Chat Group: Starting by Swapping Bodies with Elysia?

Furina watched [Furina] chatting gracefully with Clorinde, her eyes widening in disbelief. Because of Clorinde's reserved nature, even she wasn't too nervous around her, but that was because she was used to interacting with the Chief Justice!

But Jiang Qiao—why was he so skilled?!

Not only did he show no sign of awkwardness, but his graceful demeanor also gave Furina a strange sense of defeat, as if she had "lost in a place she shouldn't have lost."

Whether as the Hydro Archon or as Furina, she seemed to have lost. What made it even more painful for Furina was—he was a man.

Oh no, I've even lost to him as a girl!

Wasn't this a complete defeat?! She didn't even have her underwear left… No, her underwear was already in his hands along with her body!

"Alright, the trial is about to begin, let's go."

"Mmm… Wait." Furina instinctively tried to follow, but the blue and white-haired girl turned around, their faces close together. [Furina]'s heterochromatic eyes met Jiang Qiao's black eyes. Although Furina, in Jiang Qiao's body, was looking down at him, she averted her gaze.

Don't look at me! What if you arouse Clorinde's suspicion?!

But Jiang Qiao—[Furina] didn't mind. She simply studied him for a moment, then leaned in closer.

"You… you're too bold!" Furina blushed. Was this guy planning to do something strange in front of Clorinde? She knew about the "active swap" method from Jiang Qiao and had considered using it to get her body back. After all, her identity was of great importance. To protect the truth and prevent Jiang Qiao from messing things up, even as a pure maiden, Furina could force herself to kiss him, despite being completely unprepared for it.

But with Clorinde present, this was clearly impossible—after all, she was flamboyant, not frivolous! Doing such strange things openly would definitely arouse suspicion!

Furina, displeased and annoyed, tried to subtly signal him, but unexpectedly—[Furina] didn't do anything drastic. She simply studied him, then gently placed the crown-like hat on his head.

"Huh? What are you doing?" Furina felt the weight on her head, a familiar sensation. This hat had practically become her symbol. She was so used to wearing it that she felt strange without it.

But—just like before, this hat was [Furina]'s symbol! This guy was brazenly putting it on her head! What if Clorinde became suspicious?!

Thinking this, Furina could practically feel Clorinde's gaze.

Although not particularly suspicious, this action still surprised and puzzled the Chief Justice—Why would Lady Furina put her hat on this man's head?

With her reserved nature, she didn't think too much of it. If it were someone else, they would probably have already started writing a story in their minds, and it would likely be headline news in the Steambird tomorrow.

Even so, that gaze made Furina stiffen, feeling as if she were being watched.

However, the blue and white-haired girl didn't seem to mind. She naturally adjusted the brim of the hat with her gloved hands, then nodded in satisfaction, "Mmm, it feels quite good~ This hat is yours now."

Although wearing the familiar hat did make her feel more comfortable, even calming her down somewhat, Furina still objected to this act of giving away something that wasn't his to give.

What did he mean, giving it to her?! It was originally hers!

Furina felt annoyed—Is this how you give gifts? Giving my own things back to me?

Should she thank him then?

However, Jiang Qiao's excuse did dispel Clorinde's doubts. Although she still looked at [Jiang Qiao] with some speculation, she didn't find anything wrong with it.

After all, it was Lady Furina's own hat. A god had their own freedom, and Clorinde, as a mere subordinate, clearly had no right or reason to interfere.

Clorinde, as the Champion Duelist, soon left temporarily, and Furina, left behind, complained, "Really, don't do such bold things!"

"No need to be so nervous. Haven't you heard that old saying from Liyue?" The blue and white-haired girl smiled and raised a hand to comfort her, leaving Furina puzzled, but also curious.

"Huh? I've never been to Liyue. What saying?"

"Rex Lapis does things for a reason."

"What does that mean?" Furina was completely lost.

"Distance makes the heart grow fonder."

[Furina] spoke calmly—for a "god," the most important thing wasn't to appear overly familiar, but to maintain a distance from the "masses."

After all, gods were seen as powerful and omnipotent. Although in Jiang Qiao's opinion, gods were just beings with more knowledge, better talents, and greater power, he had to admit that people naturally revered such special existences.

But because of the distance between them, various gaps would also arise. Just like in the eyes of the people of Mondstadt, their Anemo Archon, the God of Freedom, was so grand, but in reality, the Anemo Archon was just a bard singing in a tavern.

Admittedly, this distance could also lead to situations like that of the Raiden Shogun, who, unable to hear the voices of her people, implemented disastrous policies like the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree. However, for gods, maintaining a certain distance from the people was not necessarily wrong.

Different values, vastly different powers, putting them together inherently created many problems.

"So… you want to create distance?" Although Furina felt it made sense, she was still hesitant.

She felt this approach was somewhat inappropriate and could easily arouse suspicion among Fontaine's citizens.

"Of course not."

