Unaware of Focalors' musings, the Raiden Shogun might have wished she'd remained buried in Inazuma's obscurity.
Since arriving in Fontaine, Raiden Ei had lived carefree, prioritizing leisure and amusement.
Reading novels, eating sweets, and occasionally strolling around the film set with Furina—this was Raiden Ei's routine. Since her visits only created unnecessary pressure on the set, she stopped going after her first visit.
Meanwhile, Themis remained steadfast in her daily visits to check on Furina. The pair had grown accustomed to the constant displays of affection between them.
As Lumine might say, "We're practically drowning in relationship goals! The air is thick with romance. Why haven't they just gotten married already?!"
The filming for the Fontinalia Film Festival had progressed smoothly until the final scene, where a dramatic twist unfolded.
"So, that Veronica and the author are actually siblings from the book."
"Investor Maurice deliberately wanted to prevent this film from being released."
Themis looked at Furina's indignant stance, hands on her hips, with amusement. "How infuriating! Who would have thought we'd encounter such complications while making a movie?"
"Though I'm certain this film will become popular, I never imagined it would gain this kind of attention."
Furina spoke with a hint of frustration.
"Ah, never mind. Chevreuse has already captured the culprit."
"Now we just wait for the results."
The Two Musketeers had consumed much of Furina's effort to produce.
Even without this case, Furina's name alone could have propelled the film beyond its genre.
In fact, this incident had only fueled new rumors about Furina.
Fontaine citizens: Lady Furina's insight is truly divine! Among countless scripts, she chose the one with a hidden injustice. No wonder she agreed to direct - it was all part of her plan!
As expected of Lady Furina!
Truly worthy of the God of Justice's title!
So the Regent visits the set daily to monitor the criminal?
Truly devoted to her duties, the Lord Regent!!
Furina: "Please, stop talking!"
Themis: "You fools! What nonsense are you inventing now?!"
While the Fontaine citizens' rumors were tolerable, their master-level deception skills were truly impressive.
Seeing Raiden Ei earnestly asking questions, fully believing these fabrications, Furina felt utterly drained.
"It's true, it's not some kind of telepathy, nor is it a special skill reserved for the God of Justice. It was just a complete coincidence!" Furina explained.
Raiden Ei nodded politely as if understanding, but her expression clearly showed she didn't believe a word. Furina sighed repeatedly.
"Oh, I heard from the Traveler that you lost your body to save Focalors," Raiden Ei said. "So where did your current body come from?"
Raiden Ei looked curiously at Themis standing beside Furina. She'd been wanting to ask this question for a while.
"Ah, it's a molded body," Themis replied with a polite smile. She didn't elaborate, as she didn't fully understand the situation herself.
After her spiritual energy solidified, she became corporeal. Though she could indeed mold her own body, it was more like "creative willpower" than anything else. There were no specific steps - it was all based on intuition.
Raiden Ei looked utterly bewildered, her eyes seeming to ask, "Is that even possible?"
Still, she didn't press further. After all, she didn't possess the Anemo Archon's innate social skills that let her interact with others without boundaries.
Their time in Fontaine had been wonderful. Before they knew it, the Fontinalia Film Festival award ceremony was upon them.
Such a fun event naturally required Themis's presence.
Focalors, as expected, arrived promptly.
Furina, cradling the pure gold "Furina Award" trophy, stood encircled by crew members. She maintained a polite yet slightly awkward smile, reluctantly posing in various positions at their urging.
Focalors, brimming with enthusiasm, went invisible and snapped photos with her Kamera—some so close they made Furina blush.
Raiden Ei stood in a corner, observing Furina on stage holding her trophy with a look of astonishment.
Fontaine is truly unique, she thought.
The Hydro Archon's personality is so approachable.
And so cautious...
Under the Raiden Shogun's ancient, emotionless gaze—like a general's—Furina clutched her trophy, cold sweat beading. Is she going to strike me down here? I've already said it had nothing to do with me!
Themis absentmindedly stroked Furina's fluffy hair, watching it sway adorably.
Unaware of Themis's actions behind her, Furina focused on the Raiden Shogun's departure announcement, feeling both relief and excitement.
Finally, no more constant fear of the Raiden Shogun drawing her blade and challenging me to a duel.
Seeing Furina peeking around her like a mischievous cat, Themis smiled.
"Inazuma welcomes you at any time. Though you might want to leave those books behind."
The Raiden Shogun's vehement resistance was clear. With no choice, Raiden Ei - who had initially found the books quite entertaining - had to succinctly warn Lady Furina, all for the sake of maintaining good relations with the Hydro Archon.
She's warned them. Whether the Hydro Archon dares to act now depends on Themis's will.
Raiden Ei covered her face, wondering what madness had befallen her.
I can only hope the miko has already dealt with the Hydro Archon's masterwork and its ensuing chaos in Inazuma.
But then again... Raiden Ei couldn't shake off an ominous premonition.
Recalling how the miko had confidently puffed out her chest when they first arrived in Fontaine, swearing she'd handle everything, Raiden Ei couldn't help but suspect there might be more to Yae Miko's intentions.
