"Who's there! You scared me to death!"
Rita slightly bowed to express her apology.
"Apologies for startling you, Lady Furina. Please do invite me to New Fontaine."
Furina was momentarily stunned.Wait, people request to be invited like this?
Wasn't this the kind of thing left to the inviter's discretion?
"Uh... sure, I'll definitely invite you."
Upon hearing that, Rita's eyes lit up.
"Really?! I can really go to New Fontaine?!"
Furina nodded stiffly."Of course. Didn't I just invite you?"
Having confirmed it, Rita gave Furina a deep 90-degree bow. "Thank you! You're truly amazing, Lady Furina!You are the most beautiful, most kind, most gentle, and most benevolent goddess in this world!"
Furina felt a little awkward hearing Rita's spiraling rainbow of compliments. Wasn't that... a bit much? She didn't feel that great at all.
Furina took out her phone and began recording the names of those attending.
"Alright, everyone, if you're planning to go, let me know. I'm putting together a guest list so we can arrange seating and all that."
Upon hearing this, everyone who wanted to attend called out their names.
Furina jotted them all down, and within a few minutes, the list was ready.
She immediately sent it to Neuvillette along with a voice message.
"Neuvillette, I've sent you the list of people from Ye Yun's place who'll be attending the grand opening of the new Opéra Epiclese. Make proper arrangements, okay? Let me know if there's not enough money."
Neuvillette replied almost instantly:
"Received. There's more than enough funds — the current account could build three more Fontaines."
Furina, reassured by the reply, hung up the call.
"Alright then~ everyone, see you tomorrow!"
With that, Furina took Robin by the hand and stepped back through the portal, leaving the shop.
Stelle looked at the two who came and went so quickly.
"Furina and Robin really are inseparable now~"
Hu Tao commented, "They have similar interests, and neither of them had many friends before.Now that they've found kindred spirits, of course they'd stick together."
Stelle clicked her tongue. "Back then, Furina used to hang out with us all the time, but now, sigh~"
Ye Yun gave her a sideways glance. "Why does that sound so weird coming from you?"
Stelle chuckled and shrugged.
"Just feeling sentimental~Firefly, Hu Tao, let's go hang out in the treehouse!"
She hopped off the couch and led the others into the pocket dimension.
Meanwhile, at the new Fontaine Court—
Neuvillette and Focalor were in the office, working.
At this point, most of the administrative work for the new Fontaine was running smoothly.
Their daily paperwork had significantly decreased—
Mainly because the population was low.
According to statistics, there were only a bit over 70,000 humans in Fontaine,and a little over 5,000 Melusines.
Among all the nations of New Teyvat, Fontaine invested the most into encouraging childbirth.
Why? Because they had money.With Furina around, such expenses were nothing.
Fontaine was currently the richest of all the new nations.No choice—Furina was just too powerful.
Her earning power as a galactic superstar surpassed entire civilizations that occupied multiple star systems.
Focalor signed off on the last document, writing "Approved" on the form.
This one had been submitted by the siblings Lyney and Lynette.
They wanted to acquire a plot of land to build a farm and earn money to support the kids who had left the House of the Hearth.
Although Furcalor gave them financial aid every month,
The siblings didn't want to rely solely on others for a living.
They were adults now and felt it was their responsibility to take care of their younger siblings.
Putting the paperwork aside, Furcalor looked over at Neuvillette.
"You done on your end? Wriothesley said he's treating us to dinner tonight—he found a great new restaurant."
Neuvillette replied,
"Give me a bit more time. Furina just sent me the guest list of Ye Yun's shop attending her performance tomorrow."
Focalor got up and walked over. "Let me see."
Neuvillette placed the phone on the table, and they looked together.
Everything was fine—until they saw Rita's name. The two of them instantly froze.
"Focalor, didn't you tell Furina about that matter?"
"Neuvillette, didn't you tell her?!"