"Although it's not impossible, if we were to do that, it should have been done from the very beginning." The girl shrugged. Five hundred years was a long time; Furina had already ingrained the image of a "people-friendly Hydro Archon" in the hearts of Fontaine's citizens. Even if she wanted to change it, it would be impossible… or rather, it was possible, but the gains wouldn't outweigh the losses.

Jiang Qiao naturally wouldn't do such a foolish thing.

"Besides, how could a little difficulty separate the 'Sovereign of All Waters, All Opulence, All People, and All Laws' from the people of Fontaine?" The girl, wearing small leather shoes and white stockings, crossed her ivory-white legs. Her gloved hands extended from her bell sleeves, as if performing a dance. [Furina], drawing on the five hundred years of memories within this body, chuckled, incredibly composed.

Fairy Ely, holding her wand, nodded in agreement, then said with her innocent face, "See, Reliable Me can always get into character quickly. But doing this in front of your guardian fairy, be prepared to be punished later!"

"Punished?" Although Furina was curious, Fairy Ely simply blinked her innocent eyes,

"It's a secret."

"What…?" Furina grumbled, dissatisfied.

Chatting and laughing, the three of them went up to Furina's exclusive viewing platform.

There was originally only one throne here, meant for Furina alone. Allowing others up here would easily arouse questions and discussions among Fontaine's citizens, so Furina had originally planned to take Fairy Ely to the audience seats.

Although they hadn't booked tickets, with her status as the Hydro Archon, she still had this privilege.

But [Furina] simply smiled and pulled Furina up.

If there weren't enough seats, they could just add two more chairs, right? This platform belonging to the Hydro Archon was quite spacious, enough to accommodate two more people, especially since Fairy Ely's small size didn't take up much space.

Clorinde should also be here. Besides her role as Champion Duelist, she also often acted as the Hydro Archon's guard. And because this platform was close to the stage, it would be convenient for her to intervene if something happened.

However…

"Clorinde, you don't need to guard here for now." [Furina], sitting on the throne, dismissed the Chief Justice with a smile. Clorinde, although not quite used to it, didn't mind.

After all, she wasn't always by Lady Furina's side.

"The view from up here is quite different from down below," Fairy Ely remarked.

"Hmph, of course, this is my exclusive throne." Furina, sitting beside her, was quite smug about Fairy Ely's exclamation—as a privilege of the Hydro Archon, this was undoubtedly the best seat in the Opera Epiclese.

Not only the view, but even the throne itself was top-notch, made with silk imported from Liyue, truly high-end goods.

"Indeed, not bad." Jiang Qiao agreed—Furina's expression immediately changed.

The seat was good! The sofa was good!

But now, all of this wasn't hers anymore! It had been "taken" by this man, along with her body!

Thinking of this, Furina felt a pang of sadness.

Fortunately, because of Jiang Qiao's insistence, she was at least still sitting here. If she were down below, looking up at him using her body, enjoying her privileges, and looking down on her—Furina would probably break down completely.

"Order in the court." Neuvillette's stern, emotionless voice echoed throughout the Opera Epiclese.

His serious tone immediately silenced the somewhat noisy atmosphere.

"Three days ago, the victim in this case, Lemonie, went missing. Based on various characteristics, the Gardes have identified this as another instance of the widely known 'serial disappearances of young girls'."

The information revealed in his serious words startled the audience, sparking discussions.

"I didn't expect it to be the serial disappearances case. Could they have finally caught the culprit this time?"

"Come on, they always say they've caught the culprit, but what happens? I bet this is another fake."

"Sigh, when will they truly catch the real culprit?"

"Hmph, it's been so many years, and they haven't even found a single clue. With the Gardes' efficiency, I doubt it."

"Well, whatever, I hope this trial is interesting, unlike the last one, which nearly put me to sleep."

Although the Opera Epiclese tickets were reserved, and the audience would usually familiarize themselves with the case beforehand, many came simply for the spectacle, not caring about the details. After all, if they already knew everything, wouldn't it ruin the surprise?

The "trial operas" of the Opera Epiclese varied in quality—not all cases were equally captivating. At least the boring, sleep-inducing trials weren't enjoyable.

And the "serial disappearances of young girls"—this widely known and long-standing case in Fontaine was undoubtedly one of the most attention-grabbing.

Unfortunately, because it was so bizarre, the case remained unsolved. Although many people had been arrested, the disappearances continued.

This was a major headache for the Palais Mermonia. The endless stream of heinous crimes had severely damaged their credibility among the people, especially with some old nobles using this opportunity to stir up trouble.

"Silence." Neuvillette gently tapped his cane on the ground, the echoing sound silencing the noise once more.

"Bring in the defendant."

The next moment, everyone's gaze fell upon the defendant's seat.

And within their field of vision,

A blonde girl in a white dress, adorned with flowers, came into view.

It was worth noting that there didn't seem to be any strange, unidentified flying objects beside her.