NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15: The Game Begins!
"Good morning, Lady Furina."
While Felina was reviewing her report, a voice called from outside the door.
"Come in!"
With permission, the person opened the door and entered. It was a maid dressed in a traditional servant's uniform.
This young woman came from a humble background. Twelve years ago, Lady Furina had happened upon her on the streets of Fontaine, felt a pang of sympathy, and took her in. Since then, she had handled Furina's daily affairs and kept up with her personal needs—a steady job to support her.
"Lady Furina, I'm here to tidy up and to take your laundry for washing."
"Sure, go ahead."
Felina kept her eyes on the report in her hands, though she paid careful attention to the maid through the corner of her eye. She noticed the girl glancing around the room as she cleaned, as if quietly taking in every detail and noting any changes.
After a short while, the maid finished tidying up.
"Lady Furina, the room is all set. I'll wait outside, so feel free to call if you need anything."
She gave one last glance at the beautiful, blue-glowing chess piece on the desk before heading to the door.
"Alright, you may go."
Acting as if she hadn't noticed anything, Felina merely nodded in acknowledgment.
The maid's responsibilities included attending to Furina's daily life and conveying her requests. If Furina had a sudden craving for cake, she only had to tell this maid, who would then relay the request to the appropriate staff. Because of this, she was often stationed near Furina's study or her private quarters, always ready to attend to any requests.
That evening, Neuvillette received an unexpected summons to Furina's office.
Though Furina held Fontaine's highest position, she rarely involved herself in day-to-day governance, which left her office mostly unused and nearly indistinguishable from a private reading room. Usually, Furina would go to Neuvillette rather than the other way around, so his presence in her office now stood out as unusual.
In a nearby room, the maid's ears pricked up at the sound of footsteps.
"Why would the Chief Justice be coming to Lady Furina's office? Could something serious be happening?"
Straining to listen, she could just barely make out the conversation within.
Neuvillette: "I've received news from Fortress of Meropide. The valve holding back the Primordial Sea beneath the city has shown signs of loosening. Duke Wriothesley warns that the Primordial Sea might soon break through the valve."
Felina: "Has the Primordial Sea's agitation come this quickly?"
Neuvillette: "This is a serious matter. Do you have any measures in mind?"
Felina: "Once the valve beneath Fortress of Meropide bursts, the Primordial Sea will quickly flood Fontaine's waterways. The consequences will be unimaginable. Given its overwhelming power, ordinary measures won't suffice to contain it. Under these circumstances, only the Gnosis could restore stability. I'll arrange for Clorinde to bring it to Fortress of Meropide tonight."
Neuvillette: "Given the situation, that's likely our best option. I'll be on my way, then."
Neuvillette's footsteps could be heard retreating, and the maid outside the door quickly composed herself, feigning an innocent, unaffected expression.
After her shift ended, she didn't head home as usual but instead hurried toward a predetermined rendezvous point arranged with a member of the Fatui's House of the Hearth.
Her contact was a masked, darkly dressed youth whose appearance and identity remained unknown to her. Judging by his voice and build, however, he seemed to be young. Without any unnecessary chatter, she scribbled down everything she'd discovered in Furina's chambers that day and what she had overheard between Felina and Neuvillette. As they crossed paths, she slipped the note into his hand before walking off as if nothing had happened.
"Lady Furina!"
An intelligence officer entered the office and gave a respectful bow to Felina.
"How did it go?" Felina asked, setting her book aside.
"It went just as you suspected, Lady Furina. The maid is indeed a spy planted by the Fatui. After her shift, she headed straight to the rendezvous and handed a note to an agent of the House of the Hearth."
"Well done, all of you. You've worked hard on all these assignments." Felina took out a bag of Mora and handed it to the officer. "This is a token of my appreciation—ten thousand Mora for you and your men to have a good meal on me tonight."
"Yes, my lady! We greatly appreciate your generosity, and I'll be sure to let everyone know of your kindness."
The officer, clearly delighted, offered a profusion of thanks before leaving.
Alone, Felina leaned back against the desk, propping her chin on one hand as she observed with satisfaction. Furina's face, bearing a faint, cunning smile, exuded a unique allure, adding a subtle yet mischievous charm to her beauty.
Yes, after reviewing the report, Felina was already certain that the maid was the only spy.
If all her agents were experiencing disruptions during their missions, it could only mean that their plans were being overheard by an insider. And the only person with access to such information, aside from herself, was this maid who handled her daily arrangements.
To confirm her suspicions, Felina had even granted the maid two days off. Unsurprisingly, during those two days, her officers reported unprecedented success in their assignments. The conclusion was clear: the maid was indeed a mole.
As a devoted fan of Furina, Felina had a fierce protectiveness over her. In the game's story, whenever she recalled Furina's terrified pleas when confronted by the Harbinger, Arlecchino, Felina was filled with both sadness and anger. And then there was the incident where Arlecchino had incited Vacher to send assassins after Furina.
Even now, Felina couldn't shake the thought that, if not for her early arrival, Furina might have been fatally stabbed on the street that very day.
Now Arlecchino had placed a spy so close to Furina, monitoring her every move and placing her safety at constant risk!
With both old grievances and new indignities mounting up, Felina resolved to deliver a fitting punishment to the Fatui—and a lasting lesson to Arlecchino.
