Genshin Impact, Teyvat's own beloved immortal.

"Ok?"

He looked up and suddenly noticed that one person was missing from this trial.

Funina, who is usually in a rush to attend trials, was unexpectedly absent today.

This is illogical. Given her personality and the fact that she hasn't had many cases recently, she should be very eager to participate in the trial.

Just as Vilette was wondering, Fryna suddenly appeared.

"Ah~~~" She yawned and lazily walked into the courtroom, where she sat in the highest seat as usual.

"Ms. Fulina, did you not sleep well last night?"

Seeing Funina's bloodshot eyes and tired face, Navelette asked her with concern.

"Ah...right! I don't know why, but I had insomnia last night, hehe..."

Navelette didn't suspect anything and changed the subject, "Have you heard about last night's prison break?"

"What?! A prison break! Who did it? Who has the guts to break a prison in Fontainebleau?"

Fu Ningna's acting was flawless, without the slightest flaw.

"It seems you are unaware of this matter. I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you; today's court hearing will be canceled."

"This...how could this be...has the person been caught? Please don't let the criminal escape!"

"Don't worry, the Court of Law and the Court of Shadows have blocked all the major roads and elevators. As long as they are still in Fontaine, they have no chance of escaping. It's only a matter of time before they are caught."

Funina breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. The laws of Fontaine cannot be trampled on so easily. Since today's trial has been canceled, I'll go back and catch up on some sleep."

Suddenly, a commotion broke out outside the courtroom, and many mechanical guards and Melusin rushed out.

A short while later, a Melusin ran in, covered in sweat, and reported to Navelette and Funina, "Grand Judge! Your Majesty the Water God! There's an emergency!"

“Speak,” Navelette said calmly.

"The prisoner who escaped last night! That Sherlock! He's back on his own!"

Upon hearing this, both Vilette and Funina's eyes widened simultaneously.

Funina's face turned deathly pale. She muttered to herself, "How could this be? Didn't I tell him to stay there obediently? How did he manage to escape from the seabed?"

After their conversation last night, Furna accepted Sherlock's help, but this help could only be done in secret. He was still a wanted criminal in Fontaine, so she let him stay safely in the secret room at the bottom of the sea and make contact in secret.

But not long after that, he appeared outside the courtroom looking so fresh and vibrant?

That idiot, does he even realize what a stupid thing he's doing?!

Hmm~ He wouldn't betray me, would he?

The noise grew louder, and Sherlock, surrounded by a group of mechanical guards, calmly walked into the courtroom.

Lu Sheng's gaze swept across the vast courtroom, lingering on Fu Ningna for a second before focusing on Navelette.

"Sir, do you recognize me?"

The sudden problem left everyone baffled.

Navelette narrowed her eyes, watching the suspect who had returned.

“I know him. Sherlock Moriarty, suspect in the Fontaine bombing, escapee.” His voice was calm and emotionless, just like during his usual trials.

"You had already escaped, yet you suddenly chose to return to your seat of judgment. I'm very curious about your purpose in coming back."

It seems that the water dragon doesn't recognize itself, meaning that it didn't persevere under the divine punishment of Heaven.

Lu Sheng's doubts were dispelled, and he said loudly, "I'm here to clear my name! I'm innocent! So there's no need for me to run away!"

Navelette raised her head and scrutinized Lu Sheng. "Whether someone is guilty or not is not up to you alone. The final decision will be made by the Cardinals through the trial and the final decree."

Lu Sheng shook his head. "I am innocent, therefore I do not need to be tried, and no one can judge me!"

"Can I interpret this as you resisting trial and resisting the laws of Fontainebleau?"

"No, I came back precisely because I respect the law."

"You claim to respect the law, yet you refuse to accept trial. So what is the purpose of your presence here today?"

In front of the entire courtroom, Lu Sheng solemnly declared: "I demand a judicial duel!"

As soon as this statement came out, the whole place was in an uproar.

"A judicial duel? I haven't heard those words in ages."

"Has he gone mad? This isn't an ordinary case; the plaintiff is Fontaine!"

"That guy looks so frail, a duel? Ha! Don't make me laugh!"

Legal battles are an integral part of Fontainebleau's legal system.

Simply put, it means that one of the plaintiffs and the defendants can reach an agreement before the trial begins to replace the trial with a duel.

Alternatively, if dissatisfied with the trial outcome, one can apply for acquittal through a duel, but the duel opponent will be replaced by the cardinal who will issue the decree, namely Fontaine.

Both parties may appoint a duel proxy to conduct the duel. Regardless of the outcome, both parties must accept the result without any complaints. Otherwise, it would be a violation of Fontaine law. If they seek revenge in private, they will be directly convicted by Fontaine and imprisoned.

In the past, judicial duels were commonplace, but gradually, with the rise of duel representation services, judicial duels have become distorted.