Sigh. To be fair, Yae Miko does have her own schemes, but whether they're for good or ill depends entirely on Raiden Ei's perspective.
What Raiden Ei didn't know was that the Prototype - having been forced to forget its origins by the World Tree - had already begun tarnishing her reputation, adhering to the principle of "if you can't beat them, join them."
As the event concluded, players guided Lumine to search for clues one by one.
If there's one thing that players are most interested in, it's undoubtedly the Archon bosses within the game.
The Raiden Shogun remarked, "Taking a stroll really broadens one's perspective."
Focalors, who had been somewhat hidden and difficult to find, gushed, "Furina is truly adorable. She's absolutely stunning."
She then asked the player to take more photos of her and Furina, while also pulling Themis over to strike some elegant poses.
"This is my first time participating in a Furina-themed event since gaining my freedom," Focalors said. "We should definitely document this moment."
Themis chimed in, "That sounds exactly like how parents feel when attending their child's first cultural performance."
The player instinctively gasped, then pulled out their Kamera with great emotion. They began snapping photos non-stop, determined to preserve the memory.
What a family of three! This is hilarious.
When the player conversed with Focalors, Themis would naturally join the conversation.
During private conversations with Themis, there was additional dialogue:
"Why didn't you participate together?" the player asked.
"You know how busy the Palais Mermonia affairs are," Themis replied. "We only left Neuvillette behind, and he couldn't handle everything alone."
"Besides..." Her gaze shifted to Raiden Ei, who looked harmless and somewhat goofy. "Furina might have struggled to keep up with the Shogun."
Player: "If you were to act in a play, which role do you think would suit you best?"
Themis smiled. "For some reason, I always feel like I'd be better suited for... well, a villain role?"
Indeed, with her white hair and golden eyes, and her deep connection to Celestia, it would be a waste of such a striking appearance not to play the ultimate antagonist.
Themis' intuition is quite strong, isn't it? the streamer mused.
As the Fontinalia Film Festival drew to a close, players and streamers began their long and indefinite period of idleness waiting for the next update patch.
But for Themis, life had to go on. Work had to go on. This cattle-like existence only offered moments of joy when she was with Furina and Focalors.
She held the adorable Furina, letting her sit on her lap, and locked the office door long ago.
Furina sat on Themis' lap, flipping through Focalors' latest masterpiece, her entire being radiating resentment.
A single trip to Inazuma had resulted in a book that directly offended the Raiden Shogun.
One could hardly imagine what would happen if Focalors were allowed to continue writing - would Fontaine end up making enemies of the entire world?
Judgment of the other gods? That was just empty talk.
Furina herself didn't possess the power to shield Focalors from the wrath of angered deities.
What, you say Themis could have easily handled it and taken the blame for Focalors?
Oh. That's fine then. Let Focalors continue using that clever brain of hers to write her latest masterpiece.
Pfft—!
Furina flipped to the next page. She'd only read the title before she couldn't hold it in anymore.
This was Focalors' new creation, produced after the Fontinalia Film Festival when she'd locked herself in her room, refusing to eat, sleep, or rest.
[Wind God Barbatos' Legendary Hole: A Grand Documentary]
Furina kept flipping. [ Shared Lover Morax ]
She buried her face in Themis' chest, too defeated to move. Even her usually perky hair lay limp across her forehead.
Themis glanced at the bolded title and sighed. When it came to mischief and exploiting trends for attention, Focalors truly had a natural talent.
Five gods. She'd slandered all five. Including herself, that made six.
It seemed we were not far from achieving the grand feat of dismantling all the Archons in Teyvat.
Life was going well, except Furina would occasionally be startled by Focalors' wild ideas.
Even in the dead of night, Furina would crawl out of bed to ponder deeply, counting on her fingers the possible enraged gods who might come to bag her up during the day and teach Focalors a lesson.
But Themis would say Furina was just overeating and idling away her time, creating problems out of boredom.
Themis: "Instead of worrying about being bagged up, you should write an unofficial history to counterattack."
Furina had an epiphany. "That makes so much sense."
She nodded earnestly, then suddenly realized something. "Wait, doesn't Fontaine already have its own unofficial history?"
"So... there's actually no effective way to retaliate."
Themis kissed the stunned Furina Cat, completely unconcerned about the matter.
Focalors had already prepared for the worst. By creating her own unofficial history before others could, she ensured no one could retaliate against her!
In distant Liyue, Zhongli sneezed, his eyes filled with confusion.
Meanwhile, Venti—who had just arrived in Liyue—sneezed violently, spraying dandelion wine from his mouth.
He scooped river water to clean the stains on his clothes. For some reason, Venti had an intense premonition of impending doom.
"Ahem~ Could it be the old man found out I came and wants me to pay?"
While being kept by a patron was certainly appealing!
But such luxuries were beyond Venti's reach.
Unlike Zhongli, who eagerly accepted others' payment, or the Raiden Shogun and Dendro Archon who rarely ventured out, or the two Hydro Archons who enjoyed national support while others still fought over paying them—and even received wages from Palais Mermonia.
Venti, penniless and destitute, searched every pocket on his body, only managing to find a handful of Mora.
