Despite her simmering resentment, Furina didn't pursue the matter too aggressively. After all, Jiang Qiao had come to bail her out relatively quickly—the magnanimous Lady Furina would graciously forgive him this time! Of course, this was partly because the experience in the Fortress of Meropide had been surprisingly novel.
Previously, as the esteemed Hydro Archon, she had lived a pampered existence. Aside from occasionally handling essential documents, speaking, making pronouncements, and observing—that was basically her life.
While working the assembly line in the Fortress of Meropide was somewhat tedious, Furina found the feeling of enjoying the fruits of her own labor quite satisfying.
"Aside from the occasional rotten apple you can't stand to look at, this place is actually quite nice," Furina remarked.
"It is a prison, after all," [Furina] replied. "But receiving such praise suggests the Fortress of Meropide's rehabilitation efforts are relatively successful. Wriothesley has indeed done a good job..."
"Honestly, stop talking about work!" Furina suddenly protested, quite dissatisfied. "Can't you just let me relax for a bit?" She was rather enjoying this time without heavy burdens, just being herself.
"Hey, that little one over there is called Paimon," Furina pointed out. "She's quite like you," she added, glancing at Fairy Ely. "Hmm, just as noisy."
Fairy Ely puffed out her cheeks indignantly. "What do you mean noisy? This is fairy-like liveliness! But..." Her eyes landed on Paimon. "She really is an adorable little thing..."
Holding her fairy wand, Fairy Ely flew over to Paimon, looking her up and down before nodding with satisfaction. "Still not as cute as me, though."
"Hey... You're so full of yourself..." Paimon huffed. "Lumine, who do you think is cuter?" she demanded, turning to the Traveler.
Lumine remained silent for a moment, her gaze wandering uncertainly before subtly landing on Fairy Ely.
"Hmph hmph, you have good taste~ I'll praise you for that," Fairy Ely chirped happily.
"Lumine...! Hmph, I'm angry now," Paimon grumbled. "And you!" she added, noticing the steady gaze upon her. Paimon looked at the blue-and-white-haired girl staring intently at her, complaining with her high-pitched voice, hands on her hips. "Why do you keep staring at me? Is there something on my face?... It's rude!"
The girl didn't respond verbally, merely gazing calmly at Paimon.
"This little one..."
Sharing the same field of vision, both Focalors and Rukkhadevata stared intently at Paimon. Just as Paimon appeared like a balloon tethered to Celestia by a string in the unique sight of the Melusines, this body of [Furina] could perceive something similar.
In fact, due to Rukkhadevata's intrinsic connection to Irminsul and Egeria's role as the heart of the Primordial Sea—both having assisted the Heavenly Principles as original administrators—they had already discerned, to varying degrees, the inner nature of the creature known as Paimon.
"A projection of Phanes...?!" Egeria murmured. "Is it meant to guide this Descender named Lumine?"
The original Phanes was known to be quite exclusionary. After all, the celestial order He brought was a stable system highly susceptible to interference, and external factors could easily steer this 'system' in unknown directions.
To prevent this, He had stripped the Seven Dragon Sovereigns of their power, creating Egeria to replace the Hydro Dragon Sovereign and suppress the Primordial Sea, preventing it from birthing new life.
But they all knew that after the great war, the Heavenly Principles had been severely weakened, unable to maintain the celestial order. They could only scatter fragments of Phanes to create the Archons and use the remains of the Third Descender to craft the 'Gnoses,' driving the Archon system represented by the 'Seven Archons.'
Celestia had slumbered for over five hundred years. With the arrival of another Descender, to prevent them from diverting fate uncontrollably, 'guidance' measures were necessary to ensure destiny flowed in the desired direction.
In truth, the Seven Archons were likely aware of this to some extent.
But now, residing within [Furina] and supported by Jiang Qiao's 'data,' the three divine consciousnesses perceived it with greater clarity and sharpness.
"...Never a dull moment." The blue-and-white-haired girl sighed. Then—a brilliantly shining single-handed sword materialized in her hand.
"Eh... Wh-wh-what are you doing?!" Seeing [Furina] draw her sword and walk towards her, Paimon panicked, frightened, and immediately hid behind Lumine.
