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There were truly very few ways to save both Focalors and the people of Fontaine at the same time.
Victor Wang sat down beside the tea party table, then summoned three Colossi to press down the chair for him. After the lamp lit up on all four sides, he muttered, "Please allow me to disturb your peace."
The lamp began to flicker, and soon a voice came from within. "Huh? Why is this thing lighting up again? You all… haven't left yet?"
"Alice, it's me. I'm the only one here right now."
"Ahem, you again, kid. Looks like I'll have to change that incantation later."
"I didn't come here just because I was bored. You said earlier that you had some errands on your end, right? Do you have time to talk? I might have something important here."
Alice fell silent for two seconds before continuing. "For the sake of you keeping Klee company, go on. I'm listening."
Victor Wang also paused for two seconds before thick-skinnedly asking, "Can you give me the contact information for the 'Guide who will never get lost'?"
The 'Guide who will never get lost' referred to Nicole, the witch of Hexenzirkel bearing the codename N. Her combat strength was unclear, but her standing was extremely high. Based on what Victor Wang knew, she possessed the ability to remain unaffected by changes to Irminsul, as well as the possible ability to communicate consciousness-to-consciousness across all of Teyvat. It was also she who helped Lumine confirm the authenticity of Fontaine's prophecy and hinted that Focalors would exploit loopholes within it to break the deadlock.
The first step of the [Focalors Salvation Plan] was to confirm whether the seawater mentioned in the prophecy had to be Primordial Sea water. If he could directly ask Witch N, there was no one more suitable.
"Hah?" Alice slowly typed out a question mark, as expected.
"If you're unwilling, then forget it. I'll go ask Mona for her master's contact information later."
Mona's master—Witch M—was also capable of performing divinations on the scale of the Fontaine Prophecy.
However, Mona lived in Mondstadt precisely to avoid her master after reading her dark-history diary. Victor Wang didn't really want to force her to face her master. Bringing this up was mainly a tactical retreat, meant to reduce the perceived value of the request.
"It's not a matter of willingness… N's greatest hobby is guiding the lost. If you're lost enough, she might come looking for you herself."
"Alright then. Looks like Mona will have to suffer a bit…"
"So, this is the important business you mentioned?"
"How could it be?" Victor Wang took a light breath, steeled himself, and asked, "Do you know Surtalogi?"
The second step of the [Focalors Salvation Plan] was to deal with the All-Devouring Narwhal without drawing attention.
In truth, the Narwhal's combat strength wasn't particularly high. Even Childe, after activating his Foul Legacy, could fight it relentlessly for at least half a month while battling on hostile ground.
However, the problem was that the All-Devouring Narwhal had swallowed an enormous amount of Primordial Sea water. In Neuvillette's words: "It has nearly fused with the planet's primordial sea itself. Even if all of Teyvat were destroyed, that whale might still survive."
If the Primordial Sea water it had consumed were stripped away, Lumine and Neuvillette could easily defeat it—but there would still be aftershocks.
And if reclaiming the Primordial Sea water from the Narwhal was the premise, that would mean Focalors had already self-destructed… making the [Focalors Salvation Plan] unnecessary.
So Lumine and Neuvillette were out.
Skirk was also out. Her clash with the Narwhal looked casual, like a simple toss, but she only appeared after Neuvillette had already stripped away the Primordial Sea water, and after the Narwhal had been beaten to the point of paralysis by Lumine and Neuvillette. Her evaluation of them was that they were "qualified to converse with her as equals," so she didn't count either.
The Hydro Archon was also out—if she could do it, she wouldn't have needed to prepare for self-destruction.
The Dendro Archon was out as well. Even if she could trap the Narwhal in a dream, it would only be temporary and wouldn't solve the problem at its core. Long-term confinement would require cooperation from others.
The Electro Archon was also out, unless she could one-shot the Narwhal. But without stripping away the Primordial Sea water, the Narwhal likely wouldn't die easily, and the scars left by the Musoujin Gorge couldn't be said to cause no disturbance… so even one-sided beatings wouldn't work.
The Anemo Archon… ehe?
The Geo Archon's sealing techniques were worth trying, but this involved a judgment from Celestia. Even if he could be persuaded to act, any slight misstep would be unacceptable—Fontaine's people couldn't be used as trial-and-error.
After much deliberation, every path seemed riddled with difficulties. In the end, summoning 'The Foul' Surtalogi appeared to be the most reliable solution.
"…You actually know that name?" On the other side of the lamp, Alice sounded genuinely surprised.
"I know about him the same way I know about you. There's nothing special about it."
"…To be honest, I'm not very familiar with that man. Why are you asking about him?"
"Actually, I also know a very powerful diviner. He's used to divining through mirrors. I don't know if you know him… I'm about to head to Fontaine, and I heard there's a prophecy about it being submerged. I was uneasy, but I also wanted to resolve it and gain the Hydro Archon's help, so I asked that diviner to take a look—and I saw some things."
Alice had known from early on that Victor Wang came from beyond this world, so he didn't need to be overly evasive—but he also didn't intend to reveal everything.
He roughly explained the Fontaine prophecy, omitting Egeria's and Focalors' specific actions, and focused on the dilemma: Fontaine would soon face the All-Devouring Narwhal—an enemy that was nearly impossible to kill, couldn't be overly provoked, yet absolutely had to be dealt with.
After listening, Alice asked, "So what does this have to do with Surtalogi?"
"Because that whale is Surtalogi's pet."
The All-Devouring Narwhal was Surtalogi's pet. If someone had the confidence to walk their 'dog' without a leash, then maybe calling out once would be enough for it to obediently follow and leave.
Upon learning this, Alice fell into silence as well. "Raising something that dangerous… no wonder he can hold a conversation with Rhinedottir…"
"Right? My idea is simple. Could you politely ask Surtalogi to take his pet back?"
"You really know how to make things difficult for people…"
"You promised to help me once, didn't you?"
"I can't do that."
"..."
"Would you believe me if I said it's because I can't find Rhinedottir? She's been missing for a long time. I'm not close with Surtalogi either, and he doesn't seem to exist within the normal world. I don't know where he is… I still have many important matters to deal with myself, and I really don't have the time to look for him. Otherwise, even if it meant owing one or two favors, I'd help you."
"Then can you eliminate the All-Devouring Narwhal without causing any disturbance?"
"I can't, okay? You said it yourself—it's drunk an enormous amount of Primordial Sea water."
"Then can you retrieve the Primordial Sea water it swallowed?"
"That involves authority. Authority and power are two completely different concepts. I can't do that."
"Then you—"
Then what use are you, exactly?
Victor Wang held it back and didn't say it out loud.
After repeatedly saying she couldn't do it, even Alice felt a little awkward. She explained, "You've grown too. When I agreed to help you once back then, I thought that chance would be used up very early. I didn't expect it to be dragged all the way until now. But if you encounter an enemy you truly can't handle at this stage, just shout through the bracelet. I still have the ability to make it vanish from the mortal world."
"Then the All-Devouring Narwhal."
"I said I can't!"
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