The group of thugs looked at Neuvillette as if seeing their father who came back with the milk.
They couldn't help it. The "Furina" before them was simply ruthless. They were genuinely terrified that if she still had anger left to vent, she might casually toss them around and dismantle them piece by piece.
"Lord Neuvillette, I confess! I surrender!" A crowd of thugs wailed and scrambled toward the incoming traffic. "And Captain Chevreuse, please, have the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol take us away! Lady Furina, I—uh?"
"Lady Furina?!"
The lead thug stared at the Furina walking in with Neuvillette.
Then he slowly turned around.
Behind him stood the cold-faced killing machine Furina, holding the severed head of that clockwork automaton, as if trying to find a better angle to smash someone with it.
Why are there two Lady Furinas?
Even the young girls rescued on the side were stunned. What was going on? Even the members of the Special Patrol, who had been briefed on the case during the journey, froze in their tracks. This scene simply exceeded their understanding of reality.
"Hypocritical god, you cannot defeat me!" From Marcel's angle, he couldn't see the people arriving behind him. He struggled to crawl up, snarling at the "Hydro Archon" before him. "Is this your justice? Hahaha, so this is Fontaine!"
"You are all—"
Before he could finish, Xia Yu swung the steel Meka head and gave him a solid thud right on the skull.
Dong!
Looking at the blood-covered Marcel struggling on the ground, she tilted her head, recalling the plot. What was the name of Vacher's lover who was dissolved?
Ah, Vigneire.
She leaned down close to Marcel, whose eyes were filled with hatred, and whispered: "Vigneire misses you very much, Vacher. She's been dying to see you."
"What do you mean?!" Hearing this, Vacher—his head ringing from the blow—looked up and struggled to ask, "How do you know that name!"
"I am the Hydro Archon," Xia Yu's voice sounded like a demon's whisper. "Regarding water, there is nothing I do not know. And right now, she is waiting for you beneath the Fountain of Lucine, Vacher."
"Remember, you must go find her. She has waited for a very, very long time..."
Xia Yu felt she didn't have the right to judge this piece of human trash; hitting him a few times was enough. It was better to let him go to the Fountain of Lucine to meet his "beloved." She was sure the victims would give Vacher a "warm" welcome.
Now that the problem was basically solved, Xia Yu straightened up and looked back at the crowd from Fontaine. It was time to think about how to wrap this up.
Fortunately, Xia Yu was someone who liked to plan before acting; she hated being passive. She had already thought of a solution, though she hadn't expected the real Furina to arrive with the Special Patrol. She thought she'd have to wait until she returned to the Palais Mermonia to meet her.
Xia Yu brushed off non-existent dust from her hands and walked toward the group as if no one else was there.
"This... Lady Furina..." Chevreuse was at a loss. She certainly believed the one beside her was the Hydro Archon Fontaine knew, but the one opposite... they were identical.
No, wait. She looked at the glowing blue gem on the newcomer—a Vision. What kind of god needs to hang a Vision on their body? Besides, the other Furina was far too violent. Smashing someone's face with a mechanical head right in front of the Special Patrol? The elegant Lady Furina would never do that.
However, Chevreuse didn't act on her own. She looked at Furina. Ultimately, she was the Archon and the boss; how to handle this was her business.
Neuvillette looked at the Furina across from him, then at the one beside him. The difference was obvious. He was certain the one next to him was the Furina he knew. The one in the distance, while looking identical, was a completely different person in terms of temperament and style.
"Miss Furina..." he began. "This is..."
Furina, meanwhile, stood frozen.For five hundred years, she had imagined countless scenarios of reuniting with "her other self." Perhaps on a quiet morning in front of a mirror, where the reflection smiled back.
Or perhaps at the end of the prophecy—when that other self would appear with the method to save Fontaine, turning the tide in a single moment.
But never…
Never had she imagined meeting her like this.
As the other her walked closer step by step, Furina's heart began pounding wildly. What will she say to me? How does she view the Fontaine I've governed for five hundred years? Had she finally come to end everything?
