Now that she was already inside, what could Sandrone do?
She casually lifted the door she had just torn off and pressed it back into place—
It had to be said, her technical expertise showed. Or perhaps she had simply grown used to these outbursts over the past year and optimized things to avoid unnecessary repair costs.
In any case, with a single motion, the entire door returned perfectly to normal.
Meanwhile, taking advantage of the moment, the Maiden had already walked over to her colleague's seat, picked up the teacup, noticed there was only a little tea left—and, without the slightest hesitation, drank it all in one gulp.
She set the cup down and praised casually:
"Mmm, Sandrone's tea is as good as ever."
The whole process was so smooth she didn't even need to consciously use her lunar perception. She could have done it with her eyes closed.
Then, out of habit, she reached toward a familiar spot—
And found nothing.
Only then did she use her lunar perception slightly.
"Oh? No snacks today?"
There was a hint of surprise in her tone—and a bit of disappointment.
Sandrone walked over, snatched her cup back, and pointed sharply toward the corner of the table.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Your cup is over there. If you want tea, pour it yourself—stop taking mine!"
Following her finger, there was indeed another teacup beside the teapot.
But Sandrone was usually only accompanied by her mechanical assistant Pronyia, who didn't drink tea.
Her subordinates weren't qualified to share tea with her, and those who were rarely visited.
So who was that extra cup prepared for?
A real mystery.
Yet the Maiden seemed unimpressed.
"Pouring it myself isn't as convenient…"
"What did you say?"
Her voice had been a bit quiet, but judging by Sandrone's expression, she looked like a cat about to puff up.
"Nothing."
The Maiden wisely stopped there.
She didn't mind the rough way her cup had been taken. Instead, she walked over, poured herself another cup of tea, and casually filled Sandrone's cup as well.
"Good."
The "cat about to puff up"—or rather, the Puppet—calmed slightly and allowed the refill, taking a sip.
To Sandrone, tea—whether in Liyue style or Fontaine style—was all about savoring it.
Watching someone gulp down half a cup in one go?
That was barbaric. A complete waste of her carefully prepared tea.
But she didn't bother correcting it anymore.
It wasn't worth the effort.
Usually, when she had time, she might complain a little.
Today? Forget it.
"I've been busy all day. You're lucky there's even tea—who has time to prepare snacks?"
"Speaking of which, you're here at least thirty minutes earlier than usual today."
"What is it?"
Her tone was impatient.
The Maiden, however, didn't mind at all.
She had her own internal "Sandrone translator."
And just now, when she expanded her lunar perception slightly while looking for snacks, she had noticed Pronyia busy in the baking room…
"So Sandrone remembers exactly when I come every day."
She looked at Sandrone, though her tone sounded almost like she was talking to herself.
"So the snacks are always prepared right on time… no wonder they're still warm when I eat them."
After saying that, she raised her teacup again—but this time only took a small sip.
Recently, she had gotten used to having tea with snacks.
Without them, something felt missing.
She decided to wait for Pronyia.
But those words—
That direct hit—
Made Sandrone bristle again.
"Hah? What are you even talking about?"
"I asked if you needed something!"
The Maiden paused slightly, as if only just remembering her purpose, and set down her cup.
"Sandrone, I need your help."
She said it plainly.
"Oh?"
Sandrone's eyes lit up.
"You're actually asking me for help?"
"But why should I agree?"
The Maiden's built-in "Sandrone translator" kicked in.
With a flicker of light in her hand, she produced a map of Teyvat and pointed to a location.
"The Tsaritsa has something she needs me to handle. I can't leave Snezhnaya."
"So I'd like you to go check this place for me."
Sandrone glanced at the map.
The location pointed to an ocean area between Liyue, Fontaine, and Sumeru.
She frowned instinctively.
"There? What's even there to see?"
The Maiden's expression suddenly turned serious.
"If it were someone else, I wouldn't say."
"But for you, Sandrone… it's fine."
"It's the moon."
"The aura of the moon."
In Snezhnaya, there were quite a few beings at the level of gods.
Yet, for reasons unknown—perhaps mismatched authority, or something else—the Tsaritsa had not reacted to the recent temporal disturbances.
Among all of them, only the Maiden, due to her unique nature, had sensed it.
But she hadn't reported it.
She had chosen to keep it to herself.