Whoever has the money and connections to hire a powerful dueling agent can escape punishment.

Therefore, Fontaine deliberately prevented duels from taking place, and its method was very simple and crude: it cultivated a group of powerful dueling agents to represent the court in duels.

The most famous of them all was the female swordsman named Clarinde.

She has never lost a match since her debut and remains undefeated.

This time, the prisoner named Sherlock dared to challenge the court to a judicial duel in public, which was simply courting death!

This case is not a trivial dispute between ordinary people, but a major case that endangers the national security of Fontaine. The plaintiff is the court representing Fontaine!

In other words, Sherlock's duel opponent must be Clarin, the substitute duelist who has never lost a single duel.

"Don't jump to conclusions. Maybe that guy hired a very capable agent. Otherwise, why would he have the confidence to come back?"

"Interesting! Very interesting! I thought it would be another boring trial, but I didn't expect there to be a duel to watch!"

"It's been so long since I've seen a duel! I'm getting excited!"

"Boring! I want to see rivers of blood!!!"

As onlookers, the audience was extremely enthusiastic, since a bloody duel was far more stimulating than a boring trial.

As the audience was buzzing with discussion, Judge Navelette questioned, "According to the laws of Fontainebleau, you are indeed qualified to initiate a duel. So, Mr. Sherlock, who will you choose as your dueling proxy?"

Lu Sheng smiled calmly, "I choose myself."

Fontaine Chapter: Chapter 143: Have you ever lost?

Upon hearing this, a serious expression finally appeared on Villette's usually calm face.

In fact, he did not want anyone to resolve disputes through judicial duels, because that would inevitably lead to wrongful convictions.

Only the final result of a trial conducted by a cardinal decree is convincing.

However, the laws of Fontainebleau are as they are, and as a mere judge, he has no authority to change this rule.

Funina felt there was absolutely nothing wrong with the rule.

“Mr. Sherlock, you need to be responsible for your words. I will ask you one last time: do you want to participate in the judicial duel in your own name? You still have a chance to change your mind.”

Vilette was genuinely afraid that Clorind might accidentally kill him, since, judging from his appearance, he didn't seem like a strong person at all, and he didn't even have the Eye of God.

This was his final warning; if the other party still insisted on going their own way, then so be it.

"I'm saying, can't you Fontaines understand human language? Stop dawdling. I've already said I'm representing myself in this judicial duel. Who is my opponent? Hurry up and bring it up."

The whole place was in an uproar again.

"What an arrogant boy!"

"This is outrageous! He doesn't respect us Fontaines at all!"

"Damn it! Let Clorind kill him!"

......

Once the commotion subsided, Navelette calmly gave the order, "Go and fetch Ms. Clorinde. The judicial duel will begin in thirty minutes. Mr. Sherlock, please remain in the courtroom during this time and do not wander around."

Lu Sheng readily agreed, casually found a seat, and leisurely crossed his legs, looking quite content, which displeased many of the Fontainebleau residents.

"Is he here to be tried or for tourism?"

Aside from the audience, the most anxious person was Furnessa. She was restless, constantly glancing at Sherlock, eager to know what he was up to.

Can he beat Clorind?

Funina bit her lower lip, her face full of worry.

It must be said that Sherlock's strength is a mystery. He can easily break the chains he wears, break out of the steel cage, and return to the surface safely from the underwater facility.

However, while many people can accomplish these things, there is only one person in the entire Fontaine who can hold the title of the strongest proxy duelist.

Clarinde, a being so powerful as to seem inhuman.

Fulina had witnessed her duels many times. Her swordsmanship was so advanced that it was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. In many duels, she simply killed her opponent in one move, without giving him any chance to catch his breath.

What's even more absurd is that Clarinde, as the first-place winner, has a significant gap between her and the second-place winner.

She can easily beat the second place.

This is terrifying. She alone caused a sharp drop in the number of judicial duels, because no one could find a representative who could beat Clarinde, and applying for a judicial duel meant certain defeat.

Navelette seemed to notice Funina's embarrassment and asked, "Ms. Funina, are you feeling unwell? Why do you look so anxious? Don't you usually love watching trials and duels?"

"Ah... I didn't sleep well last night, so I'm feeling a bit listless... Hehe... It's alright! Your Honor, you don't need to worry about me."

Funina quickly composed herself, reverting to her usual carefree and condescending deity persona.

"Clolind is here!"

As Melusin called out, a woman in a purple cloak entered the courtroom. She had long, bluish-black hair and violet eyes that gleamed with a cold, murderous light.

Holding her dueling sword, she walked steadily toward the center of the courtroom. Her white shirt, brimming with righteous indignation, bulged out so much that the buttons looked as if they were about to burst open.

Lu Sheng's gaze automatically searched for the enemy, first clearing away the mines, then looking into her eyes. Finding that she wasn't looking at him, he focused his attention on her long legs clad in purple stockings.