"I'm not sure either," Lumine said, shaking her head.
Paimon scratched her head. "Do you think the Hydro Archon will be someone we can get along with? Nahida said she seems to be a god with a very strong personality, but we don't know what kind of personality that actually is..."
"Don't worry. You'll definitely get along with the Hydro Archon," Lora said to Lumine and Paimon from the side.
"Do you know what kind of god the Hydro Archon is, Lora?" Paimon looked at her curiously. "Someone in your circle should know, right?"
After hearing Paimon's question, Lora thought for a moment. Before long, she summarized it for her. "The Hydro Archon's public image can probably be described like this... cute, loves drama, sometimes a little silly, but sometimes so strong it makes your heart ache."
"Huh? That's so complicated..." Paimon blinked in confusion, then asked, "But I heard the Hydro Archon is the God of Justice and loves trials. Why would she be silly? And cute, and loves drama... no matter how you look at it, that doesn't really sound like a god."
"Of all the gods you've met so far, how many were actually doing their jobs properly?" Lora asked back.
"Huh? Now that you mention it... you're right." Paimon froze for a moment.
Chaya calmly explained Fontaine's situation to Lumine and Paimon. "Fontaine's trials are held at the Opera Epiclese. To the people of Fontaine and to the Hydro Archon, Focalors, a trial is an opera, a magnificent play. Just as Lora said, the Hydro Archon is a god who enjoys watching the show."
Lora blinked and understood. She was being called out.
So what if she liked watching the fun!
It was completely normal to enjoy a good show, all right!
"A trial in an opera house, treating a trial like a play..." Paimon's eyes widened. She scratched her head and frowned. "It's a little hard to imagine the Hydro Archon's attitude toward trials now..."
"In any case, if you want to see the Hydro Archon, you can go to the Opera Epiclese. But if you want to speak with her face-to-face, you'll need an appointment," Lora continued.
"Huh? An appointment? Why?" Paimon looked at Lora blankly.
Lora explained to her and Lumine, "Because in Fontaine, the Hydro Archon is different from what you imagine. She isn't like the absolute ruler of a nation. She's more like a superstar, a very popular superstar."
"A superstar..." After hearing Lora's words, Lumine seemed to gain some understanding of Furina's position in Fontaine.
Paimon noticed someone standing by the harbor and said to everyone, "Look over there. What's that person doing standing there? That looks so dangerous. She isn't going to jump into the sea, is she?"
"The waters of Fontaine were blessed by the Hydro Archon. People can't drown in them," Lora said to Paimon, reassuring her.
"It's that amazing?" Paimon looked at Lora in disbelief, but quickly added, "Even so, it still looks worrying... Should we go over and check?"
"There is no need to worry. That young lady's emotions appear steady, and her posture is upright. She does not seem like someone seeking death," Chaya said softly to Paimon and Lumine, reassuring them.
Paimon looked at Chaya in surprise. "That's amazing. You can tell that much just by looking!"
Just then, someone walked over from the side and asked with a smile, "Are you all talking about my sister?"
Although he had a smile on his face, the wariness in his eyes was obvious. He was still young and could not completely hide his emotions. Lumine and Paimon might not have noticed, but Lora and Chaya saw through it at a glance.
"Hello. I'm Lyney, a magician from Fontaine. You must all be from other nations, right?" he said, walking up to them with a smile.
Lyney cared deeply about his younger sister. The moment he saw them talking about Lynette, he immediately grew wary.
Everyone introduced themselves to him as well.
Paimon explained what had just happened, and only then did the wariness in Lyney's eyes fade quite a bit.
"Don't worry, everyone. My sister has no intention of jumping into the sea. She's just remembering things from when we were children," Lyney said softly as he looked at Lynette's back.
"Remembering things while facing the sea?" Paimon blinked, then asked, "Did you and Lynette live by the sea when you were little?"
Hearing Paimon's question, Lyney sighed. "To be precise, the place we lived wasn't by the sea, but it kept getting closer to it."
"You moved?" Lumine asked.
Lyney shook his head. "No, we didn't move. The sea was moving toward us."
Paimon and Lumine looked at each other. Paimon scratched her head and said, "Paimon doesn't really get it..."
"Because the seawater keeps rising and flooding Fontaine."
Lora stood behind Lumine and Paimon and explained softly, "Fontaine has a prophecy. It is said that at some point in the future, the sea will drown all of Fontaine, and everyone will dissolve into the sea. Only the Hydro Archon will remain, weeping on her divine throne."
"What?" After hearing Lora's words, both Lumine and Paimon looked at her in shock.
Lyney also looked at Lora in surprise. "You know about it in such detail, miss. Could you also be from Fontaine?"
Lora gave a soft hum. "I'm an old Fontainian."
"But why?" Paimon asked, unable to understand.
"Because of original sin. From birth, every person of Fontaine bears sin. Only when the seawater rises and drowns everything can it be washed clean." As Lora said this, her tone grew somewhat heavy.
For a moment, the atmosphere among them turned somber.
Lynette returned from the seaside. She first greeted Lyney, then looked at the others. After the introductions, she learned who they were. But her gaze remained on Lora the whole time. Her intuition told her that Lora had a very strange sense of affinity about her.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all. We still have some things to do, so we won't keep you company. I hope you can find joy in your journey through Fontaine." After saying a few words with Lynette, Lyney smiled and prepared to say goodbye to everyone.
But he soon thought of something and took out a silk thread, tying it to Paimon.
"Huh? What's this?" Paimon asked blankly.
"Think of it as a gift. A greeting present for little Paimon," Lyney said with a smile.
"What a strange gift." Paimon scratched her head, feeling even more confused.
At that moment, Chaya said softly, "Fontaine law states that flying objects may not be released within Fontaine's urban areas during the first three days of each month. This is Fontaine Harbor, so it also falls within the urban area. To avoid anyone mistaking Paimon for a flying object, tying a silk thread to her is necessary."