Court of Fontaine.
Neuvillette drew in a sharp breath.
The thing he had feared most… had finally happened.
In the previous nations, Aerin rarely bothered with communication.
From the very beginning, he would descend with overwhelming force, crushing everything through sheer dimensional disparity.
But—
Because of Rukkhadevata's suggestion, Aerin had taken advantage of the situation and come to Fontaine alone.
It was like the ruler of the world suddenly deciding to travel incognito.
Fontainians, being fashion-forward and refined, were at least decent when it came to etiquette.
They might not be overly warm or ceremonious, but trouble was unlikely to arise.
The only real problem—
Was that hands-on-hips, overly confident "Hydro Archon".
Furina de Fontaine.
Only after learning that Furina was a false god did Neuvillette finally begin to understand her hysterical, over-the-top behavior.
It had all been an act.
A way to cover up her fake identity.
But—
She had chosen the worst possible target to act in front of.
"This is really going to cause a disaster," Neuvillette sighed bitterly.
"You're the real ancestor of Fontaine's troubles, Furina…"
[Hu Tao]: "That presence is insane. Furina actually dares to flaunt her Archon status in front of that being."
[Barbatos]: "Ehe…"
[Morax]: "..."
[Shenhe]: "She likely doesn't understand how terrifying that senior truly is, which is why she dares to act superior."
[Xianyun]: "Hmph. Regardless of how this false identity came about, her actions are extremely bold."
[Ganyu]: "Adeptus… Lady Furina truly seems unaware."
[Neuvillette]: "Furina has no malicious intent. Please forgive her—she's clearly inexperienced and innocent."
[Navia]: "Ah… it's over."
[Furina]: "I really didn't know who he was! Isn't ignorance supposed to be excusable?"
Opera Epiclese — Palais Mermonia.
Furina stood there, completely stunned.
Deep down, she had already anticipated that her future self might cause serious trouble.
The problem was—
Aerin hadn't descended like a god.
He had shown up like a tourist.
And worse, he was chatting casually with Lyney and Lynette about extremely sensitive matters.
Who were Lyney and Lynette?
They looked harmless—but in truth, they were members of the Fatui.
As Fontaine's Hydro Archon, constantly under pressure from all sides, how could Furina not interrogate someone like that?
"I've really been wronged!" she wailed.
She stormed out of the room.
"Lady Furina, where are you going?!"
Clorinde and Sigewinne panicked.
She wasn't… going to do something drastic, was she?
"I'm going to eat all my favorite little cakes," Furina declared grimly.
"Then I'll calmly wait for my execution."
Clorinde: "…Uh."
["This is our famous Hydro Archon, Lady Furina."]
[Lyney introduced Furina solemnly.]
[Aerin merely nodded, indicating he understood.]
[Furina placed her hands on her hips, scrutinized Aerin—who claimed to be from Liyue—then glanced at Lyney and Lynette.]
[Those siblings…]
[After a moment's internal muttering, Furina focused entirely on Aerin.]
[She straightened proudly, cleared her throat.]
["As Fontaine's renowned magician Lyney has said—"]
["I, Focalors—Furina de Fontaine—one of the Seven Archons, Queen of all waters, all lands, all peoples, and all laws—"]
["Am without question a true god."]
[Aerin blinked a few times, momentarily stunned.]
[At the same time, Furina's pupils shrank.]
[Why is he looking at me like I'm an idiot?!]
[Shouldn't he be intimidated by my divine status?!]
[Suppressing her panic, Furina spread one hand and smiled.]
["As an outlander, it's natural for you to hold vulgar misconceptions."]
["But remember—gods too are divided into the ordinary and the exceptional."]
["In Fontaine, before the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, even the gods of this world can be judged by me—Focalors."]
[Her voice rang with authority.]
[She glanced at Aerin and noticed his pupils slowly widening.]
[Relief washed over her.]
[Satisfied.]
[Hah! He must be overwhelmed by my presence.]
["What an imposing god,"]
[Aerin said, looking toward Lyney and Lynette.]
[The siblings awkwardly lowered their heads and nodded politely.]
["A god who can even judge other gods."]
["Then surely you've already caught the culprit behind the missing-girl cases?"]
["Otherwise, wouldn't even more innocent girls die?"]
Furina's expression stiffened.
The culprit had never been conclusively identified—how could there be an arrest?
But if she failed to give this outlander an answer in front of Fontaine's people—
Wouldn't she lose face entirely?
["Of course," Furina replied confidently.]
["Yesterday, we arrested those involved and sent them to the Fortress of Meropide."]
["This matter doesn't concern you."]
Aerin crossed his arms, frowning thoughtfully.
["I attended yesterday's trial."]
["The missing-girl cases began twenty years ago—clearly the same group was responsible."]
["Yet at yesterday's trial, a man named Tartaglia—who should have been innocent—was judged guilty by the Oratrice."]
["Are you referring to him?"]
["His verdict was forced. He's only nineteen this year."]
