A hat floated in midair. Cards, doves, and all kinds of strange magical props continuously poured out from Lynette's hands and the hat.
But that alone wasn't enough to amaze the audience. What came next was what Lynette truly wanted to show everyone.
Right before the eyes of the entire audience, Lynette jumped into the water tank suspended above the stage.
As he spoke, the lid slammed shut, turning the tank into a sealed space.
Just when everyone thought it was a sudden stage accident, Lynette snapped his fingers. The Lynette inside the water instantly turned into bubbles and vanished, leaving behind only the clothes she had been wearing.
Lynette on stage remained calm and composed. After calling out a few times, Lynette—who seemed to have dissolved in the water tank—walked out from behind him. The two of them took a bow together, accepting the thunderous applause of the crowd.
[Extraordinary Chat Group]
Azhdaha: What a wonderful magic performance!
Osial: Very impressive. The spectacle is fantastic. 👏
Gu Chen: This is what you call a great magician! 🎉
Kaeya: Stylish!
Paimon: Oh! According to Lynette, there's still a finale coming!
Kaeya: Two boxes swapping the people inside them—that's the idea, right? How is he going to pull that off? 🤔
Shikanoin Heizou: If you simply used power to move them, that would be magic, not stage magic. So my guess is there's a tunnel beneath the boxes. 👀
Tighnari: That's the conclusion people reach through common assumptions. But since Mr. Lynette is a famous magician in the Court of Fontaine, I'm sure he has many clever designs.
Paimon: I just want to know when we'll get a live magic show! 🙏
Lynette: Hmm… there should be a chance?
Keqing: The Lantern Rite is coming soon. If Mr. Lynette has time, Liyue would be happy to invite you to perform there. 🙂
Lynette: Let's check the schedule after the video ends. salutes
Paimon: Didn't Barbara get some kind of complete song collection from somewhere? When will Barbara hold a concert?! 🙏
Barbara: Huh? Then I'll arrange some time soon and go to Liyue during the Lantern Rite.
Keqing: It seems this year's Lantern Rite will be extremely lively. 👍
Heizou: Wait… something's wrong.
Lynette began performing his final act.
From inside the magic box came his voice from time to time. Sometimes he pretended to complain about how difficult the trick was. Sometimes he suddenly appeared from a box on the stage, only to realize he had opened the wrong one and hurriedly shut it again.
Amid the audience's laughter, the countdown finished.
Lynette successfully appeared from the magic box located in the audience seating area.
However—
Just as the chosen girl should have opened the stage box and emerged from inside it, the water tank hanging above the stage suddenly fell, smashing the magic box to pieces.
The sudden accident left many spectators unable to react.
Neuvillette immediately halted the performance.
Tartaglia: What the heck? I was just about to enjoy the show. This sudden accident is such a mood killer. Lynette looks like he's sweating buckets now. 😮💨
Kaeya: What happened? How did the water tank hanging above suddenly fall? Aren't stage safety measures supposed to prevent that?
Heizou: With the current clues it's difficult to analyze, but one thing is certain—the safety mechanism for that tank must have been tampered with. A magician of Lynette's experience wouldn't make such a rookie mistake.
Lynette: This really does look like a carefully planned accident.
Furina: I have a feeling!
Neuvillette: You should refrain from speaking. Let us wait for the video to provide the answer.
The Gardes' investigation soon produced results.
The person inside the magic box unfortunately died. The victim was named Cowell, one of Lynette's assistant performers.
The fireworks on stage had ignited the rope suspending the water tank, directly causing it to fall.
As for why the person inside the box was Cowell rather than the previously selected audience member, that remained unknown for now. However, after searching, the Gardes confirmed that the girl had seemingly vanished into thin air.
"She is missing entirely," Neuvillette announced.
"This situation is no longer just a stage accident—it also shares many characteristics with the Serial Disappearance of Young Girls case."
The opera house erupted into an uproar.
Meanwhile, the chat group fell briefly silent after Furina spoke.
Gu Chen: Furina: Hehehe… I get it now. I know the truth! 😏
Venti: Furina: Look how smart I am? I figured out Lynette's plan in such a short time!
Kaeya: Furina: Fontaine should be honored to have such a wise Hydro Archon. Hurry and kneel before Lady Furina! 😂
Furina: … (gives up)
Lumine believed Lynette was not the murderer and decided to help him.
