Either Daelan Ciro or Clorinde walking alone on the streets of the Court of Fontaine would be an absolute focal point of attention.
Let alone both of them walking together.
One was an advisor who hadn't taken a proper day off in over four hundred years, the other the strongest "Champion Duelist" of the current era.
It was hard to imagine anyone being indifferent to either of them.
Feeling the warm gazes and cheers of Fontaine's residents, Daelan could only smile and nod along the way, to the point that by the time they reached the entrance of the Court of Fontaine… his neck was a bit sore.
He uncomfortably stretched his neck, and Clorinde, standing beside him, shook her head lightly with a smile.
"Looks like our dear advisor is quite beloved by Fontaine's people."
Daelan shrugged noncommittally, his gaze settling on the blue little cake crouching under the shade of a tree, playing with a kitten.
"It seems our Lady Archon has been waiting for quite a while."
As if hearing Daelan's voice, Furina shot up from the ground, her beautiful heterochromatic eyes sparkling with a unique glow as she looked at the two.
"You're finally here! They're about to arrive! Hurry, hurry!"
Watching Miss Furina stride forward confidently with her blue cane in hand, Daelan shook his head with a smile, then fell into step with Clorinde, following her without a word.
Looking at the Court of Fontaine guards already prepared, Daelan shook his head lightly, then turned to Clorinde and asked, "How should we position ourselves?"
Clorinde fell into thought for a moment before saying softly, "I'll take the left, you take the right."
"No problem."
…
In the world, there's always a special group of people called… streamers.
As a wildly popular gacha game, Genshin Impact's major version updates always draw attention from various groups—streamers, guide teams, studios, and others deeply tied to the game.
In the real world, a streamer named Ye Zhi was staring intently at her screen, responding to amusing chat messages while recording the storyline.
As a content creator focused on lore analysis and breakdowns, Ye Zhi didn't just have analytical skills—she was also great at hyping things up.
"Lyney's cute? Oh, absolutely! Lyney is super cute! The magician persona is so charming, right~?"
"But… compared to him, I'm more curious about Fontaine's Chief Justice and that advisor. They don't seem like simple characters, do they…?"
"Especially that advisor. His lines in the PV gave off vibes like he's throwing shade at the protagonists, like some kind of villain."
"But… it could also be because of that 'Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale' thing, right? Being serious and responsible is always a good thing."
Ye Zhi spoke while lightly tapping the spacebar, until… the cutscene CG appeared on her screen.
Lyney, with an intrigued expression, looked at the Court of Fontaine guards hurriedly descending from the building, a cryptic smile on his face.
"Eh~ so… you're here to see Lady Furina? But it seems she's already coming to find you."
The game's CG camera shifted to the positioned guards and Daelan, who slowly walked onto the path the Traveler and her group would take.
He lightly tapped his silver-white cane on the ground, a gentle smile on his face as he looked at the group before him.
Clorinde stood on the opposite side, her eyes shimmering with Electro energy, calmly observing the group as if this were routine.
As the crowd gathered at Fontaine's docks, Furina stood atop a platform.
Her heterochromatic eyes scanned the golden-haired girl from a foreign land and her white floating guide, a smile curling on her lips.
Sensing Furina's gaze, Paimon said in surprise, "Eh!! That's… the Hydro Archon?! But how did she know we were coming…?"
Furina's gaze swept downward. Seeing the crowd at the docks nearly assembled, she nodded slightly, cleared her throat, and spoke, "Rich or poor, with goblets or empty-handed, my people, raise your cups! Those without, use your arms instead."
After saying this, Furina instinctively put her hands on her hips, her white ahoge swaying slightly, looking utterly adorable.
"Ugh!! Is that the Hydro Archon?! She's so cute and tiny, I just want to hug her~!"
"Ah~ that swaying ahoge is so adorable~!"
With Furina's appearance, Ye Zhi unleashed her signature move—going feral.
Yes, it's hard to imagine a girl who, in her usual videos, analyzes lore with a straight face, citing classic stories and dissecting their connections and deeper meanings… acting so unrefined during a livestream.
"As you can see, a stranger has arrived in my nation. Come, let us offer our blessings to the Traveler and her companion from afar!"
Hearing the almost scripted title, Paimon instantly realized who this suddenly appearing "Archon" was referring to.
But she still found it hard to believe… They'd only set foot in Fontaine's territory minutes ago, and they'd already met Fontaine's Archon so smoothly?!
"I've long heard that you two have stirred up storms in several nations, but I still welcome you—no, I've come to greet you personally."
"Fear is for lesser beings. As an Archon, I don't abide by such meaningless caution. Rest assured, I see your devotion clearly."
"An audience with me is to better behold my might and authority. Of course, of course, this is very wise. Smart 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!"
Amid the cheers of Fontaine's crowd, Ye Zhi seemed to snap out of her slightly manic state.
Biting her fingernail, she looked at the recorded game dialogue, her delicate brows furrowing slightly, as if something felt off.
"It's like… this performance feels a bit exaggerated? Could there be a deeper reason behind it?"
But before she could ponder further, the game camera shifted to the Traveler.
Lumine slightly raised her head, looking at Furina, who seemed to be performing an opera, and murmured in disbelief, "We actually met an Archon this smoothly…?"
