Daelan soon arrived at the reception room of Mermonia Palace. Seeing the elegant woman already seated on the sofa, holding a cup of red tea, he couldn't help but nod in approval.
Setting aside their current positions, from the perspective of a collaborator… he greatly admired the habit of being "punctual" or arriving early to an appointment.
In the course of cooperation, this gave the other party a sense of being respected, which could only benefit future interactions, with no downsides.
Moreover, as a transmigrator, he knew full well that Arlecchino harbored no ill intentions toward Fontaine. But… his concern lay elsewhere.
The vast majority of the children in the "House of the Hearth" were war orphans, with little sense of belonging to the place.
As a result, most of them would choose to escape or defect after joining the Fatui.
Given the Fatui's methods… the fate of defectors was often grim.
Death would already be considered a merciful punishment.
Asking himself honestly, Daelan naturally didn't want to see this happen.
But if he waited until the main storyline concluded, until Arlecchino showed willingness to cooperate, to address this issue… it would likely face significant resistance, and the children would still suffer poor outcomes.
So… the time to act was now.
With this in mind, Daelan adjusted his tie slightly and sat down confidently in front of Arlecchino.
"My deepest apologies, Lady 'Knave,' for keeping you waiting."
At his words, the "Knave" slowly set down her teacup. Her eyes, marked with blood-red "×" symbols, scanned Daelan up and down before she spoke.
"No need, Lord Advisor. I merely arrived five minutes early."
"The red tea and snacks you prepared are quite nice, but… shall we get to the point?"
Arlecchino's words made Daelan smile faintly. He cut straight to the chase.
"The invitation letter was clear, Lady 'Knave.' Today's discussion…"
"Is entirely about the future of the children in the 'House of the Hearth' and the potential orphans of Fontaine going forward."
After saying this, Daelan lowered his head, pausing thoughtfully before continuing.
"Pardon my bluntness, Lady 'Knave,' but based on my understanding of the Fatui's recent actions… you're after the 'Gnosis,' aren't you?"
At this, the "Knave" froze for a moment before giving a slight nod.
In her view, this was no secret. Her colleagues had already made it practically common knowledge, so there was no point in denying it.
"But what does that have to do with what we're discussing today?"
"Of course it does, Lady 'Knave,'" Daelan said with a cheerful smile.
"Once your mission is complete, whether or not you obtain the Hydro Archon's Gnosis, the 'House of the Hearth,' already unpopular within the Fatui… will it still exist?"
"And without the Fatui's support, how far can the children of the 'House of the Hearth' go? Will their lives be peaceful and happy?"
Arlecchino paused briefly at his words, then gave a faint, nonchalant smile, as if entirely unconcerned.
"So? Dear Lord Advisor, you're not suggesting you take over the 'House of the Hearth' at this point, are you?"
"Of course not, esteemed Lady 'Knave.' I merely wish… to take in the children who don't belong there and place them in Fontaine's newly established welfare institute."
"This way… that newly built facility won't sit empty without purpose, and you'll save on operational costs, no?"
"…"
Daelan's words left Arlecchino silent.
As the "Father" of the "House of the Hearth," she had a responsibility to ensure those children were properly cared for.
And that… was part of her agreement with her.
But that agreement couldn't be fulfilled now, because… she still had too many things to do, too many plans to set in motion.
Of course, in the near future, she would likely cross paths with this man more than once.
With that thought, Arlecchino let out a soft sigh, then stood up slowly and said, "I'll consider your suggestion, Lord Advisor Daelan."
"My apologies, but I've only just returned to Fontaine, and there are matters at the Northland Bank that require my attention. I'll take my leave."
With that, Arlecchino moved to leave the reception room. Daelan showed no intention of stopping her, calmly pouring himself a cup of red tea and sipping it leisurely.
It wasn't until one of Arlecchino's feet was already out the door that Daelan, holding his teacup, spoke softly.
"Lady 'Knave,' I learned a saying from Liyue's Tianquan: 'A drawn bow has no turning back.'"
"But in this situation… that Liyue proverb doesn't quite apply."
"What matters isn't that, but whether your 'arrow' has a rope tied to it."
"If it does, even a drawn bow can have a turning back—you can pull it back before it hits its target."
At Daelan's words, Arlecchino's step out of the room froze. After a long silence, she finally spoke slowly.
"Thank you for the reminder, Lord Advisor."
With that, Arlecchino left the reception room unhurriedly.
Watching her tall, elegant figure depart, Daelan let out a soft sigh.
"That's all I can do… Arlecchino, I hope you understand what I'm trying to say…"
As Arlecchino left, the task on Daelan's panel began to settle.
[Task: "Complete a conversation with 'the Knave' Arlecchino" completed. Distributing rewards, please wait…]
[Reward: Deferred Popularity x100]
[Deferred Popularity: Everything you do now will affect your popularity settlement in the future.]
[Current Deferred Popularity Settlement Time: Arlecchino's Legend Story Release]
Looking at the screen before him, Daelan frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled by what it all meant.
Before transmigrating, he'd read plenty of web novels—chaotic system flows, rebirth flows, fourth-wall-breaking flows, life-draining flows, you name it.
But this… this was something entirely new to him.
"Could it be that everything I'm doing is affecting Teyvat's progression? But ever since I arrived in this world… haven't my actions already been influencing it?"
With that thought, Daelan shook his head in confusion, then shifted his gaze to the "11.5h" timer.
"We only talked for half an hour… Maybe everything will become clear when that 'panoramic livestream' appears?"
Musing to himself, Daelan stood up from the sofa and headed toward the Chief Justice's office.
In his view, the Melusines, beyond serving in the Maison Gardiennage or acting as guides in the Fontaine Court, could have other roles.
This would not only save significant manpower and resources but also help the Melusines better understand and connect with humans.
"But… I'll need to discuss this with the 'Melusine Protection Association' president first."