She spoke with the Gardes and began investigating clues throughout the opera house. During the process, she unexpectedly met Navia.
While resting, Navia's bodyguards Melus and Silver carried a portable cooking stove, along with eggs, sugar, almonds, and other ingredients so Navia could indulge in her baking hobby anytime.
Paimon: Hey! Why does it say I ate five? Being greedy is one thing, but eating someone else's share is rude—Paimon understands that! 😠
Navia: From an outsider's perspective, this is rather strange… If Paimon didn't eat them, then it's as if two macarons were secretly stolen without anyone noticing.
Heizou: I noticed something earlier. The girl Lynette selected before—wasn't she the thief they encountered at Romaritime Harbor? If that thief was hiding somewhere the Gardes couldn't find, and then stole two macarons because she was hungry… that would make sense. 🤓
Albedo: A reasonable deduction. Let's see how the people in the video handle things. Right now, Miss Furina seems very eager to defeat Miss Lumine in this accusation.
Zhongli: Where did this sudden competitive spirit come from? 🤦♂️
Furina: Like I said—a tie is too boring! 😤
The trial of Lynette began.
Furina launched the first attack.
"During the final thirty seconds of the countdown, you claimed you heard nothing else. But there was clearly a dull noise in the hall. I believe everyone heard it!"
Lynette looked stunned—he clearly hadn't heard it.
The Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale tilted slightly toward the guilty side.
Cloud Retainer: This machine is quite fascinating. May I study it? 🧐
Furina continued.
"You and Lynette are actually from the House of the Hearth, aren't you?"
"House of the Hearth?" Paimon blinked.
Lumine's pupils shrank slightly as she frowned.
"You two… are Fatui?!"
The entire hall erupted in shock.
Some people suddenly understood. Others thought the Fatui being behind the serial disappearances was the least surprising explanation possible. Some even began doubting whether the stage accident had been an accident at all.
Lynette hurriedly said,
"But what does that have to do with anything? Our identities have nothing to do with this matter!"
Furina nodded.
"True. Then you can simply explain that one minute from beginning to end in front of us."
"For you right now, clearing your name should be the top priority. You shouldn't have anything you can't say… unless your 'script' contradicts itself."
Seeing Lumine and Paimon fall silent, Furina maintained a calm expression—but inside she was practically celebrating.
"The traveler from afar is speechless and looks shocked. Good, good! Next comes internal conflict, right? This victory is too easy!"
"Phew… I was so nervous about this trial that I didn't sleep all night. Oh dear."
Neuvillette: …
Clorinde: …
Wriothesley:pfft—
Kaeya: You really do have quite a… competitive spirit.
Heavenly Principles Sustainer: Furina's reasoning isn't wrong, but why does she give me the feeling that she's not very smart? 🤨
Furina: What do you mean not smart?! That was brilliant reasoning! Being proud inside just means I'm about to win! 😤
Paimon: What surprises me more is that Lynette and Lynette are Fatui. Based on experience, after suffering so much from the Fatui, we should stay cautious of Lynette.
Lynette: Understandable. 😮💨
Since they hadn't known Lynette and Lynette's identities before, Lumine requested a temporary recess to communicate with them.
Some spectators protested loudly, but Neuvillette approved the reasonable request.
Backstage at the opera house, the Traveler duo spoke with the siblings.
Lynette honestly told Lumine everything—including how he had infiltrated the chamber housing the Oratrice to investigate.
Lumine didn't blindly trust him again.
She simply said she trusted facts.
If Lynette was innocent, she would help clear his name.
If he was guilty, the judgment would proceed as usual.
Soon, the trial resumed.
This time Lumine's side had more favorable evidence.
At her request, the Gardes searched Cowell's luggage.
Before long, they returned with news.
Several test tubes filled with liquid had been found, each labeled.
The liquid was called "Primordial Seawater."
The accompanying notes contained many annotations and repeatedly mentioned one key word:
"Dissolution."
The absurd claim shocked the audience.
Some were astonished. Some skeptical. Some uncertain.
Kaeya: Wait—dissolution? Primordial Seawater? Doesn't that sound like the prophecy crisis we heard about earlier?
