Chat Group: Starting by Swapping Bodies with Elysia?

"Phew, you're finally here, come on, come on!"

Inside the magnificent Opera Epiclese, many spectators had already filled the seats. Furina, waiting at the side entrance, waved her hand and called out softly when she saw Jiang Qiao and Fairy Ely.

"Mmm."

"What did you talk about with that young miss from the Spina di Rosula?" Furina asked curiously in a low voice.

Jiang Qiao looked at her with a teasing smile, "Very curious?"

"How could that be… ahem, alright, I admit I'm a little…" Furina tried to deny it, but meeting his knowing gaze, she coughed and mumbled softly, "Really, give me some face…"

Timidity was a characteristic of this "acting Hydro Archon." Of course—regarding her role as the "Hydro Archon," it was undoubtedly a flaw. At times like this, it would often arouse suspicion from others. Fortunately, Furina would always manage to smooth things over with her flamboyant and dramatic performances.

She was naturally aware of this flaw, but there was nothing she could do.

The title of Hydro Archon weighed heavily on Furina. Her seemingly glamorous exterior concealed an immense pressure. The long years of suffering had made this resilient yet fragile girl lose control of herself.

It was difficult for her to control her tears and suppress her timid nature, becoming increasingly harder to manage over time.

Perhaps only around those she was close to could she reveal this hidden side of herself.

But in all of Fontaine, the only one who could truly achieve this was perhaps Neuvillette… No, even Neuvillette couldn't.

It was simply because of his detached nature that Furina could relax somewhat in his presence.

However, she had no such concerns with Jiang Qiao. Knowing that he was aware of her true nature, after the initial panic, Furina now seemed to treat Jiang Qiao as a silent confidant.

After all—Since you know so much, and have said such things, don't blame me for being blunt!

"It wasn't anything major. It seems a very exciting drama is about to unfold."

Hearing this, Furina's eyes lit up.

"Drama? What drama?!"

She hated acting, but she loved watching plays, especially dramas and farces. As long as she didn't have to explain anything afterward, Furina would be incredibly happy to watch.

She could endure for so long, partly because the opera house had provided ample spiritual nourishment for her five-hundred-year life.

"Oh, someone's coming. He looks like a very stern uncle."

"Really, don't interrupt… Oh, Neuvillette, you're here." Furina puffed out her cheeks slightly, glancing at Fairy Ely with displeasure, then noticed the tall figure approaching from the side, a knowing expression appearing on her face as she greeted him.

Dressed in medieval aristocratic attire, the silver-haired man with blue highlights, holding a cane, walked towards them with an impassive expression.

"Let me introduce you, Neuvillette, Iudex (Chief Justice) of Fontaine."

"Greetings. And these two are…?" Neuvillette appeared cold, but polite, his gaze falling upon Jiang Qiao and Fairy Ely, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

A human… but he felt somewhat unusual. As for the small one, although Teyvat wasn't lacking in creatures of this size, and most of them could change their forms due to their shapeshifting abilities, Fairy Ely seemed quite novel in Neuvillette's eyes.

She seemed like a mechanical creation, yet she exuded the aura of life…

"Hello, hello! He's the Reliable Me, Jiang Qiao! And I'm Fairy Ely from the Land of Fairy Tales! Nice to meet you!" Fairy Ely fully embraced the role of spokesperson, making Jiang Qiao almost feel like he was in the same position as the Traveler siblings.

Well… it was fortunate he hadn't come in Elysia's body, otherwise, the resemblance would be even more uncanny.

"The Land of Fairy Tales… I apologize, but I haven't heard of such a nation."

"It's alright, just think of her as something similar to a Crystalfly or a Melusine."

Hearing this, Neuvillette suddenly understood.

You can say other things I don't understand, but you mention Crystalflies and Melusines… the former aside, the latter is something I created!

Although he wanted to chat, he glanced at the time and the waiting Gardes, then apologized, "I'm sorry, I have some official duties to attend to. I need to handle some documents. There's still some time before the trial begins, feel free to look around. Excuse me."

"Mr. Neuvillette is quite busy."

"It's normal. Although he's just the Chief Justice, within Fontaine's system, his position is closer to that of a Prime Minister."

"After all, Fontaine is a nation centered around the court."

"Hmph, you know quite a bit. Neuvillette is very capable."

Furina spoke proudly, making Jiang Qiao chuckle, "You're quite comfortable being a hands-off Archon."

"Ahem… I still do things! I'm not completely hands-off…" The blue and white-haired girl mumbled, slightly embarrassed, "I've been working hard for Fontaine."

