"I can't take this anymore!"
When Furina learned that Rene and Jacob had both been imprisoned in the tower, she was incandescent with rage.
These people... one after another, they all want to go vacation in the Fortress of Meropide!
Any ordinary ruler would seize this rare opportunity to tighten their grip on the Fontaine Research Institute, but Furina was clearly not that kind of leader.
For Furina, the situation had gone from bad to worse, as she now had to handle additional responsibilities from the Fontaine Research Institute.
"There's no helping it," Focalors said, analyzing the situation for Furina. "Monsieur Rene and Monsieur Jacob are indeed guilty of crimes. It's already commendable that they're willing to take responsibility voluntarily. Otherwise, given Fontaine's current state, imprisoning them in the Fortress of Meropide would be an immense challenge. Yet ignoring their crimes wouldn't be good for Fontaine either."
Though she had lost her Divine Seat, Focalors' thinking remained slightly more mature than Furina's—though not by much. After all, they were fundamentally the same person, with only slight personality differences arising from their different experiences.
"Besides," Focalors continued, "Monsieur Rene hasn't finished the body he promised me yet. Should we grant him a research permit to continue his work within the Fortress of Meropide?"
"But would that be fair to the other prisoners...?"
Focalors hesitated. She didn't particularly value her physical form, but her consciousness required a suitable vessel to persist. This Clockwork Meka wouldn't last more than a few days; after that, she would need to find another solution.
Originally, Focalors had planned to enter Furina's Anemo Vision, where Emily had likely left a space to store consciousness. She even suspected Emily had foreseen this contingency, explaining why she'd left such a unique Vision behind.
Unfortunately, Furina clung to it too fiercely, preferring to lend her body rather than part with her Gnosis.
Focalors would never enter Furina's body, not only out of guilt but also because doing so would trigger an uncontrollable assimilation, blurring their identities beyond recognition. The resulting entity would be both Furina and Focalors, yet, conversely, neither.
Thus, Focalors' only remaining option was to return to the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale. By harnessing the Indemnitium's energy, she could effectively preserve her consciousness within its framework.
But Focalors genuinely didn't want to go back. She had already spent five hundred years in that place, which felt like a true prison to her. In comparison, the Fortress of Meropide was practically paradise.
"Fine, fine! So that's how we're playing it, huh?!"
Furina suddenly slammed her hands on the table and declared, "If that's how we're doing this, then let's all play along!"
"I, Furina, am guilty!"
"I want to go to prison too!"
Focalors: "???"
Watching Furina turn and stride out of the office, showing no signs of joking, Focalors first stared at her retreating figure, then at the mountain of paperwork piled on the desk. Her composure instantly crumbled.
"No, you can't do this, Furina!"
"Do you want to watch me work myself to death at this desk?!"
Focalors desperately clung to Furina, determined to stop her escape.
Furina struggled fiercely, shouting repeatedly, "Let go! I'm guilty! Guilty of terrible crimes! I must go to prison to atone!"
"No, you're not guilty!"
"I am guilty!"
"No, you're not!"
"I am guilty!"
-
After several futile tugs, Focalors abandoned arguing with Furina from that angle and instead asked, "You say you're guilty. What crime have you committed?"
"I deceived the people! I'm not the Hydro Archon at all, and I've caused them immense psychological trauma!"
"But I'm the one who told you to impersonate the Hydro Archon! If anyone's guilty, it should be me! ...Wait, you're right!"
Focalors suddenly realized something and released her grip.
Furina, caught off guard, lost her balance and collapsed to the ground with a thud. Focalors completely ignored her fall.
"That's right! How could I not have realized this sooner?!"
"I am guilty! I am the criminal!"
"I should be the one facing Judgment!"
Focalors clapped her hands together, sensing a bright future beckoning her.
Meanwhile, Furina stood dumbfounded, utterly unprepared for this sudden turn of events.
"Furina, I'm entrusting everything here to you. I know you'll handle it perfectly!"
"Though I'd love to share the burden with you, I can't. My sins are far too grave. I must be imprisoned immediately to quell the people's fury!"
