Venti raised his hands in surrender, forcing a harmless, sincere, and brilliant smile onto his face, speaking so fast it sounded like rap:
"Mr. King is upright and honorable! His power reaches the heavens! His mind is broad! How could he be secretly flirtatious? That's called overt dominance! That's called innate charisma! That's called..."
He racked his brains trying to find more complimentary words.
But under King's increasingly "kind" gaze, Venti's mind went blank.
"Ah! The wind today is quite boisterous!"
"Hey, Paimon the Great seemed to be calling me just now!"
Venti "whooshed" away to the other end of the deck.
He pretended to have a deep research interest in the half-eaten cake in Paimon's hand.
His back was ramrod straight, adopting the look of "I know nothing, I'm just a passing bard."
Paimon, mouth full of cake, looked up blankly at the suddenly approaching Venti and asked confusedly, "Street performer? Why is your face so pale?"
Venti: "The wind blew it. The wind in Fontaine is a little chilly."
Lumine helplessly pressed a hand to her forehead.
This drunkard poet truly deserved a beating.
Everyone knew King was secretly flirtatious, but why did you have to say it out loud?
After the interlude, King couldn't be bothered to enjoy the scalp-numbing "cheers" at the dock any longer, so he waved his hand, signaling everyone to disembark.
Escorted by the elite of the Equitable Judgment, the group passed through the excited crowd and headed toward the Opera Epiclese.
Raiden Ei seriously observed the street architecture and the state of the populace in Fontaine.
Ganyu also gently surveyed the foreign atmosphere, which was completely different from Liyue.
Just as they were about to enter the Opera Epiclese, Dainsleif, who had been silently following at the back of the group, stopped.
"Mr. King."
His deep voice rang out, attracting everyone's attention.
Dain stepped forward and nodded slightly to King, a rare hint of apology appearing on his usually expressionless face.
"At this point, I shall trouble you no further."
He spoke concisely, his gaze sweeping across the clear sky above Fontaine.
"The Abyss Order suffered heavy losses in Liyue this time, and they have personally witnessed your power."
"As long as you remain here, even if they were given ten thousand more guts, they would absolutely not dare to extend their claws toward Fontaine."
"This place no longer requires my meager strength."
He paused, his deep eyes gazing into the distance, as if they could pierce space and see the figures fleeing in the darkness.
"My path lies in the hunt."
"My compatriots, who are lost in the illusions of the past and twisted hatred, need someone to stop them, to awaken them, or..."
Dain's voice was calm, yet it carried a chilling, murderous intent:
"To give them the ending they deserve."
"Farewell, Mr. King."
With that, without waiting for a response from King, his figure merged into the shadows, slowly fading away until he vanished into the air.
Paimon flew up a bit, looking in the direction Dain had disappeared. Seeing no one, she couldn't help but say, "This guy, comes and goes as he pleases, always so secretive..."
Lumine sighed softly; she knew the burden Dain carried.
King merely glanced in the direction Dain had vanished before withdrawing his gaze.
Everyone has their own path.
Dain chose the path he believed was right: cleaning up the "compatriots" who lingered on the edge of the Abyss, attempting to drag the entire world into the mire.
As for his path... King looked up toward the majestic and splendid Opera Epiclese ahead.
At the palace gate, a familiar figure was leaning against the doorway, pretending to be casual.
In their hand, they fiddled with a leaf plucked from who knows where, their eyes secretly darting glances this way.
King couldn't help but laugh at Furina, who was feigning indifference while constantly making small, nervous movements.
He raised his hand, about to wave in that direction—
"Mr. King."
A steady voice rang out.
Accompanied by the sound of uniform footsteps.
King's raised hand froze mid-air.
Furina's movement of fiddling with the leaf stiffened.
They saw that on the wide steps of the Opera Epiclese, two rows of elite Equitable Judgment personnel in uniform had lined up at some unknown time.
At the very front of the formation, a tall, slender figure was slowly descending the steps.
His silver-white long hair was meticulously tied back, revealing the severe lines of his profile.
The staff in his hand symbolized the absolute authority of the Iudex.
The person who arrived was none other than Neuvillette.
"Play the music!!"
Neuvillette suddenly shouted.
"Dong~ dong~ dong~ dong—!"
The Fontaine Symphony Orchestra, which had been waiting on both sides of the palace gate, instantly burst forth with a magnificent and stirring welcoming movement!
The trumpets blared, the strings sang sweetly, and the timpani beat a solemn rhythm!
This sudden display caused everyone to freeze for a moment.
Paimon hugged Lumine's neck: "Woah! What, what is it now?"
Lumine also didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Why did it feel like this welcoming ceremony was endless, wave after wave?
Venti's eyes lit up. He quickly straightened his collar and hat, preparing to enjoy another round of cheers and treats.
Raiden Ei frowned slightly. She felt a bit uncomfortable with such overly formal welcoming ceremonies, but out of politeness, she remained standing still, waiting quietly.
Ganyu subconsciously lifted her head and puffed out her chest, listening intently—a habit she had when dealing with formal occasions in Liyue.
And at this moment, Furina, standing by the doorway... "..."
The poor leaf in her hand had been violently crushed into a ball of green residue.
She watched Neuvillette draw everyone's attention... and her small face, tinged with a faint blush, visibly crumpled at a speed noticeable to the naked eye.
Neuvillette, how could you do this!!
The uncontrollable upturn of Furina's lips was pressed into a downward curve, revealing an incredibly wronged bitterness.
A bitter gourd face.
A textbook bitter gourd face!
Furina lowered her head and fiercely ground the tip of her small leather shoe into the ground, as if the ground were the face of a certain atmosphere-ruining Iudex.
She desperately wanted to welcome Mr. King back to Fontaine all by herself!
The perfectly brewed black tea, the carefully selected small cakes, and the natural and adorable "Welcome Home" smile she had practiced several times!
Now it was all ruined!
Neuvillette!
You jerk!
Don't you usually spend all your time in the office reviewing documents until the sky turns dark?!
Why are you so free today?!
Why play music! It's so noisy!
The little person inside Furina was furiously pounding the ground, so wronged she was practically bubbling.
At this moment, Neuvillette had walked up to King and stopped.
With his left hand on his chest, he bowed slightly to King with an impeccable and solemn etiquette.
"Welcome back, Mr. King."
His voice carried clearly over the music.
"Your journey to Inazuma, where you quelled disaster and established an alliance, was highly meritorious. On behalf of all the citizens of Fontaine, I extend to you the highest respect and most sincere gratitude."
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