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"The underwater breathing potion is fine." After making sure there was no one else around, Victor Wang spoke. "The next step is that I need an opportunity to get close to Furina."
"Getting close to Lady Furina… You know, the way you suddenly brought this up so mysteriously reminds me of something."
"What is it?"
"Whether as a god or as a superstar, Lady Furina's popularity is incredibly high, so there have always been people who want to see her—some even taking extreme risks. Everyone in Fontaine knows that Lady Furina lives on the top floor of the Palais Mermonia, so someone once tried to jump down from the roof and sneak in. That person was very lucky and didn't lose their life… and now they're working very diligently in the Fortress of Meropide."
"If I tried to sneak in, I definitely wouldn't be discovered."
Charlotte hurriedly shook her head. "Hey, hey! I was just joking. I'm not telling you to do something like that!"
Victor Wang smiled. "I'm joking too."
"Y-you always tell jokes with such a serious expression?"
"Maybe it's because I actually considered acting that way."
"All right, all right. If you want to see Lady Furina, there are still plenty of legitimate methods. I'll explain, okay?"
Charlotte let out a deep sigh and began listing them out for Victor Wang.
"If it's an official matter, you need to submit an application to the Court of Fontaine. Depending on the urgency, that's absolutely the fastest option.
"If it's a personal request, you'd need to submit an application to the Court of Fontaine Secretariat. As far as I know, requests from the public to meet Lady Furina are already scheduled five months out.
"Besides that, there's also a chance you might coincidentally run into Lady Furina at certain tea gatherings, or at the Opera Epiclese at certain times. That one's purely up to luck.
"But if it's you… The last time you asked Lady Furina to stop interfering with the shipbuilding plan, the moment I mentioned your name, she agreed almost immediately. Your relationship really does seem very good.
"In that case, if you simply write her a letter, once she receives it, she'll definitely agree to meet you, right?"
Victor Wang thought for a moment before replying slowly. "Should I say I can't… or that I don't want to?"
If using the shipbuilding plan could still be considered a warning, then invoking the story of the fox swapping places with the general to demand action from Furina would be outright coercion—no different from sneaking into her room directly.
If possible, Victor Wang didn't want to come across as overly forceful and provoke Furina's resentment or resistance. Even if she probably couldn't resist, I'm here to help—not to hold the Hydro Archon hostage to command others. There was no need to sour the relationship or leave her with a bad impression, especially when future cooperation was involved.
And if there were even the slightest chance that Furina, in order to protect that secret she must safeguard at all costs, might try to join forces with Neuvillette to silence me permanently… then even if everything could eventually be explained, my position would shift from "the proactive helper" to "the one forced to cooperate under pressure." That would be completely detrimental to anything that followed.
Fufu is so cute… and so pitiful. Why threaten her? Reason and empathy should be enough. She isn't actually stupid.
After finishing his self-reflection, Victor Wang looked at Charlotte. "You should have a way to get close to Furina."
"I do, but if it's through me, then I have to ask one more thing. You want to approach Lady Furina… is it related to the prophecy?"
"Yes."
"All right. Actually, as a newspaper renowned across Teyvat, The Steambird does have quotas to invite the superstar Lady Furina for interviews. Miss Euphrasie once assigned a reporter to follow her specifically, but that reporter resigned not long after. Apparently, every single photo he took had to be shown to Lady Furina, and if she wasn't satisfied, he had to retake it. The most extreme case was when he retook the same pose a full one hundred and twenty-seven times… After that, no reporter dared to take on the responsibility. So as long as I apply to Miss Euphrasie, I can arrange a meeting with Lady Furina within three days at the latest."
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"About the prophecy… how much do you actually know? Can you tell me a little?"
"Sorry. For Fontaine's safety, don't dig too deeply into that matter."
"So serious…?"
"Also, while we're at it, tell me about Fontaine's administrative bodies—what they are and what they're responsible for."
"Hmm… how should I put it… Let me think…"
Lowering her gaze in thought for a moment, Charlotte organized everything in her mind before beginning her explanation.
"Fontaine's administrative structure is roughly composed of three parts: the Palais Mermonia, the Court of Fontaine, and the Fortress of Meropide.
The easiest to explain is the Fortress of Meropide. In one sentence—it's an underwater prison used to exile criminals.
Now let's start with the Palais Mermonia.
TheMaison Gardiennage—this institution is mainly responsible for maintaining public order and reviewing cases.
Under the Maison Gardiennage, there are three branches: the Gardes, the Security Patrol, and the Marechaussee Phantom.
The Gardes and the Security Patrol are self-explanatory. The Marechaussee Phantom is the elite unit of the Maison Gardiennage. When incidents arise that ordinary patrol members can't handle—such as suspects refusing negotiations or attempting violent resistance—the Marechaussee Phantom steps in.
TheMarechaussee Phantom—its duties are largely similar to those of the Maison Gardiennage, but this organization answers directly to Fontaine's Iudex, Neuvillette.
At first, it consisted solely of humans. After Neuvillette discovered that the Melusines' unique 'vision' was extremely well-suited for investigations, Melusines were brought in. Nowadays, most members of the Marechaussee Phantom are Melusines.
TheCourt of Fontaine—this body is responsible for managing Fontaine's core governmental affairs.
For example, when Lady Furina succeeded as the Hydro Archon several centuries ago, it was handled by the Court of Fontaine. To this day, its members retain the authority to communicate directly with either Lady Furina or Neuvillette.
The Court of Fontaine Secretariat—an extension of the Court of Fontaine, mainly responsible for implementing administrative decisions.
To be more specific… probably stamping documents issued by the Court of Fontaine? And handling 'after-sales service'? Anyway, every time I see people from the Secretariat, they're worrying about stamps.
All of the following—the Maison Gardiennage, the Marechaussee Phantom, the Court of Fontaine, the Court of Fontaine Secretariat—as well as the offices of Neuvillette, the Iudex, and Lady Furina herself, are all located within the Palais Mermonia.
Lastly, there's the Court of Fontaine in the judicial sense. With institutions for governance, public order, catching criminals, and imprisoning them already in place, this one does exactly what its name suggests—judging criminals.
The Court of Fontaine has two branches beneath it. One is the Opera Epiclese, managed by Lady Furina. The other is the Tribunal, managed by Neuvillette.
TheOpera Epiclese—this place itself serves as the physical venue for trials.
When there are no trials, the Opera Epiclese also hosts operas, plays, magic shows, and various other performances. This part is nominally overseen by Lady Furina.
TheTribunal—this is the body that properly handles judicial proceedings.
As the Iudex, Neuvillette sometimes personally presides over certain cases at the Opera Epiclese, but he's extremely busy. At other times, matters are handled by the Tribunal under his command.
So, the Palais Mermonia, the Court of Fontaine, and the Fortress of Meropide—those are Fontaine's three main governing institutions.
Also, since Lady Furina isn't particularly invested in governmental affairs, she's basically delegated all administrative responsibilities to Neuvillette."
"I've noted all of that," Victor Wang said with a nod. "Then I'll wait for your news."
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