When everyone saw the theme and main characters of Episode 9, shock spread across Teyvat.
Palais Mermonia — Office
Neuvillette showed a surprised expression.
He wasn't particularly shocked that Focalors was one of the main characters.
But—
Why was he himself also included?
After thinking for a moment, he shook his head.
Most likely, once the video finished, all these questions would naturally be answered.
Fontaine City Streets
Focalors was strolling leisurely through the city, enjoying her rare freedom.
"So this is the Past Life Series video?"
"And I'm actually one of the protagonists?"
She looked surprised.
Then anticipation appeared in her eyes.
"I wonder what kind of role I played."
"According to what everyone said… this is Gu Chen's past life."
"If I'm a main character, we must have had many interactions…"
She smiled mischievously.
"Hmm~ If Furina sees this, will she get jealous~?"
Top Floor — Palais Mermonia
"Focalors?!"
Furina's eyes widened.
She never expected that Focalors would be one of the protagonists of this episode.
Based on previous episodes—
That could only mean one thing.
Her expression became the classic Paimon Shock Face.
She looked at Gu Chen.
Then at the identical face on the screen.
And suddenly—
Chomp!
She bit his shoulder.
"—Hiss!"
Gu Chen inhaled sharply, relaxing his muscles so she wouldn't hurt her teeth.
"Hmph!"
Furina turned away angrily.
"So now it's not just sisters…"
"You can even play with twins, right?!"
Gu Chen suddenly felt a toothache.
Honestly…
Identical twins were indeed hard to refuse.
"Lucky you!"
Furina punched him twice before curling back into his arms to watch the chat.
Extraordinary Chat Group
Heizou:
"Focalors?!"
Kaeya:
"Holy crap—this episode's theme is scary!"
"Primordial Lord!"
Albedo:
"Primordial…"
Zhongli:
"If it's Focalors, there's no need for too much surprise."
"When Gu Chen separated her from the Oratrice earlier, her memories awakened."
"She was bound to become a protagonist eventually."
"We simply didn't expect it to be this episode."
Osial:
"That makes sense."
"But Neuvillette is also a protagonist."
"So timeline-wise it should be within the last 500–1000 years."
"But what's with this Primordial Lord title?"
Paimon:
"No idea."
Raiden Ei:
"No idea."
Albedo:
"The term primordial means 'original' or 'first.'"
"In ancient times there was a title: Primordial One."
"But whether Gu Chen's title refers to that meaning remains unclear."
Mona:
"Wait… this actually confirms one of our previous theories."
"When Gu Chen used that power earlier, Neuvillette instinctively called it 'the Original Authority.'"
"Then Focalors recovered fragments of memory."
"So perhaps…"
"Focalors and Neuvillette are reincarnations from another Teyvat timeline?"
Kaeya:
"That would make our current Teyvat even more interesting."
"Remember how the Sustainer in the videos had abilities our current one doesn't?"
"Maybe she's also a reincarnator from another timeline." 😏
Sustainer of Heavenly Principles:
"Wait—does that mean I'll be the heroine?"
Nilou:
"Most likely!"
Collei:
"New ship unlocked!"
Neuvillette:
"So I'm a reincarnator?"
Focalors:
"Honestly, there's no need to overthink it."
"Whether reincarnation or transmigration…"
"We are still ourselves."
"It just seems history is unfolding according to another timeline."
"And the exposure system is gradually awakening our memories."
"At least the result so far is good."
"I didn't die, after all." 😏
Paimon:
"I don't understand… but it sounds reasonable!"
Kirara:
"I understand one keyword though."
"The First Admiration of Pure Water."
"Focalors herself said she used to be one of the Oceanid familiars."
"After the previous Hydro Archon Egeria died, she inherited the position."
"So she must be the 'Pure Water' mentioned."
"But what about the other keywords?"
Heizou:
"Let's analyze."
"The Lost Ancient True King probably means exactly what it says."
"He was once the True King of the ancient era, but lost that status or power."
"As for When the Whale Falls, All Things Flourish—"
"When a whale dies and sinks to the seabed, its body feeds countless creatures."
"So it implies the death of one being nurturing all life."
"I don't like the implication." 😨
Arataki Itto:
"So Gu Chen dies and creates life?"
