For a brief moment, Lumine considered skipping Sumeru altogether and heading to Fontaine first.
After all, touring the seven nations didn't require a fixed order, did it?
Why did she always have to walk straight into trouble?
Every nation had its own Archon to clean up disasters anyway.
Wasn't Inazuma proof of that?
Once the Shogun regained clarity, everything settled down.
Now she was even researching cooking.
How harmonious.
Sumeru was known as the Nation of Wisdom.
That alone sounded mentally exhausting.
Lumine believed she wasn't stupid—
But there was no need to go looking for hardship.
Especially when Su Ran had already hinted he left something behind there.
"Why can't I just go to Fontaine first?"
The world was vast.
Why must she follow some predetermined route?
Was Sumeru truly that great?
Great enough to demand she go next?
She didn't think so.
"I'll probably be staying in Fontaine for a while. If you want to visit, I'd be quite happy."
Even if Lumine skipped Sumeru and headed to Fontaine,
Su Ran wouldn't mind.
At most, Dottore would just remain on standby a little longer.
He didn't believe Lumine would avoid Sumeru forever.
"On second thought… maybe Natlan?"
The moment she heard Su Ran would be in Fontaine,
A bad feeling rose in her chest.
She immediately backed off.
"In Natlan, the First of the Fatui Harbingers—the Captain—is stationed there. The strongest human alive. One of the few who survived facing me."
Su Ran genuinely felt sending Lumine straight to face the Captain would be excessive.
The Captain's strength was unquestioned.
Within the Fatui, no one dared to challenge him.
Even Su Ran acknowledged his power.
After all, since no one could beat him—
Everyone else was a "weakling" by default.
So he had no objections regarding the Captain's strength.
"Gulp…"
Lumine swallowed.
The First Seat was in Natlan?
That was not comforting information.
"And Snezhnaya…?"
"You can figure that out yourself."
Snezhnaya—the Fatui's headquarters.
Lumine had clashed with the Fatui repeatedly.
They would not welcome her warmly.
Even if she understood their motives, It didn't mean she would side with them.
"So all the remaining Harbingers are in Snezhnaya, right?"
Just imagining it made her shoulders slump.
That meant—
Fontaine, Natlan, and Snezhnaya were practically off-limits.
At least with her current strength.
She could barely exchange blows with Harbingers.
Going up against Archons?
Winning would be pure fantasy.
Even against Raiden Ei, she hadn't truly won.
She merely stalled long enough for the voices to shatter the dream.
If she had to fight the Tsaritsa and multiple Harbingers at once—
She wasn't confident she'd even leave a corpse behind.
"So… Sumeru really is my only option…"
After comparing everything,
She realized Sumeru's difficulty level might actually be the lowest among the remaining nations.
She missed Mondstadt.
Sure, there was the dragon crisis—
But at least the Anemo Archon stood on her side.
Not against her.
And while Signora wasn't friendly,
She hadn't gone all out.
Mondstadt had been relatively gentle.
"Don't worry. The Harbinger in Sumeru is an idiot. I've always looked down on him. Just a self-righteous fool."
Su Ran patted her shoulder confidently.
He was speaking honestly.
He had never liked Dottore.
If Dottore were merely a militant extremist rather than a researcher—
Su Ran wouldn't harbor such intense disdain.
"I saw sincerity in your eyes. I'll believe you this time."
Lumine studied him carefully.
She didn't detect deception.
Just sincerity.
She trusted him.
Because he didn't seem particularly good at hiding his thoughts anyway.
"Don't worry. Once you defeat that idiot, come to Fontaine. I'll treat you to the most luxurious feast."
Before Lumine could reply—
Paimon rushed forward eagerly.
Rubbing her tiny hands together, smiling ingratiatingly.
"It's a deal! Once we defeat that Harbinger in Sumeru, you treat us in Fontaine!"
Nothing motivated Paimon more than food.
"Which Harbinger is it?"
Despite Su Ran's apparent sincerity,
Lumine still felt a hint of unease.
Harbingers were no pushovers.
Even Tartaglia, arguably the weakest, had been significantly strengthened by Su Ran.
She wasn't sure she could confidently defeat any of them now.
"That Harbinger is called The Doctor. A degenerate obsessed with human experimentation. Absolutely disgusting. I'm looking forward to you personally taking his head."
"Oh… I see."
Hearing the title "The Doctor," Lumine relaxed slightly.
That didn't sound like a combat-oriented title.
More like a frail scholar.
Hopefully not the kind of scholar who studies "The Analects of Throwing Hands."
"So you're not secretly setting something up in Fontaine too, right?"
Now that Sumeru seemed manageable,
Fontaine worried her again.
Everyone knew—
Wherever Su Ran appeared, peace did not.
She didn't even dare imagine what kind of hell Fontaine might become.
"No. Fontaine is special. I'm on the Hydro Archon's side."
After all—
Furina was rather adorable.
At that moment—
Raiden Ei's gaze sharpened.
She hadn't forgotten.
Su Ran had once declared, in front of her and the Tsaritsa, That his favorite Archon was the Hydro Archon.
Lumine blinked.
"…You're not already involved with the Hydro Archon, are you?"
???
—------------------------------
Pat reon Advance Chapters: patreon.com/YonkoSlayer