Mr. Zhongli, we can't slack off anymore!

Depend on!

@￥%￥&&@!

The ideal of graceful and elegant gliding across the sea quickly revealed its monstrous side in the face of reality.

The sea route between Sumeru and Fontainebleau is far from calm; the air currents in the high altitudes pull and sway erratically.

The traveler felt less like a soaring swift and more like a fallen leaf in a gale, being pushed and swayed by an unseen force. The frame of the wind wings made a chilling creaking sound, as if it would fall apart at any moment.

The harsh truth I've personally verified is that the Wind Wings have a "durability" rating.

There's no need to recreate the game for this!

Prolonged hovering and struggling against the wind severely depleted the toughness of the wing membrane material and the supporting structure. When a strong gust of wind passed and the next boost was slow to arrive, she could clearly feel the lift diminishing, and she began to slowly and uncontrollably sink downwards, the wings becoming sluggish and difficult to maneuver.

As they descended lower and lower, the dark seawater below became increasingly clear. The traveler struggled to adjust their course and spotted a small cargo ship anchored on the surface of the sea…

Snapped!

Her feet landed firmly on the cabin floor with a dull thud. The immense inertia caused her to stagger forward two steps before regaining her balance, interrupting a young couple who had been leaning against the ship's railing, talking in hushed tones.

The man and woman were startled and turned around in unison, their faces filled with astonishment, clearly not expecting anyone to "board" the ship in this way.

"Excuse me! Just passing by!" The traveler didn't have time to examine their expressions closely, hastily tossing out an apology. Before the ship's owner or sailor could even react, he squeezed through the narrow gap between the two, jumped off the bow, and once again unfurled his Wind Wings to meet the evening breeze blowing from the direction of Sea Dew Harbor. The traveler narrowly escaped and took to the air again.

Although she only gained a little altitude, it was enough for her to adjust her direction and glide one last time toward the brightly lit port dock that was getting closer and closer.

This time, she finally skimmed across the last stretch of sea without incident, aiming at a relatively open stone path extending from the pier. She slowed down, folded her wings, and bent her knees...

"Boom!"

With a slightly heavy thud, the traveler landed steadily on the land of Fontainebleau, his knees slightly numb from the final impact.

She patted her chest and breathed a long sigh of relief.

We've finally arrived!

Perhaps in those adventure games, this kind of unconventional approach, landing directly from the sky in an unfamiliar port, is quite common, and even carries a touch of the protagonist's unique unruliness.

But this is Fontaine, a city known for its "elegance," "decency," and "order," and the traveler's "wild" way of arriving instantly attracted the attention of many people in the dock area.

Those well-dressed gentlemen and ladies who had just finished their dinner stroll, the office workers hurrying by with briefcases, and the workers loading and unloading goods... all stopped in their tracks and looked over with curiosity, surprise, or slight dissatisfaction.

This "eye-catching" effect naturally and unsurprisingly attracted the attention of Ogra, a member of the port security team maintaining order. Out of duty and concern for port security (after all, no one knew whether this unexpected guest was a traveler, a madman, or a dangerous individual), he immediately straightened his crisp blue uniform, adjusted his hat, and strode toward the traveler with standard, powerful steps.

His questioning was polite and his wording was precise, fully in line with the standards for civil servants in Fontainebleau.

However, the traveler's attention was not entirely focused on his questions, such as Mr. Ograu's meticulously trimmed black mustache, his impeccable salute, and his slightly exaggerated serious expression, which made him look exactly like a stereotypical yet comical sheriff in a European film.

The traveler had to exert all his strength to suppress the laughter that was about to burst out of his throat and the wildly upturned corners of his mouth, and maintain an expression of listening attentively and cooperating actively.

Ultimately, after the traveler appeared polite and gave a flawless answer ("From Liyue, Vice Head of the Hall of Rebirth, legally entered the country, with legitimate business purposes, the landing method was purely a personal hobby and accident..."), and presented relevant identification, the Ograo team members, although still slightly frowning and seemingly reserved about this "personal hobby", finally found no reason to detain her on the spot.

"According to Article 3 of the Supplementary Clause to the Fontainebleau Entry Security and Port Management Regulations, without permission, no aircraft, windmills, or other aerial vehicles may directly cross the border and land in the port control area. Violators may be subject to administrative detention of up to five days or a corresponding fine, depending on the severity of the offense..."

As Ogra closed the notebook, he routinely recited the relevant clauses, then stuffed it back into his uniform's inner pocket. He nodded to the traveler: "Ms. Lu, given that this is your first offense and no actual damage was caused, you will receive a verbal warning this time."

"Thank you, you've worked hard." The traveler nodded obediently.

Ah~ so flying directly from Sumeru can get you detained!

