, they saw the returning group, each bearing injuries of varying degrees. They supported one another as they received treatment in a temporary medical bay, where doctors and nurses bustled between the beds.
The sight made Furina and Focalors' hearts grow even heavier. They found Chevreuse and Navia.
"Where's Vinani? I don't see her," Furina asked, scanning the area.
"Lady Furina, Vinani is helping treat the wounded," Navia explained. "She has an exceptionally strong affinity for the Hydro Element, allowing her to use its power for both healing and unleashing formidable attacks."
Furina felt a sharp pang of envy. While her own Hydro powers had some offensive capability, their effectiveness was... rather pathetic in comparison.
"Chevreuse," she said, her tone serious, "what happened?"
Faced with Furina and Focalors' questions, a deeper wave of sorrow washed over Chevreuse. She slowly began to speak.
"Lady Furina, Lady Focalors... the enemies who attacked us were from the Abyss Order."
"The Abyss Order?!"
The unexpected answer stunned Furina and Focalors. They couldn't understand why the Abyss Order would involve themselves in this matter.
"Yes," Chevreuse explained. "It seems one of the suspects we were escorting was a member of the Abyss Order."
"That faction must have formed a deep alliance with the Abyss Order. Otherwise, they wouldn't have mobilized such a massive force."
At this thought, a surge of hatred for Enjou welled up inside Chevreuse. If only Enjou had revealed his affiliation with the Abyss Order sooner, she thought bitterly. I could have anticipated their intervention and prepared for it. So many wouldn't have died in vain.
"We were attacked by nearly three thousand monsters of various kinds. They blew up the Clementine Line, attempting to help the suspects escape by sea. However, we had already deployed forces in the waters and successfully thwarted their plan."
"We suffered approximately three hundred casualties. Among them, the Court of Justice lost thirty-seven members, the Marechaussee Phantoms lost twelve, and Miss Navia's group lost forty-six..."
One by one, the heavy numbers fell from Chevreuse's lips, causing both Furina's and Focalors's eyes to dim.
"I failed to account for the Abyss Order's intervention, leaving our forces unprepared for the Abyss Heralds' surprise attack. As their captain, I have failed them."
At that moment, Chevreuse's face was etched with deep sorrow and remorse.
"I underestimated them. The sheer number of casualties is entirely my responsibility," Navia added, her own expression clouded with self-blame.
"And the Special Task Force... If I had arrived sooner, they wouldn't have died."
"And those who died in the final explosion... If I had reacted just a little faster, they would have had time to evacuate."
"I betrayed your trust."
"No, you've already done an excellent job on this."
Focalors shook her head firmly at the two of them. Considering they had fought so many Abyss Monsters, and with a powerful enemy present, the casualties were actually quite low.
Moreover, Chevreuse and Navia had ultimately annihilated nearly all the enemies and prevented the suspect from escaping. They had truly performed a great service this time.
"That's right! That damned Abyss Order!"
Furina clenched her fists in anger, resolving to settle the score with the Abyss Order when the opportunity arose.
If they couldn't find that mysterious faction, surely they could find the Abyss Order, right?
At the very least, clearing out all the Abyss Monsters in Fontaine would be a great service to the nation and its people.
"What about No. 2?"
"He's been locked up, and we've set up three layers of protection outside to prevent any rescue attempts," Chevreuse immediately explained upon hearing Furina's question. "Their previous operation failed, so they certainly won't give up so easily."
"Exactly. You've done well, Chevreuse," Focalors nodded.
"We can't delay No. 2's 'Judgment' for too long. If we give those people time to prepare, unexpected complications could arise."
"Then let's schedule it for two days from now. We'll use this time to carefully arrange security personnel," Furina quickly devised a plan. "We'll have Wriothesley provide extra Gardemeks to ensure the trial proceeds smoothly and to protect everyone's safety."
"And that giant whale... If any truly dangerous enemies show up, we'll have it devour them all before sending it back. Fontaine's reconstruction is nearly complete anyway."
It had to be said that their recent trials had been effective; their ability to handle matters had improved significantly.
"If they dare to attack again, we'll make sure they suffer a crushing defeat!" Furina declared, waving her small fists with confidence. Her spirit was contagious, easing some of the unease in the others' hearts.
Afterward, Furina and Focalors went to check on the wounded, using their Hydro Elemental Power to heal their injuries. The injured were utterly astonished and deeply grateful.
To be personally healed by Fontaine's two Hydro Archons... This injury was totally worth it!
-
Liyue.
Hu Tao and Chen Feng finally took to the streets again to scout for "quality clients," even though it had only been two days since their last promotional outing.
Originally, Hu Tao had wanted to play cards for a couple more days—partly because she was terrible but addicted, and partly to show respect to the Liyue Qixing.
But when she saw Zhongli return with an ancient bronze sculpture from who-knows-where, she knew she had to get out and earn money immediately, or the parlor would go bankrupt.
This was Zhongli's old habit. He was perfect in every way, except for his laziness and obsession with antiques. Those antiques were all genuine and incredibly valuable, having drained the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's savings accumulated over seventy-six generations.
