The morning sun rose gentle and warm.
Having spent the previous evening locked in intense combat before indulging in the recorded spectacle of the Archons' dismay, Ryen and his companions lingered comfortably in bed, thoroughly unwilling to rise.
It was not from physical exhaustion; if anything, their vitality and spirits were soaring.
Yet having weathered the harrowing forty-nine-day cataclysm, setting aside the endless strategic calculations to enjoy quiet, intimate warmth was a precious luxury they refused to rush.
Ryen was especially reluctant to leave the soft embrace of his hearth.
Yae Miko lounged beside him, casually trading wisps of elemental energy, while Ganyu curled against his chest, sharing the sweet, refreshing harvest she had gathered for so long.
Lisa whispered sultry, teasing reassurances to soothe his playful restlessness.
Ningguang, Guizhong, and the others rested close by.
Such rare, harmonious reunions were treasures to be savored.
The heated tranquility, however, was not destined to last the entire morning.
Just as Ryen was contemplating a fresh domestic skirmish beneath the silk sheets, a gentle tap sounded against the bedroom door.
Outside stood Klee, peering in with wide, aggrieved eyes and announcing softly that her tummy was rumbling.
Silently scolding himself for neglecting his duties as a father, Ryen rolled out of bed, threw on his robes, and led the women to the kitchen to prepare a lavish breakfast for Klee and the young girls.
Since the apocalyptic siege had drawn to its official close yesterday, there was no urgent need to rush across the portal to organize municipal labor.
Ryen dedicated his entire morning to pampering his partners and doting upon his precious daughters, reveling in the simple joys of home.
It was only after a leisurely midday meal that the party returned through the portal to the City Lord Manor in Redstone Tech City.
Along the way, Ryen sent word to Zhongli and the allied commanders to convene for a council session.
The leaders were scattered across the sectors, actively managing initial repair efforts.
When Ryen entered the main hall, only a handful of delegates had assembled.
The Tsaritsa and her retinue had arrived early.
Offering a casual wave of greeting, Ryen settled into the high seat with Klee and the little girls in his lap, happily indulging their giggles.
Ningguang and her aides opened their ledgers, reviewing the preliminary casualty manifests and infrastructural damage tallies compiled yesterday.
The previous evening had been a hurried overview, overshadowed by the distribution of module rewards.
Today demanded meticulous logistics: confirming structural damage, scheduling municipal repairs, and organizing mandatory leave rotations for the exhausted frontline garrison.
It would be another demanding day of administration.
Rosalyne glanced toward Ryen as he played with the children, the words the Tsaritsa had spoken last night echoing through her thoughts, causing her to lower her eyes in quiet contemplation.
Arlecchino rose from her seat and walked over to Lumine.
With the meeting yet to formally begin, it was an ideal window to raise the matter of Fontaine.
Yet just as she took a seat beside the Traveler, words caught in her throat.
Her crimson pupils fixed upon Lumine's bare knees.
The pale, porcelain skin was marked with faint purplish bruises, looking very much as though she had taken a brutal fall onto hard cobblestones.
"Lumine, were you engaged in heavy combat last night?" Arlecchino asked, genuine curiosity in her tone.
"What? Why would you ask that?"
Lumine turned, giving her a strange, guarded look.
Combat?
Technically, yes.
A ferocious engagement of monumental proportions, where she had cried out in desperate defiance until her voice gave out.
Yet her defensive lines had still been thoroughly breached by a boundless vanguard of vital energy, her mountain pass completely overrun.
Even now, a lingering fullness settled deep within her frame.
Though in truth, if it yielded a child, she would welcome it gladly.
Arlecchino had no inkling of Lumine's wild internal monologue. Pointing toward the marks on her knees, she asked softly, "Judging by those bruises, you took quite a tumble. Does it impede your movement?"
Lumine froze.
An instant later, a brilliant crimson blush surged from her collarbones straight to the tips of her ears.
"That... it doesn't hinder me at all! My physical constitution is peerless!" she stammered, flustered.
Turning her head, Lumine shot a murderous glare toward Ryen.
It was entirely that shameless man's fault for demanding such humiliating postures last night!
