Chat Group: Starting by Swapping Bodies with Elysia?

"Fontaine is truly a magical place," Fairy Ely, leaning against the railing of the Navia Line boat, said with a sigh as she gazed at the numerous hydro constructs suspended in the distance. "Heh, I bet Dummy would regret it if she knew about the scenery here."

"Hmph, of course! After all, Fontaine, under the leadership of me, the Hydro Archon, the God of Justice, and the 'Sovereign of All Waters, All Opulence, All People, and All Laws,' is the most outstanding nation among the Seven!"

Furina hummed, her hands clasped together, her posture impeccably aristocratic. She was quite proud—regarding this, the "acting" Hydro Archon had no objections. Although she felt that playing the role of the Hydro Archon was a thankless task, she truly loved this land and its people.

It was because of this love that she could continue to persevere.

Of course, despite her pride, Furina couldn't hide her curiosity, "By the way, who is 'Dummy'?"

"Dummy is Dummy!" Fairy Ely, with an innocent expression, displayed her mastery of nonsensical speech, leaving Furina speechless—Who knows who your 'Dummy' is?!

Riddlers and their roundabout way of speaking are so annoying! That's it, I'll add a new law to Fontaine… Speaking in riddles is a crime! Speaking nonsense is also a crime! And they are both capital offenses!!!

Although this law might be somewhat absurd, the people of Fontaine were probably already accustomed to it. After all, their Archon was an "absurd Archon."

"Esteemed passengers, we will be arriving at the Ile d'Eros shortly."

"Ooh, is that the Opera Epiclese? It looks so magnificent!"

'Hmph~ Be amazed! I was the one who advocated for its construction!' Furina felt even more proud, unable to contain her smile.

There weren't many things she could be proud of in this thankless task, but the Opera Epiclese and the appointment of Neuvillette as Fontaine's Chief Justice were the two things that gave her the most satisfaction.

Setting aside the latter for now, the Opera Epiclese was incredibly popular among Fontaine's citizens, almost always packed whenever a performance was held.

The reason her reputation as the Hydro Archon was relatively stable, besides her flamboyant performances over the years, was largely due to the Opera Epiclese, which had indeed brought great spiritual wealth to Fontaine's people.

"Hey, hey, what do you think?" Furina looked at Jiang Qiao, eager for his opinion.

This guy felt like Neuvillette—of course, that wasn't a problem.

Having experience dealing with one Neuvillette, another one wouldn't be an issue. What truly bothered Furina was that Jiang Qiao hadn't commented on Fontaine's scenery or the Opera Epiclese. Concerned about her "only confidant," she naturally wanted to hear his thoughts… and praise would be even better!

"It's magnificent. This opera house holds extraordinary significance, both in terms of economic benefits and spiritual enrichment." Jiang Qiao, sensing her thoughts, offered a rather objective evaluation with a smile. Furina, however, was completely lost.

Although she had ruled for five hundred years, she was essentially a hands-off Archon in the Palais Mermonia, leaving most matters to her subordinates and Neuvillette.

As for economics and spiritual enrichment… she didn't understand those things.

Of course—if Jiang Qiao were to give a more concise assessment of this building, it would be… a wonder.

"If its construction hadn't involved land appropriation, its significance would be even greater."

"Cough, cough, cough…" Furina coughed, embarrassed, and averted her gaze.

—Although the Opera Epiclese was indeed her proudest achievement, its construction had indeed been accompanied by certain issues.

For example, this location was originally intended to be the new site for the Akademiya, but she had, on a whim, decided to build the opera house instead.

Although in terms of results… it wasn't necessarily a wrong decision, it had made her, the eccentric Hydro Archon, appear somewhat… questionable in the eyes of some Fontaine scholars.

"Don't mind it. Overall, this building is still of great significance to Fontaine." After all—in the eyes of most people, an entertainment facility was indeed more popular than a research facility, wasn't it?

Moreover, the Opera Epiclese's role wasn't simply to stage "farces."

"We've arrived." Clorinde spoke, then disembarked first, followed by the others.

Furina's popularity was undeniable. Even a brief appearance would draw crowds of Fontaine citizens. Fortunately, the Gardes and Steambird were experienced in handling such situations and had dispatched guards to maintain order.

"Wow, there are so many coins in this fountain!" Fairy Ely floated curiously towards the fountain in front of the Opera Epiclese, looking at the inscription on the stone tablet. "Lucine… Fountain."

"This is where all the waters of Fontaine converge. According to an old Fontaine tradition, newlywed couples toss coins into the Lucine Fountain, praying for a happy and prosperous life."

