Fontaine — Opéra Épiclèse.
As soon as Furina and Clorinde stepped out, Nolan and his companions quietly followed behind.
They didn't even bother hiding their movements, so the pair ahead quickly noticed they were being tailed.
"Hey, you lot—following behind the most beloved Hydro Archon of Fontaine is extremely impolite, you know!
"Hmph, but since I'm in a good mood today, I'll refrain from pressing charges—for now."
Furina turned around in the grand corridor of the opera house, pouting in mild annoyance as she eyed them.
At the same time, something about the group felt oddly familiar to her—like she'd seen them somewhere before.
Beside her, Clorinde's hand was already resting lightly on the hilt of her rapier, ready to draw at a moment's notice.
"Ah, no, no, it's not like that! We just wanted to talk to you about something!" Paimon quickly waved her hands defensively.
"There are plenty of people who wish to see Lady Furina every day," Clorinde said coolly. "You should leave now and stop disturbing her rest."
"Well…" Nolan's main goal had simply been to get her attention—mission already accomplished. Just as he was about to explain, Furina suddenly exclaimed—
"Wait!" She blinked, her eyes widening in recognition.
"I know you!
"Black-haired boy, blonde traveler, and a flying little companion—oh! You must be the famous travelers, aren't you?!"
"Wow! Even the Hydro Archon knows us? Hehe!" Paimon said excitedly.
"Hmph! Of course I've heard of you. Your exploits across other nations are well known. Why, just the other day I read a report about you! I've been eagerly waiting for your arrival in Fontaine!"
[Furina Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level Lv.3 (20/300).]
Nolan blinked at the notification on his status panel—apparently, she really was looking forward to meeting them.
Furina folded her arms, lifting her pale chin proudly as she looked at them with a playful gleam.
"Hmph, how perfect! Imagine it—a grand duel between the Hydro Archon and the famous Traveler! That would make quite the headline!"
She pointed straight at the group.
"I hereby accuse you of following Fontaine's most beloved god—me, Furina!"
"Eh?!" Paimon gasped. "Didn't you just say you wouldn't press charges?!"
"That was then. This is now." Furina smirked triumphantly. "If you win, I'll graciously listen to what you came to tell me."
"Oh?" Nolan chuckled in mild surprise. So this Hydro Archon likes to play games, huh? After a moment's thought, he said:
"Well then, Lady Furina—how can you be so sure we were following you? We simply happen to be walking the same way. You can't just assume that everyone behind you is a stalker, can you?"
He spread his hands helplessly, looking quite innocent.
"Exactly!" Paimon puffed out her chest. "We were just going the same direction! We weren't following you at all!"
Lumine nodded in agreement.
"Hmph! But I heard you say you came looking for me. If that's not following, what is? Clorinde, you heard them too, didn't you?"
"..." Clorinde sighed softly, helplessly nodding. "Yes. I did hear them."
She clearly didn't want to indulge Furina's antics—but she was the Archon, after all.
"See? A witness!" Furina said smugly, looking very pleased with herself.
"That still doesn't prove anything," Nolan replied calmly. "Yes, we wanted to meet you, but we planned to do so after the trial was over.
"Right now, we actually stepped out to use the restroom and just happened to run into you along the way. We even have a witness—the opera house staff. We asked them to keep an eye on our seats while we were gone."
Lumine tapped her chin, adding with poise, "So you see, this is just a coincidence."
"Hmm…" Furina frowned, realizing she had no solid evidence to counter their claim.
After thinking it over for a moment—and remembering the sweets waiting for her in the lounge and the trial she'd have to return to later—she sighed dramatically.
"Fine, fine. I'll let you off this time. You win. Now then—what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Hehe, that was easier than Paimon expected!" Paimon whispered happily—but was quickly silenced when Clorinde gave a pointed little cough.
"Ahem… Let's get to the point, please. Lady Furina still needs to rest."
It was rare for Furina to concede so easily. If she heard Paimon's comment about "beating the Archon," Clorinde knew she'd probably take offense and find an excuse to start another "trial."
That would be… exhausting.
Realizing this, Paimon flushed slightly and gestured toward Nolan. "Ah—right! You explain."
She turned her big eyes toward him, afraid she'd say something wrong again.
Nolan nodded and addressed Furina:
"Lady Hydro Archon, have you heard of something called the 'Akasha Network'?"
"You mean that system everyone's been talking about in Sumeru and Liyue lately? The one that lets people communicate across distances and share posts—like a living newspaper?"
Furina wasn't unfamiliar with it. When she'd first heard about such a miraculous device, she'd even sent her attendants to Sumeru to buy a "Akasha Terminal."
Unfortunately, it stopped working the moment it left Sumeru's borders—something that had frustrated her for quite a while.
"It's not actually limited to those nations," Nolan explained. "Once you log in to the Akasha Network, you can browse and post content anytime, anywhere—and others across the world can see what you share.
"I've heard that Fontaine's 'Oratrice Mecanique' converts the faith in justice gathered from the people into a special form of energy.
"If the courtroom proceedings in the Opera House could be broadcast live through the Akasha Network, then faith wouldn't have to be confined within Fontaine's borders.
"Which means even more faith—and more energy—could be generated."
He gave a concise rundown of the system's functions.
The more she listened, the more Furina's eyes sparkled. She could hardly contain her curiosity, itching to try it herself. But then she remembered the unresponsive Akasha Terminal she'd already fiddled with countless times and sighed.
"Tch… what's the use of telling me all this if it doesn't even work in Fontaine?"
"That's only because the Akasha Network hasn't been extended here yet," Nolan replied.
