Chapter 133: Another Defeat

"Lady Furina, I brought you some Dango Milk from Inazuma. It's a specialty dessert from there." The sixth episode of Reporting to Lady Furina had just started filming when the Supreme Bishop pulled this move. Naturally, Furina was immediately on guard. Clearly, after being outsmarted not long ago, Ye's revenge was about to come. This man was just that petty—holding grudges and always seeking payback. But Furina wasn't afraid of him. After five hundred years of dealing with him, even though she had lost more often than not, she wasn't without her own means of fighting back. Sure, most of her victories were thanks to the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale tipping the scales in her favor, but even without it, Furina had managed to win a few times. And each victory was enough to make her happy for a year. Now, having only just enjoyed her recent win for a short while, Furina could handle whatever came next. Revenge? No big deal. Could his revenge outweigh her joy? Could it? Could it really? No. Exactly. What did Furina have to fear? Besides, Furina didn't think she would lose today. Having just won, she was in top form, feeling invincible. Furina first glanced around to make sure no one else was present, then quickly grabbed the Dango Milk and devoured it in a few bites. People learn from their mistakes. If I eat it all, you won't be able to trick me. Ye's expression didn't change. He simply spoke softly, officially beginning his report: "I've already reported the current situation with the Raiden Shogun to you, Lady Furina. What are your thoughts on the matter?" "My thoughts?" Furina swallowed the dango in one gulp, wiped the corner of her mouth, and closed her eyes slightly. "While being stubborn isn't ideal, I can understand her. Baal is also trying to protect her people in her own way. There's no doubt about that." "Just like you, Lady Furina?" For some reason, Furina felt that Ye's line here carried a deeper meaning, much like the countless times she had wondered if Ye had already discovered her secret. But as usual, Furina didn't dare to ask about such topics and could only choose to ignore it. "Gods love their people," Furina simply said. "I am no exception." "So, Lady Furina, do you agree with the Raiden Shogun's methods?" "Didn't I just say that? While I can understand her, being stubborn isn't ideal." Furina shook her head slightly and sighed. "She's only acting according to her own will, ignoring the will of her people, blindly believing that everything she does is for their good, without considering that her actions have brought them unbearable suffering—isn't this just like the Lord of the Tower from Mondstadt's ancient past?" "The Lord of the Tower was overthrown by his people, who could no longer endure his rule, and they raised a new god, Barbatos, in his place. If Baal continues down this path, sooner or later, she will meet a similar fate." "The Raiden Shogun is very strong." "Was the Lord of the Tower weak? How do you think he died?" Furina sighed again: "Making a god act against their own people is a cruel thing. One or two might be able to harden their hearts, but when all the people stand against them, the god can no longer act... They can only wait for their doom. Because the more they do, the more of their beloved people will die." Is this really what gods are like? As she spoke these lines, Furina couldn't help but lose herself in thought for a moment. If gods truly love their people like this, then... why doesn't the real Hydro Archon care for the people of Fontaine? Furina had searched. Every other nation had a god, but Fontaine only had her, a fake Hydro Archon. Where had the real Hydro Archon gone? How could Furina not be puzzled by this? But even someone as blasphemous as herself couldn't provoke the anger of the Hydro Archon. It was as if Fontaine truly had no Hydro Archon. Of course, Furina had her suspicions. The version of herself in the mirror might be the real Hydro Archon. But... was that really not just her imagination? Was that version of herself in the mirror... really not an illusion? Perhaps it really was just her imagination. Maybe she had suddenly wanted to try playing the role of the Hydro Archon and created that illusion as an excuse for herself—wasn't that possible? But then, after becoming the Hydro Archon and conducting her investigations, she found that the prophecy she had used as an excuse was actually real. So, she was stuck, forced to continue deceiving herself—wasn't that also possible? Five hundred years had passed, and many things had become unclear. Even Furina herself couldn't remember what she had been doing before she became the Hydro Archon, what her identity was, who her parents were, or if she had ever had even one friend... So how could she be sure if it was all just her imagination? Could it be that the version of herself in the mirror was just an imaginary friend? "You can't think like that, Furina." "That's too despicable, Furina." "Are you starting to make excuses to give up?" "If you convince yourself it's just an illusion, you can justify giving up, can't you?" How could it be an illusion? Stop trying to deceive yourself! You've lived for five hundred years! If it were just an illusion, how could you have lived for five hundred years? Five hundred years... In those five hundred years, the only thing Furina was certain of was that the prophecy was real. The signs were everywhere. And if the prophecy was real, then what the version of herself in the mirror said must also be true. Even if it wasn't true, she had to believe it was true. She could only believe it was true. ...Because there was no other way. Lady Furina. Whether the version of herself in the mirror was the real Hydro Archon or not, she had no other path but to believe in her. "Furina, you can't give up. You must hold on to hope for Fontaine until the very end." Lady Furina! It hurts. "No matter how much it hurts." Lady Furina! It's unbearable. "No matter how unbearable." Lady Furina! It's lonely. "No matter how lonely." Lady Furina! I want to give up. "You absolutely cannot give up. Please, hold on a little longer." Lady Furina. Hold on? "Even if it's another five hundred years... think of it this way: you've already made it through half of it. Just hold on for the other half... just hold on... just hold on for another five hundred years... and it'll be over..." "Lady Furina!!!!!!" Furina's dazed mind suddenly heard Ye's voice, which had abruptly risen in volume. She snapped back to reality, a hint of an apologetic smile on her face. "Sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment. What did you just say?" Ye looked at Furina in silence for a moment, then handed her a handkerchief. Furina tilted her head in confusion. "?" "Lady Furina, you're crying." "Huh?" Furina's expression turned slightly startled, and she finally felt something wet on her cheeks. She couldn't help but laugh helplessly. "Haha, I didn't even notice. It seems the Hydro energy is a bit too abundant. Well, what can I do? I am the god who governs Hydro, after all." As she spoke, Furina took the handkerchief and wiped away her tears, then smiled. "By the way, we were just talking about Baal being stubborn... Ye, go help her. Help her break free from that stubbornness." "Since it's your command, Lady Furina, I will obey." Ye also acted as if this little episode hadn't happened, speaking calmly "But whether it will work or not will depend on your blessing, Lady Furina." The screen slowly faded to black, and the PV ended. Ye gave up on his original plan to get back at Furina. Whether Furina had really cried or was just acting to cover up her emotions, Ye had to admit that she had hit his weak spot. Well played. But it didn't matter. This was the perfect way to end the sixth episode. It might confuse players as to why there was no Easter egg this time, but one day, this episode would undoubtedly become a heartbreaking plot twist. It was already sad enough, but with this twist, after letting Furina accompany the players through three happy years, the reveal of the truth would be doubly devastating. Ye almost felt sorry for the players. But then again, imagining the players crying their eyes out... well, it was kind of satisfying.