"Let's go. Why aren't you coming over?"
Furina watched Xia Yu, who had come to a halt in front of the Palais Mermonia, feeling a bit confused by the situation.
"If it's possible... I mean, just if," Xia Yu asked, rubbing her hands together, "could I skip this?"
"What do you mean, 'skip'?" Furina froze, not following her logic at all. "You're a vital witness! You're responsible for testifying in court. What are you thinking, not attending?"
"I mean... you could just speak on my behalf," Xia Yu looked up at the Opera House once more before lowering her head. "Anyway, you're the Hydro Archon. The people of Fontaine won't mind."
"What kind of nonsense is that?" Furina grew more bewildered as she listened. "Have you forgotten what you told that reporter from The Steambird? You spilled that entire story you made up."
"With The Steambird's popularity, everyone in Fontaine now knows you investigated from here to Snezhnaya, then back again, before finally capturing Vacher in one fell swoop."
"Everyone is waiting for your account, expecting a grand tale of a thousand-mile pursuit," Furina added with a mischievous smirk. "You can't drop the ball now!"
As the only person who knew the truth, Furina was well aware that her 'younger sister' had never been to Snezhnaya. Much like herself five hundred years ago, Xia Yu had simply appeared in this world with her knowledge intact.
How could she possibly weave a grand drama capable of convincing the public? Furina had anticipated this long ago, but seeing that her "bratty sister" hadn't realized the predicament yet, she had intentionally refrained from reminding her.
In reality, Furina had stayed up all night writing a flawless script. She was just waiting for her sister to bow her head, obediently call her 'Sister,' and beg for help.
After all, she'd been waiting so long, and yet Xia Yu still called her by her name—or worse, used that pet name 'FuFu,' which sounded like something you'd call a lapdog!
But was that what Xia Yu was actually panicking about?
No. She was panicked by the Palais Mermonia itself, the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, and Focalors within!
The reason Xia Yu hadn't even bothered with her testimony these past few days was because whenever she was alone, she felt a pair of eyes staring intently at her. Even removing every mirror in the room and covering the windows did nothing to help.
From that moment on, Xia Yu knew she was likely being haunted by Focalors.
She didn't know what the other's attitude toward her was, but judging by that ghostly gaze... it didn't feel like anything good.
"Sigh," Xia Yu looked at the grand Opera House and sighed, comforting herself. "Blessings aren't disasters, and disasters can't be dodged."
"What will come, will come."
With an expression of someone marching toward their execution, she walked into the Opera House.
Whatever happens, happens. It's not like she could run away, right?
"Hey, you're just going in like that?" Xia Yu's sudden resignation caught Furina off guard. "Aren't you going to deliberate a bit more?"
"Does that mean you're willing to speak for me?" Xia Yu turned back, eyes lighting up with surprise.
"Of course not!" Furina's face flushed with frustration. "But are you really going in without any preparation at all?"
"Yeah, why not?" Xia Yu shrugged.
"But... but what are you going to say to the audience?" Furina was completely stunned. She grabbed Xia Yu's hand and whispered, "You know your story has no basis in actual experience!"
"Why would I need to talk to the audience?" Xia Yu looked at her with a strange expression. "As long as Vacher confesses, isn't that enough?"
"But if you don't thoroughly dismantle his defense, how could he possibly confess to all those crimes?" Furina instinctively argued.
"FuFu... perhaps you've stayed in the Opera House for too long and developed a fixed mindset," Xia Yu said, patting Furina's shoulder with a complex look. "Is 'confessing' something he can just choose not to do?"
"Don't forget, he commanded Clockwork Meka to attack me in front of everyone. That alone is enough for a death sentence."
"Add to that the testimony of his subordinates and the physical evidence we caught him with before he could move it—it's an open-and-shut case. How could he possibly overturn it?"
"I know all that," Furina shook her head. Of course she knew the basics; not every case at the Opera House was soul-stirring. There were plenty of minor thefts, brawls, and neighborly disputes handled via standard procedure.
"But have you considered your identity?" Furina urged. "You said it yourself—you are my 'Double'!"