"Mmm, I know." Jiang Qiao nodded.

Regardless of Furina's efforts in playing the role of a god for five hundred years with human willpower, she had indeed done many things during this time.

Investigating the secret organization behind the prophecy, the construction of the Opera Epiclese, and so on…

Although due to her careless nature and secretive tendencies, this poor girl often acted rashly and struggled to consider the bigger picture, Furina's contributions to this land were undeniable.

Of course—her greatest contribution was keeping the Hydro Dragon pinned down in Fontaine, working overtime for five hundred years without pay!

Jiang Qiao felt that Mobius would definitely have a lot in common with this girl.

Sitting on the sofa in the side hall, savoring the pre-show tea, Jiang Qiao's face was reflected in the delicate teacup filled with swirling tea.

A familiar sense of disorientation washed over him.

He slowly stood up. Furina, watching him, was puzzled.

…Wait.

Furina, sitting on the sofa, suddenly looked at Jiang Qiao strangely, staring at his face—the more she looked, the more familiar it seemed.

At first glance:

Eh—isn't that Furina?

…Wait, let me think.

This… that's not right, I'm Furina?!

Furina, with her slow reaction time, finally realized this after some mental gymnastics, then stared at the "herself" across from her with a bewildered expression… T-this… what happened? Did Jiang Qiao turn into me?

Wait… why does my vision seem higher, and this position… I remember seeing the bookshelf just now, why did it suddenly disappear?

Subconsciously, Furina looked down—Oh, the same size… No! They're slightly bigger than before!

This outfit, and… she slowly reached down and touched something unspeakable.

At this moment, Furina seemed to understand something, as if struck by lightning.

Her gaze met "Furina's." Furina, now in Jiang Qiao's form, burst into tears.

"W-what's going on?!" Her voice trembled—it was hard to imagine Jiang Qiao's body showing such an expression, but since it was currently Furina using it, she could only describe it with two words—understandable!

"Well, it's a long story, an old problem."

The blue and white-haired girl, having adapted to this new body, sat down gracefully, crossing her long, pale legs, and looked at Furina.

With the evolution of his power, Jiang Qiao had thought that this troublesome random swap might have disappeared, so he hadn't paid much attention to it.

Unexpectedly, it had been triggered again during his visit to Teyvat.

Fortunately, Jiang Qiao was experienced in this and handled it with ease. He used other girls' bodies like a seasoned driver.

And as for Jiang Qiao's arrival—the girls' bodies had gone from initial discomfort to later… loyalty!

Jiang Qiao, not particularly curious, began to counsel the bewildered Furina.

And she readily accepted—not!

"Aaaaaah, how could this happen?!" Although her actual age was quite advanced, Furina, who had lived for five hundred years, still considered herself a pure maiden, highly valuing her body.

But…

For some inexplicable reason, her body was now in the hands of a man she had just met, while she had become a man. Although Furina was also quite curious about the physiological structure of a male body—

—It wasn't that she didn't know. Five hundred years was a long time. Even if she hadn't eaten pork, she had seen pigs run, right? Medical academies, strange videos, even books, out of curiosity, Furina's experience was quite extensive.

However, being this close to a male body was truly a first… Well, it wasn't just a matter of proximity anymore; she had been directly put inside.

"Damn it, I shouldn't have invited you!" Furina complained—if Jiang Qiao hadn't come, such an absurd thing wouldn't have happened!

Recalling a saying from another nation, this was truly absurd beyond absurdity, absurd to the extreme!

Jiang Qiao shook his head slightly, "The range of this ability is quite remarkable."

Although he didn't know if this ability could ignore any distance, in practice, he and Elysia were essentially in two different worlds. Although on the timeline, they were one—the Previous Era was the "past" of the Current Era.

But wasn't there also the example of Qingque?

Considering that example, the other two miHoYo games were probably not immune either.

In his opinion, this outcome was relatively good.

At least they could communicate beforehand, and even be by each other's side.

If it were a different scenario—for example, they didn't know each other at all, and then this happened…

It might result in—Furina: Huh? Disrespecting the Hydro Archon! Guilty!

And if they swapped bodies then, it would be incredibly chaotic—Furina might experience the "fun" of sending herself to the Fortress of Meropide (jail).

And if the details were exposed, it would probably be a sensational story worthy of the Steambird's headlines, perhaps even reaching Yae Publishing House in Inazuma?

"Lady Furina, the trial is about to begin." Clorinde, acting as a guard, walked over to the sofa.

