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The four of them entered the grand and magnificent Opera Epiclese together.
Upon stepping inside, they saw several Melusines standing alongside security officers, diligently holding their posts and maintaining order on-site.
At this moment, Shao Yun did not immediately follow Paimon's hurried footsteps. Instead, he stopped where he was and began observing the lavish interior decorations of the grand hall with great interest.
Just as Shao Yun was immersed in appreciating the exquisite décor, a familiar voice suddenly rang out beside his ear.
"Haha, you really kept your promise and showed up on time! It's great to see you!"
Lyney had appeared beside him at some point without a sound, wearing a bright smile as he teased.
Seeing this, Paimon wagged a finger at Lyney and replied with a solemn expression, "We've been looking forward to watching your amazing performance this whole time! There's no way we'd miss such a rare opportunity!"
Hearing that, Lyney's smile widened even further as he replied, "Mm, of course I believe you! The fact that you came so early is proof enough."
"Perfect timing—most of the audience hasn't entered yet. Since the opportunity's rare, I've already arranged the best seats for you. Take the tickets…"
As he finished speaking, Lyney took out a carefully prepared ticket from his pocket and handed it to Paimon.
"The opera house uses assigned seating, so every audience member has to register in advance."
Paimon happily accepted the ticket and eagerly glanced down at the seat number printed on it. When she saw the number clearly, she nearly jumped up in excitement and shouted, "Wow! Front row seats! The absolute best spot! This is amazing! Thank you so much, Lyney!"
Hearing Paimon's thanks, Lyney merely smiled faintly and replied modestly, "It's nothing, no need to be so polite…"
Just then, a slightly anxious shout suddenly came from the backstage preparation room.
"Hey—Mr. Lyney, could you come take a look over here?"
It was Lyney's magic assistant, Cowell, calling for him.
Lyney immediately turned toward the source of the voice and called back loudly, "Alright, I'll be right there…"
After that, he looked apologetically at Paimon and Shao Yun's group and said, "Sorry, everyone. My assistant Cowell seems to have run into a bit of trouble. I need to go check what's going on first…"
With that, Lyney hurried off together with Lynette to handle the sudden situation.
…
Elsewhere, Eula stood upright at the entrance, straight-backed like a well-trained doorman.
She wore a professional smile and continuously repeated the welcoming phrase she had been instructed to say.
"Welcome to the Opera Epiclese. Enjoy today's performance."
However, only she herself knew that deep inside, an indescribable sense of discomfort was churning.
After all, when had she ever been a doorman before?!
Just then, Shao Yun and the others slowly approached.
When Eula's gaze met theirs, she instinctively wanted to avoid them, but in the end, she still steeled herself and stepped forward.
She pressed her lips together tightly, forcing down the awkward feelings in her heart, and said softly, "P-please… please come in… welcome to the Opera Epiclese… enjoy today's performance…"
Paimon keenly noticed Eula's unease, but she didn't say much. She simply greeted her politely and briefly, "Eula… hello. We'll head inside first."
Eula forced a small smile and replied, "I wish you a pleasant day…"
Only after watching them enter did Eula finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Once inside, Paimon weakly grabbed at her hair and muttered in distress.
"Ugh… this feels so awkward! How about after watching Lyney and Lynette's performance, we leave Fontaine right away and head to Natlan? I seriously can't stand this atmosphere anymore!"
Paimon wasn't joking. This strange tension wasn't just driving Eula close to madness—it was making her feel like she was about to break down too.
Hearing Paimon's complaints, Lumine reached out and gently patted her small head, comforting her. "Alright, Paimon. Even if we're leaving, we should at least wait until after the performance."
"For now, stop thinking about all that and let's go find our seats."
…
Setting aside the awkwardness with Eula for the moment, Paimon led Shao Yun and Lumine toward the front row of the opera house.
At last, they found their seats.
"Our seats are right here! It really is the front row—wow, we'll be able to see everything super clearly!" Paimon exclaimed.
At this time, inside the opera house, aside from Shao Yun, Lumine, and Paimon, Neuvillette and Furina had also arrived early.
Furina sat elegantly in the upper VIP section, composed yet aloof.
Meanwhile, Neuvillette sat quietly right beside Shao Yun's group.
Paimon secretly glanced at Neuvillette next to her, then lowered her voice and muttered to Shao Yun and Lumine, "Do you think we should take the initiative and say hello to the person next to us? There aren't many people around right now, and our seats are so close… not talking feels really weird and awkward…"
Hearing this, Lumine pushed this troublesome social task onto Paimon.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Paimon…"
Paimon stared at Lumine with wide eyes, disbelief written all over her face, and muttered, "Me? Hey, come on… how can you do this to me?!"
