A deathly silence reigned in the hall as everyone remained immersed in their own thoughts.
This strange guy had once again displayed staggering strength.
The Captain was the first to break the silence.
His voice was deep and forceful, like a heavy blade drawn from its sheath.
“Thus, only three Gnoses remain.”
He looked toward the Tsaritsa, his tone carrying absolute resolve.
“Natlan—I shall go personally.”
On the high platform, the Tsaritsa gave a slight nod, approving the Captain’s request.
At that moment, Pulcinella, the Rooster, let out a dry, high-pitched laugh, sounding like an announcing bird.
He didn’t look at Arlecchino immediately, instead meticulously adjusting his formal dress cuffs, as if verifying a long-arranged piece of official business.
“I hear that the Knave recently conducted a rather thorough ‘spring cleaning’ at the House of the Hearth, sweeping away quite a few eyesore ‘remnants.'”
He finally raised his eyes, looking across at Arlecchino through his round-framed spectacles.
His gaze seemed mild, yet it functioned like a scalpel, precisely dissecting her most private affairs.
“Presumably, that ‘home’ is now orderly once more, no longer requiring you, its ‘Father,’ to toil night and day?”
Arlecchino met his gaze.
After a brief pause, Pulcinella shifted his tone, placing an unavoidable proposition before her with a cadence that brooked no delay.
“Our mission in Fontaine is already poised on the string.
We cannot allow Snezhnaya’s overall progress to grind to a halt simply because we are waiting for a ‘home’ to finish its internal housekeeping, can we?”
Faced with Pulcinella’s pressure, Arlecchino raised her eyes and met his gaze calmly.
Her expression showed no anger at having her affairs probed, nor any resistance to his stance.
She looked like the model Harbinger accepting a predetermined schedule.
“Thank you for your concern, Mr.
Mayor.
The remnants have been purged, and the House of the Hearth is operating normally.” Her voice was crisp, cold, and steady, carrying clearly across the hall.
“Since affairs in Fontaine require attention, I shall begin preparations.
Of course, to maintain the proper operation of the House of the Hearth, I will not be shy when requesting necessary ‘resources.'”
A father’s concern for her children was usually veiled beneath the surface.
Pantalone, the Regrator, pushed up his glasses at the perfect moment, his face beaming with a warm, friendly smile.
“If any of you require financial or material assistance during your missions, please feel free to approach me.
Don’t stand on ceremony.”
…
As the meeting neared its conclusion and the group prepared to rise, the Tsaritsa’s gaze fell once more upon Daigan, who had sat as still as a statue throughout the entire assembly.
Her gaze seemed capable of piercing through souls, evaluating a tool that had just proven its immense worth.
“The position of the Sixth Seat,” the Tsaritsa’s ethereal voice echoed, bringing the meeting to a close with a verdict no one had anticipated, “shall be temporarily assumed by Daigan.”
As her words landed, Daigan remained completely expressionless, as though the appointment had nothing to do with him.
He merely lowered his eyelids slightly, pondering whether this counted as a promotion.
Tartaglia looked at Daigan with curiosity.
“Wait, what seat was he before?
The Tenth?”
…
After the assembly adjourned, the figures in the hall dispersed in small groups, leaving behind only the freezing air and the high-hanging crystal chandeliers.
Daigan remained seated in the chair that Pulonia had hurled up there earlier.
His eyes were lowered, his gaze seeming to pierce through the empty space to focus on an interface invisible to everyone else.
Before his eyes, lines of text regarding Harbinger permissions and the title buffs for the “Acting Sixth Seat” scrolled silently:
[Title: Fatui Harbinger (Sixth Seat)] [Equip Requirement: Swear allegiance to the Tsaritsa; obtain highest-level authority authorization from Zapolyarny Palace] [Description: The ladder of power is cold and heavy.
You have set foot into the core circle of Snezhnaya’s ruling power.