They stared at each other, speaking in unison.
A few seconds of silence passed.
Focalor facepalmed. "Have someone tear down the wanted posters in the city first, in case Rita sees them. That would be bad."
Neuvillette nodded wordlessly.
Not long ago, in the Melusine District—a neighborhood specifically for Melusines—a heinous, outrageous incident had occurred.
A notorious "flower thief" had broken in, forcibly hugging, kissing, and lifting dozens of Melusines.
The incident was outrageous and quickly became widely known across Fontaine.
And the culprit... was Rita!
That night, Rita had silently infiltrated the Melusine District and inappropriately touched many Melusines.
Neuvillette had to personally apprehend her, and she was added to New Fontaine's blacklist.
Every street corner in Fontaine had surveillance.The moment Rita was spotted, Intelligence would be alerted,and the guards would rush to protect the Melusines.
Rita had tried to sneak in multiple times after that,but never made it into the district again.
This explained why she was so desperate to get Furina to invite her.
She couldn't get in on her own. But if Furina invited her—she'd be a guest! You can't mistreat guests!
Neuvillette summoned his secretary and instructed them to take down the wanted posters for now, to be re-posted later.
He also ordered all Melusines to take a paid day off tomorrow and gather in the Melusine District for protection.
Focalor thought for a moment and suggested,
"I don't see Theresa or her group on the guest list. We could invite them—They can subdue Rita without us having to step in. That way, no bad blood."
Neuvillette nodded. "Good idea. You go meet up with Leosly. I'll inform Lady Theresa and the others."
With that, Neuvillette stepped into a portal headed to the Honkai universe to find Theresa and her group.
Focalor, meanwhile, went to meet up with Wriothesley and the others at the restaurant.
Over ten minutes later—
Theresa, Durandal, Mei, and Tesla all had dark expressions.
Theresa scratched her head awkwardly and said to Neuvillette:
"Sorry about this—Rita's caused you quite a bit of trouble. It was our failure to keep her in check," Theresa apologized sincerely.
"Don't worry! We'll make sure everyone is there tomorrow, and we will keep her under control—you have my word!"
Mei chimed in, "That's right, Mr. Neuvillette. We'll keep a close eye on her. You can count on us."
Neuvillette gave a small nod.
"Then I shall await your esteemed arrival. Tomorrow marks the grand opening of the new Opéra Epiclese, where Lady Furina will perform. You're all welcome to attend."
Theresa smiled and nodded.
"Of course. Furina's singing is wonderful—we'll be there.See you tomorrow, Mr. Neuvillette."
Seeing that everything was settled, Neuvillette rose, took his leave, and departed.
The moment he left, Theresa was fuming.
Ever since she took over as Archbishop, her days had been overwhelmed with duties. If not for Mei, Bronya, and Tesla helping out, she would've collapsed long ago.
And Rita—Rita had the nerve to stir up trouble with someone else's Melusines?!
They had even come to confront them personally! Infuriating!
Theresa looked at the others.
"Let's postpone the New Canghai City inauguration by a day, okay? Reason being... say we detected a lingering swarm of Honkai Beasts in outer space and HQ needs to mobilize to eliminate them. Sound good?"
Tesla nodded. "That's the best we can do. That Rita, I swear... sigh—"
The Next Day
Ye Yun woke up early and was now watching the ten little ones practice swordsmanship in the pocket dimension plaza.
Each of the ten had been given a small wooden sword, and Jingliu was instructing them on the fundamentals of swordplay.
"Feel the sword in your hand with your heart. Let your heart become the blade."
The ten little ones focused earnestly, their small faces brimming with determination.
Before long, Stelle, Firefly, and a few others also woke up.
After brushing their teeth and washing their faces, they descended from the treehouse and spotted Ye Yun, Jingliu, and the ten little ones having their PE class.
Stelle walked over.
"Ye Yun, aren't you heading out yet? Don't we have to go to Furina's place today?"
