Inside the lounge of the Opera Epiclese, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.
All members of Lyney's magic troupe sat there with anxious expressions, their movements restricted. Aside from using the restroom, they were only allowed to stay here.
At that moment, the lounge door was slowly pushed open. Shao Yun's gaze fell upon the siblings Lyney and Lynette, who were seated, and he spoke up. "Lyney, Lynette, I've brought Yanfei."
As his words fell, Yanfei followed closely behind and stepped into the room.
She wore a gentle smile, nodding calmly and confidently toward everyone present.
Shao Yun then introduced her to the siblings. "From here on out, you can discuss everything with her. I believe Yanfei will definitely help clear your names."
Hearing such high praise from Shao Yun, Yanfei, who stood nearby, couldn't help but shake her head slightly in modesty and respond shyly. "Oh, you're flattering me too much!"
Despite her humble words, she was full of confidence regarding this case.
Yanfei then turned her gaze to Lyney and Lynette and spoke sincerely. "Normally, before formally taking on a case, I don't make absolute promises."
"But earlier on the way here, Shao Yun already gave me a general rundown of the situation."
She paused briefly, organizing her thoughts, before continuing. "After this preliminary understanding, I'm confident that I can fully clear your names."
"Not only that—if conditions allow, I might even help you obtain reasonable compensation, such as damages for emotional distress."
Hearing this, Lyney shook his head repeatedly and declined. "No, no, no. As long as we can prove our innocence and get rid of these baseless accusations, that's enough."
"As for compensation, that really isn't necessary."
Lyney knew very well that he belonged to the House of the Hearth—he was part of the Fatui—and it was better not to draw too much attention.
The Fatui's reputation across Teyvat had already sunk to rock bottom.
On the surface, the Fatui killed members of the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt.
In Liyue, they resurrected ancient gods and caused widespread panic.
In Inazuma, they detonated the Mikage Furnace and killed the second Electro Archon.
In Sumeru, they launched indiscriminate terrorist attacks in Sumeru City.
If his identity were exposed in Fontaine, the consequences would be unimaginable.
What's more, Shao Yun's group already hated the Fatui to the core. Who knew what would happen to him if they learned the truth?
Seeing that Lyney didn't want any so-called emotional damages, Yanfei naturally said no more and cut straight to the point.
"Alright then. I've already reviewed the detailed materials of this case and have a good grasp of it."
"However, to defend you as thoroughly as possible, I'll need to ask you some questions next."
Lyney nodded lightly and answered readily. "Sure, no problem! Ask away."
Seeing that there was nothing more for him to do at the moment, Shao Yun smiled, waved at the two of them, and left a brief remark before turning to leave the lounge.
"Then I'll leave you to talk. I won't disturb you."
As he finished speaking, Shao Yun reached out and pushed open the lounge door.
The moment he stepped outside, Lumine, Paimon, and Navia—who had been waiting—immediately rushed over.
Paimon, especially anxious, blurted out, "So? Does Yanfei need our help with anything?"
Looking at the flustered Paimon, Shao Yun replied calmly. "No need to worry. Just leave it to Yanfei. We've already told her all the evidence and clues we have. There's nothing more for us to do—trust her."
Hearing this, the worry that had been hanging over Paimon's heart finally settled.
"That's true! Yanfei's a famous and highly capable legal expert! With her ability and intelligence, proving Lyney's innocence should be a piece of cake…"
Seeing this, Shao Yun smiled and waved his hand. "Alright, we've basically done everything we can for now. We should think about what to do next—there's still half a day left. What should we do?"
Since staying at the Opera Epiclese wouldn't serve much purpose, it was better to plan how to spend the remaining time.
At that moment, Navia's eyes suddenly lit up, and she quickly spoke. "Oh, right—are you all free right now?"
Seeing that Navia seemed to have something else in mind, Paimon asked curiously, "What is it? Did something new happen?"
Navia's cheeks flushed slightly, showing the shy, tentative air of a girl searching for words. She hesitated as she spoke.
"Well, um… we worked together to find evidence, and we even invited a lawyer to help."
