"Miss Hu Tao, regarding your question, that involves the Foundation's secrets. Without Level 4 security clearance, access and knowledge are restricted. Please understand."
Haruto stated truthfully.
Hearing this, Hu Tao's plum blossom-shaped eyes swirled with mischief—she was clearly scheming something.
"Then if I join the Foundation, will I get Level 4 clearance?"
She asked with a playful smile, even though she already knew the answer.
Level 4 security clearance was something only A-Class personnel were granted.
Even some exceptional B-Class personnel only received temporary Level 4 clearance.
Within the SCP Foundation's framework, personnel were strictly classified based on importance: O5, A-Class, B-Class, C-Class, E-Class, and D-Class.
If the O5 Council were the true masterminds of the Foundation, then A-Class personnel were the irreplaceable core members.
Becoming an A-Class personnel? That was easier said than done.
Haruto thought to himself, if Hu Tao could recruit that one guest consultant of hers to work for the Foundation, then maybe he could make an exception.
Feigning difficulty, he shook his head.
"I'm afraid that's not possible. Advancing to A-Class has stringent requirements. But if Miss Hu Tao insists on knowing...
There is one other way. You could join the Foundation and stay at this underwater site temporarily, participating in an experimental project. That way, even without Level 4 clearance, you'd be able to grasp the general scope of the project and get your answers."
Hearing this, Hu Tao didn't hesitate and nodded.
She had no other place to go after crossing into this world anyway.
Joining the Foundation's project wouldn't just let her understand what was happening with Mondstadt—it would also give her something to do.
And for Hu Tao, being idle was worse than death itself.
Haruto skillfully pulled out the Absolute Contract Codex and placed it in front of Hu Tao.
Just as she was about to pick up a pen to sign—
"Ah, Miss Hu Tao, please use this pen instead."
Haruto suddenly said, taking a pen from his coat pocket and handing it to her.
Hu Tao took it, puzzled.
The pen had "Factory Use Only" engraved near its tail.
Other than that, it looked no different from a regular pen.
With a flourish, Hu Tao signed her name on the Absolute Contract Codex and even doodled a cute little plum blossom next to it.
Once she finished, Haruto retrieved both the contract and the pen.
Activating the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, he gazed at the contract.
Countless death lines extended from it—threads linking the contract to its signers.
But strangely, the line between the contract and Hu Tao was broken and completely uncuttable.
Haruto couldn't help but click his tongue in surprise.
This pen, rumored to contain the Heart of a God (SCP-882), certainly had some bizarre effects.
Afterward, Haruto led Hu Tao to the monitoring room for the God's Eye Project.
Along the way, Hu Tao curiously looked around, fascinated by the Foundation's facility.
Though she had seen some of it in Suu's video calls, experiencing it in person was completely different.
Before long, the two arrived at the monitoring room.
On the screen, the Little Witch was receiving an award—being honored as Mondstadt's Honorary Knight.
"Oh! That's Paimon!"
Hu Tao immediately recognized her.
But… who was that girl next to her?
Didn't Paimon always stick with Lumine?
Hu Tao's mind started racing.
Could this be that kind of setting?
A parallel universe?
She had heard Doctor Strange talk about it in group chats before.
Lumine and Paimon had also once mentioned cleansing Stormterror and becoming Mondstadt's hero.
Could this little girl be the Traveler of a parallel universe?
At that moment, Haruto explained,
"The Mondstadt you see here… is actually an experimental site constructed by the Foundation."
Hu Tao's eyes widened in shock.
"An experimental site!?"
Haruto pointed at the Little Witch on the screen.
"She is an anomaly designated as SCP-239—an individual with reality-warping abilities capable of making her wishes come true. To prevent her from causing irreversible damage to the real world, the Foundation initiated the God's Eye Project."
"In other words, we built a fake Teyvat and are using its various events to guide the Little Witch toward morality and self-control."
"What you're seeing now is her growing and living as a Traveler in this artificial Teyvat."
