Genshin Impact: Fontaine's Regent, driving players crazy.

Watching Lumine's departing figure, Themis suppressed her smile.

Her face became expressionless, forming a stark contrast with her previous warm and friendly demeanor. It looked increasingly terrifying, resembling more and more the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles from years ago. If Lumine were to suddenly turn back now, she would likely be frightened half to death by this similar aura.

Lumine would instantly bristle with energy, summoning all five elemental powers around her. While keeping guard, she would grab Paimon and make a hasty retreat, eager to leave this place without a moment's delay.

Damn it, how annoying! When will this ridiculous situation ever end?

Pressing a hand to her forehead, Themis inwardly sighed with frustration.

The more she dwelled on this irritating matter, the greater her desire grew to destroy the world.

The state of today's youth: Let everything be damned!

Before, it was just Marcel digging his own grave. Now, a whole gaggle of people had joined forces to go looking for trouble.

Do you know how long Themis took to scour entry records for that Vacher guy's name?!

And have you any idea how many people in all of Fontaine share the name Vigneire?!

You have no idea!

Dizzy from searching names, Themis thought, and on constant high alert around the clock, fearing that any moment we might wake to the news: "Oh no, Lady Themis, someone reported an innocent Maiden of Fontaine dissolved into water!"

It had started twenty years ago, based on the Traveler's time records—meaning it was already four hundred and eighty years after she ascended to the position of Regent. Four hundred and eighty years! Enough time for twenty generations to pass and multiply.

Yet Themis hadn't found a single shred of that supposedly lingering stray pocket of Primordial Sea water!

Sometimes, being alive in this world is truly just too much, she thought.

How many times in the dead of night had she felt like shedding tears? As an adult, all she could do was suppress her helplessness and drive herself to madness.

There was no respite for her, nor for anyone else.

She immediately increased Gardemeks tenfold. Every dog on the city streets, every slime and Hilichurl passing through the wilderness, even the muddy water elementals—all were subject to rigorous scrutiny, again and again.

Poor Neuvillette, bewildered, was dragged in and grilled multiple times about whether anything unusual had caught his notice recently.

Finally, all her painstaking efforts paid off.

When Themis laid eyes on the young lovers Marcel and Vigneire, hand in hand, she was on the verge of tears. It was as if she had found her long-lost freedom.

And after enduring this madness for so long, she couldn't resist the urge to give those two idiots by the primordial sea water a sound kick, sending them flying.

After meticulously extracting every last drop of Primordial Sea water and storing it away, Themis avoided the place like the plague and had it filled in.

"I was such an idiot, thinking it would all end there."

"Fate is one stubborn beast!"

Before Themis could truly celebrate, a new, addictive beverage called Sinthe swept through the market. This was truly fate's cruel joke.

Themis felt her heart seize, nearly passing out from pure rage.

She banned what should be banned, confiscated what should be confiscated. The Steam Bird newspaper and Palais Mermonia worked in tandem to stir up public opinion, directly linking the promoted addictive Sinthe beverage to narcotics.

However, for every batch they confiscated, another would follow in different packaging. The key issue was that the same group of Fontaine troublemakers would fall for it each time.

Themis couldn't hope to stop the flow; all her efforts were treating the symptoms, not the disease.

As events spiraled out of control, even if Themis refused to admit it, she had no choice but to face reality:

Oh no! The mastermind behind the scenes has morphed from the original story's singular Marcel into a whole swarm of Marcells.

The exorbitant profits from Sinthe drove many merchants to take desperate risks, shielded by layers of complicity.

Every year, authorities would dismantle large networks and arrest numerous individuals involved in the trade, but it was simply impossible to catch them all!

While Marcel had merely sought to save Vigneire, this horde of Marceles would stop at nothing for Mora.

This mess is worse than just letting the original plot unfold, thought Themis.

Ask Themis if this was trouble? Indeed, it was too much trouble.

Ask Themis if she regretted it? Of course she did!

But since it was already done, there was no going back.

In the end, they had to cut the Gordian knot and bypass Neuvillette, opting to act first and ask for forgiveness later.

Even Callas of the Spina di Rosula had been dragged into it. As a kind-hearted man, he willingly took the blame for Fontaine and its wise leader.

Though from young Navia's perspective, her dad was truly her hero. Whenever she saw him, she tried to learn how to debate effectively, dreaming of sending Neuvillette to the Fortress of Meropide herself.