Furina and Fairy Ely found it strange but didn't speak up—they trusted Jiang Qiao wouldn't draw his sword without reason. If he did, there must be a necessity. Lumine, though wary, also didn't draw her weapon.
"Don't move."
After the cold command, a flash of sword light streaked through the air—
Swish!
Snap. In that instant, it felt as though something had broken. Paimon immediately fell downwards, but [Furina] caught her deftly.
Gazing at Paimon, who now resembled a puppet with its power source cut off, he curled his lip—a cluster of light in his hand merged into her.
"What did you do?" Lumine asked, regaining her senses, thoroughly confused.
"Nothing. Just returned her 'freedom'," [Furina]—Jiang Qiao—stated calmly, deconstructing the manifested holy sword with a wave of his hand.
A person's character is their destiny. The Heavenly Principles planned the fates of mortals in this way, ensuring they ran along predetermined tracks. Paimon, connected to Phanes, was undoubtedly such an existence.
Floating back up, Paimon shook her head, then glared petulantly at Jiang Qiao. "Don't scare me like that all of a sudden!"
"How do you feel?" [Furina] asked.
"Huh...? How do I feel about what?... Oh! I suddenly feel much lighter than before, hey!"
"That's good."
He, of course, didn't know precisely what expectations the Heavenly Principles had for Paimon. But Jiang Qiao wouldn't hesitate in doing what he believed needed to be done. Whether Celestia was good or evil, simply understanding that the future of this land should ultimately belong to its people, for them to grasp and choose, was reason enough to act.
And regarding Paimon specifically, although this little foodie, whose abilities seemed mostly focused on eating, wasn't particularly perceptive, she was his 'former travel companion.' Even if they weren't connected now, he didn't mind lending a hand.
The puppet string mocking fate had been severed. She needed no guidance; she just needed to be herself and make choices she wouldn't regret.
"I hope you enjoy the rest of your unfinished journey," he said, standing at the entrance to the Fortress of Meropide, before the lift platform that offered a view of Fontaine's high seas, looking at Lumine and Paimon together. "In the meantime, allow me to handle some obstacles for you."
"...What obstacles?" Paimon asked, puzzled. But she quickly noticed something else, looking around in surprise. "What's going on? Why did the sky suddenly turn dark?" It should have been daytime, but inexplicably, the sky had become forbiddingly gloomy.
"I feel... like something bad is coming," Furina shrank back, gazing at the ominous, overcast sky, instinctively moving to shield Jiang Qiao with her own body.
Far away on the island of Elynas, Neuvillette stared out the window at the sky, his expression grave. "It's coming!"
"It looks like a nail! A really big nail!" Fairy Ely exclaimed, her installed vision device allowing her to clearly see the object emanating immense power.
"...A Skyfrost Nail." Rukkhadevata was more familiar with this—after all, the original desert region of Sumeru was once a lush rainforest before a celestial nail struck, turning it into a barren wasteland.
Although these things were fundamentally intended to prevent the Abyss's encroachment, the disasters they caused could indeed be called an outright 'punishment.'
After all, records existed of the Heavenly Principles reshuffling human civilization after the great war, dissatisfied with humanity violating taboos.
"It's Celestia." Since even a Skyfrost Nail had appeared, there was no need to guess whose hand was behind it.
Of course, Jiang Qiao wasn't surprised. After all—his actions as a Descender, operating freely without a 'Paimon-like' guidance mechanism, had likely long since irked the Heavenly Principles.
First, using a Gnosis, vital for constructing order, to plug the Abyss; then, severing Greater Lord Rukkhadevata from Irminsul; and now, even destroying the 'thread' controlling another Descender.
This would undoubtedly steer Teyvat's fate in a completely unpredictable direction. And that was precisely what the Heavenly Principles could not accept.
So—it was time to punish this wanton individual, just like the Second Descender!
"We have to stop it! If that thing lands, the Court of Fontaine will be caught in the blast!" Focalors urged nervously within his mind. As a god, she knew exactly what consequences such an object falling upon Fontaine would bring—a crisis no less severe than the prophecy itself.
"It's fine. Leave it to me," [Furina] replied calmly. "This body has just finished its adjustments anyway." Tuning the body to its most comfortable, effective, and compatible state was a crucial secret to unlocking its full potential.
