The headquarters of the Steambird Press was located in Fontaine. As a highly influential newspaper across multiple regions, its flagship publication, The Steambird, was the mainstream newspaper of the Court of Fontaine. It covered everything from intel on all seven nations to the juiciest gossip.
At 8:00 AM, the latest issue of The Steambird hit the stands.
Fontainians, long accustomed to reading the newspaper daily, immediately noticed the coverage on the Card Shop.
If the Card Shop had only gained a small degree of fame yesterday, then this latest issue—featuring an exclusive interview by Charlotte—was nothing short of a bomb detonating in water, sending massive waves rippling outward.
The entire Court of Fontaine turned its attention to this newspaper.
The well-informed nobles, of course, didn't need to be told—they had already learned about it through their own channels.
But now, The Steambird's interview with the shop owner provided even more details about the Card Shop.
...
Poisson.
"Young Lady, this is the latest issue of The Steambird. I believe you should take a close look." Melus approached swiftly, his expression grave as he handed her the newspaper.
"Did the Palais Mermonia announce some new policy?"
Navia asked, but Melus simply shook his head and passed her the paper.
Taking it, Navia's eyes immediately landed on the bold, eye-catching headline:
"The Card Shop: A Power from Beyond the Stars—What is the Price of Archon-Level Strength?"
"What kind of headline is this?"
Navia frowned slightly.
What is the price of Archon-level strength?
Since when could Archon-level power be measured in Mora?
Navia continued reading.
If Melus deemed this important, it must be significant.
Word by word, Navia absorbed the details about the Card Shop and Charlotte's interview with Lu Heng.
By the time she finished the last sentence, she sat frozen for a long moment.
After a stunned pause, she finally spoke in disbelief, "Melus… this isn't some kind of joke, is it?"
Melus replied solemnly, "Young Lady, I'm afraid this is no prank. News of this Card Shop has already shaken the Court of Fontaine. It's said that Lady Furina herself visited and obtained some kind of power from another world."
"What?!"
"So it's real?!"
Navia took a deep breath.
Her skepticism wasn't unfounded.
In fact, most Fontainians who read this issue of The Steambird had the exact same reaction—"How is this possible?"
Their long-held worldview dictated that Archon-level power belonged solely to the Archons, and the only remaining Archons were the Seven Sovereigns. In Fontaine, that meant only the Hydro Archon held divine authority.
The idea that godlike power could be obtained through something as simple as gacha pulls was utterly absurd.
Without seeing it firsthand, it was hard to believe.
But the truth was—it was real!
The Steambird would never publish such explosive news without verifying its authenticity first. Otherwise, the paper's credibility would be ruined.
"Young Lady, by now, countless people in the Court of Fontaine must be rushing to this shop… and the nobles are undoubtedly making their moves as well."
Melus spoke gravely, "What's certain is that the number of people wielding supernatural abilities will skyrocket from now on."
"What are you suggesting?"
"Young Lady, for your safety—and for the stability of Poisson—I believe we must also obtain such power." Melus said firmly.
Navia nodded, then smiled bitterly. "I'd love to, but… the Spina di Rosula's current finances…"
10,000 Mora wasn't much. An ordinary person could scrape it together if they tried.
But pulling something worthwhile with just 10,000 Mora?
Unless you had heaven-defying luck, it was practically impossible.
The Spina di Rosula was no longer what it had been years ago. Their funds were limited.
They could scrape together a few hundred thousand Mora if they squeezed hard—maybe even a few million.
But if they got nothing in return, their future would be bleak.
This was a gamble—one that no one could resist.
And if you didn't pull, but others did and grew stronger—what then?
"Melus, Silver, gather our Mora. We're heading to Quartier Lyonnais!" Navia made her decision without hesitation.
...
The Hotel Bouffes d'été.
"News about the Card Shop has spread."
Lyney nodded. "Don't worry. The first thing we did after returning yesterday was inform Father. Given the urgency, I'm sure he'll know within three days."
"The waters of Fontaine are getting murkier by the day…"
"Is the Card Shop's appearance a good thing or a bad thing?"
Lyney pondered for a moment. "That depends on your perspective. For us, it's a good thing, right? If we're lucky enough to gain stronger power, we'll be better equipped to face the prophecy crisis."
"That's true."
"Lyney's right!"
...
Special Security and Surveillance Patrol Headquarters.
"Captain Chevreuse!! Now's the time—we must request more funding!"
A patrol member slammed the newspaper onto the table, his face alight with excitement.
"What's going on?" Chevreuse asked, puzzled.
BAM!
The patrolman pointed at the headline. "I believe Fontaine's streets will grow more chaotic from now on! The Patrol must enhance its strength to maintain deterrence against criminals!"
Chevreuse skimmed the article and nodded. "Ah, this. I've heard some rumors. The Chief Justice is already drafting plans to strengthen Fontaine's official security forces… but how much funding we'll get is uncertain."
"Captain Chevreuse, why don't you just fight Monsieur Neuvillette for it?!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
"I need power! I want to crush criminals with my fists!"
Chevreuse rubbed her temples, overwhelmed by the noise.
She too recognized the impact of the Card Shop.
Ordinary people had limited Mora, but the nobles had deep pockets!
Under Neuvillette's governance, the nobility had grown more restrained in recent years. But Chevreuse knew better—they had simply hidden their darker dealings beneath a veneer of respectability.
Now, with the Card Shop's arrival, those nobles would go wild.
"Hmm… in that case, the Patrol does need more funding." Chevreuse mused.
...
Palais Mermonia.
Neuvillette stared at the mounting pile of funding requests.
Each application was filled with dense paragraphs of text.
He read them over and over, his brow furrowing as he distilled the essence of every document into a single line:
"Neuvillette, give me money!"
Every department was shamelessly demanding billions of Mora.
Did they think the Palais Mermonia was made of Mora?!
For the first time in a long while, even Neuvillette felt a headache coming on.
As an ancient dragon, he didn't fully grasp human emotions.
But right now, he thought he understood.
This feeling… was probably what humans called "exasperation."
Neuvillette sighed softly.
The only silver lining was that the Fortress of Meropide hadn't come knocking for funds.
Neuvillette felt a flicker of relief. Thank the heavens the Fortress operated independently.
"Monsieur Neuvillette!"
A cheerful Melusine bounded in.
"The Duke's people asked me to pass along a message~"
"The Fortress of Meropide requires the Palais Mermonia's support—they're requesting 2 billion Mora for pipeline repairs~"
Neuvillette: "..."
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T/N:
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