"As an Archon, you should set an example!"
"Farewell!"
With that, Focalors tried to slip away. But Furina, seeing her attempt to flee, leaped from the ground and clung to Focalors' back like a vegetable person.
"Are you just going to stand by and watch me work myself to death at my desk? How heartless!"
"Weren't you thinking the same thing just now?!"
After arguing for a while, realizing their deadlock would lead nowhere, they began vying for ownership of the blame.
"I personally deceived the Fontainians! I'm guilty!"
"I ordered you to do it! My crimes are far worse!"
"I volunteered to play the Hydro Archon entirely of my own free will!"
"Heh, don't forget your grand pronouncements at the Opiclé Opera House, broadcast to all of Fontaine. There's a recording, and denial won't help you!"
"You're so despicable!"
Furina glared at Focalors, who returned her gaze with smug satisfaction.
"I could say I only said those things to avoid being hated!"
"I lied to everyone again, compounding my sins!"
Focalors' eyes widened, astonished that Furina could twist things in her favor.
"Moreover, I secretly ate Neuvillette's cake, leaving him hungry while he worked, causing a significant drop in his efficiency."
"I even dumped all my work on Neuvillette, forcing him to work overtime!"
As her train of thought accelerated, Furina unearthed more and more incriminating evidence against herself. Her smile grew brighter, while Focalors' expression turned increasingly panicked.
But soon, Focalors' mind also clicked into gear.
"The global warming in Teyvat... that was my doing!"
Furina: "?"
"The rising sea levels in Fontaine, which rendered countless people homeless—that was my doing too!"
Furina: "???"
"Do you have any proof you did this?"
"Why would I need proof when I'm voluntarily confessing?"
Furina glared at Focalors' smug expression, gritting her teeth.
Fine, you want to play this game, huh?!
Furina: "I caused the Wind God Barbatos to disappear!"
Focalors: "The Geo Archon Morax's ascension failed because of me!"
Furina: "I instigated the civil war in Inazuma!"
Focalors: "I had the Lesser Lord Kusanali imprisoned by the Akademiya in Sumeru!"
Meanwhile, the Melusine Secretary, who had been about to knock and report for duty, hesitated when she recalled the earlier scenes she had witnessed. She decided to press her ear against the door and listen to the conversation inside.
When she overheard the pair's conversation, her eyes widened in shock, and her legs gave way beneath her, collapsing her to the floor.
A world-shattering conspiracy!
So the mastermind behind it all was their own Hydro Archon of Fontaine!
"A-are you alright?"
Snapping back to reality, the Melusine Secretary turned to the speaker, her voice trembling with terror.
"Quick, take me to the Court of Justice! No, wait, the Marechaussee Phantoms! Report this matter twice, and notify all relevant parties!"
The Melusine Secretary swallowed hard before continuing:
"I want to file a report!"
"I've found the mastermind behind this entire tragedy!"
-
"May the Dendro Archon be with you, travelers from another land!"
After receiving their free Akasha Terminals, Lumine curiously examined the leaf-shaped device on her wrist, utterly baffled by its inner workings.
Meanwhile, Paimon turned to Dr. Edward, her curiosity piqued.
"Dr. Edward, didn't you say that most Sumerians don't even know Lesser Lord Kusanali exists?"
"That's right. When they say 'Dendro Archon,' they're actually referring to Greater Lord Rukkhadevata," Dr. Edward explained, shaking his head. "But let's set that aside for now. Why don't you activate your Akasha Terminals and experience them firsthand? This technology is unique to Sumeru! I've already explained how to use them, but feel free to ask if you have any questions."
Even though he's Fontainian, he says 'our Sumeru' so naturally, Paimon thought, muttering to herself. After her small complaint, she and Lumine put on their Akasha Terminals and activated them.
At first, the two didn't notice anything different. But the very next moment, when they saw clear identity profiles appearing above everyone in their field of vision, their jaws dropped in astonishment.
"This is way too convenient!" Paimon exclaimed in awe.