The blue-and-white-haired girl lifted her head, exposing her fair neck, gazing up at the calamitous nail descending from the heavens, a faint curve gracing her lips.
Furina's formal dress faded away once more, replaced by divine garments covering the graceful figure. The sight stunned the brave Miss Furina—These clothes... wait, aren't these Focalors's clothes?!
Seeing Jiang Qiao in the 'Focalors' state, Furina was dumbfounded. How could Focalors's clothes be on this guy?
...Could it be?! This guy is actually the real Focalors, and everything before was just him messing with me?
Though it seemed highly improbable, looking at '[Focalors],' whose posture and appearance perfectly matched the image she remembered from five hundred years ago, Furina couldn't help but entertain such an absurd, bold thought.
However, this [Focalors] form wasn't entirely identical to the past. Built upon Focalors's divine attire, this renewed [Furina] body now featured subtle... faint draconic scales and patterns.
While perhaps looking strange from a purely human perspective, these seemingly incongruous scales, highlighted by an asymmetrical aesthetic, somehow made the slender body even more beautiful than its original state.
Furina stared, mesmerized. So beautiful...
Damn it! Why does this guy Jiang Qiao look even prettier than me?! Feeling a mix of shame and indignation, Miss Furina puffed up her cheeks.
Yet, at this moment, '[Focalors]' only felt inner tranquility. Egeria's 'Heart of the Primordial Sea' had fully merged with this body—[Furina] was no longer simply a 'body of a pure Oceanid.'
As a functional substitute crafted in the image of the Hydro Dragon Sovereign, [Egeria] was less an Archon and more fundamentally akin to a 'Dragon.' It could even be said she was more like a Dragon Sovereign than Neuvillette before he regained his complete Ancient Dragon Authority.
Now, '[Focalors]' inherited this quality, completing the ascension from Oceanid to 'Dragon.' The power of the Primordial Sea within the planet was readily available, filling his entire being with strength, bringing a sense of exhilaration to the unified consciousness of '[Focalors].'
Simultaneously, by using Jiang Qiao as a fusion catalyst, the two successive Hydro Archons, Focalors and Egeria, managed to leech off his noble 'rank,' resulting in the current trinity: the 'Descender Furina.'
In short: Super Fufu.
The only potentially awkward aspect was that this Super Fufu, aside from having Furina's body and Focalors being essentially the same person as Furina, had almost no connection to the actual Miss Furina. Even the body Furina had used for five hundred years had transformed into a shape unfamiliar to her... Well, that wasn't a major issue.
A slender, scallion-like finger tapped gently in the air.
The Fontainian seas, initially agitated and churning with towering waves under the influence of the Skyfrost Nail's power—even driving the Primordial Sea water upwards—suddenly stilled. This stunned Neuvillette, who had been preparing to intervene. He instinctively tried to use his Ancient Dragon Authority to wrest control of the water, but the result...
"...." Mr. Hydro Dragon felt his worldview shattering, like a three-year-old trying to win a tug-of-war against a grown woman. Wait, is this Ancient Dragon Authority fake? Why can't I overpower someone else's control?! Work harder! Ancient Dragon Authority!
But it was clearly futile—against Super Fufu. While the water authority obtained from Egeria was inherently weaker than the complete Ancient Dragon Authority, that applied to Egeria.
For Jiang Qiao, exceptionally skilled at using others' bodies and powers, this weaker authority, amplified by his own capabilities, wasn't a simple one-plus-one-equals-two equation. Besides—anything that passed through Jiang Qiao's hands inevitably got 'skimmed' a little.
—Of course, 'skimmed' wasn't the right word. It was more like he'd curiously peeked at the underlying architecture when he acquired the Ancient Dragon Authority and incidentally recorded it into this body.
Teyvat's Hydro elemental authority, combined with 'Fluid Manipulation' controlling liquids on a physical level.
The turbulent high seas of Fontaine gradually calmed. And the Skyfrost Nail, plummeting from the heavens, halted, unable to advance another inch.
Voom voom voom—
An inexplicable power emanated from the Skyfrost Nail. Ominous, faint dark-yellow cubes materialized around it, spreading towards the blue-and-white-haired girl.
But she merely glanced at them and smiled. Her fair hand, traced with draconic patterns, clenched gently—and the 'Imaginary Cubes,' something she was not unfamiliar with, even professionally adept at handling, dissolved at a visible rate.