"What about Vacher?" Jiang Qiao stopped, hearing this.

"Vacher? What Vacher?!" Furina asked, puzzled.

"Just a rat preying on innocent girls."

Fairy Ely, not doubting Jiang Qiao's words, said indignantly, "Ah? Preying on beautiful girls? That rat is so bad!"

"Excuse me!" A cheerful voice called out. Jiang Qiao, recognizing the familiar voice, looked over and saw a young lady in elegant attire, holding a black and yellow parasol, approaching with a head of beautiful blonde waves.

"The young miss of the Spina di Rosula?" Furina glanced over, surprised.

Being close to the people, she was familiar with most people in Fontaine, at least the major factions. After all, her intelligence network wasn't just for show, especially since the Spina di Rosula had done many good deeds in Poisson.

"Lady Furina, I apologize, but I'm not looking for you."

"Huh—?" Furina widened her eyes in disbelief.

Although she admitted that she might not be associated with the word "dignified" in the eyes of Fontaine's citizens, this was too much!

Many people didn't even have the chance to see her!

"Ahem, how audacious! Are you looking down on a god?! Disrespecting the Hydro Archon is a grave offense!" To maintain her face as the Hydro Archon, Furina put on an angry expression.

However, Navia wasn't intimidated at all and calmly retorted, "Lady Furina, Fontaine doesn't advocate punishing people for their words, does it? Although there are indeed laws against 'publicly insulting a god,' I believe what I said just now doesn't constitute a crime, does it?"

"Or is Lady Furina, the Hydro Archon, actually petty and wants to punish me for a slight displeasure? If so, I'll accept my fate."

These words left Furina speechless…

How did she turn this around on me?! I'm the one who's been wronged! Sob.

No—the surrounding people were looking at them. This couldn't continue, or…

"Ahem, I, the Hydro Archon, am naturally not petty. Moreover, I am the God of Justice, how could I commit an unjust act? My dear citizen! What I said just now was merely a test, and you passed!"

Furina struck a dramatic pose, her arm raised, her expression passionate.

The onlookers all praised her.

"As expected of Lady Furina, how could she take her anger out on others?"

"Hey, don't say that. Our Archon is incredibly benevolent, how could she get angry so easily?"

"Indeed, indeed, unless someone commits the grave sin of 'stealing Lady Furina's desserts,' it's hard to imagine our usually kind and gentle Archon getting angry."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

Jiang Qiao calmly watched the scene, observing the blue and white-haired girl putting on a performance, and said, "You go in first. I'll talk to this young lady."

"Eh—?" Furina was taken aback, then hesitated, "Alright then, come in quickly."

Although performing in front of the public had become second nature to her,

The endless acting had made her resent this duty.

She simply had to do it.

And if it could be avoided, it would undoubtedly be a relief.

"Mmm." Surrounded by guards, Furina left.

The crowd, although curious about the identity of the man who had spoken to their Hydro Archon, were more interested in the upcoming performance inside the opera house and didn't bother to watch a stranger.

"Hello, hello, I'm Navia, the leader of the Spina di Rosula!" After Furina left, Navia's expression visibly relaxed. She smiled and extended her hand to shake Jiang Qiao's.

Although for certain reasons she wasn't fond of authority figures, holding some reservations towards the Hydro Archon and the lofty Palais Mermonia—Furina's eccentric behavior held little intimidation for her—

But Furina was still Fontaine's Archon. No matter how comical she might be, her presence still put pressure on many people.

This wasn't due to her aura, but simply her status, especially in Fontaine, a nation based on France.

The aristocratic class had an invisible influence.

Navia, her energetic demeanor accentuated by her dark eyeshadow, said proudly, "Hmph, you must have heard of the Spina di Rosula, right?"

"Mediating disputes, providing protection, solving problems… a comprehensive, all-encompassing civilian organization—the [Spina di Rosula]!"

"Isn't that just a gang?" Fairy Ely tilted her head.

As a continuation of Elysian Realm Elysia—she wasn't as innocent as she appeared. She possessed most of Elysian Realm Elysia's knowledge and experience, the only difference being that her thought processes were based on Elysia's childhood memories.

For Elysian Realm Elysia, who had traveled the world, gangs weren't an unfamiliar concept.

Navia choked on her words, embarrassed, but then said seriously, "Uh, well, that's not wrong… but we're legal! We're fundamentally different from those harmful gangs!"

"Oh, a good gang."

"Although that's not wrong… but the Spina di Rosula is the Spina di Rosula…" Navia insisted on correcting her.

Although the logic was sound, she couldn't accept that title.