Worse still, when she had been reduced to whimpering like a puppy under his touch, he had made no move to stop, watching her with utter, shameless delight!
Lumine's subtle glance did not escape Arlecchino's sharp gaze.
Slightly bewildered, the Harbinger looked around the chamber, only to make a startling discovery.
Hu Tao and Guizhong, chatting animatedly near the side table; Ningguang, reviewing ledgers with elegant grace; and Yae Miko, lounging lazily beside Ryen...
Every single one of them bore identical dark smudges upon their knees.
Only Ganyu, Lisa, and Ei, whose silken skirts covered their legs, revealed nothing.
Yet one could easily deduce their condition was no different.
If all of them shared the exact same physical ailment, then...
The underlying cause was blindingly obvious.
Though Arlecchino possessed little personal experience in romantic entanglements, she was far from ignorant.
A subtle warmth touched her cheeks, marveling inwardly at the sheer scale of the spectacle.
These people indulged in quite the wild lifestyle.
And Ryen's physical stamina was genuinely terrifying.
Noticing the Harbinger drifting into deep thought, Lumine nudged her arm, asking suspiciously, "What are you daydreaming about?"
Arlecchino snapped back to reality, waving her hands in mild fluster.
"Nothing. I merely wished to ask for your assistance with an urgent matter, but seeing your apparent injuries, I worried you might be unfit for travel."
Lumine tossed her head with a haughty sniff.
"Injuries? You underestimate me far too much. Out with it: what do you need?"
Composing her thoughts, Arlecchino adopted a serious, measured tone.
"It concerns the nation of Fontaine... Her Majesty mentioned that you would likely set out for Fontaine before long..."
Lumine cut her off before she could finish.
"I am traveling to Fontaine? Why wasn't I informed?"
Arlecchino blinked in surprise, studying her closely.
"Are you not a Descender? To restore your sealed strength, journeying across the Seven Nations is an absolute prerequisite, is it not? You have unlocked only four elements thus far."
Lumine offered a sly, cryptic smirk.
"Who told you that journeying is the only method to regain power? Absorbing sufficient nourishment works just as well."
"What?"
Arlecchino stared blankly. Lumine gave an awkward chuckle, offering no further explanation.
Could she honestly confess that after being repeatedly infused with Ryen's boundless reserves of cosmic energy over the past months, her combat parameters were already on par with her unsealed form?
"You have truly restored your strength?" Arlecchino asked, genuine astonishment in her voice.
Lumine grinned with proud satisfaction, reaching into her spatial inventory and pulling out a heavy belt.
The metallic trinkets chimed together like melodic wind chimes.
Arlecchino looked down, dark lines forming across her brow.
It was a glowing prismatic belt identical to the one Ryen wore, adorned with seven radiant, harmonized Visions.
Arlecchino pressed her lips together, unable to suppress a dry remark.
"I am aware Ryen provides you with extraordinary relics, but... an external magical conduit is not an authentic reflection of your innate authority. Your true capability stems from your native elemental resonance; only when all seven elements converge will your primordial power be restored."
The Harbinger clearly commanded a deep, scholarly grasp of the Descenders' nature.
Lumine spread her hands casually.
"Yet my present capability is genuinely no weaker than it was back then."
Opening her palm, Lumine manifested a swirling orb of pure, concentrated Dendro energy.
It was far beyond ordinary elemental resonance, carrying the unmistakable, radiant weight of divine authority.
Arlecchino was completely dumbfounded.
Was a Descender not supposed to undergo extensive mortal trials to reconstruct their severed authority?
How had she skipped the entire trial, standing at a tier surpassing her ancient peak before even setting foot in the remaining nations?
The reality defied all logic. Arlecchino turned a bewildered gaze toward the Tsaritsa, but her Archon was engrossed in a quiet conversation with Ningguang.
Lumine laughed, stowing the belt back into her inventory.
"Jokes aside, I truly do plan on visiting Fontaine soon."
Even without Arlecchino raising the topic, Lumine had contemplated making the crossing.
While her current strength rivaled her original zenith, that was primarily due to Ryen's physical cultivation elevating her four native elements to an extraordinary plane.