With a tearing motion of her raised hand—an equally enormous Imaginary Pocket manifested, directly enveloping the massive Skyfrost Nail. Like a contraceptive device, the 'Imaginary Pocket' slipped over the Skyfrost Nail and simply 'consumed' the colossal spike.
High above on Celestia, the white-haired woman, having witnessed the entire exchange and briefly clashed, revealed a flicker of annoyance and shock in her gilded divine eyes. Then she sighed... and backed down.
She had intended to test if she could eliminate this wanton heretic and pull everything back onto the correct path, but unexpectedly... this opponent was too tough to handle. There was no choice.
In the current situation, dealing with this individual would almost certainly trigger a major conflict. Unfortunately, with Celestia heavily damaged and herself unable to fully commit, it was impossible.
Moreover, even if she could intervene personally, there was no guarantee she could subdue this entity. After all, this heretic could somehow wield the same power as her, perhaps even with superior control. This meant going down there would be tantamount to feeding the enemy kills.
So... she could only leave it be for now. Everything depended on her own efforts.
The gloom in the sky gradually dispersed, and Fontaine returned to its state of clear skies and calm seas. Sensing the locking presence dissipate, the blue-and-white-haired girl curled her lip.
"Is that all...?" He thought she'd come down personally. Then he could have staged a live capture of the Sustainer—don't ask why, it's just professional expertise, the occupation of a Pufferfish Catcher.
"It seems Celestia has its own problems to deal with," Rukkhadevata remarked within his consciousness, her awareness momentarily dispersed. "What do you plan to do with this Skyfrost Nail?" The massive nail, now sealed within Imaginary Cubes behind his fair fingers, concerned her.
"Leave it for the researchers at the Fontaine Research Institute and the Akademiya to study together," [Focalors] decided. Although Skyfrost Nails caused severe environmental damage, calling them purely evil wouldn't be accurate. They sealed the Abyss, possessed power surpassing elemental forces, and served as potent energy sources—making them valuable 'treasures.'
Jiang Qiao had actually considered grabbing a few during his trip out. But the existing ones in Teyvat all served specific purposes, and some were quite remote, so he abandoned the idea.
He hadn't expected Celestia to deliver one right to his doorstep, and not just any ordinary one. Judging by its size, this was definitely an extra-large version—comparable to the original nail in Sumeru. And that one powered the Eternal Oasis.
Hearing this, Miss Rukkhadevata was overjoyed—Oh ho! This guy isn't playing favorites after all! All her efforts while Egeria's household wasn't looking had paid off.
"Hmm?"
Miss Focalors suddenly sensed something amiss, becoming vigilant. Then she pinpointed the problem—Ah! That old hag from Sumeru! While I wasn't paying attention, she grinded so much affection!
—Relationships between people stem from 'interaction'—spending time together, understanding each other, eventually warming up, growing closer.
From a spiritual perspective, however, such cumbersome 'physical' interactions aren't necessary. While it lacks a certain mortal romance, exchanging essences, understanding each other, feeling each other's joys and sorrows—this is a much faster way to build emotional intimacy than 'physical interaction.'
And Miss Focalors, who had been constantly 'sipping' Jiang Qiao and secretly engaging in this process to raise her affection levels ever since she entered his consciousness, suddenly realized—that little vixen Rukkhadevata had exchanged so much with Jiang Qiao while she was slacking off! Even worse—due to their differing 'proximity' (Rukkhadevata being more deeply integrated?), the latter's progress was faster.
She's almost caught up to me!
Just as I thought, she and that little vixen Lesser Lord Kusanali are both bad women! I let you stay temporarily, and you try to steal my home right under my nose, the owner of this body?!
Wait, where did this strange color come from...?
Just as Focalors was fuming over Rukkhadevata's despicable 'sneak attack,' she noticed another 'color' within Jiang Qiao besides her own and the portion Rukkhadevata had 'grinded.' It was a color both unfamiliar and familiar, and its portion wasn't insignificant—almost half the size of that little vixen Rukkhadevata's!
Tracing this color back to its source... Focalors fell silent.
Lady Egeria, you are truly hardcore! You really 'hide your capabilities well'!