Ye Yun smiled and shook his head. "No rush, it starts in the evening. I'll wait for Klee and the others to finish their lessons, then we'll all head out together.
You guys go to the shop first—Xiangling and Jam Sandwich have already prepared breakfast."
Stelle and the others nodded and headed for the shop.
Upon arriving, they found Zhongli, Jing Yuan, and others already having breakfast.
To Stelle's surprise, Nahida and Collei were also there.
She took a bowl of soy milk and sat next to Nahida.
"Nahida, what brings you here today?"
Gracefully nibbling on a sweet milk bun, Nahida looked up.
"Oh, Stelle, good morning~I heard Furina's concert is today, so I thought I'd bring some Sumeru specialty goods and set up a little stall.
Since Furina's a galactic superstar, there'll surely be guests from other planets.It's the perfect chance to promote Sumeru products.
I already spoke with Furina—she saved me a spot near the supermarket in the new Opéra Epiclese."
Stelle gave a thumbs-up.
"You're amazing, Nahida. You really know how to do business. I'll stop by your stall later.
If nothing else, your Sumeru shroompigs are delicious. I've only got one left in the pen."
Himeko, overhearing, looked puzzled. "Didn't you have a whole bunch of shroompigs before? How are you down to one?"
Before Stelle could answer, Xiangling spoke up.
"That's because Stelle and the others keep bringing me shroompigs at night for barbecue.
They say they can't sleep unless they have a late-night snack."
Himeko sighed, a bead of cold sweat forming on her forehead. "Stelle, Firefly—cut down on those greasy midnight snacks. They're not good for your health."
The two nodded obediently.
Not long after, Ningguang, Keqing, and Ganyu arrived.
Like Nahida, they came to promote their region's products.
Then came Raiden Ei, Yae Miko, and Makoto—with the same goal: business.
As for Mondstadt's Jean, Lisa, and Diluc?They had already set up shop and made several sales.
After breakfast, everyone helped clean up the table and dishes.
Once everything was tidy, they all set off for the New Fontaine Court.
Just as they were about to depart, Tsaritsa, La Signora, and Childe rushed in.
Turns out Calestia had called them—otherwise Snezhnaya wouldn't even have thought about using the concert for promotion.
Calestia sighed internally: "I worry about Snezhnaya day and night. I can't even enjoy a game in peace."
Silver Wolf and Calestia themselves weren't coming—they planned to stay in the treehouse and game all day.
—
Passing through the teleportation gate, the group arrived at Palace.
Focalor personally greeted them.
"Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Fontaine!"
Himeko, leading the group, waved. "Long time no see, Focalor. You never come visit us on the train."
Furcalor smiled.
"Been busy with Fontaine matters. Once things calm down, I'll definitely join you guys.
There are so many places I want to see—Xianzhou, Penacony, Herta Space Station, and more."
Himeko smiled. "Alright, I'll take you there when the time comes."
Focalor nodded happily. "Then it's settled. For now, let me take you to the Opéra Epiclese—it's quite lively there today."
She led the group out of Palace and toward the navigation center.
New Fontaine Court had retained the old architectural style of Fontaine,building canals that connected islands and regions.
The difference was in the transportation—they now used electric ferries that could carry 1,000 people and 30 tons of cargo at once.
They were also twice as fast as the previous models.
As they exited the palace, the group was dazzled by the vibrant scene.
The surrounding streets were packed with interstellar tourists enjoying the sights.
Focalor explained,
"This time, we sold 300,000 tickets. We've also prepared an external plaza that can accommodate another 300,000.
So, in total, 600,000 spectators. All of them had to hold tickets to enter New Teyvat—otherwise, Fontaine wouldn't be able to handle the crowd."
Tsaritsa listened in awe.
If there hadn't been a cap, there probably would've been over a million or two visitors.
Just the tourist revenue alone…Fontaine was raking it in.
