You want me to play the Foehn wind? Are you kidding me?

After a few breaths, Himeko's voice rang out again.

"You've made your decision, Walter. You were just waiting for me to say... yes."

Walter's lips twitched slightly.

"……yes."

"Then let's do it."

Himeko's voice carried a faint hint of amusement.

"The train crew never chooses troublesome times. Since Luofu is in trouble, we have no reason to stand idly by."

"Oh, by the way, are March and Star with you?"

"They're all here."

"That's settled then. Contact us anytime if you need support."

Walter put away his communicator, turned to Jing Yuan, and said nothing, but his expression said it all.

Jing Yuan looked at his silence, nodded slightly, neither thanking him nor saying anything more, as if he had already foreseen this outcome.

……

In a room in a narrow alley in Louvre.

A black cat was curled up on a low table in the center of the room, its tail dangling loosely over the edge.

A man wearing a burgundy coat sat in a chair drinking coffee.

Another person was holding a game console, staring at it intently without blinking.

Suddenly, the black cat on the table opened its eyes wide.

His pupils contracted first, then slowly dilated. The cat sprang up from the low table, all four paws touching the ground at the same time, its tail held upright, its back arched, and its fur all bristled.

First, Kaffa's voice rang out.

"Eriol? What's wrong? What did you see this time?"

The black cat did not answer immediately.

"...He wasn't in the script."

"He's not part of the Luofu storyline from beginning to end."

Silver Wolf put away the game console, looked at the black cat, and blinked.

"It's not in the script? Who is it?"

The black cat didn't answer; it just stood on the edge of the table, its tail still swaying gently.

"Huh? Eriol? Who's that?"

Silver Wolf asked again.

Elio remained silent for a moment.

Then it opened.

"foehn……"

The room fell silent for a moment.

Silver Wolf blinked and tilted his head.

"Burning Wind? That Lord of Annihilation? What's he doing in Luofu?"

Kafka didn't reply; her gaze fell on Elio.

Elio slowly lowered his arched back and his tail.

"He's not in the script."

Elio repeated it again.

"In every timeline I looked at, there was no trace of him in Luofu. He shouldn't be here."

Silver Wolf and Kafka exchanged a glance. Silver Wolf scratched his head.

"So what do we do now? Can the script still proceed?"

Elio was silent for a moment, then slowly walked to the edge of the low table, squatted down, and licked the fur on his hands.

"...The script is still here."

Elio's voice had returned to normal, though it was a little slower than usual.

"But variables have already emerged."

The room was quiet for a moment. Silver Wolf picked up the game console again, but didn't turn it on.

Kafka put down her coffee cup, leaned back in her chair, and looked at Elio.

"variable……"

She repeated the word.

"It usually doesn't appear in your script."

"Normally not."

Elio's voice had become completely calm.

"But his appearance means that the subsequent developments are no longer entirely controllable."

Silver Wolf placed the game console on his lap and tilted his head to look at him.

"Can you predict what will happen next?"

"The fact that the foehn winds will appear in Luofu is already beyond the scope of all prediction models. I can only see some... outlines, but it's like looking at something in the distance through a thick fog. The general direction is still there, but the details are blurred."

"What about the train crew? Will they still follow the original route?"

"Yes, and no."

Elio's voice carried a tone as if he were confirming a line that was slowly bending.

"They will follow the original path, but the conditions along the way have changed. The presence of the foehn wind will change the surrounding water flow like a slowly moving reef."

Kafka nodded, as if she had received the information she needed.

"And what about us? What do you suggest we do?"

Elio licked his front paws.

"Continue with the original plan. There is no need to actively contact the foehn wind, nor is there any need to deliberately avoid it."

He has his reasons for appearing in Luofu, but before those reasons are revealed, taking the initiative to approach him will only turn us into fragments swept away by the current.

"The script is still there, except for an extra footnote that wasn't written in."

Seeing that Eriol had said that, Silver Wolf picked up the game console.

Where is he now?

"Starry Sea, but that won't be for long."

……

And what is Lu Feng doing now?

Sitting in a quiet place with few people, I silently sipped the Immortal's Happy Tea from the Immortal Boat.

As for where the money came from?

Then you'd have to ask one of the fox-people next to him, "Tingyun".

"Fenfeng, what are you doing in my hunting grounds again?"

Although Huanlong's words sounded calm, a hint of coldness could be heard if one listened carefully.

"Nothing."

Huanlong covered the area below her eyes with her fan.

"Guess? I believe you or not."

Lu Feng glanced at her, then looked away.

He really has no interest in Huanlong now. The last time was purely for the sake of playing the role. Killing Huanlong again now wouldn't increase his interest, so why bother?

Huanlong waited for a while, but saw that Lu Feng did not intend to speak again.

"Hmph, last time on Feiyin Star... you killed one of my avatars. If you do it this time..."

Huanlong fell silent halfway through her sentence.

It seems she can't defeat Fenfeng.

Although she was reluctant to admit it, she wasn't the kind of person who would ignore the difference in strength just to save face.

"……snort."

She closed the fan and tapped it lightly against her palm.

"I'll let it go that time, but since you say you're just passing by this time, I'll believe you one more time."

She stood up, her tail tip swaying slightly.

"But what if you change your mind again..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the pause at the end was enough to convey the meaning.

Lu Feng sat there, looking at the empty teacup in his hand, as if he hadn't heard the rest of her sentence.

"The tea is good."

"Buy me another cup."

Huanlong paused for a moment, then tossed out a bag.

Go buy it yourself.

Finished talking and left.

Lu Feng picked up the bag and looked at it; he could still buy at least a few hundred more cups.

Without hesitation, Lu Feng walked back to the stall selling Fairy Happy Tea and placed the empty cup on the table.

"The same."

Although the shop owner found Lu Feng's attire strange, he was no different from any other customer in front of the seasoned boss.

I made Lu Feng a fresh cup of Happy Tea.

"Here you are, customer. If you want another drink, you can come again next time. I'll give you a 9% discount on your next cup."