"Then why hasn't it been extended?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Good question," he said. "It's mainly an energy problem. The network currently doesn't have enough power to maintain connections beyond Sumeru and Liyue.
"So, that's why we're seeking your cooperation. We'd like to ask that while the Oratrice converts faith into energy to sustain Fontaine's functions, a portion of that energy could also be supplied to the Akasha Network.
"That way, the connection could finally reach Fontaine. What do you think, Lady Furina?"
The Akasha Network's expansion would benefit any nation—it was hard to imagine anyone refusing such a proposal.
"Well…" Furina hesitated slightly.
If she truly had control over the Oratrice, she would've agreed without a second thought. After all, energy was energy—whether it powered the city or the network made little difference.
But the problem was—she had no control over the Oratrice Mécanique d'Analyse Cardinale at all.
From the moment it was created, the machine had operated entirely on its own.
The Lawful Energy of Justice it generated was automatically distributed in fixed amounts—just enough to sustain Fontaine's entire city system.
If any of that power were diverted to help extend the "Akasha Network," then many of the city's mechanisms—clockwork guards and other systems dependent on that energy—would be left short on power.
"Forget it. The Oratrice is far too important to tamper with carelessly. So, I refuse," Furina said, shaking her head.
"Refuse?" Nolan raised an eyebrow. "Don't you want to use the Internet to gather more faith in justice?
"Think about it—if you supply energy to the network, you can, in turn, receive more faith from it. The new faith converts into more energy, which can then be used to expand the network's reach again.
"Then from the newly connected regions, you'll gain even more faith. It's mutually beneficial—for both you and us.
A complete win-win. Why reject that?"
Even Clorinde, standing beside Furina, gave her a curious glance.
If things truly worked as Nolan described, the arrangement would indeed benefit both parties.
"Hmph! E-even if it's a win-win, who agrees to a deal without looking into it first? What if you're trying to deceive me? I'll think about it for now. I'll give you an answer in a few days," Furina said irritably.
Her reasoning made sense—no matter how she looked at it, compared to collecting faith only from the opera house, gathering it across several nations through the "Akasha Network" would certainly yield far more power.
If the energy produced from just the faith gathered in the Opera House was enough to sustain an entire nation like Fontaine, then the scale of energy produced from global faith was unimaginable.
Though Furina often acted frivolous, she wasn't foolish. Faced with something that could greatly benefit Fontaine, there was no reason to reject it outright.
"You have a point," Nolan said with a calm smile. "In that case, Lady Furina, we'll return in a few days for your answer."
"Mm. Come to the Palais Mermonia then. Clorinde will bring you to me."
Furina exhaled in relief, turning toward her companion.
"Let's go. I want sweets from the lounge."
If she stayed a moment longer, she feared she might cave and agree on the spot.
"Yes, Lady Furina." Clorinde stepped forward, nodding politely to Nolan and the others as they left.
Since their proposal seemed genuinely beneficial to Fontaine, she had developed a faint respect for them:
[Clorinde Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level Lv.3 (20/300).]
Having at least opened the door to a potential collaboration, Nolan considered the discussion a modest success.
But when Furina had mentioned the Oratrice earlier, there had been a distinct hesitation in her voice—a lack of confidence that caught his attention.
It was as if the Oratrice wasn't even her creation.
Yet according to Fontaine's records, that miraculous device—capable of collecting faith in justice and converting it into Lawful Energy—was said to have been built by the god Focalors herself, the very same being known publicly as Furina.
"Focalors" was her true name—just as Ei, the Raiden Shogun, was also called Baalzebul.
As Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon walked back toward the opera hall, they couldn't help feeling puzzled.
Nolan was now fairly certain that this "Furina" wasn't actually the real Hydro Archon, Focalors.
If she were merely an avatar or puppet controlled by the true deity, she wouldn't have shown such uncertainty—since memories would normally be shared between them.
It seemed he needed to investigate further—to uncover the truth and find the real Hydro Archon.
After all, from what he'd just seen, Furina lacked the authority to make major decisions—even those that clearly benefited Fontaine.
Her level was only thirty-six. Even with the title of Archon, without the corresponding divine power, there was little she could truly accomplish.
Once the trial's over, Nolan thought, I might just have to follow her for real this time.
Back in the opera house, they took their seats again. Soon after, Furina and Clorinde returned as well.
By then, Chief Justice Neuvillette had already completed his investigation into the thief's identity.
As expected, the man's background was suspicious.
According to the findings, the so-called thief lived in the Gray River district—a poor man with a gambling habit and mountains of debt.
Neighbors confirmed his history: a frail, shaky fellow who could barely lift a bucket of water, let alone sneak into a merchant's estate.
Neuvillette gave him a chance to confess—cooperate, and his punishment would be lighter; resist, and it would be severe.
Under the Chief Justice's overwhelming presence, the terrified man confessed everything.
He admitted that someone had approached him, offering to pay off his debts—on the condition that he act as a "thief" and falsely confess to destroying the contract during the trial.
As for who hired him—it was obvious. Fleur.
Yes, the contract had been stolen, but not by this scapegoat gambler. Fleur had recruited him only to frame Kiril.
The motive was simple—business suppression.
Kiril had publicly announced that he'd optimized the clockwork guard production line, drastically cutting costs.
If left unchecked, no one in Fontaine could compete with his prices for long.
That was something Fleur couldn't accept.
Losing one contract was nothing—but losing all future business could bankrupt his company entirely.
So he decided to use the trial to attack his rival's reputation—and perhaps force Kiril to reveal the secret behind his improved production methods.
Even if he couldn't bring Kiril down, he could at least uncover his techniques.
(End of Chapter)
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