If so…
Did that mean… I can finally rest?
But before she could think further, her "other self" was already in front of her. Neuvillette and Chevreuse remained silent, and the Special Patrol followed their lead, watching as Xia Yu approached.
Looking at the Furina before her—whose eyes were a mix of anticipation, panic, and hope—Xia Yu sighed internally.
'Sorry... I'm not the "her" you're waiting for. I'm just... forget it, I don't even know how I got here myself.'
According to her plan, she walked up to Furina, passed her, and stood naturally by her side as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Furina had expected her to say something—even a "long time no see." When Xia Yu walked right past her, the bitterness in Furina's heart almost overflowed. She thought the other self was dissatisfied with her performance and didn't even want to speak to her. But when the "other self" stopped and stood right beside her, she was completely bewildered.
What... what is happening?
"Why is everyone staring at me?" Xia Yu put on a look of surprise, glancing at Chevreuse, the Special Patrol, and Neuvillette. "Arrest the criminals already! And these girls—did you not bring medical staff?"
"Uh, well... you are...?" Chevreuse, usually resolute, was now stuttering. Today's events truly scattered her brain.
Everyone looked at Xia Yu, including Furina. They all had the same question like a certain kazoo kid: Who are you?
"You didn't tell them?" Xia Yu turned to Furina.
"Ah... I... this..." Furina's mind was a mess. "Is this something I can say?"
"What's there to hide about me being an avatar you created specifically to investigate the missing girls case?" Xia Yu winked at Furina. "You didn't sleep so much that you forgot, did you?"
"...Clone? Yes, a clone!" Furina, having survived five hundred years as an actress, immediately caught the cue. "Your efficiency was so slow I almost forgot you existed!"
"Complaining about my efficiency?" Xia Yu raised an eyebrow. "Then give me more authority next time!" She tapped her Vision dismissively. "Just one Vision and not a drop of divine power. How am I supposed to be fast with just this?"
"I had to dismantle a bunch of Clockwork Meka with my bare hands. Do you know how hard those things are? My hands are still sore!"
"Speaking of Meka," Xia Yu turned to Chevreuse. "Remember to trace the origin of these machines. Find out who sold them to these criminals. I suspect those people are acting as their 'umbrella' of protection."
"Once you find them, paraded them through the streets in the name of 'attacking the Hydro Archon.' Let all of Fontaine see!"
"Understood!" Chevreuse straightened up and saluted. She didn't find the order strange at all; she had wanted to investigate those people for a long time, but they were too deeply rooted in the government, and Neuvillette was often too rigid to act outside his jurisdiction.
As for Lady Furina... for some reason, she had never acted before. But now, it seemed they could finally clear out the parasites living off Fontaine.
The Special Patrol moved out to arrest the thugs, and medics began treating the girls.
"About the divine power..." Furina stammered, looking at Xia Yu.
"I know, divine power cannot be misused," Xia Yu shook her head. "I was just venting."
The two of them then stood there staring at each other, not knowing what else to say. Neuvillette, standing nearby, looked equally perplexed. This was a first for him.
As Vacher was being hauled away, he shouted desperately, "Hydro Archon! Is it true? Is she really waiting for me there?"
"Why don't you go see for yourself?" Xia Yu suppressed the urge to kick him. She wasn't lying; Vigneire was indeed there. Though, she wasn't the only one waiting there. Hehe.
Once the criminals were gone and the girls were moved, Xia Yu felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
"Let's go, we should return to the Palais Mermonia," Furina said urgently. She had so many questions for this stranger.
"Sure, let's go," Xia Yu replied casually. She was ready to relax now. As for the future? She'd cross that bridge when she got to it.
Neuvillette, however, remained curious. "Miss Furina, your clone... her personality seems quite..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but it was obvious: their personalities were worlds apart.
"Can't be helped, blame the 'original' then," Xia Yu shrugged. "She thought it would be weird if I was too much like her, so she didn't give me any of her memories. You know, I don't even know the way to the Palais Mermonia!"
"Solving this case was entirely due to my own hard work!"