Furina's eyelids had stopped twitching these past few days; instead, her heart was pounding with anxiety. Those three fellows had run off to deliver money, and many days had passed without a single word. The System hadn't given any prompts either, acting as if it were dead. Every day, she wandered around her "Axis Cult Headquarters"—which she had expanded slightly, though it remained quite dilapidated—glancing at the entrance from time to time, hoping those three odd-looking employees would hurry back.
Her heart was drumming: could the home delivery have failed, resulting in them being wiped out by the White Tiger Dukes Mansion? Or did they get lost? Although those three didn't look like they needed to eat or sleep, there should at least be some news!
Just as she was about to stomp a hole into a broken floor tile in the courtyard, the System that had been silent in her mind for several days finally let out a "ding"!
[Ding! Mission 'Fly Far and High' completed!] [Target characters Huo Yuner and Huo Yuhao have successfully escaped the sphere of influence of the White Tiger Dukes Mansion!] [Evaluation: Exceeded Expectations!] [Extra Reward Description: Due to a conflict with the hostile target 'Dai Huabin' during the mission and successfully repelling him (Note: suspected of causing slight physical and mental trauma), extra rewards are being calculated...] [Congratulations to the Host! Successfully unlocked the third Martial Soul—'Neuvillette' (Incomplete Form) preliminary summoning authority!] [Note: This summon can be used to assist in the daily operations, administrative management, dispute mediation, and other non-combat affairs of the 'Axis Cult'. Its existence requires a small amount of Faith Points to maintain.]
Furina watched the series of messages flash across the light screen, her eyes growing wider and wider.
Completed? Exceeded expectations? They even beat up Dai Huabin?! Although she didn't know the specific process, it sounded like... those three did a great job!
The last entry almost made her jump for joy!
Neuvillette! He could be summoned?! Although it was "Incomplete Form" and "Non-combat," still... that was Neuvillette! He could help her handle the cult's affairs?! She would never have to have a headache alone again over how to arrange cake distributions, how to mediate believers' petty squabbles, or how to calculate those pitifully small incomes and expenditures?!
Happiness came so suddenly! Without a second thought, almost by instinct, Furina's consciousness jabbed hard at the newly lit grey icon representing her third Martial Soul, "Neuvillette," screaming frantically in her heart: "Summon! Right now! Immediately! Get out here and help me work!"
She didn't even look closely at the note saying "requires a small amount of Faith Points to maintain."
As her intent fell, the purple, purple, and black spirit rings beneath her feet did not light up. Instead, the space in front of her began to ripple like a water surface with a stone thrown in, creating subtle, almost invisible circles. A faint yet solemn and majestic rhythm seemed to flash through the air.
Then, a tall and upright figure appeared silently and without warning before her.
The newcomer wore a deep blue and gold outfit, a complex and elegant formal suit. His long white hair was groomed meticulously, the ends glowing with a faint blue light. He held a magnificently styled cane in his hand. In his azure eyes, there was a trace of lingering daze and deep confusion. He was slightly frowning, examining his surroundings—the dilapidated courtyard, the low houses, and the air filled with an impoverished and chaotic aura that was completely out of place with him.
It was indeed Neuvillette.
His gaze finally landed on the excited, wide-eyed Furina in front of him. His eyes were full of incomprehension, as if he couldn't understand why he had suddenly appeared in such a strange place, and in such a way... as if being forcibly pulled here.
"Miss Furina?" He spoke, his voice as steady and deep as ever, with a unique sense of rhythm. But if one listened closely, a rarely seen trace of confusion could be detected. "Where is this? Why have I suddenly arrived here? Just now, I seemed to be handling official business at the Palais Mermonia..."
Looking at the living, breathing, speaking Neuvillette, Furina was so excited she almost wanted to go up and pat him (but she restrained herself, mainly because his aura was too strong). "Haha! Neuvillette! It really is you! This is great!" She gestured wildly. "Welcome to the Douluo Continent! Uh, the specific explanation is a bit complicated... anyway, you are now my third Martial Soul! I summoned you! Pretty impressive, right?"