No matter how nicely you put it—wasn't a "good gang" still a gang?

"Forget it, let's not dwell on this." Looking at the innocent Fairy Ely, Navia felt both amused and helpless. She shook her head and turned her attention to Jiang Qiao,

"Sir! I'm very interested in what you said earlier." She wasn't one for beating around the bush. Although the term "straightforward" seemed incongruous with "young miss," Navia, having come from gang origins, was clearly not your typical young lady.

"To be frank, there's been a series of 'missing girls' cases in Fontaine, and it just so happens that the young miss has a score to settle with this case, so…" Melus, an elderly man in a black hat and suit, standing beside Navia, said seriously.

"This case has no leads in Fontaine. If you know anything, sir, the Spina di Rosula is willing to offer a generous reward." Silver, the other guard, added solemnly.

"Even life itself?" Jiang Qiao looked at the three of them with a teasing smile.

Hearing this, Melus and Silver became vigilant and hesitant, but they both moved to stand in front of Navia.

—They weren't afraid of death… well, that might be unfair to say, but at least in their hearts, there was indeed something more important than life.

That was the young miss entrusted to them by the master!

It didn't matter if something happened to them, but if something happened to Miss Navia, even if Master Callas forgave them in the afterlife, they wouldn't be able to forgive themselves.

However, the next moment, Navia pushed the two aside, glancing at them with displeasure, and then faced Jiang Qiao resolutely:

"Even life itself."

"Young miss!" Melus and Silver exclaimed.

"Come on, I'm the leader of the Spina di Rosula! How can I be less courageous than my own guards?"

"Mr. Jiang Qiao, if you really know something, please tell me without any reservations."

"Even if it costs me my life, I can't let my father die without knowing the truth!" The girl's beautiful face was filled with unwavering determination, as if nothing could stop her.

If he refused, he might be pestered later, right?

Although he didn't know much about this Navia, Jiang Qiao could still make this judgment.

Of course—that was if he refused.

And why would he refuse?

From any perspective, Jiang Qiao had no reason, nor any need, to conceal anything for a rat hiding in the shadows.

Therefore, he smiled, and was about to speak when he sensed something.

"If you want to know something, why not ask your guards first?"

"Perhaps, they know something." With that, Jiang Qiao patted Melus' shoulder and walked towards the Opera Epiclese.

"Of course, I don't mind you asking now, after all…"

"If Mr. Rat finds out, he'll be quite restless, like a cornered rat."

As Navia stood there, confused, wanting to catch up and ask what he meant,

A familiar, amiable voice called out from behind, "Haha, Navia, you're here too?"

Seeing the newcomer, Navia smiled slightly. "Uncle Marcel," the president of the Chambre de Commerce de Calabre, had been close friends with her father, Callas, and had always looked after her. Besides Melus and Silver, he was probably one of the closest people to her.

"Who was that young man just now? I saw him from afar. He's quite a handsome young fellow."

"A friend I just met."

"A friend, good, good. Speaking of which, you're not getting any younger. In a few years, you should start considering marriage…"

"Eh—?" Navia blushed instantly. Although she seemed straightforward, she was quite inexperienced in this area.

Whether it was Callas, Melus, or Silver, they had always been very protective of her.

Suddenly bringing up this topic… Ugh.

"Ahem, I'm still young. There's so much to do at the Spina di Rosula, there's no rush, no rush." Navia said, then asked curiously, "By the way, Uncle Marcel, why do you have time to come here?"

Although the Opera Epiclese was popular in Fontaine, it was usually frequented by those with leisure time. Moreover, the cases at the Opera Epiclese weren't usually major ones. As the president of the Chambre de Commerce de Calabre, during this time of prosperity, he should be at his busiest.

How could he have time to come to the Ile d'Eros?

"Haha, I just happened to have some business here on the Ile d'Eros, so I came to take a look. I heard that Chief Justice Neuvillette himself is presiding over this trial. It would be a shame to miss it."

"But you, child, are the one who's truly neglecting your duties, aren't you?" Marcel laughed, then teased her.

Navia felt embarrassed.

He wasn't wrong—she was indeed neglecting her duties.

The Chambre de Commerce de Calabre had business all over Fontaine, but the Spina di Rosula's service area was limited to the lower levels and Poisson. Normally, she should be working at the Spina di Rosula headquarters.

She shouldn't have time to watch a trial.

But there was nothing she could do.

This trial was related to the "missing girls" case!

To investigate her father's death and clear his name of the shameful "unjust Callas" label, Navia couldn't miss this opportunity for potential clues.