"Ah, this…" Furina's expression stiffened.

Clorinde looked at her questioningly, frowning, "Mr. Jiang Qiao, is something wrong?"

"Mmm…" Furina, in Jiang Qiao's body, was speechless—I'm Furina! I'm the real Furina!

That one over there is Jiang Qiao!

But this secret clearly couldn't be revealed.

Not to mention whether it was feasible, if she actually said it, the Gardes and Steambird would definitely be thrown into chaos.

The people of Fontaine would also panic.

And perhaps the next trial would be titled "Usurping the Hydro Archon's body" or "Impersonating the Hydro Archon."

Clearly, Furina didn't want to see either of those scenarios.

Do you know how much effort and energy I've put into maintaining my image as the Hydro Archon?!

Feeling Clorinde's sharp gaze, Furina panicked even more now that she didn't have her usual appearance. Her mind went blank as she looked at Jiang Qiao, as if pleading for help, and also worried.

… I'm doomed, doomed, doomed! I don't even know how good Jiang Qiao's acting is… if he arouses Clorinde's suspicion, with her meticulous nature, she'll definitely keep a close eye on him, right?

Thinking of that terrible scenario, Furina felt incredibly uneasy. She stared nervously at her own body, praying silently.

Please, please, please, you have to hold on!

As if sensing her anxiety, the blue and white-haired girl gave her a reassuring look, then said with a smile, "It's alright, Mr. Jiang Qiao is probably a bit nervous about witnessing Fontaine's justice."

Her calm tone was different from Furina's. If it were Furina, she would probably be more flamboyant.

But upon closer inspection, one could sense a certain charm hidden within her words, befitting her demeanor and appearance. It was different from Furina's awkwardness—

Yes, awkwardness—

Although five hundred years of acting should have made Furina exceptionally skilled, after all, five hundred years was enough to turn a pig into Pigsy, but due to various reasons, including the pressure she was under, her outward flamboyance could only be described as a "performance," and a rather obvious one at that.

Like a small animal afraid of strangers, Furina trembled before the people, desperately trying to conceal her weakness, doing her best to maintain the image of a god in their eyes.

Although she had succeeded, she had also earned the label of "flamboyant"—because Furina herself couldn't live up to the image of the Hydro Archon, she could only rely on bluffing and posturing.

She held little authority in people's eyes, merely a "mascot."

These factors made Furina appear unnatural and rather incongruous. Fortunately, the people of Fontaine were happy with this, and the construction of the opera house had, in a way, diverted their attention, making them completely oblivious to this unnaturalness, treating it as entertainment.

But the current [Furina], she was more graceful and natural. Her words revealed a genuine pride in Fontaine, a love for this land, as if it were innate, aligning perfectly with the underlying logic of an Archon—"Love for all creation".

She was proud but not arrogant, noble yet egalitarian. Her calm tone held no bias, as if she was "just" to everyone.

Clorinde's eyebrows twitched slightly as she looked at the girl, slightly dazed.

The Hydro Archon was still the Hydro Archon, Lady Furina was still Lady Furina, but for some reason, she sensed something different from her.

… Was it different? Clorinde suddenly wondered.

Like a ripened fruit falling from a tree, looking at [Furina], she felt a strange sense of "this is how the Hydro Archon should be."

"What's wrong, Clorinde?"

As gentle as the waters of Qingce Village, as sweet as the waters of Cider Lake, as soft as the waters of the Dewflower Sea, the blue and white-haired girl, holding her hat, smiled at Clorinde, her inquiring tone tinged with a playfulness befitting her appearance.

"Didn't sleep well last night?"

"N-no… I apologize, Lady Furina, I was just lost in thought." Clorinde lowered her head apologetically.

It was different from usual—although as a Champion Duelist, she held a certain respect for Furina, the Hydro Archon, it was mainly due to the title. As for Furina's personal style… how should she put it, she didn't dislike it, but she wasn't used to it, and found it somewhat amusing.

In her eyes, Furina didn't seem like a god, but rather a stubborn, somewhat flamboyant younger sister.

Even if she wanted to respect her, as soon as she opened her mouth… ahem.

As long as she didn't speak, Furina at least looked like a normal god.

She obviously couldn't say these things to the current [Furina].

But…

Clorinde had to admit—the current Lady Furina possessed an incredibly strong charisma.

Even without the title, simply through their interaction, Clorinde felt an urge to follow her.

Hmm, was this the so-called "charisma" or "leadership"?