Genshin Impact: Fontaine's Regent, driving players crazy.

Lyney's hat hovered in mid-air as cards, doves, and various mystical props materialized in his hands.

The small opening tricks piqued the audience's interest, offering a refreshing experience for their eyes and ears.

However, these were not enough to truly captivate the viewers; what followed would reveal Lyney's true intentions for tonight's performance.

It was the latest Water Tank trick.

Lynette leaped into the tank suspended above the stage.

As she spoke, the lid slammed shut, turning the water tank into a sealed space.

Just as everyone thought it was a sudden stage accident, Lyney snapped his fingers. Lynette dissolved into bubbles within the water and vanished from sight, leaving behind only her clothes in the tank.

Lyney moved effortlessly across the stage. After several calls, it seemed that Lynette, who had appeared to dissolve in the water tank, walked out from behind Lyney, and the two greeted the thunderous applause from the audience.

Seated in the front row, Themis had high expectations for this magic performance. Now, having witnessed such an incredible show, she joined the audience, enthusiastically clapping along.

Due to her position, in this Teyvat disconnected from the internet, her leisure activities over the years had been pitifully scarce. Almost every day was spent on administrative matters or attending to Furina.

Occasionally, she would also bear the unfair blame unfairly heaped upon her by Focalors, though she never knew when or why such accusations arose.

By now, Themis had lost count of how many times this had occurred.

In the past, she might have accompanied Furina to the Opera Epiclese to watch plays, but alas, she was devoid of any artistic sensibility.

At best, she could only say, "Lady Furina's taste is always impeccable."

At this thought, Themis instinctively turned to glance at Furina standing on the high platform. Their eyes met in mid-air.

Startled, Furina was the first to look away, hastily smoothing her hair and focusing her gaze back onto the stage. She pretended, with great effort, that Themis hadn't caught her off guard at all.

"Isn't Lyney truly amazing? That was some incredible magic! It must be real sorcery!" Paimon whispered, her voice tinged with awe. She nudged Themis, who had been staring intently at Furina.

"Magic tricks and true magic are not the same," Themis replied softly, her words drawing Paimon's attention like a magnet.

"Why do you say that?" Paimon's curiosity piqued.

As one of Fontaine's most influential figures, Themis had always struck Paimon as likable. There was an inexplicable warmth in their interactions, and when conversing with her, Paimon found it easy to speak without reserve, as she was doing now.

"Can Themis perform magic tricks too?"

"I wish I could, but alas, I cannot. Distinguishing between magic tricks and true magic is fortunately quite straightforward." Themis shook her head gently, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Themis, do you know magic? Come to think of it, me and the Traveler haven't encountered any magic yet, though I've heard witches have a few tricks up their sleeves."

"Oh, witches, well, I did encounter one long ago. She was chattering away about some curiosity or happiness, then ran off to cause a ruckus at the Court of Fontaine. Almost destroyed the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, and even got the Lady of the Waters so sloshed she could barely stand."

"Hmm..." Paimon scratched her head, forming a suspicion about the true identity of this witch Themis mentioned.

Lumine stared with eyes like dead fish, silently watching her best friend enthusiastically chat with this potential adversary.

From what she could tell, Themis looked nearly identical to her, but that didn't necessarily mean they were the same person. Perhaps this was some clever ruse to fool her into thinking she knew the stranger.

However, when witchcraft entered the conversation, she couldn't resist butting in.

"That witch you're talking about," Lumine interjected, "is it possible she's named Alice?"

Themis turned to glance at Lumine, who had suddenly spoken up, and replied, "If you're referring to the witch who nearly blew up the adorable Melusine's home—the site where Elynas's remains lie—then that's indeed the one I'm talking about."

Sometimes, just a few words were enough to recognize this individual. Lumine couldn't help but marvel, Truly, she's the mom of our little Klee.

Paimon, deeply moved, fell silent for a moment before her face lit up with a realization, filled with shock.

