A new day began, and the Palais Mermonia was as busy as ever.
However, Themis was in an even better mood than yesterday.
Not only because she had helped Furina take a bath the night before, but also because Furina had handled a large portion of the documents, leaving Themis with a rare moment of leisure today.
But this peace completely vanished the moment a certain blonde traveler arrived.
"Themis! We came to find you!"
Paimon was just as cheerful as ever.
Lumine looked at Themis and, for once, found her voice.
Lumine: "While we were wandering around the city today, we heard that Tartaglia was judged by Neuvillette and sent to the Fortress of Meropide."
Paimon: "But everyone gave all sorts of messy reasons, so we came to ask for the actual details."
"Oh, right! Themis, you probably haven't met Tartaglia yet. He's—"
Themis: "I know him. Tartaglia, the Fatui Harbinger."
Themis closed the file in her hands and set it aside.
"That being said, considering Mr. Tartaglia's competitive nature, getting arrested in Fontaine seems like a completely normal occurrence."
"Are you two in a hurry because you suspect something else?"
Thinking about Tartaglia's personality, Paimon and Lumine fell silent for a moment.
"Ah! That's exactly the problem! You probably don't know what Tartaglia did in Liyue. We think he must have some kind of plan, or else he wouldn't have surrendered so easily."
"Liyue... a plan?" Themis tilted her head. She was well aware of what happened in Liyue, so she skipped over that. However, what confused her was something else. "According to the trial documents I received, Tartaglia was arrested for engaging in a public street fight, actively confessed in court, and was then willingly taken to the Fortress of Meropide. He'll be released in two weeks."
"eehh, that's not what we meant! Traveler, you explain it!"
Feeling that Themis had misunderstood, Paimon shoved the explanation onto Lumine.
"We just think that, given Tartaglia's personality, it's unlikely he'd start a public brawl on purpose. If anything, he'd at least pick a remote area outside the city."
"Before this, he even told us that fights need to be officially registered first."
"So clearly, he's still quite clear-headed."
"At the very least, he should have filed an application or challenged a Duel Proxy instead. Or maybe even just escaped outright..."
"In short, there's no way he'd obediently admit his guilt, remain silent in court, and then just quietly go to prison!"
Lumine laid out all her doubts. Honestly, she just couldn't believe Tartaglia was suddenly following the law so obediently.
Themis understood. "So what you're saying is, he wouldn't knowingly break the law without a deeper reason behind it."
Paimon and Lumine nodded furiously.
After all, the memory of Tartaglia unleashing an ancient god in Liyue was still fresh in their minds.
They were terrified that he was in prison now for the same reason—releasing another god.
"Oh, I see."
"I'll have the administrators at the Fortress of Meropide keep a close eye on him."
"Eh? Just keep an eye on him?"
Paimon and Lumine were confused by Themis's response.
"What else would you have me do? Mr. Tartaglia is a Fatui Harbinger, and since the charges against him are merely for brawling and disturbing public order, Fontaine isn't about to fabricate additional crimes and risk diplomatic conflict with Snezhnaya."
If anything, Themis actually found it convenient that Tartaglia had gone into prison so willingly—it saved her a lot of trouble.
However, after thinking it over, she realized that merely monitoring him might be too passive. It wasn't beneficial to her own plans.
She needed to push things a bit further.
After making slight adjustments to her plan in her mind and confirming that the general framework remained intact, Themis gave Paimon and Lumine a rather mischievous look.
"Rest assured, you two..."
"If you're truly that concerned, I can arrange for you to enter the Fortress of Meropide under the pretense of visiting him, giving you an opportunity to speak with Mr. Tartaglia in person."
"Eh? We have to go to prison too?!"
Paimon was shocked. She hadn't expected that coming here would land them in jail!
Lumine, on the other hand, began to doubt her life choices. "Am I truly destined to have an unbreakable bond with every prison in every nation?"
Though, to be fair, at least this time in Fontaine, she wasn't the one getting arrested—she was merely visiting.
Due to her cursed sense of responsibility and naturally kind-hearted nature, Lumine and Paimon accepted the prison visit mission.
However, after some discussion, they realized that the visitation period was too short and would hinder their investigation. So, Themis proposed an alternative.
Like, for example, directly sending the Traveler to jail.
-
In the real world, a week later.
A well-known streamer, CatCatEatsNoMedicine was doing another one of her regular Genshin streams.
However, the moment she logged in, the screen instantly displayed Act II of the Archon Quest.
She was utterly dumbfounded.
"Huh? Huh?! What's going on? I thought after the missing girl case, the game would enter a content drought!"
"Why is HoYoverse pulling this stunt now?!"
"Aren't they supposed to release the main quest all at once?!"
She stared blankly at the quest marker on the map. Though filled with confusion, she still clicked on the prompt without hesitation.
Main Quest: Head to the Palais Mermonia to Find Themis...
