Yuto was well aware of what his identity meant to Sky Island.
A conscious Immortal Spirit that should not exist in this world, who might inherit the abilities of Khaenri'ah's Five Great Sinners in the future, thus to some extent representing the Abyss.
Just these two identities alone… the first thing heavenly principles would do upon awakening would be to drop The Nail of the Cold Heavens on his location.
Therefore, he was naturally opposed to heavenly principles from the very beginning, so there was no issue of standing.
Of course, he could also understand why Columbina would specifically ask for his thoughts.
After all… in their eyes, he was a loyal follower of the Water God, and in a sense, also a follower of the "Order of Seven."
This meant that he was very likely to stand on their opposite side, which was something they did not want to see.
Or rather… Yuto standing against Snezhnaya was what Columbina did not want to see.
After all, he was her kinsman, and he possessed a strength that could not be underestimated, so he was someone they definitely needed to win over.
Thinking of this, Yuto nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to the sugar cube that was about to melt completely.
"Time is almost up."
"Yes, indeed, time is almost up."
Columbina nodded gently, then slowly rose, gracefully bowed to Yuto, and then opened the door by herself, stepping into the wind and snow.
After Yuto watched that elegant and solemn figure disappear into the wind and snow, Columbina's ethereal voice once again entered his ears.
"I look forward to our next meeting in reality, Mr. Yuto."
"As for what you said… I will intervene slightly as the Third Seat, please rest assured."
As that ethereal voice once again echoed in Yuto's ears, the surrounding space gradually began to fade, eventually becoming a complete darkness.
Looking at the pitch blackness before him, Yuto first let out a long sigh of relief, then quietly murmured:
"So it's like this… it's not power from an Immortal Spirit, but a kind of consciousness-sharing ability…"
"She didn't leave Snezhnaya at all; everything just now was the most real scenario…"
"Never mind, not taking action is the best outcome, and it also allowed her to give Arlecchino a heads-up, which isn't bad…"
With this thought, Yuto nodded gently, then very calmly closed his eyes, and a moment later, his figure also disappeared from this space.
This public consciousness space once again fell into a long silence.
…
The first ray of morning sunlight filtered through the thin blue curtains into the room, creating a perfectly soft natural light.
This light, by chance, fell upon Yuto and Furina, who were sleeping in each other's arms, adding to the already warm atmosphere between them.
At this moment, Yuto's consciousness had just returned to his body.
He opened his eyes somewhat hazily, and the first thing he did upon waking was to look at Furina sleeping in his arms.
Listening to the steady breathing of the girl in his arms, Yuto let out a slight sigh of relief, then raised his head to glance at the clock on the wall, quietly calculating his work time.
"Two more hours… should I get up and make breakfast?"
Yuto tilted his head, just about to try and see if he could smoothly leave for the kitchen without disturbing Furina.
However…
He failed.
Simply put… Furina seemed to unconsciously not want him to leave her side.
When Yuto tried to get up, Furina would instinctively grab his arm, then mumble a few words he couldn't make out, and then fall back asleep.
Looking at the sleeping girl, Yuto silently sighed, then put the arm he had just tried to move back on her.
Almost the moment Yuto's arm was placed back, Furina seemed to sense something; her slightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and the expression on her face returned to that relaxed state.
"She really is like a little cat…"
Yuto gently shook his head, then quietly waited for Furina to wake up from her sleep.
He wasn't worried about being late, as for why…
That's because he understood Furina's daily routine better than anyone else.
…
Just as Yuto and Furina were enjoying this moment of peace… Columbina was already busy.
She calmly walked into the Winter Palace amidst the respectful gazes and humble postures of the other Fatui.
She had some very important things to tell The Tsaritsa.
The Winter Palace was large and empty, and although Columbina had tried her best to walk lightly, in such a vast setting… it was useless.
Tap—tap—tap—
Accompanied by a series of crisp footsteps echoing through the Winter Palace, Columbina quickly arrived before the high throne.
She bowed slightly, and softly said to the figure seated on the throne:
"The Tsaritsa, the Assistant Administrator from Fontaine is on our side; he is a partner who also wishes to resist heavenly principles."
"However… he also made some demands of the Fatui."
Columbina's voice was as ethereal as ever, but the respect in her words was not diminished much by this ethereality.
Hearing this, the noble Ice Queen merely nodded gently, then slowly spoke:
"Made demands, you say… tell me about them."
That icy cold voice came down from the throne, signaling Columbina to continue.
"Yes, Fontaine Vice-Minister Yuto wants us to withdraw all remaining intelligence personnel in Fontaine, to assess our sincerity towards this 'ally'."
Columbina's words made the Ice Queen fall into a brief thought, and after a moment, she spoke:
"I have already obtained the Hydro Archon's god's heart, and now Fontaine, for Snezhnaya… only has commercial value left."
"Columbina, later you go tell Pantalone and Arlecchino to recall all intelligence personnel stationed in Fontaine back to Snezhnaya."
"As for Pantalone… just have him keep the intelligence personnel responsible for commercial information, and recall all the rest to Snezhnaya."
Hearing this, Columbina bowed slightly, and nodded softly:
"Yes."
After speaking, Columbina quickly left the Snezhnaya Palace and headed to Snezhnaya's City Hall, intending to explain The Tsaritsa's decree to the Old Man.
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