"'A script that fits the era and art'...What does that mean? I'm a bit confused..."
Paimon held her little head; her tiny brain had received too much complex information today, and she was truly...confused.
—She even felt her brain was about to burst into flames.
Hearing Paimon's question, Claude's face broke into a smile, and he patiently continued to explain:
"In Fontaine, Judgment is gradually becoming synonymous with performance, and the process of Judgment involves high-intensity conflict and sensory stimulation, but traditional Fontaine Opera does not possess this quality."
"The conflict and sensory stimulation in most classical Fontaine Opera are relatively slow to develop. Although there are still people in this era who can appreciate and applaud Fontaine Opera, still..."
Before Claude could finish, a somewhat mocking voice reached the ears of the three, saying derisively:
"But some people have the talent right there, yet they shamelessly daydream."
"Heh heh...Claude, I admit you are indeed better than me in playwriting, but that's for traditional Fontaine Opera. For popular Fontaine Opera...you're not as good as me!"
Hearing this voice, Lumine and Paimon instinctively turned their heads to see a slightly overweight man with a bit of flab on his face looking at them mockingly...
No, to be precise, he was looking mockingly at Claude, not "them."
—He even treated Lumine and Paimon as invisible, completely unconcerned.
"..."
Hearing this, Claude's eyes narrowed slightly, his face devoid of expression, but his hand on the table gripped the pale tablecloth tightly, reflecting the anger in his heart at that moment.
The fat-headed fellow seemed to notice Claude's small movements, and the mockery on his face grew even stronger as he continued:
"Oh? Why are you getting so agitated when I'm just telling the truth? Who was fired from the troupe for refusing to write scripts that fit the era? Was it you or me?"
With that, the man's gaze fell upon Lumine and Paimon, who were sitting opposite Claude, and he continued mockingly:
"It's normal for you to want to make a comeback with this art festival, but..."
"You're not so desperate to make a comeback that you've gone mad, are you? Wasting so much time talking to these two bumpkins who don't even know what Fontaine Opera is?"
"Are you perhaps hoping these two amateurs can help you? Stop daydreaming! This era doesn't need art; it needs emotion and hot topics!"
After saying this, the man saw that Claude showed no excessive emotional outburst and was momentarily exasperated.
In his mind, Claude should have rushed up and fought him, instead of silently gripping the tablecloth with no expression.
As long as he dared to make a move, he could have the guards outside take him away and lock him up in Meropide for two weeks, and this major problem would be completely gone.
Thinking of this, the fat-headed fellow nodded slightly, seemingly quite pleased with his malicious trick.
"Claude, from the day you were fired, it proved that your so-called artistic philosophy is simply no match for mine."
"Just stay in the mud for the rest of your life! Playwright? Heh heh...just an excuse for an unemployed vagrant!"
After dropping this remark, seeing no sign of anger from Claude, he left Hotel Debord rather uninterestingly.
After the man left, Paimon indignantly stomped her little foot, saying unhappily:
"What do you mean by bumpkins! We've at least watched Yun Jin perform on the Jade Chamber and heard the Wind God recite poetry in Mondstadt! How did we become bumpkins?!"
"Ugh, ah, ah, ah, I'm so mad! I'm going to give that guy an ugly nickname, like Fatty Winter Melon!"
Lumine gave a helpless glance at the fuming Paimon beside her, then turned her gaze to Claude, who was looking a bit downcast.
"Are you okay?"
Lumine asked softly.
Claude shook his head slightly, then gave a bitter smile:
"I apologize for making you witness that, as he said...I used to be a pedantic fellow, but...I don't think there's anything wrong with my ideas."
"Whether it's Ritou's Fontaine Opera or Mondstadt's poetry, their audiences aren't just entrepreneurs or landlords who don't need to directly participate in labor production, but all kinds of people."
"Fontaine's Fontaine Opera clearly has this quality, but why has it never spread...I've never found the answer."
At this point, Claude paused, and a fervent light shone in his emerald eyes. Lumine even felt that his eyes were excessively bright.
"But recently...I found the answer."
"Previous traditional Fontaine Opera had too much artistic merit, neglecting the direct stimulation and rendering of emotions, which led to the story's pace being drawn out for a very long time."
"However, in modern times, the direct sensory stimulation brought by Fontaine's Judgment system has completely pushed traditional Fontaine Opera aside, and this has led many playwrights to abandon artistic merit, choosing to use sensory stimulation instead."
"And Ritou's drama and Mondstadt's poetry are directly linked to certain real events; after some artistic refinement, the characters in them acquired a considerably strong artistic flair."
"Because they originated from real events, the drama and poetry themselves already carried sensory stimulation, so..."
Before Claude could finish, Paimon was already summarizing:
"So! By perfectly combining artistic merit and sensory stimulation, Fontaine's Fontaine Opera can spread to every corner of Teyvat!"
Hearing this, Lumine instinctively turned to look at Paimon, only to find that she had put on her detective gear at some point!
Lumine sighed slightly at the sight, then turned her gaze to Claude before her, asking directly:
"You've told us so much...it's probably not just to explain your creative philosophy to us, is it? What do you need us to do?"
"Yes! How can we help you?"
Paimon echoed with a grin.
Claude was startled for a moment, then sighed softly and said:
"Although this matter sounds easy, it...actually has very high requirements."
"It requires a scholar who is quite knowledgeable about ancient Fontaine history, and also an connoisseur who has a good understanding of classical Fontaine Opera..."
"Just these two points are already very difficult to achieve, so I merely wanted the two of you to take a look and offer some opinions after my script is written."
Upon hearing the characteristics Claude just mentioned, a figure appeared in Lumine's mind.
Paimon also looked at her at this moment, asking softly:
"You're thinking of him too?"
Lumine nodded.
After the two exchanged opinions, Paimon said to Claude before them:
"Okay! We accept this commission! However...it's not to help you appreciate Fontaine Opera, but..."
"To take you to find someone who fits the criteria! Let him help you, and also prove that we're not bumpkins!"
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