Although Furina had rattled off a long string of arguments that sounded reasonable, anyone with discernment could tell she was simply stirring the pot maliciously.
What no one expected, however, was that after Furina finished her impassioned speech, many of Fontaine's onlooking "melon-eating" spectators actually began nodding in agreement. In an instant, discussions broke out everywhere, and the scene descended into chaos.
Just then, Paimon stepped forward.
Though her small figure was easy to overlook, at this moment she was brimming with a sense of justice.
Planting her hands on her hips, she puffed up her cheeks and loudly argued on behalf of Lyney and his sister Lynette:
"That's nonsense! Lyney was clearly inside the big box on stage the whole time!"
"And he was talking to us audience members nonstop! How could he possibly have had the time to commit a crime and be the culprit?!"
As the crowd argued heatedly, Neuvillette finally stepped in. In a steady, authoritative voice, he declared, "Silence. The debate will stop here."
As his words fell, the noisy scene instantly quieted.
Neuvillette then turned his gaze toward Furina in the VIP seats and asked solemnly, "Ms. Furina, does what you just said mean that you are formally making an accusation against Mr. Lyney?"
Hearing this, Furina froze, a trace of panic flashing across her face.
She stammered, "Uh… well… I just think that… isn't it a bit too early to talk about 'accusations' right now?"
However, the people in the opera house had already been inflamed by her earlier words, and whispers spread rapidly.
Some excited audience members shouted enthusiastically, "Wow! Lady Furina's analysis was incredible—so convincing! Could it be that she's about to personally uphold justice?"
Others chimed in with admiration, "Exactly! Who would've thought that behind such wondrous magic lay crimes as terrifying as kidnapping and murder—and that Lady Furina would see through it at a glance…"
Surrounded by waves of praise, Furina suddenly found herself hoisted onto a blazing pyre, unable to advance or retreat.
She coughed awkwardly to hide her unease, then, as if steeling herself, raised her voice with fervor.
"Ahem! That's right, dear audience—just as you say! I, Furina de Fontaine, shall uphold justice!"
"But compared to an obvious truth, it is this opponent before me who excites me far more."
At this moment, Furina—having apparently forgotten her recent lesson entirely—let her restless instincts take over once again, and her attention turned squarely toward Lumine.
"Hey, Traveler from afar—someone as kind and righteous as you will surely lend a helping hand, won't you?"
"Just as you selflessly aided Mondstadt and Liyue before, you'll surely help Lyney and Lynette this time as well…"
Shao Yun, who had been happily watching the drama unfold, completely lost it when he saw Furina once again dragging trouble in their direction.
He sprang to his feet and pointed at Furina above, shouting furiously,
"Get lost! As far away as possible! Are you tired of living or what—dragging us into this nonsense?!"
Growing angrier by the second, he continued roaring,
"If you're so eager to die, jump down right now! I'll personally send you to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Liyue, order you a deluxe flip-lid coffin, and have a full band play at your burial the next day!"
Shao Yun was utterly speechless. Furina was the very definition of 'Khrushchev's Failed Agricultural Campaign'.
Was there water in her brain or something? Did she really think he was some white-robed messiah here to save the world?
It had only been one day—just one day! The wound hadn't even healed yet, and she'd already forgotten the pain?
Publicly insulting the Hydro Archon left the audience stunned. Mouths hung open as everyone sucked in a sharp breath.
Who could have imagined that someone would dare curse the revered Hydro Archon so bluntly, right in front of such a crowd?
In their hearts, everyone secretly marveled—this Shao Yun's courage was absolutely outrageous.
If only they knew what Shao Yun had done before, they'd realize he was being remarkably restrained right now.
Furina was completely flustered by Shao Yun's outburst. She opened her mouth, trying to retort,
"N-no… y-you…"
But Shao Yun didn't give her any chance to explain.
He had reached the limit of his patience with this childish, farcical trial and decided to step in personally.
Turning toward the bewildered Lyney, Shao Yun raised his voice and asked, "Lyney, let me ask you—how old are you this year?"
Lyney subconsciously began counting on his fingers.
After a moment, he answered nervously, "S-seventeen… but I'll be eighteen before long."
Shao Yun raised his voice even higher so everyone present could hear clearly.
"Then think carefully—when did the cases of missing girls first begin?"
Lyney answered honestly, "A-about twenty years ago."
Before the words even finished leaving his mouth, Shao Yun clapped his hands together sharply.
"Now then—does everyone see the problem?"
At this point, even a kindergartener could understand what Shao Yun meant.
The once-quiet courtroom instantly erupted into chatter.
"Exactly! Saying Lyney committed a string of disappearances from over twenty years ago is absurd!" someone exclaimed.
"Yeah, blaming today's Lyney for crimes from decades ago—it makes no sense!"
