The night deepened, yet the streets of Fontaine remained brilliantly lit.
In Quartier Lyonnais, the cold, silent Gardemeks continued their patrols.
A figure in a black hood darted through the illuminated areas, pausing occasionally in the shadows to glance around cautiously.
Furina's palms were nearly sweating.
Before long, she arrived at the entrance of the card shop.
Seeing the door slightly ajar, light spilling out from inside, she quietly exhaled in relief.
She pushed the door open.
Inside.
Lu Heng's gaze shifted from his gaming console to the doorway.
Furina peeked in, her head poking through the gap.
Dressed in a black cloak, she looked… suspicious.
Lu Heng's expression turned odd. "Lady Furina, what's with this getup? Why do you give off the vibe of a thief or an assassin?"
"Uh—"
Furina stepped inside and closed the door behind her, removing her hood.
She cleared her throat. "Well, I am a beloved superstar. If people saw me sneaking here at night, rumors would spread! So, to avoid trouble… yeah, this was necessary!"
"But if you're caught like this, wouldn't that spark even stranger gossip?"
Lu Heng chuckled.
"Ahem! Let's not dwell on that. I'm the big client I mentioned earlier!"
"I need to pull cards secretly. As an Archon, I must keep my abilities confidential to prevent other nations from learning my details!"
Furina spoke with conviction.
Lu Heng pondered briefly.
Aside from consumable cards, the effects of equipped cards didn't need to be displayed.
Unless explicitly stated, no one would know someone's power came from cards.
This was clearly stated on the shop's notice.
Furina's actions were easy to understand.
She wasn't the true Hydro Archon—she had no supernatural abilities.
But with Lu Heng's card shop now in Fontaine, it was inevitable that many would soon gain extraordinary powers!
To deter them, the Hydro Archon needed to demonstrate real strength!
This wasn't something speeches alone could handle.
Furina likely planned to pull cards discreetly, keeping her arsenal hidden so no one could gauge her true capabilities.
Coincidentally, once the equipment device reached Tier 3 Silver, cards could be swapped freely—leaving plenty of room for deception.
Of course, this was just Lu Heng's speculation. He didn't actually know Furina's thoughts.
But it didn't matter.
A big spender was a big spender.
"Ready to pull now?" Lu Heng asked.
"Actually, before that… could you promise me something?" Furina hesitated.
"Go on?"
"Don't tell anyone what I pull!" Furina said.
"No problem."
Lu Heng nodded.
He had no reason to disclose her pulls anyway.
"Thank you!"
Furina pulled out several Mora coins from her pocket.
These were far larger than standard Mora—higher denominations.
After all, merchants couldn't lug around chests of coins for massive transactions.
When Morax first created Mora, he accounted for such scenarios.
In other words—
Mora was currency, but also an alchemical material, forged from Morax's own flesh and blood.
The smallest denomination contained trace amounts, while higher values were concentrated.
"300 million Mora?"
"Lady Furina, you truly are a VIP."
Lu Heng smiled.
Furina smirked proudly. "Of course! I'm Furina, the Hydro Archon! Just my performances alone have earned me countless Mora!"
That was true.
Lu Heng nodded. In Fontaine, the richest woman was Furina.
(Though she was also the biggest spendthrift, which left her strapped for cash after leaving the Palais Mermonia—mostly because she couldn't cook.)
"Shall we begin?"
300 million Mora meant 30,000 pulls. This would take a while, so Lu Heng brewed some tea.
Furina sat on the stool and began the monotonous clicking.
Every 10-pull without a purple made her sigh.
Soon, her eyes lost their sparkle.
"Is my luck really this terrible?!"
She clenched her fists.
1,000 pulls gone—not a single purple!
How was this fair?!
She'd heard nobles spent thousands without a purple, so this should feel normal…
So why did it hurt so much?!
Lu Heng handed her a cup of tea. "I get it. It's hard to accept not being the lucky one."
Furina nodded silently, sipped the tea, then perked up. "I refuse to believe this!"
Lu Heng smiled.
Gacha doesn't care what you believe.
Time passed.
"Really, no purples?!"
"6,000 pulls in—where's my purple?!"
"I wasn't even hoping for gold! But not even a purple?!"
Even Lu Heng looked surprised.
Furina's luck was… historically bad.
"Gacha's like that. Maybe today's not your day. Try some rituals—"
Before he could finish, Furina's pupils trembled.
She gasped, leaped off the stool, and clapped her hands in joy.
"AHH!!"
"I GOT ONE!!"
Lu Heng blinked, looking at the table.
Among the ten cards, the first one shimmered with a faint golden glow.
A gold card?!
"Congratulations!" Lu Heng laughed.
"Heheh!"
The sudden high after prolonged despair made Furina unable to suppress her grin.
Though she tried to maintain her composure, her hands shook slightly.
Excitement!
A 5-star gold card!
Archon-level power!
"Quick, tell me what it does!" Furina urged.
"Alright."
Lu Heng flipped the card.
It depicted a blurry sphere, but after his appraisal, it gained color—a multicolored orb of light.
"What is this?" Furina leaned in, then read the text.
[Elemental Resonance]
[Rarity]: 5-star · Gold
[Type]: [Talent Card]
[Trait]: [Sustained]
[Description]: When equipped, grasp the fundamental elements that compose the world.
Furina stared at Lu Heng, waiting for elaboration.
"Simple. This is an incredibly powerful card."
Lu Heng explained, "The elements that compose a world—in Teyvat, that's the seven core elements, plus light and dark. Nine in total."
Furina's excitement became uncontrollable.
She immediately equipped and activated the card.
Instantly, she could feel the elemental energy around her—vibrant, alive, and welcoming.
Raising her right hand, droplets of water gathered from the air, forming a floating orb.
As she gazed at it, her vision blurred slightly.
For the first time…
She felt like the Hydro Archon.
If she kept this card hidden, her identity would be more secure than ever.
A hand holding a tissue entered her view.
"Wipe your tears."
Furina took it instinctively, dabbing her eyes.
Her vision cleared, and she looked up at Lu Heng, lips parting.
"You… Thank you."
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T/N:
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