(A big problem with player-written novels is unclear narration. So, from now on, if it's a game perspective dialogue, the player's pronoun will be Lumine. If it's a "real world" perspective, it will be Traveler.)
(Also, please note the difference between "real world" and "reality.")
Both Yuto and Clorinde, walking alone on the streets of Fontaine, would be absolute focal points.
Not to mention when they walked down the street together.
One was the Assistant Administrator who hadn't had a proper day off in over four hundred years, and the other was the strongest Duel Proxy of the current era.
It's hard to imagine who wouldn't be interested in either of them.
Feeling the enthusiastic gazes and cheers of the Fontaine residents, Yuto could only nod and smile all the way. By the time they reached the entrance of Fontaine, Yuto's neck was a little sore.
He awkwardly stretched his neck, while Clorinde, standing beside him, gently shook her head and said with a smile:
"It seems our Assistant Administrator is very beloved by the people of Fontaine."
Hearing this, Yuto shrugged noncommittally and looked at the little blue cake squatting in the shade of a tree, teasing a kitten.
"It seems our God has been waiting for a long time."
As if hearing Yuto's voice, Furina immediately stood up from the ground. Her beautiful heterochromatic eyes shimmered with a unique light as she looked at the two.
"You're finally here! They're almost here! Hurry, hurry!"
Watching Miss Furina, holding a blue staff and striding forward, Yuto couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. Then, he and Clorinde followed suit, as if by prior agreement.
Looking at the Fontaine Guards who were already prepared, Yuto couldn't help but shake his head slightly, then turned to Clorinde and asked:
"How do you plan to position yourselves?"
Clorinde pondered for a moment, then softly said, "I'll be on the left, you on the right."
"No problem."
...
There is always a special group of people in the world, they are called... game streamers.
As a super popular two-dimensional game, Genshin's major version updates always attract the attention of various groups.
This includes, but is not limited to, game streamers, major strategy teams, and studios, all of whom are highly tied to the game.
In the real world, a streamer named Nonomi was staring intently at the screen in front of her, responding to interesting bullet comments while recording the plot.
As a lore and plot analysis streamer, Nonomi possessed not only analytical skills but also the ability to create entertaining content.
"Linney is so cute? Yes! Linney is really cute! The magician's character design is so charming!"
"However... comparatively, I'm still very interested in the Chief Justice of Fontaine and that Assistant Administrator. Neither of them seems like a simple character, do they...?"
"Especially that Assistant Administrator. His speech in the PV always makes him seem like a villain throwing dirt on the protagonist's group."
"But... it's also possible it's because of that 'Oratrice Mecanique D'analyse Cardinale' issue... being serious and responsible is always good."
Nonomi spoke while gently tapping the spacebar until... the cutscene appeared before her.
Linney watched the Fontaine Guards rushing down from upstairs with interest, a subtle smile appearing on his face.
"Eh~ you... want to see Lady Furina? But it seems she has already come to find you?"
Immediately after, the in-game cutscene camera focused on the positioned Guards and Yuto, who slowly walked onto the path that the Traveler and others would inevitably take.
He gently tapped the ground with his silver-white staff, a gentle smile on his face as he looked at the people in front of him.
Clorinde stood on the opposite bank, her eyes, filled with lightning, calmly observing the crowd, as if she were already accustomed to such sights.
As the crowd at the Fontaine docks gathered, Furina also stood on the high platform.
Her beautiful heterochromatic eyes scanned the golden-haired girl from a foreign land and her white floating guide, a smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.
As if sensing Furina's gaze, Paimon exclaimed in surprise:
"Eh!! Is that... the Water God?! But how did she know we were coming...?"
Furina's gaze swept downwards. After seeing that the people at the docks had gathered sufficiently, she nodded slightly, cleared her throat, and began to speak:
"My citizens, rich or poor, with wine glasses or empty-handed, raise your glasses! Those without, use your arms instead."