This crown is both an emblem of glory and a set of iron shackles.] [Attribute Buffs: – Base Attributes: All Attributes (Strength, Agility, Intelligence, Faith) +15%.
– Resistance Boost: Ice Elemental Damage Reduction +50%; Abyss Erosion Resistance +30%.
– Leadership Aura: When interacting with subordinates/followers of a lower level (or lower rank than a Harbinger), an additional [Command] option is unlocked.
Mandatory mission completion efficiency increased by 50%; subordinate desertion rate reduced by 100%.
(P.S.
You wouldn’t want to lose this job, would you?)] [Special Effects: – Colleague Sparring (Passive):
– Against Harbingers: When engaging in conflict and attacking targets who are also Harbingers (or equivalent high-ranking figures), own All Attributes reduced by 30%.
(Note: After all, you are all blades of the Tsaritsa; shattering each other does not serve Her Majesty’s interests.)
– Purge Traitors: If the attack target is a stripped or deserted Harbinger (such as Scaramouche), own All Attributes increased by 70%!
(Note: The blade that hunts its own kind shall be coated in even sharper frost!) – Heart of Severe Winter (Regional): While within Snezhnaya, EXP and Merit Points earned from slaying monsters are reduced by 10%.
(Note: Comfortably grinding EXP under the Tsaritsa’s gaze is a desecration of suffering.
Only through tempering in dire straits can true recognition be gained.)] [P.S.
Can be unequipped at any time]
“Phew…
Here I thought I’d have to switch maps to grind EXP.”
Seeing the final line, Daigan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Changing maps meant familiarizing himself with new monster-farming routes, which would undoubtedly be a hassle.
He was not someone who enjoyed adapting to new environments.
“Level 86, huh?
Still a long, hard road to Level 90.”
…
On the other side of the hall, Arlecchino was speaking with Pantalone.
“…The children’s winter clothes need replacing, Fontaine requires a new stronghold, and repairs to the House of the Hearth are no small expenditure,” she stated calmly, as if discussing the most ordinary administrative task.
Pantalone pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, a genial smile plastered across his face as he readily agreed to every item.
“Of course.
Lady Tsaritsa’s care for the House of the Hearth knows no bounds.
Please, ask for whatever you need.”
However, his tone immediately shifted as he lowered his voice, flashing a smile that would give any peer chills down their spine.
“However, if such a massive ‘budget’ is granted, yet fails to bring back Fontaine’s Gnosis in the end…
Her Majesty won’t be pleased, I imagine?”
Arlecchino didn’t take the bait.
Her deep red eyes swept over the Regrator before she turned and walked away.
Her gaze made her thoughts clear: *That is none of your concern.*
Moments before, seeing Arlecchino occupied with Pantalone, Sandrone had stepped forward to pitch an idea to Capitano.
“Since Arlecchino is heading out on a mission, and you, Captain, are setting off for Natlan as well, why don’t I host a farewell tea party for the two of you?
At my workshop—what do you say?”
The tall Captain was silent for a moment before nodding slightly.
“Much obliged.”
Hearing this, Tartaglia, sitting at the end of the Harbinger ranks, immediately chimed in with excitement.
“Awesome!
Count me in!
Captain, the three of us can spar while we’re at it!”
Pulonia raised his head slightly upon hearing this and glanced at him.
Sandrone and Capitano both nodded faintly in agreement.
“Mm.
Then in a moment I’ll check with Arlecchino…”
Since Arlecchino was still talking, Sandrone’s gaze drifted over the crowd, landing on Daigan, who remained seated blankly in his chair as if entirely detached from the world.
“Tsk…”
Suddenly recalling his uninvited “exploit” from last time, she raised an eyebrow and deliberately raised her voice, her tone laden with irritation as if she had swallowed a fly.
“I just hope a certain someone doesn’t barge in uninvited again.
Popping up out of nowhere and scaring people!”