This mandatory ship travel rule is a capitalist trap! It's clearly designed to support shipping companies!

Strictly speaking, in the real world this would be called 'illegal immigration'... but this is Teyvat! I've already traveled here, can't these rules be a little more lenient...?

At least be a little kinder to people who can fly!

"Well then, Miss Lu Ren from Liyue, please be careful and have a safe journey." Ogra finished speaking in a formulaic manner, turned around and left to continue his patrol.

"call--"

The traveler watched him walk away before letting out a long sigh of relief.

I finally passed.

She turned around, ready to take a proper look at this long-renowned water city. However, the moment she raised her gaze, she was captivated by a figure standing quietly not far away.

Under the moonlight, it was an extremely tall humanoid creation, entirely made of metal and intricate mechanisms. Its entire body gleamed with a cold, hard metallic luster, and its joints revealed precise gears and linkages. At this moment, it was rotating very slowly and slightly to some internal rhythm, emitting an almost inaudible "humming" sound.

Its posture is not stiff and upright, but rather carries a unique elegance.

The traveler blinked before retrieving the name for them from his memory bank—a clockwork mechanism? That seems to be it.

Fontaine's unique automated machinery, driven by a spring and a rhythmic mechanism.

Seemingly sensing the traveler's focused gaze, the featureless metal head turned slightly in her direction. But it quickly returned to its original position, turning its attention back to the dock entrance and continuing to perform its silent guard duty.

To be honest, for human beings of flesh and blood, the oppressive feeling of such a metal creation with an inhuman texture is very real.

The body, its towering height that required looking up, and... the traveler's gaze shifted downwards, landing on its calves and feet, designed like blades. This inexplicably reminded her of a female villain in a certain movie, and an instinctive urge to activate an elemental shield stirred within her.

Although being questioned so soon after landing in Fontainebleau wasn't a good sign... the novelty of unlocking a new map quickly overshadowed the frustration of this little incident. She stopped thinking about it and, following the clear signs at the dock, headed towards the passageway marked "Ferry."

They had only taken a few steps, and hadn't even completely left the core area of ​​the dock...

"Wang Wang!"

A small, black-and-white figure darted out from the side with astonishing speed and charged straight toward the traveler.

It was a poodle wearing a tailor-made vest, a simplified version of the Fontainebleau Guard's "uniform," and even a mini hat on its head...?

It is small in size and its fur is groomed to be fluffy and curly.

Its partner, a panting young man in a standard port security officer uniform—Antoine—was chasing after it, shouting, "Beggette! Good girl! Stop! Come back! You can't do this!"

Logically speaking, if a strange, fast-running "beast" suddenly charges towards you, a traveler should at least adopt a defensive posture or avoid it.

But for some reason, perhaps it was the expression in the round black eyes of the poodle named Begette that wasn't fierce, but rather...something else. Or perhaps it was its comical yet earnest "uniform" that diminished the sense of threat?

The traveler was stunned for a moment, and did not immediately dodge. A feeling even flashed through his mind that "it probably doesn't mean any harm."

However, the next second, reality slapped his intuition in the face.

"Waaah!"

Beggartie pounced precisely at the traveler's feet, without barking or biting. Instead, with a decisiveness and strength that was completely at odds with her cute appearance, she opened her mouth and firmly bit the fabric of the traveler's trouser leg, while pulling her little head back forcefully.

“Excuse me! I’m so sorry! Miss from Liyue!” Security Inspector Antoine finally caught up, trying to calm the agitated Bergette (with little success) while quickly showing the traveler his identification, his chest heaving from running. “I am Antoine, a senior port security inspector. This is my identification and Bergette’s work permit. She is one of our port’s best ‘scent inspectors.’ Her current behavior indicates… well, we might need your cooperation in checking your carry-on luggage.”

As if to confirm his words, in the few seconds that Bergette had bitten the traveler's trouser leg, a team of security guards who had been patrolling nearby, along with two wind-up robots that had been waiting in the distance, swiftly and silently surrounded the traveler, the security officer, and the dog that wouldn't let go of the trouser leg. All eyes were on the traveler, and the atmosphere instantly shifted from relaxed to tense.

The traveler stood frozen in place, staring at the poodle that wouldn't let go and seemed to know a lot about the material of his trousers. Then he looked up and glanced around at the expressionless security guards and the silently approaching mechanism. A mix of absurdity, helplessness, and barely suppressed anger welled up inside him.

Ugh! I can't take it anymore! I've only walked a few steps on Fontainebleau's soil!

First, there were suspicions of "smuggling," and now there are suspicions of being bitten by a dog and carrying illegal items.

Could Fontaine's welcoming ceremony be any more "unique"?