After saying this, Furina instinctively put her hands on her hips, her white ahoge on her head swaying slightly, looking quite adorable.
"Oh!!! Is this the Water God?! She's so cute and small, I want to hug her!"
"Ah~ her ahoge is swaying, so cute~"
With Furina's appearance, Nonomi also activated her traditional skill—going crazy.
Yes, that's right. It's hard to imagine a girl who usually seriously interprets plot in her updated videos, listing various classic stories and analyzing their relevance and connotations... being so... un-literary during a live stream?
"As you can see, a strange Traveler has arrived in my nation. Come, let us offer them blessings, to the Traveler who has come from afar and her companion!"
Hearing the title that sounded like a standard entry, Paimon instantly realized who this suddenly appearing "Archon" was referring to.
But she was still somewhat incredulous...
—They had only just entered Fontaine's territory a few minutes ago, how could they have met the God of Fontaine so smoothly?!
"I have long heard that you two have stirred up trouble in several nations, but I still welcome you. No, I have come personally to greet you."
"Fear is the act of small-minded individuals. As a God, I do not base my tenets on such meaningless caution. Rest assured, your piety is perfectly clear to me."
"This audience is for you to better behold my power and authority. Of course, this is very wise. Intelligent people always gather under the right banner."
"Welcome to the Nation of Water! I, Focalors, acknowledge the value and meaning of your journey. Now, you may cheer to your heart's content!"
Listening to the cheers from the people of Fontaine, Nonomi seemed to have recovered from her slightly frantic state.
She bit her fingernails, looking at the recorded game text. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, as if something felt off.
"It seems... this plot performance is a bit exaggerated? Could there be a deeper reason?"
However, before she could ponder further, the game camera shifted to the Traveler.
She slightly raised her head, looking at Furina, who seemed to be performing an Fontaine Opera, with a hint of confusion, and whispered incredulously:
"Did we really meet the God so smoothly...?"
Paimon, floating beside her, nodded repeatedly, listening to the cheers of the Fontaine residents, and for a moment couldn't quite react.
"Yeah... we only just set foot on Fontaine's land a few minutes ago, right?"
"And the Water God's 'opening speech' was a bit... uh... I don't know whether to call it 'overdone' or something else..."
After saying this, Paimon turned her head and loudly asked Furina, who was standing on the high platform with her hands on her hips:
"Um, um... Water God, how did you know we were coming?"
Furina nodded knowingly, then, with the acting skills of a five-hundred-year-old veteran, said:
"Oh~ I understand, you outsiders inevitably have some vulgar perceptions. But don't forget, Gods are also divided into 'mediocre' and 'excellent'. It's normal for you to be surprised by my talent."
"Perhaps reflect on whether you truly possess the virtues and interests to communicate with a God? For me, obtaining your information only requires a flick of a finger. Nothing is simpler than that."
Almost as soon as Furina finished speaking, a gentleman standing beside him bowed slightly, seemingly expressing something.
Lumine, after exchanging a few words with Paimon, stared directly at Furina, waiting for her to continue.
However!
Furina's own script didn't have this part written down at all!
She only thought that the Traveler's arrival should have a welcoming ceremony, but... but everything that was currently being displayed was her entire understanding of a welcoming ceremony!
As if sensing her God's predicament, Yuto gently shook his head, then leisurely walked in front of the two and said with a smile:
"Hello, both of you. Lady Furina's meaning is... welcome to Fontaine."
Yuto looked at the two familiar figures before him, feeling a surge of emotions.
The last time he saw such a vivid Lumine was over four hundred years ago, before he transmigrated.
Although he had seen her figure and read about her in Steambird Newspaper's exclusive reports, the content was ultimately a bit... thin.
The moment the golden-haired girl stood gracefully before him, Yuto smiled from the bottom of his heart.
Yuto's gentle voice made Lumine, standing before him, slightly stunned. For a moment, she didn't know what to say to Yuto.
