Hello I'm back, thy leg is healed but I don't have molars anymore.
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For the time being, Furina sat on the chair that belonged to her, cheeks puffed up as she stewed in silence, clearly in a foul mood all by herself.
Seeing the displeasure written all over Furina's face, Clorinde felt a surge of concern and wanted to say something to comfort her.
"Lady Furina, how about—" Clorinde had only gotten halfway through her sentence when Furina interrupted her with a hand gesture signaling her to be quiet.
Then Furina softly let out a "shh", her eyes fixed firmly on the stage as she spoke in a low voice, "Don't make a sound. The lights are starting to dim. The performance is about to begin."
...
As the lights within the hall gradually darkened, the entire venue became shrouded in an air of mystery.
The stage play [La Chanson d'Erinnyes] officially drew back its curtain.
Onstage, the actors were dressed in splendid costumes. Every movement and every glance brimmed with strength and emotion as they poured themselves completely into their roles, vividly portraying every joy and sorrow of their characters.
The stage design was equally ingenious, with every detail meticulously crafted.
The patterns and colors on the backdrop shifted along with the progression of the story, creating different moods and settings.
The selection and placement of props were just right as well, serving the needs of the plot while enhancing the visual appeal.
...
In the blink of an eye, the performance reached its intermission.
After watching the dazzling first half, Paimon wore a thoroughly bewildered expression, feeling like she had missed something important.
She turned her head in confusion and looked at Furina beside her, who was watching with great relish, then asked curiously, "Furina, what kind of story is this supposed to be? Why do I feel like I don't quite understand it?"
Hearing Paimon's question, Furina smiled faintly. Taking advantage of the brief intermission, she patiently began explaining the story to her.
"Actually, this play tells the legendary tale of the Lochknight 'Erinnyes'… the same story I was going to tell you yesterday, before Shao Yun interrupted me."
As she spoke, Furina shot Shao Yun a mildly resentful glance.
Shao Yun noticed her look, bared his teeth, and made a face to spook her.
"So, what's the general story about? I still don't really get it." After saying that, Paimon scratched her head, still puzzled.
Furina gave Paimon a simplified overview of the story's main thread.
"The first act takes place during the era when King Remus founded the Golden Empire, in an unnamed village in Fontaine."
"The songstress Erinnyes and the young man Cassiodor grew up together. He adorned her ear with a feathered ornament and swore an oath of undying devotion."
"In the second act, their peaceful life is shattered. King Remus's iron legions destroy the tribe, and its people are slaughtered, with only Erinnyes and Cassiodor narrowly escaping."
"Cassiodor is taken notice of by the tuner Boethius and becomes a co-ruler of the Golden Empire, while Erinnyes is adopted by the lord of Eremorica Island."
"The third act follows Erinnyes after she comes of age. She inherits the lord's cause and unites the once-warring tribes into one."
"She claims to have received a divine revelation from the previous Hydro Archon, Egeria, and becomes the Lochknight who carries out her will."
"Swearing upon the unfading silver blossom, she makes two vows: never to draw her blade against Egeria's followers and to protect the Oceanids; and never to compromise with evil, driving Remus out of Fontaine."
At this point, Furina closed her eyes with lingering satisfaction and said, "That's the general outline of what was just performed."
Then she opened her eyes again, stroked her chin, and casually spoiled what was to come next.
"After that, if I remember correctly, the fourth act has King Remus sending Cassiodor to persuade Erinnyes to submit, but she refuses. Though they were once childhood companions, they drift apart as they walk different paths."
"And then there's the fifth act, where Erinnyes and Cassiodor ultimately part ways amid the fall of Remuria. Erinnyes leads the knights to bring the previous Hydro Archon, Egeria, back from her imprisonment."
After listening to Furina's explanation, Paimon's mouth fell open in realization as she exclaimed, "Whoa! So this is actually a historical drama about Fontaine!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Paimon frowned again, raising another question that puzzled her.
"But what about Cassiodor's story? Someone that important must've had tons of experiences and stories, right?"
"Yet while we were watching, his part felt like it was just brushed over."
At that moment, Clorinde spoke up from the side, adding, "I've heard my mentor mention that Cassiodor was not only one of the founders of the 'Marechaussee Phantom,' but also played a pivotal role before the Remurian dynasty fell."
"Unfortunately, after the destruction of Remuria, all records concerning him vanished without a trace, as if they'd sunk into the sea."