If she gathered the remaining three elemental authorities, her power would completely shatter the boundaries of mortal gods.
Besides, Fontaine was not distant; with Teleport Waypoints linked across the map, traveling back and forth between Fontaine and Liyue in a single afternoon was effortless.
Though Arlecchino struggled to follow Lumine's unconventional logic, having her agree to the journey was an enormous boon.
"If you intend to visit Fontaine, I wish to accompany you," Arlecchino said softly.
"Fontaine is my homeland, and the House of the Hearth maintains deep roots across its borders."
"I carry pressing duties that demand my return, and traveling as companions will make resolving complications far simpler for both of us."
"Fontaine is the Nation of Justice, governed by unique judicial trial systems with which you have zero familiarity. Without an understanding of their legal mechanisms, you could easily fall into political traps."
"I can act as your guide. Our objectives do not conflict in the slightest."
Lumine nodded in agreement.
"Traveling together poses no issue for me, but... didn't your court abandon its pursuit of the gnoses? Why must you journey to Fontaine?"
Arlecchino let out a slow, somber breath.
"It is not solely about the Gnosis... or perhaps, that vessel may still prove necessary. Yet securing it is not my primary purpose."
"I was raised upon Fontaine soil, and I grew up listening to the ancient prophecy of our people."
Her gaze grew distant, her cadence dropping into a solemn, rhythmic recitation.
"The people of Fontaine are born bearing sin."
"One day, the waters shall rise, engulfing the whole of Fontaine and dissolving every soul into the sea, leaving only the Hydro Archon weeping upon her throne."
"Only then shall the sins of Fontaine be washed clean."
Before her words could settle, a terrified gasp rang out.
"Eek! That sounds horrifying! What do you mean by dissolving?! How could human beings simply dissolve into water?!"
Paimon, who had floated over unnoticed, dove into Lumine's arms in fright, trembling as she stared at the Harbinger.
Arlecchino shook her head with quiet melancholy.
"It sounds absurd, yet... two parts of that prophecy have already come to pass."
"The sea levels of Fontaine have risen rapidly over recent years, swallowing ancient ruins and fertile plains beneath the tides."
"As for our people dissolving..."
A dark, complicated shadow crossed Arlecchino's face.
"The Primordial Seawater dissolves the citizens of Fontaine. I have verified that truth personally."
"Verified it?" Lumine asked, her brow furrowing.
Arlecchino's voice remained flat and calm.
"I apprehended several corrupt aristocrats within Fontaine and exposed them to water drawn from the Primordial Sea. Every one of them dissolved into liquid before my eyes."
"However, the Primordial Seawater affects only the native people of Fontaine; foreigners remain entirely unharmed."
"Thus, the prophecy is an impending reality."
Lumine nodded in understanding, feeling zero revulsion toward Arlecchino's ruthless testing methods.
Eliminating corrupt nobles was hardly a sin, and Lumine was far from a naive saint.
"Though I serve Her Majesty the Tsaritsa, Fontaine remains the land of my birth."
"I wish to find a means to avert this apocalyptic doom."
"Yet you understand that my former allegiance to the Fatui, coupled with Fontaine remaining outside our Five-Nation Alliance, leaves me severely constrained within its borders."
"Operating openly would invite immediate scrutiny. Only by moving beneath your banner will the Chief Justice hesitate to move against me, granting me the operational freedom I require."
Lumine blinked in mild surprise.
"The Chief Justice? Not the Hydro Archon? You hold no fear of the god, yet you fear her judge?"
A subtle, knowing smirk touched Arlecchino's lips.
"Lady Furina, the Hydro Archon... well, how should one describe her? You truly need not harbor excessive concern regarding her person."
"She is... unique. In Fontaine, the figure demanding your absolute caution is the Chief Justice. He appears to be a subordinate to the throne, but in truth, he is the undisputed master of the realm."
"His martial strength is terrifying, and his true origin is shrouded in mystery. I suspect his power is no lower than Her Majesty the Tsaritsa's."
Lumine's eyes widened in genuine disbelief.
"On par with a sovereign Archon? Are you jesting?!"
To rival the Cryo Archon meant only one thing: he was an authentic, premier god walking the mortal earth.
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