Even for someone as mischievous and whimsical as Hu Tao, this revelation was beyond imagination.
A fake Teyvat, created just to deceive a single girl?
This was absurd!
Clearly, she had never watched The Truman Show.
"So… it's basically a scam?"
She clicked her tongue in amazement.
Haruto waved his hand dismissively.
"Hey, saving the world is no scam. It's just a harmless little lie. You know, a bit of psychological maneuvering… cough cough."
Hu Tao quickly accepted this explanation.
Haruto then got to the point.
"Now that you're part of the Foundation, I have a request—please investigate the next experimental site. The Little Witch is about to head for 'Liyue' as planned. And naturally, there's no one more knowledgeable about Liyue than you, Miss Hu Tao."
"One more thing, would you allow the Foundation to scan your Vision? Gathering data on an authentic Vision is crucial."
Hu Tao thought for a moment before unclasping the Vision at her waist.
It was a vibrant red gem, as lively as its owner.
Haruto carefully took it.
Unlike the Foundation's artificial Visions, this real one was imbued with Hu Tao's wish. If it were lost, Hu Tao would also lose that precious wish, reducing her to a lifeless husk.
Instead of taking it away, Haruto had the staff bring in a scanning device.
After recording its data and comparing it to the artificial Visions—
The results were clear.
Because the Foundation had meticulously documented the properties of a Vision, the ones created via the Little Witch's power were nearly identical to real Visions.
The only missing element?
The wielder's wish.
Since the Little Witch had no knowledge of each individual's true wish, that detail wasn't recreated.
Ironically, this was a good thing.
Once the scan was complete, Haruto returned the Vision to Hu Tao.
"Alright, let's go check out Liyue."
He said with a smile.
Hu Tao nodded.
She was extremely curious about the Foundation's version of Liyue.
Haruto grabbed Hu Tao's wrist, and in an instant, their forms distorted and vanished from the site.
Soaring through the sky, Hu Tao gazed into the distance—
And soon, she caught sight of Japan.
Upon seeing its scenery, she finally felt the reality of being in another world.
Before long, the two arrived at a massive island in the middle of the ocean. The Foundation had expanded this island to replicate Liyue's geography.
Descending, they landed within a grand, ancient city.
Hu Tao looked at the surrounding scenery and immediately widened her eyes.
This was Liyue—it was almost identical to the Liyue in her memories.
Even though Hu Tao had grown up in Liyue, she had to carefully examine the details to spot the subtle differences.
For example, the trees and grass had slight discrepancies—minor details that even a native of Liyue might overlook.
Shocked, Hu Tao opened a video feed in the Multiversal Chat Group.
The group members had already been following Hu Tao's situation, so they quickly joined the video.
However, as soon as they entered, they were bewildered.
Since Hu Tao had previously streamed videos, the members recognized the place.
But there was one thing they couldn't understand—why was Haruto in Liyue?
Blonde Defeated Dog: "Haru, why did you run off to Liyue?"
Spoilers Are Fun: "I saw Hu Tao's pictures earlier and thought something was off. Why is the president running all over the place?"
Hall Master of Wangsheng: "Uh… it's not that the president is running around. I actually traveled to the main world."
Big Sister Is Supreme: "???"
Spoilers Are Fun: "Hu Tao is here too!? But isn't this Liyue?"
Hall Master of Wangsheng: "It looks like Liyue, but it's actually a testing site built by the Foundation."
Seeing Hu Tao's message, the group members were stunned.
Although Suu and Shinobu had both joined the Foundation, information about the God's Eye Project required Level 4 clearance to access.
And since the two of them were only Mobile Task Force members rather than captains, they were classified as B-Level personnel.
So, no one in the group actually knew about the God's Eye Project.
Now, witnessing a Liyue constructed by the Foundation completely blew their minds.
Meanwhile, Hu Tao was already running through Liyue, looking around excitedly.
To her surprise, even her Wangsheng Funeral Parlor existed here!