"What a weird god..."
Paimon muttered under her breath, completely baffled by Furina's artistic performance.
She'd traveled to so many countries, but she'd never seen a god quite this bizarre.
"Haha~" Lyney chuckled twice, trying to lighten the mood. He was already used to Furina's antics.
"Our Hydro Archon is always like this. You'll get used to it."
Furina, still on the platform, had no idea what they were whispering about. She just assumed they were awestruck by her magnificence, and a smug grin spread across her face. She continued:
"Fear is the domain of the small-minded. I, a god, will not be bound by such meaningless caution. Rest assured, I see your devotion clearly."
[...]
[Ugh...]
Why couldn't he just disconnect from her thoughts? This was seriously embarrassing for a goddamn Otsutsuki.
"An audience is for the better appreciation of power and authority. This is very wise! Smart people gather under the correct banner!"
[Are you done with the script yet? Maybe say something useful...]
Momoshiki finally couldn't hold back.
No way he could handle this level of social suicide. Even if he wasn't the one being stared at, there was a saying for this:
You can feel the cringe through the screen.
"Huh?"
Furina, who was about to launch into the next line she'd memorized, was momentarily thrown off by Momoshiki's words.
She cautiously asked in her mind, "Did I say something wrong?"
[Nah...]
Actually, she hadn't. The crowd below was cheering like they were high on something. They went absolutely nuts for every single thing Furina said.
The last time Momoshiki had seen a scene like this was on some weird peninsula back on Earth. One side claimed to be the origin of the universe, and the other was the home of Ultraman.
These people were like they lived in the Land of Light, their behavior was... hard to judge.
[Too much fluff. Maybe you should say something useful.]
"Useful?" Furina pondered for a moment.
Momoshiki had mentioned something about paying the bill being reliable. Maybe she could try that.
The crowd below saw the Hydro Archon suddenly go silent and assumed she was brewing up some kind of amazing performance with the Traveler. They cheered even louder.
"Ahem!"
Seeing the crowd getting rowdy, Furina coughed lightly to signal for quiet.
Then, she spread her arms in a welcoming gesture and said, "Welcome to the nation of water! I, the God of Justice, Furina, acknowledge the value and meaning of your journey!"
"All your daily expenses in Fontaine will be reimbursed by me!"
"Now! You may cheer to your heart's content!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, the crowd erupted in deafening applause once again.
As for the expenses, Furina didn't give a damn.
She'd been performing operas for 500 years, after all. She'd saved up quite a nest egg. She just never needed to spend it, so she'd left it untouched.
Hoarding Mora for 500 years, spending it in a moment.
"No waaaaaay!!!"
Hearing that the Hydro Archon would reimburse all their daily expenses in Fontaine, Paimon's jaw dropped. She rubbed her ears, almost thinking she'd misheard.
Once it sunk in, all her previous prejudice against the Hydro Archon's performance art vanished like smoke.
Holy crap! A god who actually offers to pay the bill!
That was already better than any of the gods they'd met in other countries!!
Lumine was also stunned.
"I... I don't think I quite processed that," she said.
Lumine blinked her wide, innocent eyes and asked Lynette, "Did the Hydro Archon just say she'd reimburse our daily expenses? Did I hear that right?"
This was too unbelievable. All the gods they'd met in Teyvat were supposed to be broke, right?
"Yes, you heard correctly," Lynette replied, her expression slightly surprised but not overly so.
"I take back everything I said!" Paimon exclaimed, spinning around in the air excitedly. "The Hydro Archon is clearly the most amazing, the best god we've ever met!"
Lumine: "..."
Lumine was used to Paimon's fickle nature.
She sighed wearily, feeling like her understanding of the world was being rewritten piece by piece ever since she'd set foot in Fontaine.
"I didn't expect to meet a god so easily," she said.
"Yeah," Paimon agreed, nodding thoughtfully.
They both recalled the gods they'd met along the way. Some had disguised themselves as mortals and tried to trick them, others had tried to stab them and turn them into statues.
There was even one who was waiting for them to rescue her.
This was the first time a god had revealed their identity and come looking for them. Lumine's experience told her that this wasn't going to be simple.
There was definitely a bigger mess brewing.
What's more, this Hydro Archon's opening... well... it seemed a little over the top.
"Thank you, Hydro Archon," Lumine said. "But how did you know we were coming?"
Hearing Lumine's question, Furina put her hands on her hips and struck a casual, nonchalant pose.
"I understand. Outsiders are bound to have some mundane perceptions. But don't forget, gods can be mediocre or exceptional."
"It's only natural that you're amazed by my talents. No need to be surprised. Obtaining your information is as easy as snapping my fingers. Nothing could be simpler."
As she spoke, Furina felt a surge of pride.
Her intelligence-gathering skills were indeed impressive. She knew exactly where the Traveler was at all times. It was her counter-intelligence skills that sucked. She had no idea she was being watched the whole time.
Neuvillette knew every little thing Furina did.
If Momoshiki didn't know that Neuvillette was Furina's Zhuge Liang, he wouldn't be feeling so relaxed right now.
"Seriously? She's so arrogant..." Paimon's lips twitched, but she didn't say anything more, considering the offer to pay the bill.
Lumine added quietly, "And she keeps emphasizing that she's a god. It's weird."
"Yeah..."
Furina, having finished her speech, finally sensed that something was off.
Why were these people looking at her so strangely? It was like she'd done something completely incomprehensible.
"Momoshiki, why are they looking at me like that? Is it because my welcoming ceremony wasn't good enough?"
[Uh...]
[Maybe the welcoming ceremony was too good...]
[Heh.]
Momoshiki had a feeling his eyelids were about to start twitching.
How could Furina be so clueless?
"Too good...? What does that mean? Should I say a few more words?"
[No, no, please no!!]
Momoshiki shook his head frantically in the Kamui Dimension, feeling completely mortified.
The crowd outside, completely unaware, saw Furina fall silent again, and their expectations soared once more.
Paimon was unsure. She whispered to the others, "Is she waiting for us to start a conversation?"
"Possibly," Lyney said, nodding thoughtfully. "The atmosphere is definitely strange."
Just as the group was racking their brains for a topic, some late-arriving fanatics squeezed through the crowd and eagerly asked the people around them:
"Are those the legendary blonde travelers from another world?!"
"What's going on? Did Lady Furina come?! Is there going to be another show?"
"Of course! Those are the legendary blonde travelers from another world! Lady Furina came to see her in person! They're definitely going to have an epic showdown!"
"Really?! That's so exciting!"
"I knew Lady Furina wouldn't disappoint us!"
===
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