Neuvillette was on the verge of shedding tears of frustration.

"Great Lady Themis, you are a wise leader, too noble to be tainted by such filth. Therefore, these dirty tasks should be left to those like me!"

"I am willing to offer you, for this beautiful Fontaine, all my loyalty and strength!"

"For the great Kingdom Of Justice!"

In her utter bewilderment, Themis discovered this letter left on her desk. Moments later, she received news that Callas had led a direct assault, annihilating nearly all of Sinthe's production facilities overnight.

Huh? What's this about? Can't you folks just talk to me properly first?!

Everyone keeps calling me radical—who feels so conservative right now?!

The next day, as Themis approached the Trial Court, she found herself face-to-face with Callas and his accomplices standing at the defendants' bar.

This Callas guy wore a beaming smile, apparently in the mood to greet his accuser. "Heh heh, funny meeting you here, Lady Themis. You're at the opera house too?"

"Shouldn't we consider our little operation a wild success?"

wild success indeed—so much so that it left me utterly lost.

Thanks to Themis's impassioned argument and Furina's testimony, Callas and his crew were eventually sentenced at the Fortress of Meropide, facing numerous charges.

As for murder—the hell are you people talking about? That's nothing but slander!

Those individuals fled out of guilt, Themis would later insist, and by some twist of fate, each met their own demise.

Realizing they couldn't escape, they chose to end their lives with tears in their eyes. Yet, even in death, they didn't hesitate to smear Callas and his companions with the blood of murder!

Every one of them should feel ashamed for their deceitful actions!

How could such a good person like Callas, a devoted citizen of Fontaine, possibly break the law?!

The bewildered audience, still somewhat confused, pondered: But they're being tried in the opera house right now!

It's all because they're so devoted to Fontaine. They didn't want more people to fall for that scam and lose their hard-earned money or even their lives.

Young man, you can't be too rigid when it comes to interpreting the laws!

In the opera house, Themis displayed her ancestral gift—outwitting a room full of scholars—for the first time in front of Furina and Neuvillette.

One comes? She'd scold them. Two come? She'd scold the pair.

Though not claiming to be skilled, Themis had extensively studied techniques for sophistry and dealing with lawless troublemakers.

As she grew more excited, her confidence and conviction also increased. Even Neuvillette was almost convinced to let the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale sentence him to a few days' "experience" at the Fortress of Meropide.

Thanks to Themis' defense, Callas and his associates received significantly reduced penalties—sentenced to five years of odd jobs at the Fortress of Meropide.

Tsk, Focalors isn't easily fooled, eh? This left Themis somewhat frustrated.

Focalors: Who understands, folks? Sometimes even I, an Archon, feel helpless. If I hadn't stayed absent, I might've been sentenced too!

Do you think this is the end? Never!

Callas had been sentenced and imprisoned for only a short time when she and Furina, while out walking, inadvertently came across traces of the Primordial Sea—and even people actively using it.

Themis smiled, then began to act unhinged.

That day, Furina was curled up in the corner shivering as she recalled the terror of witnessing Themis dominate the debate at the opera house trial, her words silencing the crowd.

"Let this world—be destroyed!"

Themis, neither omniscient nor omnipotent, declared.

-

After instructing the Maison Gardiennage to guard Lyney's secret tunnel entrance, Themis stared at the entrance to the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale. At this point, she cared little for maintaining her image.

Crouching down, she crawled inside. When the sound of laughter from within the darkened room reached her ears, her face froze.

"Ooh~ isn't this our dear Regent, Lady Themis~"

"Why not use the front door? I almost suspected you of some nefarious deed, sneaking in like this~"

"Speaking of, there seemed to be a little fellow who snuck in earlier too."

Even without seeing Focalors' divine form, Themis could imagine the mischievous smirk playing on her face.

"I'm here to discuss urgent matters with you. In short, I need your help."

Themis chose to overlook Focalors' somewhat troublesome nature; over time, she had developed a strong resilience against such jests.

"Eh? What favor does our omnipotent Regent require from me? Besides, my current status can't be exposed to the light." Sighing, Focalors's tone carried a hint of frustration. "Don't forget, I'm confined to this place now. While I can manage if it's just about handling trials, I'm afraid I won't be much help in putting on an act with that Traveler for you."

