Chapter 3: 'Reporting to Lady Furina'

"Master, do you want to film a PV?" "How? A character PV for Astrea?" After finally finishing the setup for the alternate account and casually naming her "Astrea," Baoyu suddenly suggested this. "Of course, we'll film that too, but I'm talking about a PV for you, Master. Although you can't appear in the main storyline right now, you can create a program where you introduce the characters of Genshin Impact to build up some popularity in advance." "Isn't that Dainsleif's job?" "Isn't it great to steal his job? Speak some cryptic words, walk the path of the cryptic, and leave no room for the cryptic!" "There's no need to compete with him on the same track. Walking someone else's path isn't interesting." Ye tapped the armrest again, deep in thought. "Let's have Furina appear in it too. The program will be called—Reporting to Lady Furina." Episode 1 Reporting to Lady Furina—"The Fifth Descender" "What is this?" "A script, and also intelligence." After watching the trial at the Opera Epiclese, Furina was called to the Grand Cathedral by Ye. Although she didn't really feel like going, she thought there might be something important, so she came anyway. Now, she sat on the guest sofa, eating dessert while reading the script in her hands. Ye sat across from her, calmly watching her, and said in a composed tone, "Cameras will be recording this script later. Please act according to the script, Lady Furina." "Is this important?" "Very important. If you keep acting according to these scripts, the prophecy might be resolved in the most perfect way." Furina's face lit up with excitement as she stared at Ye. "Really?!!" Then, she immediately caught herself, coughing twice. "I mean, aren't you underestimating the prophecy? As a god, I know better than anyone what the prophecy is. The Heavenly Principles are inviolable, and the prophecy will inevitably come true." "Even so, aren't you also working hard to resolve the prophecy, Lady Furina? I'm doing the same." "...I understand. Then I'll cooperate with you this time." "Not just this time, but many times. This is just the beginning." After hearing this, Furina didn't say anything more and quickly got into character. First, she glanced at the camera, took three seconds to prepare, crossed her right leg over her left, with her calves lightly touching—a posture of utmost elegance. As for her hands, she picked up a cup of coffee, took a gentle sip, and then smiled playfully at the corner of her mouth. "Are you sure? The Fifth Descender has appeared in Mondstadt?" Ye stared at the corner of Furina's mouth, paused for two seconds, and then nodded calmly. "Yes, Lady Furina." "How interesting." Furina put down her coffee, rested her chin on her hand, and smiled faintly. "The Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius is away on an expedition, and most of their main forces are absent. The envoys from Snezhnaya are taking advantage of this to pressure Mondstadt. Under the schemes of the Abyss, the Anemo Archon's protector has become Mondstadt's greatest disaster... In such a situation, what will the Fifth Descender bring to Mondstadt? Hope? Or ruin? Can Barbatos, the Anemo Archon who abandoned his crown, still sit idly by?" "That drunkard has already started to act." "Is he planning to reclaim his crown?" "He'll probably just help Mondstadt solve its problems from the shadows, as usual." "The Abyss's problems aren't easy to solve." "But the Fifth Descender is in Mondstadt now." "Do you think the Fifth Descender can become Mondstadt's hope?" "All Descenders possess special powers." Furina looked up at Ye and smiled faintly. "Is this your experience speaking, as a fellow Descender?" "Just a humble opinion." "You call it a humble opinion, but since it's coming from you, it must be reliable. So, it seems Mondstadt will be saved, and there's no need for our Supreme Archbishop to intervene." "No, I've already intervened." "Oh?" Furina raised an eyebrow in surprise, tilting her head slightly. "Adding flowers to brocade is not as good as delivering coal in snowy weather. For diplomacy, this is common sense." "So?" "The guardian knight I've carefully selected for you still needs to complete her final trial. So, I've already sent her on her journey." "Astrea? That child... Is it really okay to let her travel alone?" Furina looked worried. "She's just a child, isn't she?" "Precisely because of that, she needs to be tempered. Otherwise, how can she shoulder the responsibility of protecting the Hydro Archon?" "I'm a god. Why would I need someone to protect me? Have you seen any other gods with bodyguards?" "If even minor thieves require Lady Furina to take action personally, then it would be our failure." Furina and Ye locked eyes for three seconds before she nodded indifferently. "Fine, do as you please. But speaking of which, your attitude toward Mondstadt is completely different from your attitude toward Sumeru, even though both are godless nations." "Mondstadt