The moment she heard that voice, Furina stiffened from head to toe.
This was bad.
Now there was absolutely no way she could bring herself to eat it.
Eating leftovers in front of Raiden Ei?
She'd rather go hungry.
Keeping her composure, Furina said lightly, "It's Valerius's cake. He couldn't finish it, so I'm helping him throw it away."
As she spoke, her fingers loosened.
The cake dropped straight into the trash.
"You—y-you—!"
Raiden Ei stared, dumbfounded.
What kind of move was that?!
If you couldn't finish it, you could've given it to me! She hadn't eaten anything all day!
This was the Game Arena—everyone's physical condition was that of an ordinary person. Skipping meals actually mattered.
In her mind, since Valerius was full, and Furina had been sitting next to him the whole time, Furina must've eaten already.
This was outrageous.
Completely outrageous.
She marched up to Valerius in a few quick steps and held out her hand.
"Give me some too."
Livestream Chat
[Kujou Sara]: General…?
[Kamisato Ayaka]: Ah—this is…
[Yae Miko]: Very good. At least she knows to eat when she's hungry.
[Navia]: What do you mean by that?
[Wriothesley]: Yeah—what do you mean by that?
[Sparkle]: Fight! Fight! Fight!
Valerius looked at Raiden Ei's outstretched hand and fell silent for a moment.
How could someone be this straightforward?
Just look at Furina—weren't they both Archons? The contrast was painful.
"One point," Valerius said at last.
"…What?"
"One point for a meal."
Now Raiden Ei understood.
So she had to buy food with points.
She started with ten points anyway—spending one wasn't a big deal.
"Alright. One serving."
"Deal."
Even Valerius was a little surprised by how readily she agreed. He quickly pulled out a whole stack of small cakes and handed them over.
Raiden Ei immediately took a bite.
"So sweet!"
Furina's eye twitched at the sight.
You're really not hesitating at all, are you?
"You seriously just spent your points like that?" she blurted out.
"Don't we get ten points every game?" Raiden Ei replied casually. "What's there to save?"
Furina nearly choked.
"You forgot? This time, after winning, points can be used to draw rewards."
That single sentence froze Raiden Ei in place.
"…Oh."
Right.
She'd been so used to the old system that she'd completely forgotten rewards were on the line this time.
Suddenly, the cake in her hand didn't taste as good anymore.
"…Then how many points does it take to draw rewards?" she asked carefully.
"One point per draw," Valerius replied. "The more points you spend at once, the higher the reward tier—up to Tier Ten."
Hearing that, Raiden Ei relaxed again.
She still had nine points left.
If she won, she could still draw a Tier Nine reward.
It's fine. Totally fine.
She lowered her head and continued eating.
Valerius found it amusing.
This was a complete lack of long-term planning.
Points weren't just for rewards—they could buy information too.
Was she seriously planning to clear the game without purchasing a single clue?
Still, Valerius had no intention of reminding her.
After all, his points could also be used for draws.
As for where those points came from…
Well, that depended on how much he could earn off the players.
Watching Raiden Ei eat, Furina forcibly turned her gaze away, her heart waging an internal battle.
But one voice kept echoing in her mind.
You'll still have nine points left.
Nine points.
You can still draw rewards…
Time passed.
Finally, Furina opened her eyes, determination shining within them.
Livestream Chat
[Navia]: See? I told you Lady Furina wouldn't waste her points recklessly.
[Clorinde]: Valerius is clearly trying to drain their points. Don't fall for it.
[Sigewinne]: As a god, Lady Furina would surely consider this much.
"Give me a cake too!"
Livestream Chat
[Navia]: ...
[Emilie]: ...
[Kamisato Ayato]: Indeed. Clearly not falling for it.
[Arataki Itto]: Hahahahaha!
[Clorinde]: What's so funny? Would your god be any different?
[Yoimiya]: Uh…
[Hu Tao]: Let's watch Liyue's side—surely Conqueror Xiao won't fall for this.
[Mona]: Careful not to say that too confidently.
Inside the Game Arena.
With cake finally in hand, Furina's face lit up with pure bliss.
If only there were a cup of black tea to go with this…
Having successfully pocketed two points, Valerius stood up.
"You all enjoy yourselves. I'll go take a look around."
He'd been here for a while now and hadn't really explored the castle yet.
Pushing open the door, he stepped into the garden.
Outside, the first thing he noticed was a small storage shed near the garden.
"This should be Furina's work area," he mused.
His gaze then traveled over the castle walls.
Thick ivy crawled everywhere, making the building look as though it had been abandoned for years.
"That's strange…"
The exterior looked decrepit—but the inside was lavish to the extreme.
Muttering to himself, Valerius wandered through the courtyard.
And once he started, he couldn't stop.
Furina's shed.
Jade's tool room.
Raiden Ei's kitchen.
Jing Yuan's medicine room.
Aside from Herta—who, as the "Young Lady," had no designated work area—he even visited Xiao's bodyguard room.
Along the way, he discovered all sorts of interesting little details.
Enough to make him laugh quietly to himself.
"…Seriously," Valerius thought. "They're all something else."