***
Most of these tourists are quite wealthy—after all, just a single ticket to Furina's concert costs 99,999 credit points.
Following Focalor's lead, everyone arrived at the Canal Center.
The design of the Canal Center was the same as the old Fontaine's, but while the old one had only three floors, this one had six, connecting to six different islands.
One of these islands housed the Opéra Épicléa Theater. Two of the others had been developed into resort areas, filled with all sorts of beach attractions.
Many of the concertgoers had chosen to stay on those resort islands—attending the concert while vacationing.
Focalor turned to explain:
"Here at the Canal Center, there's a ferry to each island every ten minutes—transportation is very convenient."
As she spoke, a large yacht pulled up in front of them.
"Everyone, let's board. This yacht is the one Neuvillette and I usually use."
Everyone boarded the yacht—some stood on the deck admiring the view, while others went inside to rest.
Nahida and Collei were busy organizing the items they planned to sell later. They found a corner in the cabin and laid everything out to count and check.
About half an hour later, they arrived at the island where the Opéra Épicléa Theater was located.
The sea surrounding the island was a clear blue, and flocks of seabirds flew across the waves. Even from afar, they could already hear cheerful music coming from the theater.
As the yacht drew closer, those on deck—like Stelle and the others—could hardly wait to disembark and explore.
The yacht entered the docking lane and queued for landing. Stelle and her friends leaned on the railing, gazing at the scenery.
The beach was crowded—people playing beach volleyball, driving dune buggies, surfing with wakeboards, and even parasailing behind speedboats.
One tourist happened to parasail past not far from the yacht and waved at them.
The group cheerfully waved back.
Hu Tao's eyes sparkled as she looked at the lively beach below.
"Wow~ So many people! Looks like a blast—let's go check it out later, okay?"
Stelle nodded.
"Definitely! We came to play today—let's have fun!"
Once it was their turn to disembark, Stelle and the others immediately ran off toward the beach with childlike glee.
Focalor chuckled softly, covering her mouth.
"Everyone, feel free to explore as you wish. Just head to your designated box seats when it's time for the show."
The group dispersed in pairs and trios, heading off to enjoy themselves.
Rita, since arriving in New Fontaine, had been scanning the area nonstop, searching for any Melusine in sight.
Theresa, looking utterly exasperated, never let Rita out of her sight—not allowing her to wander off alone, dragging her along everywhere she went.
Meanwhile, Nahida and Collei rushed to the theater entrance. To the right of the main gate was a large convenience store, which was already packed.
Next to it, they spotted the small storefront reserved for them—about 20 square meters, a simple counter-style stall.
A staff member had been waiting there.
The two approached and showed the document Furina had sent them.
After reading it, the staff member bowed slightly.
"Lady Lesser Lord Kusanali, welcome to the Opéra Épicléa. This stall behind me is the one Lady Furina reserved for you. I'll open it right away."
He unlocked the small side door, letting them inside.
Once inside, Nahida and Collei thanked the staff and began setting up.
To prepare for today's event, Nahida had even bought a small LED signboard from the CompanyTreasure app. She wrote out product descriptions on it, the letters glowing under the LED light.
"Collei, let's hurry—there are already so many tourists here."
Collei nodded and quickly began arranging the goods.
Mushroom boar meat, spicy fruits, assorted mushrooms, handicrafts—basically all of Sumeru's most iconic products were brought over.
In about ten minutes, the stall was set up.
Nahida handed Collei a megaphone, giving her a thumbs-up with a look of encouragement.
Collei nervously took it.
"Are we really doing this, Lady Lesser Lord Kusanali?"
Nahida smiled brightly and nodded.
"Of course! You got this, Collei! I believe in you!"
Collei looked at the megaphone in her hands, took a deep breath, and mustered her courage.
"Come one, come all!
Discounts and deals—great value for everyone!