"By that logic, wouldn't that make us close partners fighting on the same side? So, I was thinking… maybe between us…"
At this point, Navia deliberately trailed off, her gaze drifting toward the opera house exit.
With his arms crossed, Shao Yun asked calmly, "So you mean you want to interact with us more? Like becoming friends or something?"
Hearing this, Navia nodded repeatedly and asked carefully, "Yes. Would that be alright?"
Shao Yun didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned to Lumine and Paimon, silently handing the decision over to them.
Noticing his gaze, Lumine exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Why are you suddenly looking at me? Paimon and I were waiting to hear your decision…"
Shao Yun gave a bitter smile and replied helplessly, "I just don't want us to get involved in unnecessary trouble."
"If it's just making friends normally, what special opinion could I even have…" As he spoke, he gently shook his head.
…
Despite the slight confusion over who should make the decision, the outcome was clear—Shao Yun and his group became friends with Navia.
After that, Navia suggested showing everyone around the Court of Fontaine so they could quickly familiarize themselves with the environment and routes.
As for Melus and Silver, they stayed behind to assist Yanfei.
Before they realized it, the group arrived at a place called Chioriya Boutique.
Seeing this, Navia stopped, turned around, and gently introduced the place to Shao Yun, Lumine, and Paimon.
"Come, come! I want to formally introduce my good friend—Chiori. She's a fashion designer, and all the clothes she makes are beautiful!"
As she spoke, she touched the exquisite, elegant dress she was wearing and added, "Like the dress I'm wearing now—it was made by Chiori herself."
"And many of the uniforms worn by members of the Spina di Rosula were also carefully designed and crafted by her!"
As her words fell, Navia's gaze landed on Eloffe, who was standing at the entrance as a receptionist.
She walked over quickly and asked with concern, "Eloffe, how are you feeling today? Has your stomach pain eased?"
Hearing Navia's concern, Eloffe forced a small smile and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Miss Navia. I'm feeling much better."
Navia carefully examined Eloffe's complexion. Seeing that she no longer looked as pale and exhausted as before, Navia finally relaxed a little and asked, "That's great. By the way, where's Chiori right now?"
Eloffe raised her hand and pointed inside the shop.
"Sister Chiori is inside. Do you need me to—"
Hearing that Chiori was inside, Navia quickly cut her off.
"No need to trouble yourself, Eloffe. Knowing she's inside is enough—we'll go find her ourselves."
With that, Navia led Shao Yun, Lumine, and Paimon inside.
…
At this moment, sunlight streamed through the window onto Chiori's seat. She sat there fully focused, needle and thread in hand, carefully repairing the "Gunslinger Lady Outfit" belonging to Lumine laid out on the table before her.
Just then, a crisp, pleasant doorbell suddenly rang.
Without lifting her head, Chiori continued deftly mending the damaged fabric while speaking out of habit. "Welcome to Chioriya Boutique. If you have any clothing needs, please tell Eloffe for now—I'm a bit busy."
Before her words had even settled, Navia called out energetically toward the still-working Chiori. "Chiori, I brought friends!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Chiori let out a small sigh of relief.
"Oh, it's you, Navia. Please have a seat, have a seat. Sorry—I'm really busy right now and can't properly entertain you."
Navia didn't mind at all. With her hands clasped behind her back, she leaned closer to Chiori with a cheerful grin.
"Wow, Chiori, you really look busy… but judging by this, business must be pretty good, right?"
Chiori smiled helplessly, her hands never pausing as she stitched. "Sigh, I didn't make any money on this order."
"Earlier, I accidentally mistook a customer for someone who came to cause trouble… and only after the misunderstanding was cleared up did I realize he was actually my client!"
As she spoke, Chiori shook her head lightly.
"As an apology, I'm repairing it for free…"
Hearing this, Lumine and Paimon exchanged glances, both wearing expressions of helpless realization.
Almost simultaneously, they turned their eyes toward Shao Yun standing nearby, instinctively guessing who the misunderstood customer was.
Shao Yun shrugged innocently, silently conveying, What can I do? My aura is just too distinctive—misunderstandings are unavoidable.
===BREAK===
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