Azhdaha: So the water flooding Fontaine in the prophecy is Primordial Seawater?
Heizou: But Fontaine's seawater seems normal right now. The sea level is rising, yes, but we haven't heard of Fontaine citizens dissolving yet… Maybe when the sea rises high enough, the water that floods in will actually be Primordial Seawater? Could it be underground like a hidden current beneath the sea, erupting under certain conditions and mixing with the ocean?
Albedo: A logical hypothesis. If Primordial Seawater truly dissolves Fontaine people, that would indeed be the most reasonable scenario.
Navia: Primordial Seawater… water… water… 🤔
Paimon: Oh! With Navia's help, that thief appeared! And—wow—she just confessed to killing Cowell! 😲
The trial continued.
With sufficient evidence, what had happened in the tunnel was gradually reconstructed.
"For the explanation proposed by Mr. Lynette's side," Neuvillette asked,
"does Lady Furina have any objections?"
Furina looked flustered.
"I—I… uh…"
She had only just turned halfway around when Neuvillette spoke again.
"Please answer the question, Lady Furina. And a reminder—the trial has not yet ended. The prosecution may not leave early."
"How do you know what I'm thinking?!" Furina exclaimed.
She sighed.
"Fine, no objections. I lost. Honestly, you didn't have to ask—at least leave me some dignity…"
Like a balloon that had been punctured, Furina instantly deflated.
Soon after, the Oratrice delivered its final verdict.
Lynette and Lynette: Not Guilty.
But the matter wasn't over.
Neuvillette turned to the officer of the Gardes.
"How did you discover Primordial Seawater in Lynette's luggage?"
"Y-yeah!" Furina said indignantly. "Because of that, I made the wrong judgment. Are you committing perjury in this court?"
Neuvillette replied calmly,
"The accomplice mentioned in Cowell's notes—I believe it wasn't Lynette. It was you, wasn't it?"
The officer named Vaughn panicked.
"I—I was just following orders! We had to frame Lynette for the serial disappearance case and push the suspicion onto the Fatui! They said it was the best opportunity!"
"I'll talk! I'll tell everything! The discovery that Primordial Seawater can dissolve people—that was made by our boss!"
"This stuff can also be turned into a potion. If diluted enough and drunk, it makes people feel incredibly excited—so much they can't forget it!"
"We've been selling it and making lots of money. The serial disappearance case was also our boss's plan! Our boss is that… that…"
"Ahhhh—!!"
Right before Vaughn could say the mastermind's name—
his body suddenly dissolved into water.
He had been silenced.
Neuvillette immediately sealed the scene, but aside from the liquid left behind after Vaughn's dissolution, no other clues remained.
Cyno: "That person… that person…" Maybe Vaughn was trying to say Neuvillette?
Neuvillette: That joke is not amusing. 🤦♂️
Kaeya: Damn! If that's the case, Heizou's theory is completely correct! Now we know Fontaine people can dissolve in Primordial Seawater. If the prophecy is real and the sea level rises to flood Fontaine, that water must be Primordial Seawater! Falling from the sky is unrealistic, but rising from the seabed… that makes sense!
Gu Chen: I have good news and bad news.
Paimon: The good news: Primordial Seawater seems to dissolve only Fontaine people.
Lumine: The bad news: If Fontaine people disappear from Teyvat entirely, then aside from the rising sea's impact, the economic exchanges between nations would collapse.
Heizou: Something I don't understand—why only Fontaine people dissolve? Do Fontaine people really carry some kind of original sin from birth? 🤔
Navia: I have no idea!! 😖
Sangonomiya Kokomi: What kind of sin would require every Fontaine citizen to dissolve to be cleansed? Even newborn babies who've done nothing would suffer this fate… it's hard to imagine what lies behind this.
Dehya: Since it only dissolves Fontaine people… maybe we should move the Primordial Seawater to the Sumeru desert. 🌸
Apep: Then where am I supposed to live? 😠
Azhdaha: Plants need water to grow. With such miraculous Primordial Seawater, maybe Apep would start growing wildly—getting much bigger!
Apep: You're even more ridiculous.
Navia: This is so frustrating!! Why does Primordial Seawater specifically target Fontaine people?!
What did the people of Fontaine ever do to you?! 😖
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