"Some scholars from Sumeru once came to Fontaine for archaeological research, but without exception, they all returned empty-handed."
The moment Paimon heard about scholars from Sumeru conducting excavations, her curiosity was instantly piqued.
"Where did those Sumeru scholars go to do archaeology?"
Clorinde calmly uttered five words.
"Petrichor."
Paimon's eyes widened as she tried hard to commit the awkward place name to memory.
"Huh? Petri… Klee Town? Ugh, that name's so hard to say! My tongue's gonna get tied in knots!"
Clorinde lightly adjusted her posture and gently corrected her, "Not 'Petri-Klee Town.' It's 'Petrichor.'"
Hearing that, Paimon awkwardly raised a hand to rub her head and said apologetically, "Ah, sorry! The name just made me think of a good friend of ours in Mondstadt."
Standing nearby, Lumine heard Paimon mention her Mondstadt friend and tapped her chin thoughtfully as she commented, "Hmm… Paimon, you wouldn't happen to mean that cute but mischievous little Klee, would you?"
"Now that you mention it, the town's name really does sound a bit like hers."
Seeing that Lumine agreed with her, Paimon nodded enthusiastically and promptly dragged Shao Yun into the conversation.
"Right? Right? Shao Yun, you think so too, don't you? Come to think of it, I wonder if our adorable little Klee will ever get the chance to visit Fontaine. I kinda miss her."
Hearing this, images of people who might bring Klee along on a trip to Fontaine flashed through Shao Yun's mind.
In the end, he smiled and replied, "Maybe. You can look forward to Kaeya or Albedo bringing Klee to Fontaine. Those two are the ones with the most free time, after all."
Just as everyone was chatting animatedly, the intermission came to an end.
The lights in the opera house gradually dimmed.
Furina hastily made another silencing gesture and lowered her voice, letting out a "shh" to remind everyone.
"Alright, alright, everyone, quiet now! The next act is about to start!"
...
Sure enough, the following scenes unfolded exactly as Furina had described. Erinnyes rescued Egeria and became a household-name hero.
When the performance finally drew to a close, thunderous applause erupted throughout the entire opera house.
The audience spared no praise for the actors, expressing their love for the magnificent performance with passionate cheers.
Furina herself was also extremely satisfied with the actress who portrayed Erinnyes.
She stood up with a smile, clapping her hands vigorously as she repeatedly said, "Not bad! Not bad." Her admiration was unmistakable.
At this moment, all members of the troupe stood neatly upon the stage and bowed deeply toward the audience, thanking them for their enthusiastic support.
"Thank you all! Thank you!"
...
As the actors completed their curtain call, the opera performance for the day came to a perfect end.
Some audience members, still wanting more, began leaving their seats in small groups and slowly heading toward the exits.
Seeing this, Furina naturally assumed the performance was completely over. She lightly clapped her hands and said to those beside her, "Alright, it's finished. Time for us to go."
However, at that moment, Paimon looked at the staff who were still busy onstage and quickly spoke up, "Huh? Wait! Aren't there more programs? Look, they're still setting up the stage!"
Furina's gaze swept lightly over the bustling staff as well, and she found it strange too. Weren't they only performing [La Chanson d'Erinnyes] today?
"Eh, that's odd. I clearly remember there being only one program today. Did the schedule change at the last minute? Well… whatever! Do you want to keep watching?"
As she spoke, Furina turned her eyes toward Shao Yun and the others, clearly wanting to hear their thoughts. She then asked, "So? Do you want to stay and watch what comes next?"
Hearing Furina's question, Paimon nodded vigorously and replied with a grin, "Hehe, since we're already here, why not stay a bit longer? Who knows, maybe the next program will be even more exciting! And we've still got plenty of time."
Lumine also expressed her agreement, echoing, "Yeah, Paimon's right. There are still lots of people here anyway. No need to rush off."
Seeing that both Lumine and Paimon wanted to stay, Shao Yun naturally had no reason to object. He shrugged, indicating he was fine with whatever everyone decided.
As for Clorinde, she appeared much more composed. Whether they stayed or left made little difference to her.
After seeing everyone's decision, Furina sat back down in her seat and gave what seemed like a casual instruction.
"Alright then. In that case, Clorinde, please go inform the troupe. Tell them we'll head to the lounge to see them after we finish watching the next performance."
Hearing this, Clorinde immediately responded respectfully, "As you wish, Lady Furina."
She then turned around and walked downstairs toward where the troupe members were gathered.
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