may appear to be a godless nation, but in reality, Barbatos has always been protecting it from the shadows. Therefore, it should naturally be treated as a nation with a god—though the Fatui from Snezhnaya don't seem to think so. As for Sumeru... their suffering is largely self-inflicted." "I am the God of Justice. What you've done to Sumeru is hardly just." "Everyone's justice is different. My justice is to protect Lady Furina. To do so, I need the knowledge accumulated over generations by the Sumeru Akademiya—and most importantly, what I've done to Sumeru is, at most, a failure to execute justice, but I've genuinely been combating evil." "Combating evil?" "The Akademiya is Sumeru's greatest evil. As the God of Justice, do you find that problematic?" "Hmm... No, it's not a problem." Furina thought for a moment and then nodded helplessly. "Buer really is pitiful, having to deal with such subjects... Are you really not going to save her?" "She doesn't need saving right now. I've told you this before, Lady Furina." Furina nodded inwardly. Indeed, Ye had mentioned this before. Regarding the current Dendro Archon, Nahida, being imprisoned by her own people using the power of the previous Dendro Archon, Furina had received a report from Ye long ago. Her first thought at the time was to help Nahida. Even though her own nation's affairs were already overwhelming, Furina couldn't just stand by and do nothing in the face of such a situation. Moreover, Nahida was, after all, a true god. If Furina could earn her favor, wouldn't that benefit Fontaine? However, Ye's words at the time dissuaded Furina. Although Nahida was indeed imprisoned, she wasn't actually incapable of freeing herself. In fact, if she wanted to escape, she could do so at any time. This was because the scholars, sages, and even the Grand Sage of the Sumeru Akademiya were all overly reliant on the Akasha System. And they hadn't yet realized one crucial thing: Nahida could, at any time, take control of their bodies through the Akasha. As a result, they had no defenses in place. Once free from her imprisonment, what resistance could a group of mortals possibly offer against a god? So, to put it bluntly: The reason Nahida had remained imprisoned for five hundred years was entirely by her own choice. Of course, saying it was entirely by choice isn't entirely accurate, as Nahida herself surely didn't wish to remain imprisoned. However... she didn't yet understand what it meant to be angry, nor did she see anything wrong with the Akademiya's actions. That's why she had never attempted to escape. She felt that she was still immature, far from matching the wisdom of the previous Dendro Archon, the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. Therefore, she believed that the Akademiya's decision to imprison her, to prevent her from interfering in Sumeru's affairs, and to continue honoring Rukkhadevata's legacy was understandable and justified. It was with this sense of loss that Nahida endured her loneliness, learning diligently through the Akasha while secretly guiding and protecting the people of Sumeru. She hoped that one day, she would become a god worthy of Sumeru, and when that day came, the Akademiya would surely release her of their own accord—this was the naive hope Nahida clung to, which was why she had never attempted to escape. After hearing this from Ye, Furina felt a pang of sympathy for Nahida, this naive god. She didn't think Nahida's choice was the right one—but she respected it. This was a path Nahida had chosen for herself, and no one else had the right to interfere. At least, as long as Nahida retained the freedom to escape at any time, no one else had the right to intervene in her choices. If the day ever came when Nahida lost that freedom, Furina would definitely not stand idly by. Although she herself wasn't particularly powerful, she had the Supreme Archbishop and the Chief Justice on her side! As one of The Seven, even though Furina lived a life more painful and stressful than Nahida's, she was also luckier—at least she didn't have traitors among her subordinates. Ahem, I got a bit carried away with the topic of Sumeru. Furina quickly pulled her thoughts back and recalled the next lines in the script. —But just then, seeing that the report was nearing its end, Ye suddenly changed the final part of the script. He continued to stare at the corner of Furina's mouth and said calmly, "Lady Furina, there's something that's been on my mind for a while. I'm not sure if I should bring it up." Furina looked at Ye in surprise. "What is it?" This line wasn't in the script. "Lady Furina, there's a bit of cake on the right corner of your mouth." "..." Furina fell silent for ten seconds, her face gradually turning bright red. Then she suddenly stood up, vigorously wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, and shouted at the camera with tears in her eyes, "Stop filming! Cut this part out! Re-shoot the whole thing!! Re-shoot!!!"