Hu Tao couldn't bring herself to sell the antiques Zhongli had worked so hard to acquire, so she had no choice but to grit her teeth and work desperately to earn money.
Poverty truly is the greatest motivator!
As Hu Tao and Chen Feng appeared, the pedestrians on the street were about to flee, but then they remembered the announcement the Liyue Qixing had issued that morning. It subtly informed the public that the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was now prohibited from conducting private business promotions in Liyue Harbor. From now on, the Liyue Qixing would handle the parlor's advertising.
Normally, people would just think the Liyue Qixing and the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor were suspiciously close. After all, while the parlor was well-known, having the Qixing personally handle its advertising screamed of a shady backroom deal!
But now, everyone just wanted to shout, "Long live the Liyue Qixing!"
Finally, someone could rein in these two living Kings of Hell and stop them from handing out death notices everywhere. It was truly terrifying.
Many who had just left Liyue Harbor or were preparing to leave started to reconsider. Their families had lived here for generations, and the thought of suddenly uprooting their entire lives was heartbreaking.
If only Hu Tao could act a little more normal, even just like she used to...
Before, Hu Tao just wanted your money. Now, she wanted your life!
The Liyue Qixing's credibility was still strong, and this thought calmed many people's nerves. Some even forced smiles—which looked little better than crying—and greeted the pair.
"Director Hu, Consultant Chen Feng, what are you two out shopping for today?"
In their minds, if the duo wasn't out promoting business, they must be shopping.
The mention of shopping reminded them of yesterday's unlucky shop owner. Just for selling Chen Feng a Kamera, he'd been visited by these two living Kings of Hell.
You could've just paid him directly, couldn't you? they thought grimly. Now look—money gone, life gone.
Many other shop owners recalled this incident and felt a sudden urge to slam their doors shut. But they quickly restrained themselves.
The Liyue Qixing wouldn't lie to us, right?
Trusting in the Qixing, the shop owners decided to wait and see.
"Hehe, we're just browsing," Hu Tao said vaguely, afraid of scaring everyone away.
Her noncommittal answer made the onlookers frown. Something felt off, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it. They decided to keep watching.
After a while, they saw Hu Tao and Chen Feng wander around without pulling out any Yama's Notices—er, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor flyers—from their sleeves. Finally, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Looks like these two have finally reined in their divine powers! As expected of the Liyue Qixing—they can even control these two living Kings of Hell!
What no one realized was that the only reason the pair hadn't made a move was because they hadn't found any "high-quality clients" with less than seven days left to live.
"Consultant Chen Feng, haven't you found one yet?"
Hu Tao couldn't hold back any longer. She stared at Chen Feng with wide, expectant eyes and whispered.
"Not yet, Director Hu Tao. Luck doesn't seem to be on our side today. These guys' lifespans are longer than their legs... though still a bit shorter than yours, Director."
Hu Tao's face flushed slightly. She felt like she'd been teased, and the evidence was undeniable.
"Got one!"
Chen Feng's sudden shout snapped Hu Tao back to reality.
"Director Hu Tao, grab that bearded guy!"
"Right! This Director is on it!"
They had already divided their tasks before leaving, so Hu Tao acted without hesitation. She swiftly intercepted the approaching bearded man and pinned him in place.
Bearded Man: "???"
Chen Feng strode forward, a devilish grin spreading across his face.
"My friend, let me show you a treasure!"
With that, Chen Feng pulled a flyer halfway out of his pocket, flashed it at the bearded man, and immediately stuffed it back in.
Bearded Man: "!!!"
"Job's done!"
"Director Hu Tao, let's go!"
At Chen Feng's command, Hu Tao instantly released the bearded man. She fluttered back to Chen Feng's side like a cheerful butterfly, and the two walked away, chatting and laughing under the stunned gazes of the crowd.
A long moment passed before the thud of the bearded man collapsing to the ground jolted everyone back to their senses. The street immediately erupted into chaos.
Countless people fled toward their homes, their wails and howls echoing through the streets like a pack of lunatics freshly escaped from an asylum.
The commotion spread through Liyue Harbor like a plague. Many who initially had no idea what was happening also went mad after learning the details, immediately packing their belongings to flee.
Those who had already packed were now hauling their carts out of Liyue Harbor.
As a result, Hu Tao and Chen Feng, who had yet to secure many new clients, now found themselves on an empty street. Hu Tao stomped her foot in frustration.
Before long, the incident was reported to Ningguang.
After reading the report on her desk, Ningguang heaved a deep sigh.
At that moment, all she wanted to say was:
I'm tired. Let this world burn.
Of course, the world couldn't be destroyed just yet, so someone had to deal with the mess.
"Keqing..."
Ningguang had barely spoken Keqing's name when Keqing, understanding perfectly, set down her pen, gathered her documents, and left the Jade Chamber.
Ningguang watched Keqing's retreating figure, unable to bring herself to ask her to stay behind while she went herself.
Finally, Ningguang picked up her teacup and took a sip.
Work, work... I still have a mountain of tasks to handle today...