Gray River is mainly composed of metal-style underground structures, with no signs of nature to be seen.
[T/L: Gray river is based off Belobog's Underworld from HSR.]
An underground river flows slowly into the area from where Furina and her team descended. The overall dim lighting feels very oppressive.
The team slowly penetrated deeper into Gray River, meeting a few scattered residents along the way, all of whom looked at them with strange or even hostile gazes.
"Look, who exactly are these people? Their outfits are so neat; could they be those guys from The Court of Fontaine?"
"I think it's possible. I heard a new Hydro Archon took office a while ago, what was the name... Furina?"
"Furina? What a strange name. I say, aren't they here to continue oppressing us?"
"I think it's possible. Damn it, we're already living like this and they still want to suck our blood? No, we have to go make some preparations..."
Several people left in a hurry.
The orderly team, with Furina in the middle, moved forward with serious expressions, searching for areas with more people.
Because the two places have been isolated for some time, even Fontaine's authorities do not know who the core management of Gray River is or where they are located; they can only fumble around based on experience.
Furina looked at the scene around her. Even though she had people accompanying her, she couldn't help but feel a little scared. She wanted to find Rina to talk to, to alleviate the fear in her heart.
"Other Me, are you there?" Furina asked.
Rina, who was lying on the sofa closing her eyes to rest, immediately climbed up from the sofa after hearing Furina's call and replied with some impatience. 'I'm here. If you have something to say, say it. If not, don't disturb my rest.'
"Can you keep me company and talk to me? I'm a little scared..." Furina requested of Rina in a weak tone.
'Huh? You're too timid, aren't you? Aren't there people accompanying you right beside you?' Rina showed a puzzled expression.
"Ah—but I'm still scared." Furina sighed in disappointment.
'Forget it. I'm bored anyway, so I'll chat with you.' Rina finally changed her mind, seemingly reluctantly, but in reality, this was exactly what she wanted.
Rina: Great! I can talk to Furina!
Furina: Great!
She was already overjoyed in her heart, but it hadn't shown on her face yet.
The twins started chatting.
"Other Me, do you think they would be willing to truly return to Fontaine's embrace?"
'Hmm... from a rational perspective, the possibility of a quick return is not high. We might even be attacked on this trip, so you need to be prepared.'
Rina hesitated for a moment but decided to solemnly remind Furina.
'But from an emotional perspective, I believe that as long as there is continuous effort and persistence day after day, Gray River will eventually return to Fontaine's embrace!'
This was also Rina's true feelings. Although she knew the process would be difficult, she still hoped that Gray River could truly return to Fontaine.
"Yes, I believe you, and I believe that Gray River will eventually come home. The conflicts and estrangement between the people of the two places will eventually be eliminated." Furina said gently but full of hope.
The twins chatted about many trivial matters in life during this time.
Furina maintained a serious expression in the middle of the team on the surface, but in reality, she and Rina were chatting.
The team continued to move forward. After turning a corner, the number of people around gradually increased and the main body of Gray River was revealed to everyone.
Gray River is a multi-layered structure, and the people living inside are quite dense. Most of them look rather haggard, probably because their living conditions are too poor.
Seeing such a group of people appear, the gazes of the people on the street focused on them one after another.
Furina and the other team members expressed that they were used to it.
Furina is the Hydro Archon, so it is not strange to receive the gazes of passersby.
The team members are basically composed of the Fontaine Task Force. Their clothing is very different from traditional Fontaine civil servant attire, so they are always scrutinized by passersby on the street when they wear their uniforms.
Furina decided to find a family to ask about the situation first.
The team came to the vicinity of a house, only Furina and Cecily went up to knock on the door—they were afraid of scaring others with too many people.
That door could be said to be dilapidated beyond recognition; the rotten wood, the few cracks on the door were very conspicuous, and there were spider webs hanging on the door, making people almost fail to recognize that this was a door.
"Knock, knock, knock." Cecily knocked on the door with a very light force, for fear of breaking this dilapidated door, causing Gray River's impression of The Court of Fontaine to worsen even further.
"Coming, coming." After a few seconds, an old man with a face full of wrinkles carefully opened the door. Seeing the neat and clean attire of Furina and Cecily, his face turned cold in an instant.
"Hello, sir, we are from The Cour-..." Before Furina finished speaking, the old man immediately interrupted her.
"Damn it, it really is from The Court of Fontaine... who would come to find an old man like me? Why, after driving me from The Court of Fontaine to here before, you are still not satisfied? Do you want to squeeze out everything I have left before you are satisfied? Get out!"
The old man became more furious as he spoke and his expression became more and more tense. After saying the last word, the old man walked back into the house and closed the door, leaving no chance for Furina to speak again.
"How can it be like this..." The cowlick on Furina's head drooped down. Although she had already been given a preventive shot by Rina, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed now that she had received such a result.
"Lady Furina, should we continue to ask others?"
Although Cecily was also a little sad, she was quite indifferent in terms of emotions, so her tone was still relatively cold, basically unchanged from usual.
"Yes, continue!" Furina still believed that some people would still hold trust in The Court of Fontaine.
However...
"From The Court of Fontaine? Get lost, stay away from me!"
"Aren't you guys satisfied with exploiting us enough? Even now you want to chase us here, do you really not want to leave us any way to live?"
"I have nothing to say to The Court of Fontaine, you guys leave, the further you are, the better."
Furina and Cecily knocked on several doors in succession, but the best result was being treated coldly and some even drove them away with sticks.
Furina was completely sad and a few tears had already flowed from the corners of her eyes.
Because the hostility of the residents was too great, the whole team had to stay in a corner where almost no one passed by.
'Alright, alright, don't be sad. A temporary estrangement doesn't mean anything. After all, isn't this all the fault of those previous nobles?'
Rina comforted Furina in a rare gentle voice. After hearing Rina's words, Furina wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said to her: "Yes, I will work hard to eliminate the influence between the two places. None of my Fontaine citizens will be abandoned..."
'Yes, I believe you.' Rina gently hugged Furina.
However, this trip was not without gain. At least when Furina was looking for someone to ask, she truly felt how terrible the conditions in Gray River were.
Year after year without sunlight and not many plants, the dripping dirty water and the water from the underground river created a humid environment. Residents rely on a few simple supermarkets to obtain supplies to survive, and there is not even a normal hospital. When people get sick, they rely on a few people who know some medical knowledge and the medicinal materials they can get below to treat them.
There are also a large number of people who have committed crimes and fled here mixed in. It is conceivable how difficult the lives of local ordinary residents must be.
The team rested in the corner for a while. Furina felt that she could not wait any longer. She wanted to take the initiative to find the leader of Gray River to communicate.
Although the local residents could not provide information, there would definitely be clues in the area. Don't forget, the team around her are all elites.