Despite her complaints, Paimon was actually quite willing to try talking to someone.
Shao Yun casually glanced at Neuvillette beside him and discovered that the other man was also scrutinizing him from head to toe.
The moment their gazes met, an invisible understanding flowed through the air.
Shao Yun spoke softly to Lumine and Paimon beside him, "Lumine, Paimon, could you two help me buy some popcorn and bring back some drinks as well? Thanks."
His words successfully cut off Paimon just as she had finally organized her thoughts and was about to speak.
Paimon froze for a moment, then replied in confusion, "But Shao Yun, isn't eating prohibited in the courtroom? When we took the ship before, didn't Euphrasie specifically remind us?"
Hearing this, Shao Yun smiled slightly, unhurriedly took out a small, heavy pouch of Mora, shook it in his hand, and said, "What she mentioned back then was a trial, not a magic performance."
"After the show, we can just take the trash out with us. It won't cause any negative impact."
After hearing this explanation, Paimon hesitated briefly, then turned her head and glanced at Neuvillette sitting right next to her.
After that, Paimon turned back to Shao Yun and said, "Alright then, I'll leave the negotiation to you, Shao Yun. Don't get too worked up…"
…
Lumine and Paimon temporarily left with the Mora to buy drinks.
Once the two of them had completely departed, Neuvillette finally spoke, his tone carrying a hint of admiration.
"I must say, you're very perceptive. With just a glance, you could tell that I had something to discuss with you."
Shao Yun did not respond. He simply extended his right hand and introduced himself softly, "Shao Yun."
Seeing this, Neuvillette politely extended his own right hand and firmly shook Shao Yun's, stating his name succinctly.
"Neuvillette."
As the handshake ended, Shao Yun leaned back casually, resting comfortably against the soft sofa seat.
"Hm, looks like this meeting of ours has gotten off to a pretty good start."
Hearing Shao Yun acknowledge that their conversation had begun smoothly, Neuvillette seized the opportunity.
"Welcome to Fontaine."
When Shao Yun heard Neuvillette's words of welcome, scenes from what had happened at Romaritime Harbor the day before immediately surfaced in his mind, and he replied with a sarcastic edge,
"Oh? Is that so? Your way of welcoming guests is certainly… unique."
At that moment, high up in the VIP section, Furina sat quietly.
She appeared calm and composed on the surface, yet inside her heart was already as turbulent as a raging sea.
"Ah! What's going on?! Did he find out about my itinerary and come specifically to confront me? Am I about to be thrown into the Fortress of Meropide already?!"
As Furina fretted internally, she nervously watched the back-and-forth exchange between Shao Yun and Neuvillette below.
"Please don't notice me. Please, please don't notice me!"
…
Just then, Shao Yun sensed a panicked gaze repeatedly sweeping over him.
Curious, he slowly turned his head and looked up toward the VIP section.
The moment Furina saw Shao Yun turn his head, her heart leapt straight into her throat.
"Oh no! Did he just look at me? He did, didn't he?! My Archon, he actually noticed me!"
Almost in the next second, Shao Yun revealed a meaningful smile toward Furina in the VIP seats.
Seeing clearly that Shao Yun was indeed smiling at her, Furina was instantly frightened pale.
"Oh god! He really smiled at me! This is terrible—does this mean he's already planning to make a move against me?!"
"But just now, Neuvillette seemed to be talking with him quite amicably! How did it turn out like this?!"
…
On the other side, hearing Shao Yun's pointed remark, Neuvillette calmly expressed his apology.
"Regarding the incident that occurred yesterday at Romaritime Harbor, and the 'offense' Lady Furina caused toward you and your companions—allow me to offer you my sincerest apology on a personal level…"
Neuvillette deliberately pronounced the word "offense" clearly and with emphasis, avoiding the term "discrimination," evidently probing Shao Yun's attitude and reaction.
Shao Yun disliked people who nitpicked wording. Of course, there was one exception—aside from that devil, he truly didn't care about such things.
Anyone else, other than Lumine and Paimon, who dared to play word games with him was practically courting death.
Without beating around the bush, Shao Yun went straight to the point and asked bluntly, "Let's skip the pleasantries and get to the point. How do you plan to compensate us?"
Seeing Shao Yun being so straightforward, Neuvillette likewise dropped the formalities and replied frankly, "Lady Furina will issue you a formal apology. We have no intention of becoming your enemies."
Hearing this proposed "compensation," Shao Yun thought it over for a moment.
Money wasn't what he lacked—what he wanted was an attitude, emotional value.
After a brief pause, Shao Yun spoke again, "Mm, it seems we've reached a preliminary understanding between us…"
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