"Look at how I usually act. Whenever I do something major, I want all of Fontaine to know! I'm the top star of Fontaine, the Queen in the spotlight!"
"If you just follow procedure today, it will completely subvert the image of me that Fontaine holds. I spent five hundred years painstakingly building this stage. Until that day arrives, you can't tear it down!"
"Does it matter?" Xia Yu shook her head in confusion. "If someone asks for details, I'll just say it's classified. Problem solved, right?"
She gave Furina a thumbs-up. "They'll naturally start imagining spies, secret agents, and that sort of thing. I won't even have to make it up! I have that much confidence!"
'Of course it matters! If you just brush it off like that, then my perfect script was written for nothing!'
'No, I cannot accept this!'
"For the sake of Fontaine, I cannot accept even a hint of uncertainty!" Furina declared righteously.
"Fine then, here," Xia Yu unclipped the Vision from her waist and handed it over.
"Uh, what is this for?" Furina didn't react immediately.
"Naturally, you'll go up and speak as 'Ei'," Xia Yu said with a smile. "You've definitely prepared a speech or something already, right?"
"You, you, you..." Furina practically jumped. "How can you slander a person's innocence out of thin air!"
"No, no, how could this be slander?" Xia Yu shook her head, smiling. "I simply believe in you enough."
"Believe in me?" Furina was thrown by the comment.
"Yes, I believe in you, who has governed Fontaine for five hundred years," Xia Yu said cheerfully. "I believe in your ability and your wisdom. You would never leave such a huge loophole unaddressed until now without a plan. So, you must have a way, right? My dear Miss FuFu."
"Nobody here is named FuFu!" Furina pouted unhappily. "And as for believing in me... well, thank you for your trust, I suppose!"
"Hey, don't be mad," Xia Yu laughed, hanging the Vision back on her belt and patting Furina's shoulder. "I'm definitely not calling you 'Sister,' so give up on that!"
"Why?" Furina let out a small wail. "I'm clearly older than you—by five hundred years! What's wrong with calling me 'Sister'?"
"What I mean is..." Xia Yu started to explain, but caught a glimpse of someone approaching out of the corner of her eye. That hair color, those clothes... The Knave?
She immediately changed her tone. "What I mean is, Furina, you know I can't simultaneously exist as your double, sister, advisor, and personal maid."
"Doubles have human rights too!" she argued loudly. "I demand a salary commensurate with my duties, fixed holidays, and legal social benefits. Most importantly, at the end of the day, I am you. So, is playing house with yourself really that interesting?"
"Huh?" Furina was completely baffled. The Knave had approached from behind her, so she hadn't noticed. Since the Hydro Archon was right here chatting happily with her double, the other bystanders had tactfully stayed away.
She hadn't expected The Knave to suddenly make an appearance.
"What do you me—" Furina was cut off by Xia Yu.
"I mean, if you're unhappy with my personality, you can just return me to the water," Xia Yu said, winking at her. "Then just spawn another double until you get a personality that's perfectly obedient. Wouldn't that be better?"
"...As the Hydro Archon, I am not that petty!" Furina immediately caught on and played along. "You chased a criminal from Fontaine to Snezhnaya; your contributions are immense. How could I simply replace you?"
"I think you just want to exploit me alone!" Xia Yu rolled her eyes at her, then turned to The Knave. "Lady Arlecchino, we are discussing top-secret Fontaine business. Please do not approach casually."
"Exactly," Furina turned around naturally. "Does a Fatui Harbinger lack even this much situational awareness?"
It had to be said that as the leader of Fontaine, Furina was very sharp. She recognized the name immediately and synchronized with Xia Yu perfectly.
"My apologies. Hearing the word 'Snezhnaya,' I simply couldn't help myself," Arlecchino said, glancing at the Vision on Xia Yu's waist. "According to The Steambird, Vacher, the mastermind behind the serial disappearances being tried today, is Snezhnayan. It is only right that I, as a Fatui Harbinger, come to state my position to avoid affecting the relationship between our two nations."