"No, you'll do. You can still serve as material evidence!" Themis's words, blunt as ever, made Focalors twitch her eye. Though she was indeed part of the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale now, directly stating that she could be used as "material evidence" seemed a bit much.

After all, she was still an Archon. Such remarks were downright disheartening for a goddess.

You spoke so gently with Furina on stage—could you not soften your tone a little with me too?

"You're right," Themis conceded, "but I have low emotional intelligence and can't help being frank. Besides, do you want to see how many scapegoats I've been for you over these past five hundred years?"

Focalors cleared her throat and voiced her confusion. "Material evidence? What kind of joke is that? I'm just an Archon-made machine now."

"A completely immobile one, bound to be nothing more than a ruthless tool of judgment."

"It doesn't matter," Themis replied. "Perhaps you'll allow me to conduct another Bloodred Trial."

The words "Bloodred Trial" from Themis's mouth visibly unnerved Focalors. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke up, "Didn't we agree beforehand that it would only happen once?"

"Moreover, is the Bloodred Trial really not feasible anymore?"

Themis's gaze was cold and indifferent, like an unfeeling instrument pronouncing a death sentence. Her tone brimmed with frostiness: "Since it's been done once before, another time probably won't hurt, right?"

"..." Silence fell over Focalors, who felt terribly hesitant. Isn't this penalty a bit outdated for present-day Fontaine?

Themis frowned, feeling utterly helpless when confronted with Focalors' excessively merciful nature. Even now, you're still unwilling to deal these villains a fatal blow?

"Capital punishment is not forbidden in Fontaine. However, this case has dragged on for twenty years. In the past, I hesitated due to lacking all the evidence, the sheer number of involved individuals, and the deadly threat the Primordial Sea posed to Fontainians. I dared not act rashly, waiting instead for your answer.

"Now, I have knowledge of all the evidence and the whereabouts of the mastermind behind the shadows.

"We merely need to wait for the Traveler and Furina's final act to conclude before we can apprehend them all at once.

"You must give me an answer now.

"Between allowing them to be reborn anew at the Fortress of Meropide until they succumb to natural death,"

"Or we could initiate another Bloodred Trial, eradicate the poison once and for all, and seize the opportunity to enact further reforms," Themis suggested.

Her tone softened a bit, as if trying to persuade Focalors. "I know you're a gentle and kind soul, but this matter is of utmost importance. I..."

Focalors clapped her hands, an expression of disapproval crossing her face. "I think both capital punishment and exile to Fortress of Meropide would be too lenient for them. It's been five hundred years—your views have grown quite conservative, Themis!"

"Such contemptible beings who disregard the law, harm their fellow citizens, and endanger the state of Fontaine must receive the most severe punishment!" cried Focalors.

"That reminds me, I heard you had a good relationship with Nahida, the nearby Dendro Archon. How about making an example of eternal rebirth, subjected to repeated executions?"

At this thought, Focalors seemed full of enthusiasm.

Yet almost immediately, she grew dissatisfied and overturned her previous proposal. "No, no—it's still too lenient to simply repeat their executions."

"I recall you once spoke about something called 'cruel tortures'—you swore at the time that if they were used properly, it would certainly help these criminals repent and reform. Any good memories of that method still?"

Focalors' small mouth continuously spouted words that starkly contrasted with her soft, beautiful face.

Themis was rendered speechless, momentarily at a loss for what to say.

I thought I was being overly radical in this country, but I never expected you to be the real devil incarnate!

Clutching her head in agony, Themis felt utterly helpless.

It had been hundreds of years since she'd last experienced this feeling of powerlessness.

What's going on? What happened to Focalors?!

Has something gone terribly wrong in our world?!

Rubbing her eyes and ears in disbelief, Themis desperately wished this were just a dream. But the helpless discovery awaited her: this was reality.

Unaware of Themis' struggle, Focalors continued to rattle off various punishments she had read about in her tragic love novels.

Before, I hadn't paid much attention to such things, but after the Bloodred Trial, it's like a switch has been flipped.

If certain methods can teach the populace discipline, making their lives better and their morals nobler, ensuring they live in peace and prosperity, then perhaps they aren't off-limits.

In the past, it would have seemed too radical for Focalors, the person she once was. But now, even Themis, the radical, was becoming conservative!