"Wait a second! Given how dangerous this act was, won't Little Klee's mom be accused and put on trial by the Tribunal in Fontaine?!"

"Oh, please rest assured. Fontaine's laws are absolutely fair. Although Neuvillette was incredibly angry, as the most impartial Judge, he wouldn't let his personal emotions cloud the trial."

Paimon furtively glanced at Neuvillette standing beside Themis. Since hearing Alice's name, he had furrowed his brow deeply, looking quite displeased.

Neuvillette thought to himself, "Even for someone like me, this Miss Alice is truly a one-of-a-kind headache of a defendant."

Recalling the situation at the Trial Court back then, he remembered how Alice's cunning arguments had nearly ensnared him multiple times. He had almost believed her nonsense about dragon bone productivity, explosion artistry advancing Fontaine's technology, and bringing a better life and new sources of income to Melusines.

True Art is an Explosion!

Neuvillette inwardly condemned Alice harshly for deceiving even the lovely and charming Melusines. The final verdict had been for her to design and establish the Academy, and to fully utilize her clever mind for research into explosion and ammunition engineering, as well as some of Themis's whimsical ideas.

In punishment for Alice's wicked deceit of Melusines, she was sentenced to forced labor and voluntary service at Merusea Village.

During her time serving her sentence, Alice was treated to good food and hospitality—a rather lenient punishment, it seemed.

But upon closer consideration, every brick and tile of the Academy had been personally laid by Alice's hands. Given the sheer magnitude of this physical labor, such treatment wasn't entirely unjustified.

Each brick and tile, as one of Alice's creations, bore the mark of her presence.

Unlike Themis, who remained cheerful, Neuvillette would always feel a twinge of discomfort whenever he reviewed the Academy's documents.

Themis could only offer words of comfort to Neuvillette, pointing out that at least Alice was obediently serving her sentence, and it was fortunate that she hadn't blown up the entire Fontaine, as that would have been quite a feat.

Throughout her five-year sentence, Themis adhered strictly to Alice's philosophy of utilizing resources to the fullest, wasting not even the tiniest bit. She squeezed every ounce of productivity out of Alice.

In a day of twelve hours, Themis compelled Alice to complete the work of thirteen.

This relentless push had remarkable results: Fontaine's technology advanced by leaps and bounds, giving birth to their very own Ether.

However, constrained by existing technology, its use remained limited to small-scale applications.

Themis could only guide the development of new features and suggest directions for growth.

The rest was left to the researchers to manage on their own.

"After paying her fine and returning to Mondstadt, I thought she'd finally learned her lesson," said Themis.

"But not long ago, she couldn't wait to reshuffle the terrain of Decarabian's remains."

"I personally think Mondstadt's confinement was too lenient for her."

"Maybe their Knight Commander should send her to Fontaine for a bit of discipline – teach her what real rules are."

When the news of her return to Mondstadt reached Themis's ears, she bolted with her bucket at top speed. Her reliable errand girl was gone, leaving Themis rueing the loss of such a valuable tool.

Though furina's intoxication might have seemed like a blow, Themis had to admit she had some selfish motives. But everything was working out well, moving in a positive direction, wasn't it?

Alice had used up her surplus vitality, and in exchange, Fontaine gained new technology and a whole new Academy of Sciences.

This was clearly a win-win situation that made everyone happy.

Mondstadt, meanwhile, thought: We already gave her one verdict, and she blew up Decarabian's remains into 'Dvalin's Ruins'. If we try another verdict, I dare not imagine what she'll blow up next.

"Ha! Who would've thought? Even Alice, with her carefree ways, couldn't escape Fontaine's trial."

"I always assumed she'd stay brazenly unruly forever."

Paimon and Lumine exchanged glances, both smiling at each other.

It seemed strange that Alice, who'd been so challenging even for Tartaglia in the Teyvat Travel Guide, could find her match within Fontaine.

"Truly, there will always be someone more formidable out there," Paimon mused.

With this brief exchange concluded, everyone returned their attention to Lyney's magic show.