During her days in the outer ring, Furina had grown familiar with the people of Hare's House—especially with Nekomata, who she found particularly fascinating.
On the way back to the city, Furina began introducing her hotown to Nicole, Anby, and Nekomata.
She spoke of towering skyscrapers, the grand palace of the Hydro Archon, the magnificent Fontaine Opera House, and the luxurious Debord Grand Hotel...
As she described the splendor of Fontaine, her face brimd with confidence.
She'd visited Liyue once before. While it was certainly prosperous, its style was completely different from Fontaine's. Furina still preferred Fontaine's towering buildings and majestic city walls.
After listening to her descriptions, Anby pondered aloud,
"Skyscrapers? Palaces? Opera houses? Grand hotels? Palaces from the old era were swallowed up by the Hollows long ago. Nowadays, Fontaine only has tall buildings. There's no opera house near the Janus District, but there are a couple of cinemas."
Nekomata chid in,
"There are a bunch of big hotels near Lumina Square, but my favorite's still this little place called Simr Hot Pot. The grilled mackerel there is amazing! When we're back, I'll definitely take you to try it."
Along the way, Furina couldn't make heads or tails of what Anby, Nekomata, and Nicole were talking about…
And they couldn't understand much of what she was saying either...
Still, that only made both sides more curious about each other.
Billy laughed,
"Fontaine must be really far from New Eridu, huh? I'd love to see it soday if I get the chance."
Furina nodded.
"It is pretty far. Normally, you'd have to take a boat... then another boat... then hike across mountains, and trek through the lands of Liyue…"
Of course, this ti she'd co via a Statue of The Seven teleportation—so it only took a blink of an eye to arrive in the outer ring.
After hearing all that, Billy sighed.
"Sounds like a dangerous journey."
Furina nodded, then shook her head.
"This ti wasn't, but if you ca the normal way, you might run into Hilichurls, Slis, or even bandits blocking the road…"
Hilichurls?
Slis?
Those sounded like monsters out of an old movie.
Billy didn't have a clue what she ant and started wondering if these Hilichurls and Slis were just another kind of Ethereal.
He turned to Anby.
"You've watched a lot of movies. Ever heard of Hilichurls or Slis?"
Anby thought for a mont.
"I've heard of Slis. Not Hilichurls."
She added,
"Slis look harmless, but they're actually dangerous creatures. If you see one, it's best to steer clear."
Furina nodded quickly.
"Exactly! If you provoke one, it'll chase you down. They're a real pain to deal with."
Billy groaned and covered his face.
He rembered seeing Slis in a film once... but weren't those just fantasy creatures? How could they exist in real life?
Before he could make sense of it all...
Suddenly, Nekomata peered out the window and exclaid,
"Nicole! Anby! We're almost in the city!"
Nicole furrowed her brows.
"Keep it down—I'm doing accounting."
Anby pointed out the window.
"There it is—New Eridu. We'll be in the city in just a bit."
Hearing that, Furina imdiately turned to look where Anby was pointing.
She wanted to see for herself what kind of city this "New Eridu" was, which Billy and Nekomata had described so extravagantly.
No matter how prosperous it might be, there's no way it could outshine Fontaine... right?
But the mont she turned and saw it through the car window, Furina froze.
What… was this?
A massive sprawl—buildings stretching beyond sight. She stared wide-eyed at the vast cityscape, unable to see the end of it.
The skyscrapers looked as tall as the mountains surrounding the outer ring...
The city itself was at least several tis larger than Fontaine...
Furina blinked, thinking she might be imagining things. She rubbed her eyes and looked again—only to feel her shock deepen.
"This is... the New Eridu tropolitan area you were talking about?"
"Yep. Not bad, right? What you're seeing now is just the outskirts. The buildings here are short, the roads narrow, and it's all pretty cramped. The real skyscrapers are in the city center..."
"They're that tall? What, like a hundred ters?"
"A hundred? You're seriously underestimating the gacorps. Like the recently dismantled Vision Company—their HQ had over a hundred floors and stood more than 300 ters tall."
"No way... How could you even build sothing that tall...?"
Furina was completely dumbfounded.
As they drew closer, she got a clearer view and realized that the architecture here was entirely different from Fontaine's.
As the truck entered the city proper, Furina stared in awe at the wide roads, towering buildings, and the bustling crowds of New Eridu citizens...
It was nothing like what she had imagined.
She couldn't help but wonder—was this really still part of Liyue?
Why did it look so completely different from Liyue Harbor?
...
At one intersection, Nicole pulled over. She and Anby ducked into a strange shop, and when they returned, they were holding several cups of milk tea.
"I still prefer milk tea over coffee. Miss Furina, Miss Clorinde—try so."
"Uh... thank you..."
Furina took the cup, still dazed.
She took a sip—surprisingly delicious. If soone opened a place like this in Fontaine, it'd be an instant hit.
"Let's head back to Hare's House first."
Everyone was getting ready to return.
But before they could leave the neighborhood, a string of alarm sirens rang out from the street behind them. Monts later, a patrol car pulled in front of Clorinde's truck and blocked the way.
Furina jumped.
"What's going on? Are there robbers even in the city?!"
Nicole blinked.
"Huh? Robbers? No way—that's the Public Security Bureau. I'll go see what's up. They don't stop vehicles for no reason."
When Nicole stepped out to check, the situation quickly beca clear.
Turns out, the truck Clorinde had brought back originally belonged to an outer ring gang. It had no license plate, no insurance—
And even Clorinde herself didn't have a driver's license.
Under those circumstances, of course the Public Security Bureau stopped them.
After asking a few questions, the officers decided to impound the truck and placed Clorinde under arrest for reckless driving.
Clorinde frowned.
"Arrest ? And if I refuse?"
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