"Oh no, HoYoverse is really scheming something big this time. Why are they splitting the main story across days?"
"At least we have content, but where were the leakers on this one?"
"Please don't make this a trend! I just want to finish it all at once!"
Following the quest marker, she arrived at the Palais Mermonia and was greeted by the long-awaited sight of Themis.
A bright smile appeared on her face as she controlled Lumine to hop around Themis, carefully observing her.
"As expected of my wife, she's just that beautiful."
[The embodiment of justice, no wonder she's the most popular regent.]
[If I were from Fontaine, I'd also be fawning over Themis. Even more than the Hydro Archon.]
[I can't decide who to envy more—Fontaine's citizens or the Hydro Archon herself.]
Watching the scene where Paimon and Lumine reported Tartaglia's deeds in Liyue to Themis, the streamer smirked.
"Hmm~ Why does this feel like kids tattling to a strict parent?"
The more she watched, the more it seemed like it. Not to mention, Paimon and Themis looked quite similar—like a younger and older sister.
[Lumine and Themis as a ship is starting to look pretty solid.]
[Why not Paimon and Themis instead?]
[Can't we just have all three together?]
"Wait, let's focus on the plot—why is Tartaglia suddenly the 'Jailed Boy' now?"
"Don't tell me he's up to something big again, and there really is a sealed god under the Fortress of Meropide?"
The streamer eyed Themis's expression carefully. As always, her face remained perfectly composed.
Deep down, she didn't believe for a second that Themis was truly unaware of the bigger picture.
"Even if Themis won't say it, I just have this gut feeling—she's connected to the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles."
[Everyone truly believes that, even if not directly, there must be a deep connection.]
Watching Themis converse with the Traveler, their conversation gradually turned to the topic of visiting prisoners.
In the end, the prison visit failed, and instead, the Traveler was directly sent to the tower.
Lumine's expression of utter dejection made CatCatEatsNoMedicine chuckle.
"This time, although I won't face being wanted by the entire nation, I've become 'Prison Girl' instead."
[What more do you want? It's all-inclusive—food, lodging, and even a salary upon return.]
[Even in prison, being able to make demands—especially top-grade treatment—and having your own private room? I might want to go there too. Mihoyo, could you get me an opportunity to be imprisoned?]
"Wanting to go to prison requires a reason for imprisonment."
"The reason? I've already thought it through. I'll immediately pounce on Regent Themis, wrap my arms around her, pin her down, and lick her. Wouldn't that secure my place in prison?!"
[Audacious! Assailing a Regent—that's a sentence of life imprisonment without parole!]
[And considering the gravity, I think it should be escalated to immediate execution by firing squad.]
With a few snickering laughs, CatCatEatsNoMedicine slipped into a delightful daydream.
However, the plot is only rated +12; no matter what, it couldn't possibly develop into an +18 scenario.
Lumine accepted the cake from Themis with a bewildered expression.
This was the day's dessert for the Hydro Archon, but Lumine remained unaware of that fact.
"Huh? Is this a perk for helping out?"
Themis looked at the happily grinning Paimon and shook her head, "No, this is actually grounds for imprisonment."
"But how can a single cake lead to imprisonment?!"
Completely lost, Fontaine's legal system had no sense to either of them.
"Oh, in Fontaine, stealing and eating the Hydro Archon's sweets is considered equivalent to attempting to assassinate her."
Lumine struggled to find words, "I'm truly at a loss for what to say here."
Paimon chimed in, "Speaking of which, I recall Ei enjoying sweets quite a lot too."
"Nahida is also most skilled at making delicious desserts..."
As these thoughts echoed in her mind, Paimon felt she had stumbled upon a profound revelation.
"Could it be that all female deities have an insatiable craving for sweet treats?"
Themis pondered this, "It's possible."
"Moreover, sweets can alleviate stress. Those deities you mentioned earlier might well be under considerable strain."
Paimon: "Ei and Nahida indeed have a lot of worries and pressure."
"But Furina loves desserts so much—does that mean she's also under a lot of stress?"
"Who knows?"
Themis smiled, making no effort to answer.
Even though they were about to become "prisoners" and be taken into the Fortress of Meropide,
From Paimon and Lumine's perspective, it felt more like an all-expenses-paid business trip.
After all, Themis had already taken care of the arrangements, so there was nothing to worry about.
Sitting down to enjoy the cake gifted by the esteemed Hydro Archon, Lumine and Paimon couldn't stop praising it.
Themis: "As long as you like it. I was worried it might not suit your taste."
"No way! This cake is delicious—way better than the ones Traveler makes!"
Lumine glanced at Paimon, suddenly considering whether she should put her into the cooking pot today.
"Of course! Just a little bit better! If Lumine learns how to make it, with her cooking skills, she'll definitely make an even better cake!"
Sensing danger, Paimon quickly changed her words, her survival instincts kicking in.
Watching their interaction, Themis smiled—she found their dynamic quite amusing.