The true power of that artifact in its original owner's hands was utterly unmatched.
Eula might not immediately reach that level, but with enough training, it wasn't impossible for her to eventually drink it all.
At that point, wielding strength comparable to a demon god wouldn't be surprising.
Believing that Lory would never lie to her, Eula suppressed the faint disappointment of not receiving a promise from him, settling instead for his compromise.
"Since you want me to act as Noelle's sparring partner, constantly coming back and forth is inconvenient. Why don't I just stay here for now?"
Eula said it casually, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
But her calm tone was clearly hiding ulterior motives.
Lory naturally wouldn't refuse. He had just been worrying about how to keep Eula around—and the girl herself had already predicted the move ahead of time.
"Alright, let's do that."
Lory answered without hesitation. He didn't intend to go upstairs and disturb Raiden Makoto; instead, he hugged his pillow and prepared to nap on the couch.
Judging by the sky outside, it was only a little after four in the morning. He definitely needed a few more hours of sleep.
When conversation ceased, the room fell into silence.
Sitting beside him, Eula felt no discomfort at all. One hand propping her cheek, she rested her elbow lightly on her thigh, her pale-gold eyes carrying an inexplicable softness as she gazed at Lory.
Even just watching him quietly like this felt like a perfect harmony that could last forever—so long as no one interrupted.
Meanwhile…
As the chosen candidate for infiltration, Lumine began tailing Lawrence family member Schubert early in the morning.
After observing him for days, she understood his behavior patterns well.
With carefully prepared wording and an exaggerated admiration toward the "glory of the Lawrence lineage," she easily earned his trust over a single morning.
Her over-the-top praise caused Schubert to nearly float with joy.
He was so overwhelmed by the flattery that he seemed to forget his own name.
"A promising youth indeed! It has been ages since I've seen someone so loyal to House Lawrence! What a pity—what a pity!"
He showered Lumine with compliments, even promising her a shining future once the Lawrence clan rose to power again.
Paimon leaned toward Lumine and whispered:
"Hey… this guy isn't… stupid, is he?"
Lumine silently nodded.
A man this foolish, trying to overthrow Mondstadt with the Fatui? Truly delusional.
Worse yet—whoever in the Fatui decided to partner with this man was probably just as brainless.
And then things took an even more ridiculous turn.
Lumine originally expected Schubert to test her loyalty for several days at least.
Yet on the very next morning, he was already personally escorting her to a hidden Fatui base outside Mondstadt to discuss the uprising in detail—castle defense maps included.
Lumine was stunned.
Is this man really this straightforward?!
Inside the base, the Fatui initially tried to bar Lumine from entering, but Schubert became angry and scolded them.
"How dare you question someone I brought?! Are you looking down on me!?"
Forced into submission, the Fatui had no choice but to let Lumine in.
Everything proceeded so smoothly it was almost unbelievable.
As they walked deeper inside, Paimon whispered:
"We just need to get the evidence, right? Then the operation's a success!"
Lumine nodded lightly.
She had even been thinking of delaying her meeting with Dainsleif, but at this pace, she might finish the mission today.
Soon, they reached the innermost chamber.
A Fatui envoy was already waiting. His brows furrowed at the sight of Lumine, but he held his tongue.
"Did you bring the goods?"
Eager to avoid complications, he went straight to the point.
With a cold huff, Schubert pulled a scroll from his coat and waved it proudly.
"Right here. But you must agree to my conditions first."
"That's easy. Our goals align. Once House Lawrence rules Mondstadt again, how we operate is none of your concern. You will have our full military support."
Satisfied, Schubert lifted his chin arrogantly.
He only needed to provide information; the Fatui would handle the actual uprising.
Not risky at all. A free victory.
As for the possibility of failure?
With Snezhnaya's power behind him—Schubert couldn't imagine how things could go wrong.
"The contract is ready. Once we verify the authenticity of the map, we'll sign."
The envoy's expression softened into a pleased smile.
This was a major accomplishment. Lady Signora would surely reward him.
At that moment, Lumine and Paimon quietly observed from behind Schubert.
"Now's the time," Paimon whispered. "Signal the knights!"
Lumine nodded, pulled off her mask, and took out the bone whistle Noelle used for training.
One sharp blow rang through the chamber.
Both the envoy and Schubert froze.
Lumine drew her dull blade, straightened her posture, and declared heroically:
"You're surrounded! All of you—surrender peacefully!"
Fatui Envoy: "???"
Schubert: "???"
The surrounding guards stared at her in disbelief.
Girl, you're in our base—who's surrounding who?!
The envoy's expression darkened instantly.
Schubert trembled with rage and humiliation.
"So you were a spy all along!"
"With your intelligence," Lumine replied honestly, "being a useless noble parasite is the best choice for you."
She wasn't even trying to mock him—just offering earnest advice.
But Schubert, utterly unable to accept it, screamed:
"Fatui! Kill this traitor!"
The envoy shot him an irritated glare.
He was already regretting partnering with such an idiot.
He opened his mouth to give orders—
But before he could speak, the entire chamber shook.
A group of Knights of Favonius stormed in.
Leading them was Kaeya, clapping gracefully.
"Well done, Traveler. We really do need to thank you properly this time."
He didn't spare Schubert a glance before ordering the knights:
"Take them all."
Seeing the situation turn dire, the Fatui envoy immediately retreated with his men through a secret escape route.