Forget searching for treasures—our goods are even better!
If you want the best, come running this way!
Perfect as gifts for friends and family—great prices and great impressions!
Buy from us today, and your mom will praise you like you just found a giant lobster by the beach!"
After blurting out the entire well-rehearsed pitch, Collei instantly squatted behind the counter like a startled quail, her face beet red.
Nahida, pleased, gave a satisfied nod.
She had specifically asked Collei to join her today—her goal, of course, was to train her.
Collei was a great seedling—just a little shy. Exposure therapy! After the first time, there'd be a second.
See? She nailed the pitch! And already, plenty of tourists were coming over.
"Collei, don't be shy! You did great—look, customers are coming!
Let's give it our all and promote Sumeru's products!"
Collei stood back up, glanced at Nahida chatting with tourists, and joined in, helping to introduce the products.
At first, she was still a bit nervous, but gradually, as she interacted with more and more tourists, she began to relax and find her rhythm.
Nahida's stall was going strong.
Ningguang, Yelan, and Ganyu also quickly got into the groove.
Over in Inazuma, Miko and Makoto had things under control as well, and business picked up smoothly.
Only Snezhnaya's trio were still struggling with their setup—organizing and categorizing their goods.
Tartaglia sighed to himself.
If only the Pantalone had come instead—this sort of thing was his specialty.
He couldn't help but wonder why the Tsaritsa hadn't sent the Pantalone. He was clearly better suited for this than Tartaglia.
If Tsaritsa knew what he was thinking, he'd probably say:
"Because you're the one who's free. Pantalone's busy developing new revenue projects for Snezhnaya, trying to build profitable industries like Liyue's. No need to waste his time on this little marketing gig."
Fortunately, after twenty minutes or so, the Snezhnaya trio finally finished setting up and began selling.
Back at the beach—
Stelle, Hu Tao, and the others had changed into their swimsuits and grabbed water guns, dashing straight into the ocean.
Stelle, Hu Tao, and Amber leapt high into the air and splashed into the water, then stood up with their water guns ready. Just as Amber popped her head up—
"Hey hey! Amber, take this! Pew pew pew!!"
Amber was caught off guard, unable to even open her eyes.
Eula had just surfaced nearby and quickly came to Amber's aid, firing the rocket launcher-shaped water gun on her shoulder.
A massive blast of water shot out, blasting Stelle far away and into the sea.
Hu Tao rushed over with her Gatling-style water gun and sprayed Eula and Amber with a torrent of water.
Eula hadn't had time to reload, and she and Amber could only take the hits helplessly.
Lumine shouted loudly, drawing Hu Tao's attention.
"Little Hu Tao! Don't get cocky!"
Lumine carried a water cannon as thick as a bowl, dipping the intake tube into the sea.
Hu Tao gasped, "Oh no! I'm done for!"
Lumine fired—an enormous water jet the size of a dragon's body surged out and sent Hu Tao flying.
"Amber! Eula! Help me carry this thing!"
Since Lumine couldn't move easily while carrying the huge cannon, Amber and Eula threw away their smaller water guns and joined her, triple-wielding the cannon as they chased after Hu Tao and Stelle.
Hu Tao and Stelle were being beaten miserably—unable even to stand up in the water, only able to roll around.
"Hehehe! Hu Tao! Stelle! That's what you get for bullying me just now! Lumine, crank it up!"
Lumine put on sunglasses and twisted the power dial to max!
In an instant, the powerful recoil launched the three of them into the air.
Lumine, Amber, and Eula held onto the cannon tightly as their bodies bounced wildly with it.
The three of them screamed nonstop:
"Waaaah! Help! We can't get down!!"
Just then, Stelle and Hu Tao, having caught their breath, exchanged a glance and smiled, then picked up their water guns.
"Fire!!"
Instead of rescuing Lumine's trio, they opened fire, choosing instead to mercilessly attack while the others were vulnerable.