["When the crimes began, he hadn't even been born."]
["By this logic, Fontaine's laws are… unimpressive."]
Arlecchino and Rosalyne stared in disbelief.
Thinking of Tartaglia's demeanor before departing—
Both women struggled not to laugh.
[Tartaglia]: "I was sent to the Fortress of Meropide?!"
[Paimon]: "That's amazing—being implicated in a crime from before you were born!"
[Arlecchino]: "Sigh…"
[Yanfei]: "The Oratrice has never erred before. How could such an absurd verdict occur?"
[Rosalyne]: "Did Tartaglia really get involved after arriving in Fontaine?"
[Tartaglia]: "Don't talk nonsense. I'm not that kind of pervert."
[Barbatos]: "I sensed a force calling me to Fontaine. I arrived… and ended up in prison."
[Tartaglia]: "You're Mondstadt's Anemo Archon. Please respect your status."
Inside the core of the Oratrice.
A woman formed of pure consciousness watched anxiously.
Focalors suddenly understood.
Fontaine's energy came entirely from Indemnitium, born of faith.
She controlled it all—and through it, perceived everything in Fontaine.
She had long known of the Star-Devouring Whale in the Primordial Sea.
As it grew, the sea level rose.
"So future-me imprisoned Tartaglia…"
"Because he mentioned whales… and was suspected to be connected to it?"
"Was he meant to restrain the Star-Devouring Whale?"
The verdicts of the Oratrice all passed through Focalors.
Only this explanation made sense.
[Furina grew increasingly uneasy.]
[Even she felt that Tartaglia's guilty verdict was abnormal.]
[In five hundred years, the Oratrice had never malfunctioned like this.]
[Doubt spread among the people.]
[Furina could only deflect it with arrogance or avoidance.]
[But she knew—this couldn't last.]
[Her gaze fell on Aerin.]
[This outlander who had appeared so suddenly.]
[If she let him continue spreading fear, Fontaine would spiral further into chaos.]
Facing the growing crowd, Furina inhaled deeply.
Then calmly exhaled.
["I see now."]
["I always felt something was off about you."]
["And now you've slipped up."]
["Tartaglia's age was never mentioned during yesterday's trial."]
["And a criminal's age is irrelevant."]
["Even if he wasn't born back then, that doesn't mean he couldn't join a criminal group later."]
["Especially given the Fatui Harbingers' reputation."]
Her gaze swept pointedly over Lyney and Lynette.
The siblings frowned slightly.
["That's enough."]
[Furina pointed at Aerin and smiled.]
["No one here knows Tartaglia's age as clearly as you do."]
["You must be his accomplice."]
["To be safe, I'll personally judge you."]
["Come with me."]
The people of Fontaine were dumbfounded.
That's the ancestor who saves worlds—and you're putting him on trial?!
Someone stop her first!
Aerin said nothing.
After Furina exposed his "slip," the crowd burst into applause.
They praised their Archon's wisdom.
Aerin merely smiled and followed her.
Yet Clorinde, acting as Furina's dueling protector, noticed something strange—
Midway, Furina dismissed the other guards and brought Aerin not to court…
But back to Palais Mermonia.
Private Office.
Tea and pastries were laid out.
Furina maintained her proud posture.
"Speak," she said coolly.
"You must have something to tell me."
Aerin paused.
Furina immediately added:
"Don't underestimate a god."
"There were no Liyue representatives at yesterday's trial."
"Your appearance is distinctive—I didn't see you there."
"And Tartaglia's information is classified."
"Even those Fatui siblings wouldn't know his exact age."
"You revealing it so casually makes your identity suspicious."
"And someone with access to such intelligence should be cautious."
"Yet you let me catch this flaw so easily."
"That makes me believe it was intentional."
"You wanted to speak with me alone."
"So you approached the siblings at the harbor and discussed sensitive topics."
"Your goal was for me to take you away."
She laid out her reasoning in one breath.
Recent events had been overwhelming.
Divine trials.
Missing girls.
Rising seas.
She had been monitoring the House of the Hearth closely.
In her eyes, Aerin had deliberately drawn her attention.
Aerin fell silent.
He had only thought Fontaine's laws were overly lenient.
Even the worst criminals were merely sent to Meropide—
Which had become its own society.
Exile, not punishment.
He only meant to mock that.
He hadn't expected Furina to imagine so much.
"…Have you read too many detective novels?" Aerin asked dryly.
"Forget being a god. You should become a private investigator."
Furina lowered her gaze.
From the harbor to now, Aerin had shown her no reverence.
"…But you are interesting."
Aerin suddenly pulled out a notebook from the Imaginary Space.
Furina and Clorinde recoiled.
Clorinde drew her sword instantly.
"Relax," Aerin said.
"This notebook contains all clues related to the missing-girl cases."
Furina's pupils contracted violently.
Combined with everything happening in Teyvat—
Her body trembled.
"Y-You… are you…"
"Someone sent down from… above…?"
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