Linney, from the House of the Hearth, had some experience in reading people's expressions. He saw the Traveler's awkwardness, who had caused trouble in other nations, and quickly said:
"This is the Assistant Administrator of Fontaine, Yuto. He has been in office for over four hundred years. It can be said that... he has been involved in all matters, big and small, in Fontaine."
Hearing this, Paimon curiously examined the elegant but serene man before her, and asked with some curiosity:
"Yuto... that sounds like a Ritou name, doesn't it? Could it be... you're a descendant of a Ritou Immortal? Four hundred years old and still so young..."
Before Paimon could finish, Lumine quietly said with a hint of reproach, "Paimon!" Then she looked at Yuto apologetically.
Reminded, Paimon immediately reacted, her small eyes widened, and then she scratched her head awkwardly, saying:
"I didn't mean to say you're old, I meant you're very young... uh, no, I..."
Looking at the incoherent Paimon, Yuto smiled and shook his head, gently saying:
"It's alright, I understand. After all, when I first took office, many people also said I was from Ritou, but... I am indeed a Fontaine native, at least as far as I can remember."
Lumine quietly looked at Yuto. The smile on his face reminded her of... no, to be precise, two people.
This tall, blue-haired man in front of her was like a combination of Venti and Zhongli. He had Zhongli's composure and calmness, and also Venti's approachable and strong affinity.
"I feel like the three of them would get along..."
Lumine nodded gently, a new thought forming in her mind.
—If possible, perhaps she could take this Assistant Administrator to chat with Master Zhong during this year's Lantern Rite.
While Lumine was brainstorming, Furina was looking at that broad back, feeling a little... sour.
It seemed that every time she had a problem or made a mistake, her Assistant Administrator would selflessly step forward to help her clean up the mess.
"Yuto..." Furina couldn't help but murmur.
Perhaps because he had a Vision or for some other reason, Yuto heard Furina's call.
While Lumine was still in a daze, he quickly turned his head, gave her a quick wink, and offered a reassuring smile.
Furina smiled back at him, then cleared her throat and said:
"Traveler, who has come from afar, and... her guide, if there is anything else, you can tell my Assistant Administrator, and he will relay it to me."
After saying this, Furina left with the Fontaine Guards. Clorinde, seeing this, sighed slightly, then walked past the high platform and approached Yuto.
Hearing the sound of high heels behind him, Yuto turned his head without hesitation and said:
"This is Clorinde, Lady Furina's guard and Fontaine's Duel Proxy, and the strongest one to date."
Hearing this, Clorinde did not decline, but simply nodded and said:
"Hello."
...
While Lumine and Yuto were talking, Nonomi in the real world remained on the game's plot screen where Yuto was smiling, not moving an inch.
She rested her chin on her hand, looking at Yuto's gentle smile on the screen, feeling a bit dazed.
"Hehe... Yuto... hehehe... *slurp*, no, no, why am I starting to go crazy??"
Nonomi shook her head frantically, feeling powerless to refute the barrage of "cringe" bullet comments.
"What's wrong? What's wrong with me being a face-con? He's handsome and gentle and considerate, and he's a high-ranking big shot, can't a person go a little crazy?"
Nonomi said righteously.
"But streamer, you said it yourself, didn't you? Yuto in the PV didn't look like a good person..."
"+1"
"+2"
"+10086"
Nonomi looked at the bullet comments that were starting to flood the screen, her mouth twitching awkwardly. After a moment, she cleared her throat and reluctantly explained:
"That was me looking at it too superficially. Look, isn't this situation exactly like Baizhu before? Before he was released, everyone thought he was a bad guy, but once he was released, everyone was moved to tears, weren't they?"
"And, and, Yuto's smile is not much different from Baizhu's, doesn't that also prove the point?"
"My suspicion that he's a bad guy ≠ he is a bad guy, okay?"