Skirk's personal weapon, Azure Radiance, was stabbed into the ground not far away, while a sheathed longsword rested across her neck.
The crisscrossing sword marks all over the ground showed that a battle had just taken place here.
A thin line of blood had been drawn across Skirk's smooth neck, tiny beads of scarlet seeping out one after another.
"How is it? Still want to keep going?" Koji smiled faintly.
"No. I lose. I can't beat you." Skirk tapped the sword hilt at her throat.
Strong—terrifyingly strong. With power like her master Etienne's, he still shouldn't even have the qualifications to stop that sword just now.
Koji put away Divine Sword: Dawn. Since he hadn't intended to kill Skirk, there was no need to actually draw the blade.
"I believe you now. You really can kill my master."
Skirk raised Azure Radiance. When she sparred with her master, she could at least force out two moves. But against Koji, whether in raw stats or combat mechanics, she was completely crushed.
The power of the Abyss was like some kind of cosmic joke.
"This little thing…"
Skirk looked toward Paimon. Strange.
With her strength, she could see through even beings on the Dragon King's level. Yet she couldn't see through Paimon at all. The little thing's identity was wrapped in fog, as if hidden behind a thick mist.
"Interesting. Here's a piece of advice: be careful around that little one," Skirk said to Lumine.
"What do you mean? Paimon would never hurt Lumine! I'm going to give you a really awful nickname—Ice Block Lady!" Paimon stomped her tiny feet.
Skirk made no comment. She had said all she meant to say. In short, this little one was extremely mysterious.
...
Fontaine—nation of the Hydro Archon, and also a nation of justice.
Among the Seven, the Hydro Archon was a very special case. As Fontaine's biggest celebrity, almost everyone could see the god's figure with their own eyes. It wasn't like the Anemo and Geo Archons: except for their own retainers, practically no one recognized them. Even if their human vessels walked right past you, you wouldn't know who they were.
The people of Fontaine pursued art, fashion, and justice to the extreme. Teyvat's famous newspaper, The Steambird, was headquartered here.
"It really is close to the Primordial Sea. I can feel my master's pet," Skirk said.
"Speaking of which, why are you tagging along with us?" Paimon watched Skirk warily. This person just felt dangerous.
"To temper myself. Koji's power is overwhelming—he's the most suitable opponent," Skirk said bluntly.
"See that, Lumine? That's called constantly striving to get stronger. Now look at you." Koji teased.
Lumine rolled her eyes and replied with perfect confidence, "She's her and I'm me. With you around, it's enough for me to just get my old power back."
"But Fontaine really is a nation of water—there's water everywhere."
Compared to Mondstadt and Liyue, Fontaine showcased the Hydro element much more vividly. Sitting on the aquabus, when you looked out, apart from a few islands and bits of land, everything else was water.
"What kind of person is the Hydro Archon?"
The Anemo Archon was a drunk, the Geo Archon an old rascal, the Electro Archon a shut-in, and the Dendro Archon a little goofball. So the Hydro Archon probably had a pretty unserious side too.
"The Geo Archon is 'great wisdom disguised as foolishness.' The Anemo Archon is 'great wisdom that actually is foolish.' As for the Electro Archon's 'great—' and the Dendro Archon's 'great wisdom'…" Koji remembered a funny line.
"Is that 'great' on the Electro Archon… decent?" Lumine grinned wickedly, thinking of the General's slime form.
"Whether it's decent or not depends on the person. If your mind goes straight into the gutter, that just means you're the indecent one," Koji said.
Lumine's face went dark. He was outright calling her a pervert to her face.
"So you're saying the Hydro Archon is kinda dumb?" Lumine felt like she'd caught on to something.
"Something like that. A lot of what the Hydro Archon does makes them seem… not very bright," Koji said with a laugh.
Lumine was a bit speechless, but not surprised. After all, she'd already met four Archons. She was used to it.
A bit silly and goofy—that wasn't a problem. Without a little unhinged charm, you didn't deserve to be one of the Seven.
"I'm actually kind of curious about this Hydro Archon now. What about you, Eula?"
Eula nodded. She'd heard of Fontaine's superstar before—they were very famous. Clearly a god, but very down-to-earth, not the lofty, unapproachable type. Here in Fontaine, the Hydro Archon was incredibly well loved.
"So this is what the Seven are like?" Skirk raised a brow. They were nothing like the godly images she'd imagined.
"Gods are just beings with great power, that's all."
Skirk nodded. Most gods were simply lifeforms with immense power—and they could be killed.
House of the Hearth.
"Father, our informant reports that Harbinger Aotian and the Traveler's party have entered Fontaine."
Lyney spoke respectfully as he handed the report to his "father," Arlecchino. This was the intelligence network of the Fatui, spread across every corner of Teyvat and making every nation wary of them.
"Heh. So we're finally going to meet, my two new colleagues."
Arlecchino was very interested in these two newly promoted Harbingers. She knew Koji and the others would definitely come to Fontaine sooner or later, so she hadn't gone to them herself.
She'd heard that three of the Doctor's segments had vanished without a trace in Sumeru. Even though the Doctor hadn't said anything, anyone with half a brain could guess what had happened.
And, coincidentally, Koji's group had been in Sumeru at that exact time. Who could tell who had done it~?
As for that man, the Doctor, Arlecchino had no fondness for him at all. Back when she had just taken over the House of the Hearth, he'd wanted her to send the children who failed her standards over as experimental subjects. He'd had all kinds of cooperation with the previous "Servant" as well.
If they weren't both Harbingers, Arlecchino would have scrapped that thing the moment they met.
So when she heard that the Doctor's segments had "evaporated," Arlecchino had been in an excellent mood. It was just a pity she hadn't been the one to do it herself.
"Father, will those two Harbingers affect what we're doing?" Lyney asked worriedly.
Though they were all Harbingers, the internal relationships within the Harbingers were far from harmonious.
"Don't worry. Nothing happened in any of the nations they passed through. Things actually turned in a better direction instead," Arlecchino said with a smile.
She'd heard Lady Rosalyne talk about these two colleagues before. They were easy to get along with and completely different from the other Harbingers—absolute outliers among the group.
"Lyney, when they arrive at Fontaine Court, you and Lynette will invite them over in person," Arlecchino instructed.
"I'll remember, Father."
Lyney and Lynette both nodded, then left the House of the Hearth.
Arlecchino stood by the window. From here she could see the sky and sea outside.
"I hope you can bring me a pleasant surprise."
It was a pity there weren't any of the Doctor's segments in Fontaine right now, or she could have asked them to help dispose of them along the way.
The Doctor knew she wanted him dead, so whenever he traveled, he made sure never to appear in a region while Arlecchino was present.
He had plenty of segments, but making even one required a tremendous amount of resources…
(End of Chapter)
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