The Fatui were certainly capable; they had managed to secure tickets after all.
"That won't be necessary to the point of affecting international relations," Furina shook her head. "Ultimately, Vacher was merely born in Snezhnaya. His actions were his own choices. Snezhnaya can rest easy."
"I am glad to see the Hydro Archon is so open-minded," Arlecchino nodded to Furina before changing the subject. "But if I may be blunt, I have heard rumors of these disappearances in the past. This case has a massive impact on Fontaine."
"Once the trial is over, you, Lady Furina, can uphold your stance of justice and fairness. However, for the ordinary citizens of Fontaine and the families of the victims, they may not remain so rational."
Furina frowned, about to retort, when The Knave sighed.
"Alas, ever since that report in The Steambird appeared, the business volume of the Northland Bank in Fontaine has dropped by ninety percent. A massive number of depositors are crowding the bank doors demanding withdrawals..."
The Knave gave a bitter smile. "Lady Furina, we have no other choice. If we don't make a statement today, Snezhnayans won't be able to do business in Fontaine anymore."
Xia Yu almost laughed out loud. Was the Northland Bank issue real? It was, but it wasn't nearly as dire as Arlecchino claimed.
Most of those making large withdrawals weren't doing so out of simple patriotism to protest Snezhnaya. They were high-ranking officials and wealthy nobles preparing to take their money and flee to other countries.
Think about it: who were the Northland Bank's main clients? Big merchants and the high aristocracy!
In Teyvat, many merchants doing international trade opened accounts at the Northland Bank. Why? Because it had branches in every nation and possessed deep pockets; there was no need to worry about anything going wrong. After all, the bank was backed by the national credit of Snezhnaya.
Nobles also liked storing their assets in such foreign-funded banks. That way, if something happened one day, they had a way out. If the money was in a Fontainian bank, the Palais Mermonia could freeze it in a second, leaving them penniless.
The Northland Bank was different. Because Snezhnaya stood behind it, any government wanting to seize its assets had to consider the diplomatic fallout first. For those with capital, it was the best choice.
As for Xia Yu, she had intentionally allowed them to deposit and withdraw. After all, once the pigs are fat, it's time to slaughter them for meat.
The plan was simple: those fleeing Fontaine would be intercepted by the Marechaussee Phantom, along with their money. Those who left their money in the bank hoping to withdraw it in another country would be captured first, then the bank would be billed for the total.
What if the Northland Bank refused to pay?
That was when the issues Arlecchino "worried" about would actually happen. First, the Snezhnayan Vacher commits a massive crime in Fontaine. While the Palais Mermonia didn't hold a grudge against Snezhnaya, the Northland Bank was now "swallowing the hard-earned wealth of Fontainian citizens" (bolded and emphasized) stolen by criminals!
Compared to the entire Fontainian market, what was the small amount of money the Northland Bank was holding onto?
She trusted that Regrator knew how to do math.
But before that card was even played, Arlecchino had arrived with her proposal...
"A statement? Fine," Xia Yu smiled. "After the trial, the Palais Mermonia will send a list to the Northland Bank. All assets deposited by the names on that list must be handed over to the Palais Mermonia for seizure."
"Can you do that?"
"Certainly, no problem!" Arlecchino agreed without blinking. It wasn't like she was the one in charge of the money anyway.
"Straightforward," Xia Yu chuckled. "Don't worry, Fontaine and Snezhnaya have always been close commercial partners. One man's evil won't affect our relationship."
"Indeed, the friendship between Fontaine and Snezhnaya goes back a long way," Arlecchino said with a smile. "By the way, I heard that Lady Ei even went to Snezhnaya to pursue the culprit? Actually, I..."
"Peruere Snezhevna," Xia Yu called out her name with a smile. "Some things are better left unasked."
"Just as we don't ask what your Tsaritsa intends to do by collecting the Gnoses."
Arlecchino snapped her head up to look at Xia Yu.
But on that face, identical to Furina's, no useful information could be gleaned.
"By the way, I know what you're concerned about. Listen closely to this trial; there's a surprise waiting."
★ ★ ★