"Stop—stop! Don't take a picture!"
Seeing Idris make the camera gesture, Focalors' cheeks flushed bright red.
Only then did Idris lower his hand, waving lazily.
"Anyway, since you've got nothing else, I'm leaving."
"And forget about persuading me. You can't change my mind—
and you can't even convince yourself."
"Oh, and don't cry in front of me. Your tears aren't worth a single Mora to me."
With that, Idris turned to leave.
But Focalors hurried forward and blocked him.
"W–Wait! I still have one question!"
"As you can see… I'm only a remnant soul now—"
"How would you know? But fine, there is a way."
Idris yawned.
"Let me handle Fontaine's crisis. Sumeru will make a fortune while we solve your problem."
"As for you… find a way to revive yourself, then be Furina's sister."
"That way, she'd finally have a family. Someone to stay beside her… even without the Water God's throne."
Focalors: "Ah… that's…?"
What kind of bizarre logic was this?
But strangely… it made sense.
Still, she hesitated.
"Wait—revive me? In my current state? Is that even possible?"
"And didn't you say the best gift for Furina was a dependable partner?"
Idris rolled his eyes.
"That was a metaphor. You can't force relationships."
"And reviving you isn't impossible. Depends on whether Furina and Fontaine cooperate."
"If they don't, well… I revived the former Dendro Archon myself."
Focalors froze.
"You revived the previous Dendro God…?"
She knew how grievous Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's condition had been five centuries ago.
If Idris could bring her back…
Then yes—reviving Focalors wasn't impossible.
Expensive. Difficult. But it is possible.
She had more to say.
"Then… let me tell you why, in the ancient prophecy, 'all Fontainians are guilty.'"
"The truth is—Fontaine's people aren't truly human.
All true-born Fontainians are transformed into pure water spirits."
"The first Hydro Archon granted their wish to live freely on land, turning them into humans."
"But creating life violates the Heavenly Principles."
"So Celestia condemned both the Water God and all Fontainians."
"The sentence is… irreversible."
Focalors explained everything succinctly—things mortals were never meant to know.
Idris listened calmly.
Completely unmoved.
Like: "Other nations' problems? Not my business."
This actually relieved her.
If Idris didn't care, he wouldn't expose it.
Idris folded his arms.
"So the threats to Fontaine aren't just the Primordial Sea Water—
but Celestia's hostility, and the Star-Devouring Whale."
"That right?"
"…Yes."
Idris thought for a moment.
The Star-Devouring Whale—
a creature from beyond Teyvat's false sky.
A being strong enough to destroy a nation.
Combined with the Doctor's words about Teyvat's "fake night sky"…
The universe beyond was far more dangerous than anyone imagined.
Someday, Idris thought,
I might really need to move the entire planet. Like changing orbits. Maybe park Teyvat near Earth.
But that was a matter for the very distant future.
For now—
"Relax," Idris said casually.
"When that whale shows up, I'll kill it."
"And dissect it. I'm curious."
The gleam in his eyes made Focalors' soul go cold.
She knew she had completely lost.
Idris had no intention of backing down.
Back to Reality
Idris stretched as he awakened from the dreamscape.
Furina flinched, startled, and forced a polite smile.
"C–Cough! Lord Idris, you're awake.
Lady Nahida said you often work yourself to exhaustion…
It must be very tiring being a Grand Sage every day."
Idris slowly turned toward Nahida.
His eyes clearly said:
"When did I ever fall asleep from overwork?
Little brat, are you making things up again?"
Nahida responded with the purest, most innocent smile ever produced by a problematic goddess.
Idris sipped his tea and steadied himself.
"So, Furina. How was your talk with Nahida?"
"It was wonderful!
Lady Nahida is truly worthy of being the God of Wisdom—she knows everything!"
…Even though Furina herself suspected Nahida saw straight through her lies.
But since Nahida didn't expose her, she could only keep acting.
Idris chuckled.
"As long as you enjoyed your conversation."
Just then, a notification chimed in his mind.
The system had triggered again.
[Congratulations, Host. You have altered Fontaine's future by negotiating with Focalors.]
[Reward: New Divine Skill — Scatter Beans Into Soldiers.]
[Due to your Dendro affinity and relationship with the God of Wisdom, the skill evolves to: Scatter Leaves Into Soldiers.]
[Effect: By scattering nearby leaves, you may transform them into temporary personal soldiers.]
[No limit on quantity, but limited duration. Use wisely.]
Idris' eyes lit up slightly.
Transforming leaves into soldiers?
That's extremely Sumeru.
If each leaf soldier had the fighting power of an ancient Millelith warrior…
That would be terrifying.
He was very tempted to test it immediately—
but if he summoned ten thousand soldiers in Fontaine, people might misunderstand and think it was an invasion.
Nahida sensed he had awakened.
So she stood and gently held Furina's hand.
"Then, Lady Furina, thank you for your hospitality."
"Grand Sage Idris and I will head to the Fortress of Meropide now—
for our one-day tour."
Furina blinked.
"Huh…? One-day… tour?"
Little did she know—
This "tour" was about to change her life…
and push her straight into the topic Idris would soon raise—
A political marriage.
And the bride… would be her.
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