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"Passengers, please take a look! On the west side of the route, you'll see a vast mountain range. That is what the great creature Elynas looks like when it lies down. Our hometown, Merusea Village, is over there. I loved its story when I was little—"
Romaritime Harbor connected to the desert, so very few people would come all the way to Fontaine on land. Those traveling by water typically had their own boats, entering the Fontaine High Seas through the harbor locks. At this moment, Victor Wang was the only passenger on the Aquabus.
Seeing that their sole passenger showed no obvious reaction, Aeval continued:
"Legend says that long ago, Elynas came to Fontaine and asked its people: 'What can I do for you?'
"At that time, the small, short-statured Melusine were sad because they couldn't build houses like everyone else. So, they all answered in unison: 'Then please become the home of the Melusine.'
And so, the great creature Elynas lay down over there, and in the blink of an eye, several hundred years passed.
Whenever I hear or tell this story, I can't help but feel that the people of Fontaine and Elynas are truly gentle and kind…"
Elynas, a creation of "Gold" Rhinedottir, was born during the Cataclysm five hundred years ago. It could be considered a sibling of Durin. Like Durin, Elynas was curious about the world and joyful about its own existence. It wished to share this joy with humans, but due to misunderstandings of humanity and its own power, many tragedies occurred…
Durin was killed on Dragonspine Mountain by Venti and Dvalin together.
Elynas, however, was far stronger. By size alone, it could rival the entire Dragonspine Mountain, many times larger than Durin. The Hydro Archon Egeria had also died in Tunigi Hollow, leaving Fontaine temporarily without a deity, demon, or immortal. Humans and the Hydro Seelie had to contend with Elynas. The difference in size and power made the outcome predictable…
Fortunately, Elynas realized that its actions, or even merely its existence, caused immense suffering to the world. It voluntarily chose to cease its life activity. Like Durin, its vitality was too strong to vanish completely—it retained a heart and consciousness, lying in the Fontaine High Seas for hundreds of years.
During these centuries, its power not only inadvertently gave rise to the Melusine species but also became an island in Fontaine, providing land for some of its people to survive.
If anyone called Elynas a villain… very few who knew the truth would still say so. It did not commit acts of active malice like the All-Devouring Narwhal attempting to consume Fontaine for the Primordial Sea. Moreover, after realizing the harm it posed to humans, it voluntarily ceased its life activity.
Still, before this awareness, the resistance and sacrifices of the people of Fontaine were inevitable.
The process of the Melusine being accepted by Fontaine's people was long and arduous, far less idyllic than Aeval's story made it sound.
Victor Wang reflected and commented, "This story rivals Mondstadt's The Boar Princess."
"Really?!" Aeval exclaimed in delight. "I've heard of The Boar Princess! It's a remarkable storybook!"
"…"
Seeing Victor Wang fall silent, Aeval thought she had overspoken. She straightened herself, cleared her throat, and resumed describing the passing scenery seriously.
"Look ahead! The waterway is about to approach Mont Automnequi. It stretches between Romaritime Harbor and Fontaine City. It's not particularly steep, but if the waterway went over the top of the mountain, the Aquabus wouldn't run this smoothly.
So, when the waterway was built, they invited experts from the Fontaine Research Institute. The experts brought in massive machinery and tunneled through the mountain, creating a passable tunnel—the Poisson Tunnel.
The Poisson Tunnel is named after the nearby town of Poisson, a place with a rich cultural history. The construction of the waterway wouldn't have been possible without the support of the 'Caspar' family from Poisson.
When news of the waterway's construction first came out, the people along the route were worried. Once the Caspar Family announced their participation, doubts gradually faded. I believe it's because the Caspar Family acted fairly and reliably, earning everyone's trust!"
At first, Victor Wang wasn't familiar with the name Caspar, but linking it to "Poisson," "participation in building Fontaine's waterway," and "public trust," he realized it was likely the Navia's family of the Spine de Rosula.
Fontaine had three elevated water routes. One was named after Navia's mother, Clementine, another after her father, Callas, and one after Navia herself. He didn't need to think further.
Now, Clementine had passed away, Callas had died in a judgment duel as the infamous "Unjust Callas," and the Spine de Rosula had waned.
Victor Wang squinted into the distance and faintly saw a portion of a wrecked ship protruding from Poisson. Considering the Primordial Sea flooding, it would likely be a disaster hotspot. He sighed quietly and fell into another moment of silence.
This made Aeval nervous. After a while, once the Aquabus neared the Opera Epiclese, she regained composure and energetically continued:
"Passengers, look! That towering building over there… behind it! That is the Opera Epiclese, the pride of the people of Fontaine!
It's the highest venue for conducting judgments in Fontaine and one of the nation's most important buildings!
During public trials, everyone dresses meticulously, puts on their finest clothes, and joyfully heads to the Opera Epiclese!
Of course, on ordinary days, the opera house hosts artistic performances. If you're interested, it's not to be missed!"
Victor Wang finally reacted positively. "I'll go. That's my main purpose for coming to Fontaine."
Aeval breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then you can take the Navia Line. The veteran operator of the Navia Line, Elphane, is very reliable! And the Aquabus there is much faster than this line…
Uh, actually, I heard this line's ship was designed to be very fast too. You could get from Romaritime Harbor to Fontaine in the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee. Later, people realized the Clementine Line didn't have that many passengers, so the speed was reduced… which is fine, because it gives me time to talk about the sights!
Oh! Almost forgot. Machinery is a major feature of Fontaine! Aside from ordinary patrol ships, Fontaine has many self-moving clockwork mechanisms. They belong to the Judicial Office and help maintain security across Fontaine City. You'll see them once you reach Fontaine City.
Although the clockworks aren't intelligent, the founder of the Fontaine Research Institute, Alain Guillotin, allegedly created prototype machines capable of thinking and speaking—smarter than me even!
Most importantly, the clockworks don't use 'Indemnitium' but Alain Guillotin's own power cores. These cores… uh… I think the tour manual says—"
Victor Wang interjected, "These cores utilize the energy produced when Pneuma and Ousia energies annihilate each other."
Pneuma energy was bluish-purple, Ousia energy golden. Their reaction was called the "Annihilation Reaction." René, who studied the Abyss and Khvarena, was once friends with Alain… though unfortunately, the power of Pneuma-Ousia energy couldn't compare to Abyssal or Khvarena.
"Ah, right, right!" Aeval exclaimed. "How did you know that? Have you been to Fontaine before? I thought it was your first time!"
"I haven't actually been to Fontaine. I just studied it in advance and did my homework."
"Ah, I see. Well, after a long journey, we've finally arrived at our terminal, Fontaine City. Please secure your belongings and mind the gap between the platform and the deck when disembarking. Welcome to Fontaine!"
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