Neuvillette: "...?"
The confusion in his azure eyes deepened. He tilted his head slightly, seemingly processing this overly abrupt information. "Summon? Martial Soul?" These two terms were clearly extremely foreign to him. "Miss Furina, I do not quite understand your meaning. As far as I know, we did not seem to be in the same..."
He paused, seemingly searching for the right word, "...dimension? Or rather, world?"
"Exactly! It's Transmigration! I transmigrated and dragged you along with me!" Furina nodded vigorously, trying to explain in the most direct way. "Simply put, this isn't Teyvat anymore! It's a place called the Douluo Continent! As for me, I'm now the Pope of some Axis Cult! Although there are a few too many followers and it's getting hard to manage... just then the System said I could call you to help! So here you are!"
She poured out the situation in one breath, regardless of whether the logic was sound.
Neuvillette was silent for a moment. He looked around at the dilapidated courtyard, the faint, noisy sounds of a marketplace in the distance that did not belong to Fontaine, and the energy flowing in the air that was completely different from the Elemental Power he was familiar with... all of this silently corroborated Furina's seemingly absurd words.
He felt a weak but unignorable sense of disconnect between himself and this world, like a thin veil. Yet, between him and the Furina before him, there was a peculiar, indescribable connection, like some kind of... contract? Or binding?
"So," Neuvillette spoke slowly, his tone still terrifyingly calm, as if he were merely confirming the details of a case, "your meaning is that due to some unknown mechanism, I was directly'summoned' from the Palais Mermonia to this world called the Douluo Continent by you, and I am required to assist you in managing a... newly founded religious organization?"
"Yes, yes, yes! That's a perfect summary!" Furina clapped her hands, her face wearing a 'you finally get it' expression. "Just helping with some daily matters! Like if someone's family is arguing, go persuade them; maintain order when distributing cakes; do some accounting! It's very simple! You don't need to fight!" she added quickly, for fear that the Iudex would feel overqualified for the job.
Neuvillette fell into silence again. He looked down at the elegant cane in his hand, then at the courtyard that was simple and crude everywhere. This strong sense of contrast, even with his vast experience, made him feel a rare sense of... being at a loss.
He could feel that the power maintaining his existence here seemed to originate from Furina and was continuously and slowly consuming an energy he couldn't accurately perceive. Refusal? It didn't seem like a viable option; at least for now, he and Furina were in a strange symbiotic state.
More importantly, he looked at Furina's eyes, which were full of expectation and even a hint of pitifulness (though most of it was an act, she really did need help), and remembered that she had also... well, tried her best in her own way back in Fontaine.
After a long while, Neuvillette let out a soft, almost inaudible sigh. He looked up, his azure eyes returning to their usual calm and depth.
"I understand," he said, his voice as steady as always, as if he were simply accepting another document that needed processing. "Although the situation is beyond imagination, since this is the reality, I accept my current circumstances. Miss Furina, regarding the daily management affairs of the 'Axis Cult' you mentioned, I will do my best to assist you."
He paused slightly and added with his usual rigorous style, "Of course, the prerequisite is that you need to inform me as clearly as possible of the relevant situation, rules, and the goals you hope to achieve."
"Great! I knew you were the most reliable!" Furina almost jumped for joy, a heavy stone finally lifting from her heart. "No problem! Leave it to me! I'll take you to get familiar with the business right now! First is the production and distribution process of our sect's sacred object—the cake!"
She excitedly wanted to pull Neuvillette to see her make cakes on the spot, completely failing to notice his slightly raised eyebrow, revealing a hint of surprise, when he heard that the "sacred object is cake."
Iudex Neuvillette, forced into a cross-world career change, took on the role of... administrative manager, mediator, and accountant (tentative) for an otherworldly makeshift religious group. His career in the other world officially began in this dilapidated courtyard in an extremely abrupt manner. His understanding of "faith" and "sacred objects" was about to face a brand-new, milk-scented shock.