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

The secret conversation between Themis and Focalors remains unknown. Let us now turn our attention to the opera house.

Lumine led Paimon away from Themis, only to unexpectedly find a beautiful blonde girl standing next to Lyney and Lynette.

"Hello there, Traveler personally received by both Lady Furina herself – the renowned hero we've all heard about," the golden-haired maiden greeted.

The girl was impeccably dressed, her demeanor poised and welcoming, her personality cheerful and lively.

Her lovely face and effortlessly familiar tone put Lumine and Paimon at ease, forming a favorable first impression.

"I am Navia, president of the Spina di Rosula – a Fontaine-based civil organization from Poisson."

"Paimon here, and this is my good friend Lumine. Nice to meet you, Miss Navia."

"Pleased to meet you both," Navia nodded, her eyes curiously examining the two adorable yet petite travelers. "I've been sent by Lady Themis to assist you. Wherever you wish to go, just say the word – I'll be your guide."

"Paimon, Lumine, you're finally back. Did Lady Themis say anything?"

Unlike Navia, who was aware she'd been sent to guide the Traveler, Lyney and Lynette were completely in the dark about what was going on.

When they spotted Lumine and Paimon returning, Lyney—feeling guilty as a thief—was eager to find out what Themis had said to them.

"Actually, Miss Themis didn't share much with us," Paimon explained. "She mainly said that the Lady of the Waters won't hold what you've done against you, Lyney. The most important thing now is to prove your innocence."

"At that point, Miss Themis mentioned—if you can't prove your innocence some other way, Lyney—you might be asked to duel a Champion Duelist as a means of self-defense to prove yourself," she continued.

Just hearing this made Paimon's head itch. Why does Fontaine even have a method of proving innocence through duels?

"A 'Champion Duelist'?" Blinking her blue eyes, Navia couldn't help but chuckle at Paimon's words.

"Navia, why are you laughing?" Paimon asked, puzzled.

"Oh, I just can't believe you've fallen for Miss Themis' trick, dear Paimon," Navia chuckled.

"Huh? How can this be—?!" Paimon exclaimed, utterly astonished that she had been so easily deceived.

Lyney, observing the shocked Paimon with a hint of exasperation, couldn't help but smile. "Even if Fontaine offered duels as a means for self-defense, someone suspected wouldn't have progressed so far."

Lynette, her eyes devoid of emotion, chimed in to clarify, "That's not merely a suspect; that's the individual already convicted of the crime."

"Well now," Navia remarked, "it seems Lady Themis is in quite the mood today, finding time to jest with you two."

"What kind of twisted joke is this? Me and the Traveler have been fretting over Lyney all this time because of her words!" Paimon stamped her feet, puffing out indignantly like a floating spirit.

Lumine remained silent, observing the scene.

This girl has quite a macabre sense of humor, she thought. Is it amusing to mess with us like this?

However, there were some things that Lumine was genuinely curious about.

"Lyney, what exactly did you do to involve the Hydro Archon, Furina, in all this?"

For a brief moment, Lyney's expression flickered unnaturally, though only Lumine's keen eyes caught the subtle change.

"Uh, I can tell you about this matter later, but please forgive me. I cannot reveal everything to you right now."

"Please believe me, I'm doing everything solely to uncover the truth."

The ever-present enthusiastic smile on Lyney's face vanished without a trace, replaced by a genuine, pleading expression.

Lumine's heart was filled with doubt, but since Fontaine's Hydro Archon and her Regent, Themis, hadn't pursued the matter further, she didn't want to wade into this murky situation either.

Based on what Themis had requested, her role was simply to help Lyney prove his innocence and then exchange a few lines with the Hydro Archon at the opera house.

"Miss Navia, Lyney and I will go to the opera house first to establish our innocence. I'll need you to lead the way soon."

Navia gave a thumbs-up, relieving Lumine of her stress.

Compared to the people in previous countries, the ones here in Fontaine seem quite friendly, aside from Themis. It's not too difficult to interact with them—what a relief.

With everyone's help, they found Neuvillette. Lumine became Lyney's guarantor, beginning the process of proving his innocence.

Lumine's gaze fell upon Furina, who sat across from her with an unflappable expression. She couldn't help but be intrigued by this Archon of the land of Fontaine.

"Traveler from afar, since you've chosen to stand as Lyney's guarantor, vouching for his innocence..."

"Then, as the Archon of Fontaine, the realm of water, I shall represent the people and pose our doubts. Please respond with honesty and provide your evidence."

"So, what are your thoughts?"

Furina rose from her chair, coming face-to-face with Traveler Lumine.

Excited spectators: Ohhh, I didn't expect the great Furina herself to appear! Is there going to be some entertainment after all?

Calm analyzers: Look at Furina's relaxed expression; seems like this Mr. Lyney probably didn't do it.

