Hearing this, Furina slightly narrowed her beautiful heterochromatic eyes, then lowered her head, beginning to ponder the reason behind this.
To anyone... Arlecchino's current behavior seemed a bit strange, after all... this didn't align with the Fatui's consistently tough diplomatic style.
But what was she after? Was it information? Or did she think that Yuto and Palais Mermonia had a conflict, and wanted to take Yuto away?
But if that were the case... then she wouldn't need to meet Yuto in a private capacity, would she? Isn't that like burying one's head in the sand?
The more Furina thought about it, the less she understood, and for a moment, she couldn't fathom Arlecchino's intentions.
Meanwhile, after a long gaze at the letter in front of him, a knowing smile appeared on Yuto's face.
"I understand..."
He murmured involuntarily.
And Furina naturally heard this, then suddenly raised her head, her eyes blinking as she looked at Yuto beside her, seemingly waiting for him to continue.
Seeing Furina looking at him so eagerly, Yuto couldn't help but smile, then continued to speak:
"Do you still remember the 'Fontaine Orphanage' I proposed earlier? She's probably planning to discuss that."
"However... I don't plan to go today, but rather to arrange another time."
Yuto chuckled and shrugged, then walked to his desk and began to respond to Arlecchino's question using a highly standardized, formulaic official statement.
Fontaine had just suffered a disaster, and regardless of whether Arlecchino truly wanted to discuss the new Narcissenkreuz Institute-like establishment with him, he couldn't just go to the meeting so quickly.
Firstly, he couldn't let the outside world get the impression that he, Yuto, was at the beck and call of the Fatui; such a thing would not be good.
Secondly, there was the issue of this 'private capacity.'
The identity of a Fatui Harbinger was already quite sensitive, and 'meeting others openly in a private capacity' was tantamount to burying one's head in the sand.
This familiar mode of operation... made it hard not to suspect that the Fatui intended to use such underhanded tactics to dismantle Yuto's public credibility in Fontaine, in order to achieve some desired outcome.
Therefore... whether or not this was a trap, Yuto could not go to this meeting.
Thinking of this, a faint, elusive smile appeared on Yuto's face.
He placed the prepared official document into an envelope, then skillfully sealed it with the Palais Mermonia's wax seal, as if he were sending a diplomatic letter.
Meanwhile, Furina blinked, watching all of this, momentarily bewildered.
Seemingly sensing Furina's somewhat puzzled gaze, Yuto chuckled softly and said:
"Although I'm not sure what their intentions are, if this matter changes from 'private discussion' to 'public discussion,' then we will be at an advantage no matter what."
With that, Yuto symbolically shook the envelope Lyney had handed him, then said:
"The matter of meeting in a private capacity is now in our hands. If there are any rumors in the future... we just need to present the document written today and this private invitation."
"This way, the discourse power remains in our hands. If they have no other intentions, then so be it; if they do... we can also make a reasonable counterattack."
Hearing this, Furina blinked, her half-understanding expression making her appear adorable.
Yuto gently ruffled her small head, then whispered in her ear:
"Wait for me for a little while; today's afternoon tea will be held as scheduled, just trust me~"
Feeling the breath mixed with a hint of Yuto's body warmth by her ear, Furina's small face couldn't help but flush, and then she gently nodded.
Seeing this, Yuto smiled and left the room, intending to handle the matter completely according to his own ideas.
After Yuto left the room, Furina gently touched her somewhat hot cheek, then said somewhat strangely:
"Why have I been blushing so easily these past two days...? Am I sick?"
As Furina spoke, she subconsciously hugged Little Sanhua, who was curled up on the discarded documents, then found a quiet place to sit down, waiting for Yuto to return.
...
The person Yuto arranged quickly delivered the letter to Northland Bank, and the recipient... was Arlecchino herself.
This intelligence worker, one of the best in all of Teyvat, curved her lips into an inscrutable smile when she saw the handwritten letter sealed with the Palais Mermonia's wax seal.
She didn't need to read it to know what was inside; it was nothing more than an invitation for her to personally visit Palais Mermonia in a few days to discuss the matter of Tartaglia.
After all, when that giant whale appeared, many people who were fleeing for their lives saw Tartaglia's "Demon King Armed."
As she gently opened the envelope with a paper cutter, she found that the contents were not very different from what she had expected, and she nodded slightly.
"It seems... we will have many more opportunities for cooperation in the future..."
With that, Arlecchino lightly snapped her fingers, and a blood-red flame instantly appeared in her hand, instantly burning the invitation from Palais Mermonia to ashes.
It wasn't that Arlecchino had any objection to Yuto's actions, but rather... she herself disliked the feeling of such information being exposed.
Anyway, to enter Palais Mermonia, one only needed the wax-sealed envelope; the rest... was not necessary to keep.
After dealing with the contents of the letter, Arlecchino slowly walked to the window of Northland Bank, looking through it at the Shadowy Court members coming and going on the streets of Fontaine, a deep light flashing in her eyes.
She was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke after a while:
"I wonder who is superior in governance and political acumen, you or that Old Man?"
With that, Arlecchino gently shook her head, then shifted her gaze to a copied parchment scroll by her hand.
That parchment scroll contained the content of the fourth Prophecy stone tablet, which had already been altered.
Arlecchino slowly picked up the parchment scroll, her eyes slightly narrowed, then she softly said:
"Immortal Spirit by the Water God's side... it's time to make things clear to you now..."
"The harmed Immortal Spirit will one day raise the banner of resistance, but this is not what I want to discuss with you."
"My responsibility... is to ensure you and Columbina meet smoothly."
With that, Arlecchino, as if having lost interest in something, casually tossed the parchment scroll in her hand aside with a lack of enthusiasm, then walked out of Northland Bank.
She needed to prepare some souvenirs; she couldn't possibly go to Palais Mermonia empty-handed tomorrow, could she?
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