A few days later, Lin Qiu was woken up early in the morning by Clorinde.
This was rare; Clorinde had been quite quiet during her stay at his house, almost as if she weren't there, simply accompanying Lin Qiu silently.
"The God of Hydro wants to see you," Clorinde said.
She had just received a message saying that the God of Hydro was very anxious and needed Lin Qiu to come to her quickly.
"I understand," Lin Qiu replied, setting off immediately.
Although he didn't know why Furina wanted to see him, Lin Qiu was very willing to accompany Ms. Furina.
Arriving at Furina's room in Palais Mermonia, Ms. Furina was anxiously pacing around the room.
She was biting her nails, and her ahoge bounced with each step, truly looking very anxious.
Seeing Lin Qiu arrive, Furina quickly ran to him, looking up at him with her small head.
Her expression was pitiful, like a small animal, and her pupils seemed to ripple like water as she opened her small mouth and said,
"What should I do? The Knave is here!"
"She said she wants to see me, and she's going to take my Gnosis."
Because Lin Qiu had scared her before, the image of The Knave in her mind was now that of a ruthless killer.
She was worried that The Knave would attack her; she couldn't die yet, what would happen to Fontaine if she died?
"Qiu~, what should I do?" Furina shook Lin Qiu's arm.
Lin Qiu replied, "It's fine, I'll see her with you."
He still couldn't defeat The Knave, but he could exchange a few blows. This was Palais Mermonia, and Neuvillette would arrive in an instant.
Once Neuvillette arrived, he wouldn't let her escape.
The reason Furina didn't go directly to Neuvillette was mainly because she was still playing the role of the God of Hydro in front of him.
How could the God of Hydro be afraid of a Fatui Harbinger?
Hearing that Lin Qiu would accompany her, Furina breathed a sigh of relief and felt much more at ease.
She knew that she most likely wouldn't be attacked in Palais Mermonia, but she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. Now, she finally felt safe.
She hadn't seen Lin Qiu fight, so she didn't know his strength, but she trusted him greatly.
Lin Qiu said, "I've already converted all the emotional value from Act Three and several Story Quests into strength."
"Including the ten thousand points I exchanged before, I probably have a total of thirty thousand points."
The two chatted for a long time in Furina's room, until the time The Knave had appointed.
In the reception room, The Knave sat on the sofa with her legs crossed.
Despite the crossed-leg posture, The Knave performed it with utmost grace, like a queen.
"Oh? ProphetLin Qiu? I didn't expect to see you here," The Knave's voice was full of magnetism.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lin Qiu, but our encounter doesn't seem to be in the right setting."
The children of the House of the Hearth had shown her Lin Qiu's photo, so she recognized him.
Her visit to Fontaine to obtain the Gnosis was one of her missions, and besides that, she had another mission: to make contact with Lin Qiu.
However, the Tsaritsa's mission was not to kill Lin Qiu, but to try and recruit him into the Fatui ranks.
In the Tsaritsa's view, Lin Qiu, the Prophet, was not their enemy among the Fatui; instead, he might become an ally in their resistance against the Heavenly Principles.
This was also why Childe was willing to pay for Lin Qiu—it was all the Tsaritsa's mission.
"Hello, The KnaveArlecchino, or should I call you, Peruere?" Lin Qiu said, looking at the 'dark version of Eula'.
Arlecchino froze, her raised teacup stopping before her lips.
She looked up at Lin Qiu; this Prophet was even more formidable than she had imagined. No wonder the Tsaritsa wanted to recruit him.
"Mr. Lin Qiu, as of now, I am only the 'Father' of the 'House of the Hearth', Arlecchino."
"But I am very curious, how much do you know about my past?"
Lin Qiu smiled without speaking; mystery, once revealed too much, loses its charm.
"Let's not talk about you and me for now. You're right, this occasion belongs to you and the God of Hydro."
Arlecchino blinked. So, you're using my own words against me?
Ms. Furina looked at them both in confusion. Seeing Lin Qiu suddenly call her name, she quickly sat up straight.
