Fontaine Court, Mermonia Palace.
In a spacious office cluttered with all sorts of documents, a refined-looking man leaned back in his chair, reading today's newspaper with keen interest.
After a while, he heard hurried footsteps approaching from outside and shook his head lightly.
"Looks like a certain blue little cake is coming to raise a fuss again~"
No sooner had he spoken than the office door was flung open with a boom. A delicate-looking white-haired girl with heterochromatic eyes stormed in, stopping right in front of him.
Bang!
The girl slammed her hands on the desk, clearly displeased, and demanded, "Daelan! Why did you reject the bill I proposed again?!"
Daelan, hearing this, smiled and shook his head. Unhurriedly setting down his newspaper, he replied gently, "Furina, no need to get so worked up. As the advisor to the Fontaine Court, your interests are just as important as the court's."
"I only rejected that 'no flying objects at specific times' bill, that's all."
"Four hundred years, Furina. Have I ever rejected a bill that was truly beneficial to you? Like,let's say… the one banning people from naming their pets 'Furina'?"
Daelan crossed his arms under his chin, smiling warmly at the girl who seemed both annoyed and like she was here to demand something.
"You…!"
Furina opened her mouth to retort, but looking at Daelan's smiling face and recalling what he'd just said… it did seem like he was right.
But who was Furina? The Hydro Archon of the Fontaine Court! Having her bill rejected like this made her feel… a little humiliated.
More importantly, if she just admitted her mistake, wouldn't her plan to use this as an excuse to demand one of Daelan's special little cakes fall apart?!
With that in mind, Furina squeezed her eyes shut, tilted her head up, and huffed indignantly, "I don't care! You made me lose face, so today… today you have to make me an extra little cake!"
Hearing this predictable "bargaining chip," Daelan nodded lightly.
"Alright, alright~ I'll add an extra piece tonight as compensation for my overstepping~"
Hearing Daelan agree to her demand, Furina's pouty expression vanished instantly, replaced by a slightly smug look.
"Hmph ╭(╯^╰)╮, this is the punishment you deserve for offending a god! Not some compensation!"
"Yes, yes, a punishment, not compensation~"
Daelan, still smiling, watched the girl who was clearly thrilled about the extra cake but still felt the need to act like a dignified god. He shook his head and didn't say anything more.
Seeing Daelan concede again, Furina turned around, satisfied, and strutted out of the office.
But just as she was about to step through the door, her cheerful steps suddenly paused, and she said, "Are you really going to meet that woman today?"
Daelan, setting down his newspaper, looked at the girl who seemed to have an instinctive fear of "the Knave" and nodded gently.
"Of course I am. We can't let the 'Hearth House' keep taking in orphans unchecked."
"Furina, you know exactly what she's trying to do."
At Daelan's words, Furina lowered her head slightly, falling silent.
After a moment, she looked up again, glancing back at Daelan sitting calmly at his desk with a gentle expression, and said softly, "Th-thank you…"
With that, she darted out like she was fleeing, leaving Daelan alone in the office with a somewhat helpless expression.
"Sigh… just like in the original story. She's only met Arlecchino once, and Furina's already a bit scared of her."
Daelan muttered to himself as he slowly stood up and walked to a nearby dressing mirror to adjust his clothes and hair.
Looking at the refined, tall man with long blue hair in the mirror, Daelan suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia.
"Four hundred years already, huh…"
He shook his head lightly, picking out a tie for the day while reflecting on the past four centuries.
As he'd mentioned, he was a genuine transmigrator—a transmigrator with no special traits… except for immortality.
Thanks to his striking appearance and a keyboard politician's knack for political sensitivity, he'd quickly caught the attention of Furina, who was struggling with endless paperwork at the time.
Of course, it also helped that in all of Fontaine, only Daelan could make those little cakes.
With his unique skills and exceptional administrative abilities, Daelan soon earned Furina's trust and became the advisor to the Fontaine Court.
From then on, like the Hydro Dragon, he became one of Furina's right-hand men.
No, scratch that.
Rather than saying he and Neuvillette were Furina's right-hand men… it was more accurate to say they were the guardians of this little blue cake.
Unlike the stoic Chief Justice, Daelan's unique charm made him beloved by the people of Fontaine.
This naturally led to him becoming the public spokesperson for Mermonia Palace.
This role came with significant responsibilities, such as negotiating with envoys from the other six nations or conducting field investigations.
Today, Daelan was set to meet the director of the "Hearth House"—nominally an orphanage but in reality a training ground for the Fatui's elite soldiers—the Fourth Harbinger, "the Knave," Arlecchino.
Of course, this task was supposed to be led by Furina, with Daelan as her aide. But considering Furina's fear of Arlecchino… Daelan decided to handle it himself.
And this wasn't just his duty as an advisor—it was also the task of his golden finger, which had arrived 400 years late.
With that thought, Daelan tied his tie and glanced at the panel only he could see, letting out a sigh.
[Name: Daelan Ciro]
[Gender: Male]
[Identity: Advisor to the Fontaine Court]
[Current Popularity: Zero]
[Current Task Objective: Complete a conversation with "the Knave" Arlecchino]
[Time Until Next Panoramic Livestream: 12h]
"It's all so baffling. A golden finger showing up late is one thing, but what's with all these weird terms? Is this really supposed to guide me?" Daelan muttered to himself, shaking his head.
After adjusting his tie, he stepped out of the office.
"I won't know what's going on until I talk to Arlecchino."
With that thought, Daelan shook his head again and strode out of the office.