Furina pouted, unsure why Lucian was so fond of grabbing her ahoge.
She secretly considered whether she should establish a law banning people from grabbing others' ahoges.
But even if such a law were made, it wouldn't be of much use—she couldn't exactly arrest Lucian for it.
Lucian gave Furina's ahoge a quick tug before letting go, saying, "I'm back to hang out for a few days."
Indeed, he planned to stay for a few days, at least until the new book was released before heading back.
Spending a few days in Fontaine, then maybe visiting Liyue for a bit—come to think of it, it was almost December. Wasn't it about time for the Lantern Rite?
Lantern Rite, huh… Teacher Albedo, you might have to work overtime again.
Unbeknownst to Albedo, who was still diligently working, Lucian, the prophet, had already arranged his "future."
"Why'd you come to my place? Did something happen?" Lucian asked.
Your place? Clorinde, who had entered after hearing the commotion, leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed, thinking to herself, I almost forgot this was your house.
Truth be told, aside from Lucian himself, nearly all his friends in Fontaine had keys to his place.
As for Lucian, he didn't usually need a key to get into his own home.
He didn't keep anything valuable there, so he didn't mind people coming over.
In fact, he rather liked it when everyone visited. Since he wasn't always around, an empty house left unused for too long would feel cold and desolate, making it uncomfortable when he returned.
Clorinde, of course, had come with Furina. After all, Furina was hiding from Arlecchino—how could she not bring her "bodyguard" along?
When Furina yelped after having her ahoge grabbed, Clorinde thought something was wrong. But upon pushing the door open and seeing it was just Lucian, she leaned against the doorframe to watch the show.
"I… came to take refuge," Furina said after a moment's thought, choosing not to say she missed him and going with her second reason instead.
After explaining the situation to Lucian, she couldn't shake the feeling—perhaps it was her imagination—that Lucian was suppressing a laugh, almost turning into a "dragon meme."
"So that's what's going on. Got it," Lucian nodded, feigning seriousness.
"No problem, no problem. Come on, let's go see Peruere. How can the Hydro Archon be running away?"
Furina nodded. Although she was terrified of Arlecchino, with Lucian by her side, there was nothing to fear.
Wait a second… who's Peruere? That doesn't sound like a person's name…
The group returned to the Palais Mermonia, where Arlecchino was waiting in the reception hall.
Naturally, Furina hadn't informed Arlecchino before fleeing. She had planned to stall for time, slip away, and then come up with a casual excuse for not meeting.
Arlecchino still had no idea Furina had just run off.
"Mr. Lucian?" Arlecchino was slightly surprised. She hadn't expected Lucian to show up at this moment.
This guy was always so mysterious, teleporting instantly wherever he went. Even intelligence reports couldn't keep up with him!
By the time the Fatui delivered their reports, this kid was probably already off to another nation.
"Peruere, long time no see," Lucian said with a smile.
No need to say much. In the past, I might have respectfully called you "Arlecchino," but now I'll just call you "Peruere."
Why? Go ask my master. I'm now the beloved disciple of Beelzebul, and Beelzebul isn't exactly a god who likes to reason.
I've got an anchor point right in the Plane of Euthymia. I could summon my "spirit beast" with a flick of my wrist using the "art of summoning," so watch how you talk to me!
Besides, the Fatui were clearly showing a willingness to compromise now, meaning Arlecchino would have to listen to Lucian in the future.
"…" Arlecchino remained silent, not commenting on the nickname.
Furina, on the other hand, was a bit surprised. So Peruere really is you!?
She vaguely recalled Lucian mentioning a name with a "Pe" in it before, but this nickname… it suits you surprisingly well, pfft.
"Lady Furina, this is a gift for you this time," Arlecchino said, ignoring Lucian and pushing a small cake toward Furina.
Furina naturally didn't refuse. Although she was terrified of Arlecchino, she had never turned down Arlecchino's "offerings."
Furina scooped a bit of cake, put the spoon in her mouth, and blinked at Arlecchino.
With her mouth busy, she couldn't speak, so she used her eyes to ask what Arlecchino was here for.
Arlecchino didn't say directly. Instead, she turned to Lucian. "Mr. Lucian, that song from before—was it written by you, correct?"
"Yes, I wrote it," Lucian replied, knowing exactly which song Arlecchino meant. After all, she couldn't have heard the songs he casually hummed.
"Do you have any new works?" Arlecchino asked.
Lucian understood—Arlecchino was here for a new song.
But the moment Arlecchino mentioned "new work," Lucian had a bold idea.
"New work, heh heh heh, a new work is great," Lucian said with a grin.
"The workload for the new book is a bit heavy, and it'll take some time. Why not jump the queue and work on a new project instead?"
Arlecchino, Furina, and Clorinde looked at Lucian, puzzled by his meaning.
Fontaine was a great place—it even had movies. Making something like a stop-motion animation wouldn't be too difficult. Worst case, they could draw it out and shoot it frame by frame.
With Albedo busy, it seemed Lucian would have to call in his backup forces. Hu Tao, Guizhong, Cloud Retainer—none of you are slacking off, come help me draw!
Arlecchino, you want a new work? I won't just give you a "new work"—I'll throw in a bonus, heh heh heh.
The next day, Lucian leveraged his vast network, as impressive as the Traveler's, and quickly gathered a group of capable people.
"You mentioned needing a film director? I've brought one for you," Charlotte said with a smile.
The person she brought was Xavier, the director from a later event storyline.
Lucian could handle manga storyboarding, but filming a "movie" was a bit beyond him, so it was better to bring in a professional.
"Please guide me!" Xavier said nervously. After all, the scriptwriter for this "movie" was the Prophet—a massive big shot.
"Hahaha, don't be nervous. If you need anything, just order me around. I'm your subordinate now, Mr. Xavier," Navia said with a laugh.
"Feel free to give orders. I'd like to learn a thing or two as well," Zhongli added. Filming a story sounded intriguing.
Clorinde nodded in agreement, indicating she was also open to taking orders.
Xavier was stunned. He never imagined he'd become their "boss." Talk about a glow-up!
Wait a second—this Zhongli guy, isn't he the Geo Archon from next-door Liyue?
Good heavens! He knew the Prophet was a big deal, but not this big!
"Thanks, Charlotte. I'll treat you to dinner next time," Lucian said.
"Treat me to dinner?" Charlotte sighed. "Let's not. I still haven't treated you to the dinner I owe you!"
Lucian gave a wry smile. "Once we're done with this busy period, we'll find a chance."
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Charlotte: About the Owed Dinner
"Ah, you mean that dinner? Don't remind me—I still haven't managed to treat you!"