"Ahem, I am the God of Hydro of Fontaine, Furina de Fontaine!"
"Tell me, what business do the Fatui have with the God of Hydro?"
It had to be said, Furina was truly skilled at playing the role of a God, at least in terms of diplomacy, she was very reliable.
Even though she was terrified of Arlecchino in her heart, she completely disguised it at this moment.
Arlecchino turned her gaze towards Furina. Under Arlecchino's intense stare, Ms. Furina still felt a little nervous.
Were these the eyes that had cut from Snezhnaya to Fontaine without a single blink? As expected, they were terrifying!
"Ms. Furina, shouldn't this meeting be a diplomatic meeting between Snezhnaya and Fontaine?"
The implication was, why was Lin Qiu, a Liyue person, present here?
"How can there be only two guests at my dessert table? That doesn't fit my status," Furina argued stubbornly.
"Is that so?" Arlecchino said noncommittally, not dwelling on it. Besides, she also wanted to make Lin Qiu's acquaintance.
"In that case, may I assume that if the following conversation is intercepted by Liyue, Ms. Furina will bear the responsibility?"
"Of… of course!" Furina nodded. She trusted Lin Qiu.
Arlecchino was indifferent to this; anyway, she hadn't intended to discuss any confidential topics.
She merely wanted to make contact with the God of Hydro and see what kind of being she was.
It was a bit strange; this Furina indeed had the aura of a God, but she also seemed somewhat different from the Tsaritsa?
Arlecchino wasn't quite sure; perhaps she needed to try a move.
As long as the other party made a move, or she made contact with the other party, she could draw a precise conclusion.
"This diplomatic meeting is primarily for the friendly relations between our two nations. Recently, there have been rumors circulating that our Fatui intend to seize the Gnosis of the Gods."
At this point, Arlecchino glanced at Lin Qiu. If it weren't for you, how would such rumors have appeared?
"I hope Ms. Furina will not have unnecessary misunderstandings about us because of this. The rumors are all false."
Ms. Furina's animalistic intuition told her that The Knave seemed to harbor ill intentions towards her.
Her ahoge stood on end, as if it had received a signal.
"Is that so? I understand," Furina sat a little closer to Lin Qiu.
"Hmph, I am the GodFocalors! Even if you wanted to seize it, you wouldn't be qualified."
Furina emphasized her 'God' identity, hoping to intimidate Arlecchino.
Unfortunately, such intimidation had no effect on Arlecchino; the Fatui Harbingers out in the field were all fearless of Gods.
Even those Harbingers who couldn't defeat a God were equally fearless.
Arlecchino smiled, not intending to refute Furina.
"I'm pleased that Ms. Furina understands."
"Then, may I ask a question?"
"Why—are you afraid of me?"
Furina's subconscious act of leaning closer to Lin Qiu caught Arlecchino's attention.
Her children also subconsciously leaned towards those who could give them a sense of security when they were afraid.
"Afraid!? What a joke! I am the GodFocalors, how could I possibly be afraid of a mere mortal like you?" Furina explained.
"Oh?" Arlecchino picked up her teacup.
As Arlecchino picked up her tea, the surrounding Pyro element began to stir.
Lin Qiu, having exchanged for the Pyro element, was also very attuned to it and quickly sensed this change.
Arlecchino slowly brought the teacup to her lips. As the teacup rose higher, the Pyro element became more active.
Only after Arlecchino took a sip of tea did the restless Pyro element calm down.
"I see. I misunderstood you, Ms. Furina."
From the beginning, her manipulation of the Pyro element became increasingly obvious, but Furina showed no reaction whatsoever.
Perhaps this God of Hydro was truly very confident? Unconcerned that she might suddenly make a move?
Then her behavior wasn't fear; was it simply because they had a good relationship?
Regardless, Arlecchino couldn't make a move here, so her doubts had to be temporarily set aside.
While the three of them were drinking tea and chatting here, Liyue was in an uproar.
Qiu Cheng's new book had been released, and Liyue was the protagonist of the story.