While Furina was happily amusing herself, Lu Heng busied himself with organizing other things.
In his hand was an external item card.
[Hot Pot Base]
A second-tier card with a healing effect.
In other words, anyone injured could eat this hot pot and have their wounds treated.
No wonder Lu Heng marveled at the system's power—even a simple hot pot base could be made so miraculous.
"Are you going to make it yourself?" Furina sidled up to him.
"What else?" Lu Heng replied. "By the way, can you handle spicy food?"
"Me?"
Furina scratched her head and thought for a moment. Not wanting to disappoint Lu Heng, she said, "I think I can manage?"
"Don't force yourself. If it's too much, we can just do a split pot," Lu Heng suggested, explaining the concept.
Furina immediately agreed. "Leaving myself an escape route—how clever of me!"
Lu Heng leaned back slightly.
He suddenly remembered someone mocking Furina for not leaving herself a way out.
Who was it again?
He couldn't quite recall.
"Do you need my help?" Furina glanced around, clearly unsure of what to do.
"You can go watch the shop for now. If someone draws a card, help appraise it," Lu Heng said.
"Oh, that's something I'm good at!"
Furina grabbed a bag of sunflower seeds and trotted over to the counter, happily munching on them while gleefully watching people's unlucky draws.
Time flew by.
The streetlights outside had already lit up.
Without Lu Heng needing to say anything, Furina closed the shop door and hummed a cheerful tune as she skipped back over.
"It smells amazing~"
She stared at the boiling red broth in the pot, then asked with a grave expression, "Is this really meant for humans to eat?"
"Why wouldn't it be?"
Lu Heng smirked. "Fontaine's cuisine is a bit too bland. You need something like this to really wake you up. Guaranteed to leave you feeling refreshed."
"Really?" Furina looked skeptical.
"Absolutely."
Lu Heng nodded confidently.
The naive Furina believed him.
Hot pot wasn't some high-end dining experience. Just by looking at the ingredients on the side, Furina quickly figured out how to eat it.
"Take a seat. It's just the two of us, so no need to stand on ceremony."
Lu Heng grabbed a few cans of chilled drinks from the fridge.
Furina didn't hesitate.
There were Liyue restaurants in the Court of Fontaine, so Furina knew how to use chopsticks.
With curiosity, she blanched a piece of tripe, eyeing the bits of chili clinging to it warily. "How does this compare to Jueyun Chilies?"
"I've never had Jueyun Chilies, so I can't say," Lu Heng admitted.
"Then I'll test the waters!"
Furina lightly dipped the tripe into the sauce Lu Heng had prepared for her and popped it into her mouth.
"Mmm… mmm… huh?!"
Her eyes widened.
Her fair complexion visibly reddened in seconds.
"Help…"
Lu Heng quickly handed her an open drink.
After several large gulps, Furina finally managed to whimper, "I feel like I could breathe fire right now!"
Her lips, now a rosy red, parted slightly as she kept exhaling sharply.
Lu Heng raised an eyebrow. "Is it really that bad?"
"You try it!"
Furina was grateful she'd opted for the split pot—otherwise, this meal would have been a nightmare.
"Alright, let me see."
Lu Heng took a bite. "Seems fine to me."
"You…"
Staring at Lu Heng's unfazed expression, Furina was awestruck. "How?!"
"Just gotta get used to it," Lu Heng said, sighing. "Well, guess you're missing out on the spicy goodness. Stick to the mild side."
"No! I'll try again!"
Furina rolled up her sleeves, determined to prove herself.
Lu Heng chuckled. A classic case of being weak but loving the challenge.
He could only hope she'd still be able to use the bathroom normally tomorrow.
Border of Fontaine
"Finally got the paperwork sorted. I can't wait to check out that shop."
Tartaglia (Childe) spoke up.
He and Arlecchino had set out from Snezhnaya together. Neither had suggested taking a break, pushing straight for the Court of Fontaine at a relentless pace.
Fortunately, neither was an ordinary person, so the journey wasn't particularly taxing.
They'd arrived just before the border office closed, submitted their entry documents, and now had their permits in hand.
Arlecchino didn't respond, instead picking up a newspaper.
Tartaglia didn't mind her silence and casually grabbed a copy as well.
"Hmm?"
"Martial Arts Master Oliver?"
Originally planning to skim, Tartaglia's expression turned serious as he read every word carefully.
"Fourth-tier genetic serum, optimized human body, cellular evolution, surpassing ordinary limits… artificial godhood?!"
"So this means…"
Tartaglia's expression shifted slightly. "This is a powerful opponent?!"
Arlecchino glanced at him.
She didn't even need to ask—she knew her colleague was itching for a fight.
Sure enough.
Tartaglia's face lit up with excitement. "He's the one! Once we reach the Court of Fontaine, I'm challenging him!"
"Don't overdo it. Don't cause trouble."
Arlecchino's voice was flat. "That Melusine mentioned the Voyaging Mirror. If it sets its sights on you, I won't be able to help."
"I know!"
Tartaglia waved her off. "Don't worry, I won't interfere with your plans here."
As for the Voyaging Mirror… surely sparring with someone wasn't illegal, right?
"Let's go."
Arlecchino folded the newspaper.
If they traveled through the night, they'd reach the Court of Fontaine by tomorrow morning!
"Ow ow ow…"
Furina was overheating—not from anger, but from the spice.
"Don't push yourself, or you'll be too full of drinks to eat anything else," Lu Heng said, barely suppressing his laughter.
Tears welled in Furina's eyes as she dabbed her sweaty forehead with a tissue, then wiped her lips repeatedly.
The pristine tissue was soon stained with red oil.
She finally surrendered.
This time, she was truly humbled.
"By the way, you might want to equip a healing card," Lu Heng reminded her.
"Huh? Why?" Furina blinked.
Lu Heng explained.
Furina fell silent, her expression cycling through a myriad of emotions.
Without another word, she silently equipped three healing cards.
Her voice was faint. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"Didn't want to ruin your fun," Lu Heng said innocently.
"Let's hope tomorrow goes smoothly."
Furina began praying.
"Don't worry, you've got healing cards equipped. Since it's inevitable, you might as well eat your fill," Lu Heng coaxed.
"You're not the one who'll be suffering!"
Furina pouted. "And we're eating right now—let's not talk about this!"
"Fine~"
Lu Heng fell silent, though his amused grin only widened.
Time passed.
After the meal, Furina helped clean up.
"It's past ten. Come on, I'll open a portal to send you back."
Lu Heng glanced at the wall clock.
"Let's walk together instead? It'll help with digestion."
Furina looked at him hopefully.
The day shouldn't end so abruptly, right?
"Sure." Lu Heng nodded.
"Let's go~"
The streets at this hour were nearly empty, quiet and serene.
Furina's steps were light and lively.
After a while, she turned to Lu Heng and suddenly asked, "Will you stay in Fontaine forever?"
Lu Heng hadn't expected the question. After a brief pause, he answered, "Probably not. I might go to other nations in the future."
"I see…"
Though she'd known this was likely the case, hearing it still made her a little sad.
"When will I ever get my own freedom?" Furina murmured.
She had already gained great power and confidence.
But how much longer would this divine role and this performance bind her?
She hadn't minded before, but now… she yearned for freedom.
Lu Heng was taken aback, about to console her, but Furina's expression quickly brightened again.
"We're at the Palais Mermonia! I'll head in to sleep now. You should rest early too~!"
Lu Heng smiled helplessly and simply said, "Alright," watching as she waved at him while skipping into the Palais Mermonia, until her figure disappeared from sight.
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T/N:
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