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Shao Yun and his group stepped onto the lift platform. Accompanied by a soft humming sound and the gentle sensation of rising, they arrived at Romaritime Station along the Court of Fontaine Station's Aquabus aquarail line.
Romaritime Station was divided into two entirely different zones: the upper level was reserved for passenger Aquabuses—quiet, orderly, and calm.
The lower level, however, was a bustling cargo area filled with noise, shouting, and the grinding of machinery echoing through the entire space.
Paimon looked curiously upward toward the passenger area, then turned her gaze to the aquarails, studying those seemingly endless waterways.
Lyney politely approached the station officer, Rena, and asked softly, "Hello, may I ask when the next Aquabus will arrive?"
At the moment, Rena was struggling to keep up with the sudden surge in passenger traffic, tiny beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
Yet she still paused her work, looked up with a polite smile, and replied, "Ah, I'm terribly sorry—the last Aquabus just departed. Why don't you take a seat over there on the bench and rest for a bit until the next one comes, all right?"
She pointed toward a nearby bench.
Lyney nodded in understanding, but he also noticed the faint dark circles under Rena's eyes, prompting him to speak again, "Of course, no problem. But it looks like traffic has increased a lot recently. It must be causing a lot of trouble for you and the other staff, Miss Rena."
Rena pressed a hand to her forehead, muttering nonstop, though she still spoke to Lyney with a mix of frustration and gratitude.
"Oh dear, Mr. Lyney, you have no idea—today's cargo turnover is at the brink of overflowing! I bet we'll be breaking old records again soon."
"I really hope Lumidouce Station finishes its repairs soon. Then they could at least share some of the pressure…"
Just then, Paimon turned her eyes toward several Aquabuses moored in the corner.
"Eh? Aren't there still a bunch of ships parked over there? Why not put those to use too? Wouldn't that help lighten the workload?"
Rena smiled and patiently explained, "Oh, you see, those ships are all backup vessels."
"The number of Aquabuses in operation each day is fixed in advance. If we suddenly add one more into the schedule, the entire route would fall into chaos."
Paimon nodded repeatedly at this explanation. "Oooh, so that's how it works! Now I get it!"
Rena, meanwhile, had also noticed that the number of visitors to Romaritime Station had risen significantly over the past days.
She sighed softly and murmured to herself,
"Sigh… at this rate, once my shift ends tonight, I'd better submit a request to the Palais Mermonia for additional staffing."
"But who knows when that request will actually get a response…"
…
While waiting for the Aquabus, Lumine and Paimon smoothly found an excuse to go to the restroom—really to touch the Statue of The Seven and obtain Hydro power.
Shao Yun sat quietly on the bench, letting the sounds of cranes hauling cargo echo around him as he passed the time.
Lyney and Lynette, perhaps still not very familiar with him, didn't attempt to start a conversation.
Fortunately, Shao Yun and Yanfei had a decent rapport, so the two began chatting.
They didn't talk about Yanfei's business in Fontaine, but instead drifted into topics about Liyue.
Then Yanfei suddenly remembered something, quickly speaking up. "Oh right, Shao Yun, remember the Lantern Rite from two months ago?"
"You couldn't make it to Liyue that time, and the Tianquan Star, Lady Ningguang and Yuheng Star, Lady Keqing truly missed you!"
Hearing this, Shao Yun blinked in slight surprise before giving a gentle smile and replying.
"My apologies—at that time I had some extremely important matters to handle in Sumeru, so I couldn't leave. Otherwise, I would have loved to enjoy the Lantern Rite's festivities."
After speaking, curiosity rose in him, and he asked, "But what exactly do you mean that Ningguang and Keqing missed me?"
By logic, Lumine and Paimon had delivered the things he entrusted them with. There was no real reason for Ningguang and Keqing to miss him—right?
Yanfei scratched her head lightly before answering.
"Well… that might be related to Mountain Shaper."
When Yanfei mentioned Mountain Shaper, Shao Yun recalled how Paimon had described the festival earlier.
"I heard from Paimon that Mountain Shaper also attended the Lantern Rite. But what does her presence have to do with Ningguang or Keqing missing me?"
Yanfei let out a helpless smile and explained softly, "Mountain Shaper didn't just go to the Lantern Rite to enjoy the festivities—she went specifically to Yujing Terrace to 'audit their accounts.'"
At the word "audit," Shao Yun immediately remembered what Mountain Shaper had said after Beisht was defeated by the Adepti—how she vowed to keep close watch on the Liyue Qixing's every move.
Realizing this, Shao Yun nodded. "Ah, so that's why. Yes, she did say she would supervise the Qixing closely…"
Then he added with a wry smile, "Still, having Mountain Shaper checking their work might actually help push Ningguang and the others to stay sharp. A supervising body isn't necessarily a bad thing."
Yanfei agreed wholeheartedly. "Exactly. That's what I thought too… but Mountain Shaper really asked some very sharp questions."
"Lady Ningguang, Lady Keqing, and many of the Yujing Terrace staff had to accompany her the entire time. They looked exhausted."
Shao Yun finally understood why those two would think of him.
"I get it. Working during a holiday is miserable. If I were there, Mountain Shaper would probably go easier—at least a little. Enough to reduce their workload a bit."
After all, he'd accepted a hundred billion mora from Ningguang; in Mountain Shaper's eyes, he and Ningguang were probably on the same side. That wouldn't scare her off, but it might prompt her to restrain herself somewhat.
Yanfei continued, now that her thoughts were flowing freely.
"Exactly… this time Mountain Shaper really interrogated things down to the smallest detail. Her questions were so sharp that even I struggled to keep up!"
Shao Yun's curiosity spiked. "What? She even questioned you?"
Someone like Yanfei—a legal consultant renowned for her fairness—shouldn't have had anything to fear. What would Mountain Shaper interrogate her for?
Yanfei recalled the scene from two months ago and couldn't help shivering slightly even now.
"Oh, you don't know… Mountain Shaper's aura at that moment was terrifying."
She paused to steady herself, then continued, "Especially when she brought up the case of De'an bribing the Millelith and poisoning Jianqiu in prison…"
Yanfei shuddered again. "At that moment, Lady Keqing and I felt like scolded students standing before a strict teacher."
"That atmosphere was far scarier than handling any civil dispute…"
Shao Yun laughed awkwardly and nodded in sympathy. "Yeah… I get it… I get it…"
…
After a short while, Lumine returned with her newly gained Hydro power, with Paimon floating beside her.
Along the Aquabus waterway, a uniquely designed vessel slowly approached along its scheduled route.
Paimon spotted the unusual ship at once, her eyes shining with curiosity.
"Woah! Are we taking that to get to the Court of Fontaine? It looks so advanced… Fontaine people really know how to use water!"
Lyney smiled as he explained, "This is a Aquabus. They connect all the major areas of Fontaine."
"Most of these ships were originally gunboats used by the old Fontaine Navy. Now they've been refurbished as passenger vessels. You could say it lets them continue serving the people."
Lumine scratched her cheek curiously. "The old Fontaine Navy… sounds like there's a lot of history there?"
Lyney nodded. "There certainly is. But let's not rush—once we're on our way to the Court of Fontaine, I'll tell you the stories bit by bit."
With that, the group ascended the steps leading onto the Aquabus.
Once aboard, they chose seats and settled in, quietly waiting for departure.
At the bow, the Melusine guide "Aeval," stood cheerfully, explaining the details of the upcoming journey, the scenery along the way, and safety notes.
But just as the ship was about to set off, a shout rang out from a distance.
"Breaking news! Breaking news! Wait for me!"
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