Bored spectators: Ugh, how long until we can go home?

The audience's reactions exceeded Lumine's expectations for such a serious trial. However, Themis had previously instructed her on how to speak in order to execute their plan.

"Of course, O mighty God of Justice. In this fair courtroom, I have no objections whatsoever."

Neuvillette rapped his cane, signaling the spectators below to quieten down.

The next phase was the intense and thrilling debate session.

Lumine, aided by Themis's foresight and guidance, provided complete and convincing evidence and testimonies for each question posed.

Neuvillette observed Lumine's arguments and tone with a complex expression. Even without delving deeply, it was evident from whom she had learned this composed manner of always anticipating the next move, captivating the audience's thoughts with a few words, and delivering meticulously crafted responses.

Years ago, Neuvillette himself had been swindled by such rhetoric, nearly leading to his imprisonment in the Fortress of Meropide.

Though Lumine was merely applying these skills on the fly, under Furina's coordination and direction, the audience below had been entirely manipulated in their line of thinking.

"Since there are no objections, let the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale deliver the final verdict."

Under everyone's gaze, Neuvillette extracted the verdict.

"Based on the judgment of the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, I declare: Mr. Lyney, you are acquitted!"

Lyney and Lynette exchanged glances and breathed sighs of relief.

Lumine and Paimon also felt internally at ease. Every moment during their interaction with Furina had been a torturous ordeal for them, unaccustomed to lying.

"I thought we were about to be exposed just now," Lyney murmured, "but it's good we persevered."

Lumine nodded; several times before, she had nearly lost control of her thoughts and been led astray by the jesters below.

"Thankfully, Furina arrived just in time to save the situation," she said.

Paimon chimed in, "And Themis was truly impressive, managing to predict when both Furina and the people below would speak. Unbelievable—it's no wonder she's known as Fontaine's esteemed Regent."

"Ah ha ha, well, this is Regent Themis and Lady Furina we're talking about, after all. Having presided over the opera house for five centuries has prepared them well for such moments."

Lyney rubbed his nose. In any case, it's a huge relief that the Lady of the Waters didn't pursue me to the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, thereby exposing my true identity as part of the Fatui.

As they privately celebrated their escape, someone suddenly stood up from the crowd below.

"Hold on, Monsieur Neuvillette! If this incident has nothing to do with Lyney, doesn't that mean the culprit behind the missing girls could still be among us right now?!"

(TL Note: ඞ)

These words instantly set the crowd into an uproar, a low buzz of murmurs filling the air.

Lumine, witnessing the scene, shrugged it off as no surprise. "Honestly, Themis even anticipated this kind of post-incident reaction. No wonder she's been the Regent for five centuries."

"So, Paimon, don't you dare speak ill of Themis behind her back in the future. You wouldn't want her quietly selling you off and then tricking you into losing money too, would you?"

"Hey, Traveler, don't scare me like that!"

Paimon playfully smacked Lumine's shoulder with her soft, pink little fists, lacking any real force behind the gesture.

The anxiety, doubts, and fears of the crowd coalesced into a flowing river of turmoil below them.

Neuvillette cast his gaze towards Lumine and Paimon, hoping they might share any insights from Themis about the case. However, much to his disappointment, he received no response.

Lumine and Paimon seemed not even to notice his questioning look.

This left the dragon at a loss. Didn't Themis say we had promising leads? he thought. Could it be we don't have concrete evidence yet, so she has not told anyone? Or does Themis have her own reasons for keeping these clues secret now?

"Ahem, my dear citizens, there's no need for alarm~"

Just as Neuvillette found himself deep in these perplexing thoughts, Furina stepped onto the stage, her melodrama on full display.

"We now have a lead on the culprit behind the serial disappearance case."

"Following the faint trails left by the killer, our beloved Regent Themis has uncovered crucial clues."

"This enigma, which has puzzled us for twenty long years, is finally about to be laid bare before us all."

"And soon, this Traveler from afar shall join forces with Themis to bring those heinous perpetrators to justice!"

"Rejoice!" Furina urged the crowd, punctuating her words with dramatic flourishes.

"I assure you, in the name of the God of Justice, all shall come to an end in tomorrow's grand trial!"

The excited people of Fontaine cheered, "Woo-hoo! Hooray for the Goddess of the Waters! Hooray for Lady Themis!"

"Justice for the victims! Our Radiant Goddess in the flesh! Everything will be different now!"

"Now, this is what I expected from Lady Furina—results in no time!"

"Hmph, just as I suspected. The murderer only avoided exposure by sheer luck—never once encountering our lady. But with Furina here today, their true nature has been laid bare!"

"Themis was just as impressive as always!"

"Isn't it just? With Themis overseeing the case, what disappearance case could possibly stand a chance?"