"The so-called spy can be a threat when you're unaware, but once exposed, they can become a sharp blade in your hand.
Yes, everything that happened today was a show Felina staged specifically for that maid to see.
The glowing blue piece in the room this morning was a counterfeit Hydro Gnosis she had specially crafted. There was no real issue with the valve under Fortress of Meropide, and her conversation with Neuvillette was nothing more than an act.
Her goal? To send false information to the Fatui through the maid, their planted spy.
For years, the Fatui have extended their reach across the seven nations. And why? Clearly, it is for the Gnosis in the hands of the other six Archons!
Knowing their target made the bait easy to design. Everything Felina did today was part of the trap she had prepared for the Fatui.
In essence, the information she wanted the maid to deliver to the Fatui was this:
—The Gnosis will be transported to Fortress of Meropide tonight, under the protection of Clorinde, to calm the unrest of the Primordial Sea.
One might wonder if this scheme seems too crude or obvious. Would the Fatui really fall for it?
That question comes from the perspective of someone who knows the story, viewing everything from above. However, it's currently 496 years into Furina's time as the Hydro Archon—meaning that the Traveler hasn't even met Paimon yet, and the story in Mondstadt hasn't begun.
In Mondstadt's storyline, Harbinger La Signora attacked the Anemo Archon outside the Cathedral and seized his Gnosis. Though there's no hard evidence, rumors of the Fatui stealing Gnosis are already circulating.
But now, Mondstadt's story hasn't even started. Signora hasn't seized a Gnosis, and only just over a month ago, Arlecchino mentioned to the kids in the House of the Hearth about searching for the Hydro Gnosis.
To them, Felina couldn't possibly know the Fatui's plans, let alone suspect that the Gnosis might serve as bait.
"The House of the Hearth must have attempted to investigate the Primordial Sea after it began to emerge," Felina muttered to herself at the desk.
Given the Fatui's resources, it wouldn't have been hard for them to find out that the Primordial Sea lies beneath Fortress of Meropide.
And with the occasional appearance of Seawater in Fontaine, it's entirely believable to claim that the Primordial Sea is restless.
A lie with a mix of truth is easier to believe. Felina's claim about the valve loosening beneath Meropide and the need to use the Gnosis to calm the unrest is, in fact, plausible.
Then there's the issue of sending Clorinde alone to transport such a precious divine artifact. Isn't it a bit too convenient, almost as if it's bait?
But once again, Felina's goal is to appear unaware of the Tsaritsa's quest to gather the Gnosis.
It's only when someone is aware of an impending threat that they'd deploy a large team of guards and strong fighters to escort the Gnosis, right?
Sending a large entourage to guard it might only make the Fatui suspect Felina already knew of an attempt to seize the Gnosis, which could deter them from taking action.
But sending Clorinde alone changes things.
Clorinde, being the strongest Duelist, has formidable power. Sending her alone not only keeps things discreet but also conveys Furina's seriousness about the matter. And it's not enough to intimidate the Fatui, allowing them to dare make a move.
So, having Clorinde transport it alone was actually the perfect choice.
As for whether they'd attract Arlecchino herself?
Felina had already considered this. A month ago, Arlecchino returned to Snezhnaya and has yet to return to Fontaine.
This means the only ones currently able to steal the Gnosis are the House of the Hearth's young agents like Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet.
If they don't make a move on the Heart tonight and decide to wait for Arlecchino to return, what would happen?
This reveals just how ingeniously Felina set her trap.
She purposely waited until the afternoon to stage her conversation with Neuvillette, and then made sure the maid overheard.
But tonight, Clorinde would already be transporting the Heart to Fortress of Meropide.
What is Fortress of Meropide? A fortress at the bottom of the sea, serving as Fontaine's prison.
The only access to Fortress of Meropide is through the elevator behind the Opera Epiclese on Elynas Island.
Sneaking into Fortress of Meropide is nearly impossible, and getting out is even harder.
Once the Gnosis reaches the prison beneath the sea, with Administrator Wriothesley's oversight, it would be nearly impossible for the Fatui to retrieve it.
This is why Felina staged the plan in the afternoon and had Clorinde begin her journey that very night.
The maid's shift ended at 7:00 p.m., and Clorinde would begin transporting the Heart to Fortress of Meropide that evening.
Meaning the House of the Hearth agents had only two to three hours to react.
If they missed this window, the Heart would enter Fortress of Meropide!
This was their only chance. Felina timed everything to give them no more than three hours, a timeframe so tight it was impossible for them to thoroughly analyze or communicate with Arlecchino.
Felina understood Lyney. Although he usually appeared calm and collected, he would act impulsively when overly concerned.
That's why she timed everything so tightly. The shorter the time, the greater the sense of urgency and anxiety. With Lyney's personality, this made him more likely to act rashly.
Faced with the only opportunity and pressured by such a tight deadline, the House of the Hearth would inevitably make a move.
This was the duel of wits between Felina and the Fatui.
And now, the game had reached its critical moment.
The bait was set, and all that was left was for the Fatui to take it.
"Hmph, Arlecchino, is it? Since you dare to scheme against Furina, be prepared to pay a heavy price," Felina murmured, propping her chin on one hand as a faint gleam flickered in her eyes.
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