Paimon, floating beside her, nodded repeatedly. Listening to the cheers of Fontaine's crowd, she was momentarily stunned.
"Yeah… we've only been in Fontaine for, like, a few minutes, right?"
"And the Hydro Archon's 'opening speech' feels a bit… uh… I don't know if I'd call it 'overdone' or something else…"
Saying this, Paimon turned to Furina, who stood with her hands on her hips atop the platform, and loudly asked, "Um, um… Lady Hydro Archon, how did you know we were coming?"
Furina nodded knowingly, summoning her five hundred years of acting prowess and said, "Oh~ I understand, outsiders often have such mundane perceptions. But don't forget, Archons are divided into 'ordinary' and 'exceptional.' It's only natural you're amazed by my talents."
"Why not reflect—do you truly possess the virtue and merit to commune with an Archon? For me, obtaining your information is as simple as snapping my fingers. Nothing could be easier."
Almost as soon as Furina finished, a gentleman beside her gave a slight bow, as if conveying something.
Lumine, after exchanging a few words with Paimon, stared straight at Furina, waiting for her to continue.
But! Here's the thing! Furina's script didn't even include this part! She only thought the Traveler's arrival deserved a welcome ceremony, but… everything she'd just shown was her entire understanding of a welcome ceremony!
Sensing her Archon's predicament, Daelan shook his head lightly, then strolled unhurriedly to the front, smiling. "Greetings, you two. What Lady Furina means is… welcome to Fontaine."
Daelan looked at the two all-too-familiar figures before him, feeling a wave of nostalgia. The last time he saw Lumine this vividly was over four hundred years ago, before he transmigrated. Though he'd seen her in exclusive Steambird reports, those were… somewhat flat.
The moment this golden-haired girl stood before him in the flesh, Daelan couldn't help but smile genuinely.
Daelan's refined voice made Lumine pause. Looking at him, she didn't know what to say for a moment.
Lyney, trained in reading people from his time in the House of the Hearth, noticed the Traveler's awkwardness, who had stirred up storms in other nations, and quickly spoke up. "This is Lord Daelan, Fontaine's advisor. He's been in office for over four hundred years. You could say… he's involved in all of Fontaine's affairs, big and small."
Hearing this, Paimon curiously sized up the elegant yet approachable man, saying, "Daelan… that sounds like a Liyue name! Could you be… a descendant of some Liyue adeptus? Four hundred years old and still so young…"
Before Paimon could finish, Lumine chided softly, "Paimon!" then glanced apologetically at Daelan.
Realizing her slip, Paimon's eyes widened, and she scratched her head sheepishly. "I didn't mean you're old! I meant you're super young… uh, no, that's not right either…"
Watching Paimon stumble over her words, Daelan shook his head with a smile, saying gently, "It's fine, I understand. When I first took office, plenty of people thought I was from Liyue. But… I'm a true Fontaine native, at least as far as my memories go."
Lumine quietly observed Daelan, his smile reminding her of… no, not one, but two people. The tall, blue-haired man before her was like a blend of Venti and Zhongli—Zhongli's calm steadiness mixed with Venti's approachable charm.
"They'd probably get along…"
Lumine nodded lightly, a new thought forming—if possible, maybe she could bring this advisor to meet Zhongli at this year's Lantern Rite.
While Lumine brainstormed, Furina stared at Daelan's broad back, her heart feeling… a bit sour. It seemed like every time she hit a snag or made a mistake, her advisor would step in without hesitation to clean up her mess.
"Daelan…" Furina murmured. Perhaps because of his Vision or some other reason, Daelan heard her soft call. While Lumine was still dazed, he quickly turned, winked at Furina, and flashed a reassuring smile.
Furina smiled back, cleared her throat, and said, "Traveler from afar and… her guide, if you have any other matters, you can tell my advisor, and he'll pass them on to me."
With that, Furina left with the Court of Fontaine guards. Clorinde sighed lightly, passed by the platform, and walked to Daelan's side.
Hearing the sound of heels behind him, Daelan turned without hesitation and said, "This is Clorinde, Lady Furina's guard and Fontaine's 'Champion Duelist,' the strongest one to date."
Clorinde didn't demur, simply nodding lightly and saying, "Greetings."
…
While Lumine, Daelan, and the others conversed, in the real world, Ye Zhi remained frozen on the game screen showing Daelan's gentle smile, unmoving.
Propping her chin, she stared at Daelan's soft smile, momentarily dazed.
"Hehe… Daelan… hehehe… slurp, no, no, what am I doing, going feral??"
Ye Zhi shook her head frantically, looking at the flood of "cringe" messages in chat, unable to argue back.
"What's wrong? I'm just a face-con, so what? He's handsome, gentle, considerate, and a high-ranking figure—can't I go a little crazy?"
Ye Zhi declared confidently.
"But you said it yourself, streamer! Daelan in the PV didn't seem like a good guy…"
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Ye Zhi's lips twitched awkwardly at the spamming chat, and after a moment, she cleared her throat and explained weakly, "That was just my superficial take! Look at this situation—doesn't it feel like Baizhu's case? Everyone thought he was a villain before his banner, but when he dropped, we were all crying, right?"
"And, and, Daelan's smile isn't far off from Baizhu's. Doesn't that say something?"
"Me suspecting he's bad ≠ he is bad, got it?"
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T/N: Read Author's note it's important.