"Totally! That's it exactly!"

The wild cries from below made Lumine profoundly embarrassed.

Today's trial ended with a resounding chorus of jubilation.

As they left the courtroom, Lumine and Paimon bid farewell to Lyney and Lynette.

No matter how many times I've seen it, the citizens of Fontaine truly are utterly devoted to their archon.

"And then there's Themis—she's incredibly popular here too."

"Although we've encountered similar devotion in other countries, the Fontainians seem to be... Hmm, how should I put it? More... outgoing?"

Paimon scratched her head, searching for the right words.

Navia approached the two girls, offering them some warm macarons to stave off hunger.

Lumine and Paimon were a bit taken aback.

Paimon said, "The macarons are still warm! Did you just buy them, Navia?"

"I made them myself!" Navia replied with pride, her hands on her hips confidently. Behind her, two black-suited bodyguards flanked her, one on each side.

"I brought eggs, sugar, and almonds too!"

She retrieved these items from seemingly nowhere, much to the surprise of Lumine and Paimon. Despite the bulging contents of her bag, her black suit appeared perfectly neat.

"Hello, I'm Melus, and this is Silver. We're Miss Navia's bodyguards, and from now on, we'll be working together."

Melus, the older man, briefly explained the situation so they could all get on the same page.

Melus said, "We need to find evidence, and we can't do it discreetly. In fact, we should make a big show of it."

Paimon asked, "Huh? Why? Won't that alert the criminal and make them run away?"

Lumine chimed in, "What if they decide to go all out and take drastic measures?"

Both Lumine and Paimon looked worried.

In contrast, Navia seemed perfectly at ease, even taking the time to press more macarons into their hands.

"Relax, dear. Lady Themis has everything under control. You'll be perfectly safe."

"Come, don't be shy. Have something to eat first. You'll need your strength for what's ahead. You can't focus on a full stomach, you know."

Though worried, seeing the locals' unwavering confidence, Lumine forced herself to push aside her concerns.

If Themis' silver tongue were used in a courtroom, she could surely manipulate even the most discerning minds, Lumine mused.

Rather than fret over their plans, I should probably worry about myself first.

After all, I'm the one tasked with gathering evidence. Surely more eyes will be on me—greater pressure to handle.

After everyone had eaten, they set off in search of proof to support their cause.

-

At the Opera Epiclese, Lady Furina, having finished soothing her people, walked out of the grand doors with a composed demeanor.

"Lady Furina, thank you for your hard work," Themis said, having organized everything and been waiting here for the deity.

"Mm, what was all that about? It started as a simple magic show, but things certainly took an unexpected turn."

"Indeed, it's been a disheartening day."

Rubbing her temples, Furina followed Themis onto the airship.

The wait was excruciating. By the time they returned to their bedroom at the apex of the Palais Mermonia, Furina was equally anxious and unconfident.

She watched Themis's retreating figure, then chased after and stopped Themis by grabbing her arm.

"About your plan, is everything okay?" Furina asked uneasily.

"You know, if you need help with anything, just tell me!"

"Let me help now...ahem, yeah, if there's an issue, let Justice help you solve it!"

"If it fails tomorrow, I swear I'll help you resolve the matter!"

As the words escaped her lips, she expressed uncertainty about her offers.

Really, if she could avoid it, she'd like to avoid failure, too. But unfortunately, Furina knew that she couldn't maintain this charade.

In the worst-case scenario, this powerless fake archon would just be yet another empty vessel, misleading the masses again.

Whatever, how bad can it get?

Furina felt her brain struggling under the stress, and she massaged her sore forehead.

"Furina, rest assured. I promise you, it will all be over by tomorrow," Themis said reassuringly as she removed Furina's ceremonial hat and gently stroked her head. "Get a good night's sleep, Furina. You can help me best by being at your best when you take the stage tomorrow."

Furina's heart ached with worry for Themis. How am I supposed to sleep knowing her fate hangs in the balance? But she knew there was no other way to help Themis. Reluctantly, Facing the facts, Furina washed up and lay down in bed. Shutting her eyes, she worked hard to maintain her facade of sleep. It wasn't until she heard Themis's footsteps recede from the room that Furina quietly opened her eyes.

"I knew it. I just can't let this be."

With a sigh, Furina reached into her desk drawer for a sheet of parchment and penned a letter, then sealed it with her personal seal. She immediately dispatched it to all her subordinates and informants in Fontaine, instructing them to secretly block all entrances and exits to the city.

After donning her attire once more, Furina found herself seated by the window, anxiously awaiting the dawn of a new day. It's just a night without sleep, she thought resolutely. This body won't show dark circles under the eyes, after all. The realization brought her little comfort, and worry gnawed at her as she stood vigil into the night.