The design competition was naturally the one Nolan had previously discussed with Chiori. Since it concerned gaining Chiori's affection, he had been keeping track of its progress.
Although it was the first competition organized by the Sweet Flower Merchant Association, the efficiency was quite impressive. All matters had been properly arranged.
As he recalled, after the opening ceremony, the worldwide portion of the competition would be held online through the Akasha Interconnected Network(AIN), narrowing the field down to the top thirty-two contestants. Those finalists would then travel to Fontaine for the subsequent offline rounds.
After all, Teyvat was vast. Holding offline competitions region by region would require far more manpower and resources.
An online format could save over ninety-five percent of the costs. Moreover, the Akasha Terminal's live streaming and recording functions ensured fairness and transparency.
Since fashion design was closely tied to style and trends, hosting the competition in Fontaine carried greater authority. Therefore, preparations were entrusted to Fontaine's event organizers.
And if the competition was being held in Fontaine, it was impossible to bypass Furina, the city's grand superstar. Inviting her would instantly elevate the event's status.
Its influence would increase dramatically as well. With Furina endorsing it, the authority of the competition would naturally be unquestionable.
After understanding the situation, Nolan nodded.
"I see."
By now, more than a minute had passed since he teleported beside Furina and Clorinde. His status panel displayed notifications of affection gained from both of them:
[Furina Has Developed Good Feeling Towards You, Obtained 1 Affection Point. Current Affection Level: Lv.9 (161/900)]
[Clorinde Has Developed Good Feeling Towards You, Obtained 1 Affection Point. Current Affection Level: Lv.8 (261/800)]
Watching the consecutive notifications pop up, Nolan felt inwardly pleased. The ability to continuously attract affection truly was excellent.
"Since you're here, just teleport us directly there," Furina said. "Even with an umbrella, we'll still get sunburned walking around. A girl's skin must be carefully protected!"
"That's no problem at all."
Nolan unfolded "Void Star Sea," enveloping both Furina and Clorinde. The next second, he used spatial traversal to bring them to the Opera Epiclese.
Although fashion design was a rather niche competition, word had spread that Lady Furina would attend the opening ceremony. Many people were willing to come just to catch a glimpse of her.
However, it was still early. The ceremony would officially begin at three in the afternoon. Thanks to teleportation, they had arrived two hours ahead of schedule.
"Let's head to the lounge and sit for a while. Afternoon tea should fill the time nicely," Furina said cheerfully as she led the way toward the opera house's lounge.
She glanced back at Clorinde, who was folding her umbrella, then looked at Nolan beside her as if recalling something.
"By the way, when you asked whether I was free earlier, was there something you wanted?"
"Nothing in particular. It's been a while since we last met, so since I had some free time, I thought I'd come check on you and see how you've been," Nolan replied with a smile.
"Checking on me? Hmph, I suppose that's thoughtful of you. But you didn't come empty-handed, did you?"
Furina's expression first showed satisfaction, only to shift into mild displeasure when she noticed his empty hands.
"Ahem, of course not." Nolan forced a smile, feeling secretly embarrassed. He quickly tried to salvage the situation. "I know you like little cakes, so I bought one in advance. It's just that the sunlight was too strong earlier, and the box is transparent. If it stays under the sun too long, the texture changes, so I stored it in my personal space.
"Let's head inside. I'll take it out in a moment."
"Cake!"
Furina cried out in delight. Then, realizing she might have lost her composure, she glanced around. Fortunately, the opera house had not opened yet, and there was no one else nearby. She cleared her throat and said with forced elegance,
"You do understand me after all. I'm looking forward to it. Hurry up."
She walked ahead with light, eager steps, occasionally turning back to urge Nolan and Clorinde to follow.
"Of course, Lady Furina." Clorinde quickened her pace slightly. Nolan responded as well, though he deliberately slowed down a bit.
Taking advantage of their inattention, he swiftly summoned the Sword God of Lumine and had her take on his appearance before teleporting back to Fontaine's city district.
He quickly located a cake shop and took a brief look around. Recently, fruit cakes with a variety of mixed fruits were especially popular.
So he placed an order for one.
If it was popular, that meant many people liked it. Something widely favored could hardly taste bad.
Business at the shop was brisk, and since there were ready-made cakes available, it did not take long before his order was packaged.
After stepping out of the store and slipping into a corner where no one was watching, he immediately directed the Sword God of Lumine to enter the Void Star Sea and store the cake inside.
Meanwhile, Nolan followed Furina and Clorinde into the Hydro Archon's private lounge. The tables and chairs inside were just as luxurious as those in her reception hall at the Palais Mermonia.
Furina walked over to a small round table in the lounge, pulled out a chair, and sat down with a bright smile.
"Hurry up and take out the cake."
"Don't rush. I haven't even sat down yet," Nolan said with a grin. He glanced at Clorinde and added, "Clorinde, please sit first."
The round table was slightly large. He needed them to sit first so he could choose a position close to both of them, ensuring the fragrance's effect would continue to generate affection.
"No, I—mm?"
Clorinde had intended to decline politely, insisting she needed to remain vigilant in protecting Lady Furina. But before she could finish, Nolan had already guessed what she was about to say.
He took her hand and, as he seated himself beside Furina, gently guided Clorinde to sit on his other side.
Seated between the two girls, he could ensure sufficient proximity to maintain the passive attraction effect.
Since she was already seated, Clorinde found it awkward to stand again and could only let out a faint sigh.
Suppressing a smile, Nolan opened a small spatial rift above the table and retrieved the freshly purchased fruit cake.
"Oh! It's 'Vibrant Midsummer.' You actually have good taste. Not bad at all."
Furina's mismatched eyes sparkled with excitement. She clearly liked this cake.
Seeing her approval made Nolan genuinely pleased. He turned to Clorinde.
"And you, Clorinde? Does this kind of fruit cake suit your taste?"
"I'm not particularly picky," Clorinde replied with a slight nod.
"In that case, let our afternoon tea for three officially begin."
Nolan smiled brightly.
(End of Chapter)
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