Fortunately, as a wind elemental, eating and sleeping weren't necessities. Otherwise, he'd truly be in trouble.
Lumine was as ever, taking quests, hunting wild beasts, and leading Paimon on her rounds.
Wherever they were needed, their figures could be found.
"Hmm..."
Themis held a pen, gazing at the two uninvited guests who had stormed into her office. Her golden eyes, usually sharp, now held a hint of bewilderment.
"Ah heehee, long time no see, Themis!"
Paimon flew up to Themis with familiar ease. Lumine, hands on her hips, nodded in greeting.
Setting down her pen and documents, Themis asked, "Can I help you two?"
She stood to pull chairs for them and poured drinks from the Academy's latest flavor, specially formulated to match her "happy water" preferences.
The carbonated bubbles tickled their tongues. After the initial surprise, Paimon realized it was just another sweet drink.
"Must we have a reason to visit?" Paimon blurted.
"Of course not. Palais Mermonia welcomes you anytime."
"We didn't disturb you, did we? You can attend to your matters first and we'll talk later."
Paimon was like this - her role as emergency food and mascot was enough.
As guardian and combat face of the group, the Traveler had to consider many more things.
However, Themis had an exceptionally good temper. Lumine, who knew Themis' limits perfectly, wasn't worried that Paimon's straightforward words would lead to her being turned into emergency food.
"Hmph, don't worry, you haven't disturbed me."
Seeing Paimon suddenly realize her mistake and become cautious, Themis offered some reassurance, which put Paimon at ease.
"Actually, Lumine and I are here to deliver messages from Venti and Zhongli to you."
The "you" here was self-evident - who else could it be besides Furina and Focalors?
"Oh~ So those two actually asked you to deliver messages? Could it be something interesting?"
Themis appeared calm as an old dog, but inwardly she felt slightly guilty for Focalors. Her latest creation from the past few days would likely face collective condemnation from both Mondstadt and Liyue.
Fortunately, only a few people knew about Focalors' disguise - otherwise the fun would have been much greater.
"It's the poetry conference!"
"Venti and Master Hu from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor are planning a poetry conference at Liyue's Stone Gate!"
"As an employee of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Zhongli will undoubtedly attend to observe."
"So the two of them thought of you."
"Since the Fontinalia Film Festival just concluded a few days ago and the Raiden Shogun had arrived in Fontaine, they couldn't make it in time. They wanted to invite you to participate in this Liyue event instead."
"It's essentially... um, a cultural exchange."
I never expected that the cultural exchange between Inazuma and Fontaine would barely be over when Mondstadt and Liyue suddenly applied for their own exchange with Fontaine.
It's truly a mix of amusement and frustration. Wait, Themis's heart skipped a beat—could it be they already know about Focalors' masterpiece and are specifically inviting us for that?
If they don't know about Focalors' recent work, Themis could already imagine how, after the three-nation poetry exchange concludes, Focalors would present her new masterpiece to the two parties with a beaming smile while holding those two books.
That's exactly the kind of thing Focalors would do.
Oh, no, it's not just something she might do—it's exactly what she would do!
Already having let loose, she's now even more inflated with pride.
Themis pondered briefly and realized Furina would undoubtedly be interested in these international events. Without hesitation, she agreed wholeheartedly, "I'll inform Furina and Focalors about the poetry conference."
"Don't worry, we won't miss the scheduled date."
Paimon chuckled, "Well then, it's settled."
Lumine chimed in, "You must come to the poetry conference on the appointed day!"
The Traveler had arrived suddenly and departed just as quickly, her efficiency evident as she prepared to head straight for the event.
"Poetry conference?" Focalors yawned, her sleep-rumpled eyes blinking blearily as she rubbed them, barely managing to focus.
Furina stood beside Themis, unable to look directly at Focalors' disheveled hair and languid posture.
"Yes, the poetry conference. Both the Geo Archon and Anemo Archon sent the Traveler to Fontaine with their message."
"Oh," Focalors said, her voice thick with sleep. "So we're all going together, then?"
Themis walked over to Focalors and pulled her up.
She had Furina come over to help. Themis changed Focalors' clothes while Furina styled her hair.
Seriously, how could a beautiful and sacred Hydro Archon like her end up looking so disheveled?!
Feeling frustrated, Themis tugged at Focalors' cowlick, which matched Furina's exactly.
Alright, from now on I'll have Furina take Focalors out more often.
If this continues, I'll start worrying that Focalors might collapse over her desk one day, writing herself to death.
How can such a powerful Archon be so troublesome?
-
And that's all I've got for the raws so far! Apparently, there are two more chapters floating around out there, but they're currently locked behind a paywall I can't access. So for now, I'll be pausing this series.
If anyone happens to have those chapters, feel free to send them my way—I'd be more than happy to translate them for you.
Thanks so much for sticking with me on this journey and for continuing to support our beloved Hydro Archon!
Please leave any recommendations for stories you want translated.
Also I made a discord If anyone wants to reach out/hangout/ask me questions/or keep up to date on the ongoing projects.
https://discord.gg/BFW77h7XyS