Hearing Yuto's words and those choices, Furina was slightly stunned, then lowered her head, as if deep in thought.
What Yuto had just mentioned were festivals unique to those few nations, and... their dates were only one or two months away.
After a brief moment of thought, Furina slightly raised her head, looked at Yuto, who was leaning his head on his hand and smiling at her, and softly said:
"I want to... go to Ritou, to see the scenery there, to experience a completely different style."
"And it's also the closest nation to Fontaine among the choices given. I think... before Jingshui Court maintains stable operation for a long time, we shouldn't go too far."
After saying that, Furina once again buried her small head in Yuto's embrace, as if only this could make her feel at ease.
Perhaps because everything that needed to be said had been said, or perhaps because she knew Yuto's recent arrangements, Furina drifted off to sleep.
Feeling the steady breathing of the girl in his arms, a relaxed smile appeared on Yuto's face.
His slender fingers gently stroked Furina's soft, jade-like cheek, and he whispered in a uniquely gentle voice:
"Good night, my dear Fufu."
It seemed she wasn't asleep at all, or perhaps she sensed something, for after Yuto spoke, the girl in his arms shifted slightly, burying her face deeper.
Looking at Furina, who was curled up in his arms like a kitten, Yuto tilted his head slightly, remembering a little fellow he seemed to have forgotten.
"Speaking of which... should I pick up Little Sanhua from Sedna tomorrow?"
Because he had to conduct interviews in the office, Yuto not only moved out the old documents that had piled up for who knows how many years, but also temporarily entrusted his room's mascot to Sedna's care.
After all, it was a proper interview, and for staff in a new department of Palais Mermonia, it definitely needed to be formal.
Even Little Sanhua's mature disposition of "cats can nap anywhere, so they're called cats" wouldn't do.
My dear Assistant Officer, you wouldn't want the people you're interviewing to be distracted by a cat, would you?
Thinking of this, Yuto gently sighed, made a few arrangements for his future plans, and then slowly fell asleep.
...
Yuto had a dream.
He didn't dream of Furina, nor did he dream of past memories as he had when he first arrived in Teyvat.
Instead, he dreamed of another person, someone who shouldn't have appeared at this time.
Yuto slightly raised his head, looking at the exquisitely beautiful woman standing elegantly and gracefully before him, his sea-blue eyes narrowing slightly.
The ethereal aura that could not possibly exist in this world, the unique pure white Hollow eye mask, and the two pairs of wings gently fluttering behind her head revealed the identity of this uninvited guest.
"Fatui Harbinger Third Seat, 'The Damsel' Columbina..."
Yuto took a deep breath, clearly wary of her.
The top three Fatui Harbingers possess power comparable to the Archons. Although Yuto wasn't afraid of her, this didn't mean she had no other means.
For example... threatening him with Furina, who was sleeping beside him in reality.
As if sensing Yuto's wariness, Columbina smiled slightly, then softly began to speak:
"Mr. Yuto needn't be so nervous. I mean no harm; I am simply eager to meet one of my own kind."
"After all... you are the only Immortal Spirit with self-awareness I have encountered so far."
A hint of sadness tinged Columbina's voice, as if she were mourning her own kind.
However, this sadness was fleeting; Columbina quickly returned to her previous dignified and ethereal state.
"I've come this time... to talk with you about the future."
"I want to know, as the last descendant of the Immortal Spirit race, as a bearer of another Abyss power, what is your attitude towards Sky Island, and towards the existing'Seven Orders'?"
Almost the instant that ethereal voice sounded in Yuto's ear, the scene before him began to change rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, the originally pitch-black conscious space transformed into a small wooden cabin with a warm fireplace.
Dry firewood crackled in the fireplace, and the scent of coffee filled the air, as if they weren't meeting in a dream at this moment, but truly meeting in reality.
Yuto slightly turned his head, looking through the misty glass window at the swirling snow outside, and a flicker of understanding passed through his sea-blue eyes.
"An Immortal Spirit's unique ability... projecting her residence in Snezhnaya into the conscious space? Or creating a conscious space?"
Yuto slightly frowned, then looked at Columbina, who had suddenly changed into the Harbingers' characteristic thick cotton robe, and asked strangely:
"So... this is your ability?"
Columbina gently nodded, and like a magic trick, dropped two sugar cubes into the two cups of coffee before her.
Clink—
Accompanying a crisp sound in their ears, it was the sound of sugar cubes colliding with the cup walls.
Columbina slightly turned her head, facing Yuto who stood beside her, and softly said:
"Although I would very much like to discuss matters concerning the Immortal Spirit race with Mr. Yuto, due to the great distance, this ability cannot last long. Please forgive me, Mr. Yuto."
"Once this sugar cube reaches the bottom of the cup... this space will naturally collapse, and Mr. Yuto in reality will naturally wake up."
Hearing this, Yuto's eyes narrowed slightly. He looked at Columbina, who, despite her closed eyes, gave him the feeling of being stared at. After a moment of silence, he spoke:
"So... you're just here to confirm my stance?"
Columbina nodded noncommittally.
"That's right. Both The Tsaritsa and the Fatui, we are doing our best to unite all forces that can be united."
"Whether it's us or others in Teyvat, we have all been hurt, more or less, by the so-called 'Order', so..."
"As one of your kin, I want to ask for your opinion on the existing heavenly principles?"
Hearing this, Yuto lowered his head, falling into a long silence.
Columbina, however, didn't seem to be in a hurry. She sat there quietly, her eyes remaining closed, yet her gaze never left Yuto for a moment.
As time passed little by little, the sugar cube in the coffee cup was dissolving rapidly, and the suspended time was about to end, signaling that this meeting was drawing to a close.
Just half a minute before the sugar cube was about to completely dissolve, Yuto finally finished his thoughts. He slightly raised his head and spoke seriously to Columbina before him:
"As long as Snezhnaya does not repeatedly harass Fontaine in the future and try to have those spies gather information from Fontaine..."
"I will naturally be on your side, after all..."
"I am an Immortal Spirit, a Dependents of the First Descender Phanes, a special individual who has inherited Abyss power..."
"There is no reason for It not to kill me."
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