The Akasha Terminal perfectly solved the problem of forgetting familiar faces, eliminating the awkwardness of social situations where someone recognizes you but you don't recognize them. It was truly the greatest invention of the era!
"Already impressed?" Dr. Edward chuckled.
"The Akasha Terminal has even more uses. For example, it allows for long-distance communication. The Akademiya can also use it to broadcast official decrees; after all, delivering paper decrees to remote regions takes far too long."
"And you can use the Akasha Terminal to find information you're curious about—like the best places to visit in Sumeru, the most scenic spots, or the tastiest restaurants."
"This is way too convenient!" Lumine and Paimon exchanged shocked glances.
If they'd had the Akasha Terminal at the start of their adventure, they could have avoided so much trouble!
"In short, the Akasha Terminal has brought unimaginable convenience to Sumerian life. And those who have experienced its benefits but still oppose the Akademiya's methods are even more resolute in their convictions."
"Remember, the Akasha Terminal will lose all functionality once you leave Sumeru. If you become too dependent on it now, it will be very difficult to break free from it later."
"Uh... okay, we'll try not to rely on it too much... Wow, Traveler, the Akasha Terminal really can access so much information!"
"This is practically the greatest invention in the world!"
Hearing Paimon's exclamation, Dr. Edward smiled faintly.
"Traveler, why don't we try searching directly for information about Lesser Lord Kusanali?"
Though Lumine suspected it wouldn't be that simple, she still searched the Akasha Terminal at Paimon's suggestion. In the end, the Akasha Terminal warned her that she lacked sufficient permissions.
"Sigh, just as I thought... still no results..."
Paimon sighed as well, clearly having had no luck either.
"Heh, if it were that easy to find out, the existence of Lesser Lord Kusanali wouldn't be known only to such a small group of people," Dr. Edward said, shaking his head before addressing the two.
"Come with me. I'll take you to the Bimarstan first for a more thorough medical examination of the Traveler."
After hearing Dr. Edward's words, Lumine and Paimon temporarily abandoned exploring the Akasha Terminal's other functions and followed behind him.
As they walked down the cold, deserted streets, Lumine and Paimon even began to doubt whether this was truly Sumeru City.
But then they reasoned that given the severity of the infectious disease plaguing Sumeru, it was only natural that people would avoid going out if they had no pressing reason.
Amidst this situation, Lumine and Paimon witnessed Dr. Edward's terrifying popularity firsthand.
Almost every vendor they passed greeted him warmly, and even some passersby cast grateful glances their way.
Only then did Lumine and Paimon truly grasp the immense influence Dr. Edward wielded in Sumeru, leaving them speechless.
Their journey wasn't entirely smooth, however. Spotting mercenaries blocking their path ahead, Lumine stealthily drew her Dull Blade, while Paimon surreptitiously positioned herself behind Lumine.
To their surprise, the atmosphere wasn't as tense as they had anticipated. Only two mercenaries approached, while the others remained stationed on either side of the street, seemingly wary of causing any unnecessary misunderstandings with Dr. Edward.
"Dr. Edward, long time no see. I'm glad to see you're safe and sound."
"Mr. Rukh Shah, hello."
"How is the friend who came to the Bimarstan for treatment last time? Has his condition improved?"
"Thanks to you, he narrowly escaped death. He's recovering remarkably well now. With some more rest, he should make a full recovery and return to his former post soon."
Hearing their conversation, Lumine and Paimon realized the two men knew each other, and their wariness eased slightly.
Having previously heard Dr. Edward mention the Corps of Thirty, Lumine and Paimon recognized the newcomers by their uniforms as mercenaries from the Corps of Thirty, responsible for maintaining security in Sumeru.
The Corps of Thirty is directly employed by the Akademiya and tasked with Sumeru's external security. Internal affairs, however, fall under the jurisdiction of the Matra.
From Dr. Edward's address, Lumine identified the man before them as Rukh Shah, the Corps of Thirty's Parchamdar—a man known for his strong sense of duty.