Seeing the crowd's attitude begin to shift—and suspicion turn toward her—Furina felt a surge of panic.
But she quickly forced herself to calm down and threw out what she called "new evidence."
Raising her voice, she declared,
"Even if those earlier deductions were wrong, that doesn't rule out an organized group crime!"
"Who can guarantee there isn't some powerful organization behind all this, orchestrating a massive conspiracy?"
"And think about it—the disappearances never stopped over these twenty years! Isn't it possible Lyney only joined this criminal group recently?"
Her words were like a stone dropped into water, stirring huge waves. The previously hesitant audience immediately flipped sides like weather vanes.
"Right, right! Lady Furina is absolutely correct!" someone shouted.
"Exactly! A case going unsolved for so long must mean there's a massive secret organization behind it!" another echoed.
Paimon, standing nearby, stomped her foot in frustration at how fickle everyone was.
"Do you people have any independent thought at all?! You just believe whatever you hear!"
But her words fell on deaf ears—the crowd remained immersed in the "truth" Furina had constructed.
Shao Yun looked at the drama-loving spectators and felt utterly drained.
Thankfully, this time it was Lyney and Lynette at the center—if it were Lumine and Paimon instead, the opera house would've been livelier than the Canine Ranch.
Letting out a long sigh, Shao Yun flopped back into his seat and complained bitterly,
"I've done my best… Fontaine people don't even know what 'presumption of innocence' means."
"Just flap their lips and start 'WAAAGH!'-ing—this whole thing's a complete farce…"
Then suddenly, Shao Yun paused, as if recalling something.
He remembered what Focalors had said about the origins of Indemnitium, and things began to make a strange kind of sense.
「"Judgments generate Indemnitium to sustain Fontaine's daily operations…"」
"Honestly, though, this feels less efficient than just using Electro Slimes as power generators…" he muttered.
When he thought about how Focalors planned to shatter the Hydro Archon's throne and supply Fontaine's energy, his mind eased.
Don't think of Fontaine's trials as solemn affairs—think of them like burning coal to generate power.
You don't care how coal feels. You just need it to produce electricity.
That was why Furina kept provoking conflict and dragging people into trials—for energy.
Fine. As long as the fire doesn't burn his way, she could do whatever she wanted… but if she dared burn him as fuel—
…
Seeing that the trial was now unavoidable, Paimon anxiously racked her brain for a way to help Lyney and Lynette.
Suddenly, inspiration struck.
"I've got it! Fontaine has that traditional duel system, right? Lyney, Lynette—why not defend your honor through a duel?"
Lyney froze, then forced a bitter smile, pointing at himself.
"A duel? Against Clorinde? Paimon… are you kidding me?"
He knew full well that facing Clorinde would be like throwing eggs at a rock.
Paimon shook her head seriously.
"Directly fighting is tough, but…"
As she spoke, her gaze subtly drifted toward Shao Yun sitting quietly nearby.
Shao Yun immediately caught on and panicked, waving his hands.
"Hey—what are you looking at me for?!"
"We came to watch magic, not work as hired muscle! Don't go creating trouble for yourself!"
Seeing Shao Yun reject the idea so decisively, Paimon sighed in disappointment.
"Alright then… looks like that won't work either."
She turned apologetically to Lyney and Lynette.
"Sorry… Shao Yun doesn't want to help, and I can't do anything either."
Compared to before, Paimon had clearly grown—past her old self, she would've pestered Shao Yun endlessly.
Shao Yun felt genuinely relieved. As long as Paimon kept her mouth in check, eighty percent of problems disappeared.
Though the duel path was blocked, Paimon's kind heart refused to give up.
Her eyes suddenly lit up again.
"Then how about this—I'll ask Yanfei for help! She's Liyue's famous legal consultant!"
"Handling lawsuits like this should be child's play for her!"
Shao Yun nodded approvingly.
Not dragging trouble onto him—Paimon had grown more than he expected.
Lyney hesitated, then mustered courage.
"Um… can't you just help clear our names directly?"
Shao Yun quickly gave a reasonable explanation.
"We're not professional lawyers. Professional matters should be handled by professionals."
"If you wanted to learn magic, you'd find a magician—not a barber, right?"
"When you're sick, you see a doctor, not a tailor. Doesn't that make sense, Lyney?"
Lumine nodded vigorously.
"Exactly! Shao Yun's right."
"Lyney, Lynette—we're adventurers. Legal battles aren't our specialty."
"So, it's best to leave this to a professional."
Seeing Lumine agree, Lyney sighed and nodded.
"Alright… then please help us contact Miss Yanfei."
Lumine smiled warmly.
"Don't be shy! Yanfei is very famous in Liyue."
"With her help, I'm sure your injustice will be cleared, and you'll get the fairness you deserve."
===BREAK===
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