What goes around comes around—payback time.
Boomerangs always come back eventually!
Meanwhile, on the shore, Firefly was humming a tune as she set up a table and a beach umbrella.
She clapped her hands in satisfaction at her handiwork.
"Perfect. Time to call everyone up for a break."
She turned around—only to see Lumine, Amber, and Eula being flung through the air by their own cannon, and Hu Tao and Stelle on either side spraying them like mad with water guns.
Startled, Firefly quickly ran up to bring the three girls down.
Once grounded, Lumine, Amber, and Eula were completely dazed, wobbling and numb from all the shaking.
Stelle and Hu Tao, having vented enough, helped Firefly carry the three back to shore.
The trio collapsed onto chairs like puddles of goo.
Firefly was baffled.
"Why didn't you just let go? You were over the sea—it wouldn't have hurt to fall in."
The three exchanged embarrassed glances. In that moment, no one had thought of it.
The cannon launched instantly, giving them no time to react—they'd been pulled into the chaos before they knew it.
Classic example of a brain short-circuiting from sheer confusion.
After a short break, the group returned to the water for more fun.
This time, it was much tamer—just casual water gun fights without any heavy-duty weapons.
In Fontaine Court…
Ye Yun also arrived, bringing along the seven little ones.
The person in charge of receiving them was Clorinde.
Clorinde led Ye Yun and the kids out of the Mermonia Palace.
Once outside, the seven little ones were thrilled by the festive atmosphere on the streets.
Children naturally love crowded, celebratory places—they were beyond excited.
Klee ran up to a candy stall and couldn't take her eyes off it.
The candies were colorful and adorably shaped—Klee was completely enchanted.
She felt her backpack, pulled out a small wallet, and took out 3,000 credits to buy some sweets.
Hook saw this and came over too—among the seven, she and Klee were the biggest candy lovers.
Bailu also liked sweets, but wouldn't eat too many. As a doctor, she was well aware of the dangers of sugar.
Diona, Qiqi, and Yaoyao were similar—they liked sweets but in moderation.
Bailu glanced around and tugged Diona toward a ring toss booth.
Bailu bought 20 rings and split them evenly with Diona.
"Diona, let's have a contest—see who can win the biggest prize!"
Diona agreed right away.
She wielded a bow, after all—of course she'd win this.
The two began tossing rings.
As Ye Yun expected, Diona won.
She was an archer, so her accuracy far exceeded Bailu's.
While Bailu squinted and aimed forever without guarantee of a hit, Diona just gave a quick glance and tossed effortlessly.
Diona won the grand prize—a life-sized Furina doll.
Hugging the plush, she stood proudly in front of the stall, drawing envious glances from nearby tourists.
"That little cat girl is amazing—she actually won the top prize."
"Bet the stall owner's crying now. That Furina doll looks really well-made—not cheap at all."
"Too bad—I was this close to winning it just now. So close."
Bailu crossed her arms and huffed proudly.
"What's the big deal? I can hug the real one! Hmph~"
The surrounding tourists chuckled—none of them took her seriously.
Just a kid trying to save face after losing. Pretty normal.
Bailu grew furious seeing they didn't believe her.
"I really can hug the real one! Just wait and see! Remember my face! I'll prove it to you tonight! Hmph~"
With that, Bailu pulled out her phone and messaged Furina.
She quickly received a reply.
Satisfied, she put her phone away and pumped her fist.
"Just you wait! Tonight I'm going on stage with Furina!"
The surrounding tourists remained skeptical—in their eyes, Furina was a superstar, completely out of reach for ordinary people.
"Sure, sure. Whatever you say."
"Right, right. You got this."
"We believe you, okay? Little miss."
Bailu listened to their dismissive words and decided she was done talking.
Just wait and see! You'll all be stunned tonight!
Hmph! Hmph! Hmph!
Furina already promised—tonight, I'm going on stage with her!