Tighnari:
"That's very possible."
Nilou:
"Does that mean Gu Chen and Focalors are destined for a tragic ending?!"
Collei:
"We've had enough tragedies already! Let me have a happy one!"
Lumine:
"@Focalors"
"How many memory fragments did you recover?"
Focalors:
"Very few."
"But none of them contain sadness."
"I wonder what the rest will be like."
Kaeya:
"So after all that analysis, we only confirmed part of our earlier theory."
Gu Chen:
"Not quite."
"We also confirmed that your brother Gu is about to look awesome again. 😎"
Venti:
"6."
Azhdaha:
"Someone drag this show-off out of here!"
After a while, everyone stopped theorizing and focused on the video.
Episode 9 — Official Start
The cover faded away.
The screen revealed a vast, silent void.
There were no reference points.
No sense of movement.
No sign of time passing.
It looked like a dead universe.
Until—
Cracks appeared in the darkness.
From them flowed golden liquid, dripping into the void.
The camera slowly zoomed out.
The golden liquid flowed between black stone plates arranged in spiral patterns.
As the camera kept pulling back—
The structure grew larger.
And larger.
Until—
The view suddenly shifted.
A massive head filled the screen.
Its horns curved backward like a deer's antlers.
Its head resembled a camel's.
Its golden eyes shone like molten metal, shaped like a rabbit's.
Its neck was long like a snake.
Its belly pale like a clam.
The "stone plates" seen earlier—
Were actually scales.
Fish-like dragon scales.
Its claws were sharp like eagle talons.
Its palms powerful like a tiger's.
Its ears hidden in its mane resembled a cow's.
Two long whiskers floated gently in the void.
A dragon.
A colossal black dragon, coiled in the void.
Golden blood flowed endlessly from its body.
Its size was so vast that even as the camera retreated rapidly, it still took a long time to reveal its full form.
Chat Explosion
Azhdaha:
"…Huh?"
Neuvillette:
"???"
Apep:
"???"
Osial:
"How big is that thing?!"
"Give us a reference point!"
"It looks like it might be bigger than all of Teyvat!"
Zhongli:
"My ancestral dragon form…"
"…is insignificant before such a being."
"Even through the screen, I can feel its immense majesty."
"But one thing confuses me."
"Why is a being like this bleeding?"
Paimon:
"What kind of monster could injure it?!"
Albedo:
"…I don't understand."
Ayaka:
"Could the 'Whale Fall' keyword refer to this being?"
Kaeya:
"@Neuvillette"
"Any chance your past life was this dragon?" 😏
Neuvillette:
"You're overestimating me."
"When dragon kings die, their power does reincarnate."
"But nothing like this."
"Even through the screen I feel overwhelming pressure."
"This must be the Ancient True King."
"Please stop framing me like this."
Venti:
"Even the first Hydro Dragon King wasn't this insane."
"So relax—it's definitely not Neuvillette."
Azhdaha:
"Well then."
"If it's not Neuvillette…"
"And definitely not Focalors…"
"There's only one ridiculous answer left."
"It's the Sect Leader."
Kaeya:
"So Gu Chen isn't even human anymore?"
Sustainer:
"At that level, being human is irrelevant."
Nilou:
"But he's bleeding!"
"And there's so much of it!"
"Doesn't that mean he's about to die?!" 😟
Dori:
"Important question…"
"Is that blood valuable?"
Ningguang:
"For a being like that, even one drop would be priceless."
Apep:
"I feel something strange…"
"If I had even a single drop…"
"I might become much stronger."
Back in the Room
Furina stared at Gu Chen thoughtfully.
"…Wait."
"Then what I ate last night…"
"…was basically…?"
She tilted her head.
"But I didn't feel anything."
Then she suddenly brightened.
"How about you cut yourself and let me see if your blood is really that powerful?"
Gu Chen stared at her speechlessly.
"Even if it were that powerful, I wouldn't give it to you."
"If I didn't suppress my power…"
"One drop could kill you from overload."
"Ohhh."
Furina nodded in realization.
"Such a silly Furina," Gu Chen flicked her forehead.
She pouted.
"Then you're a silly person."
"Huh?!"
"Only silly people have silly Furinas!" she declared proudly.
Gu Chen: "…"
They continued watching the video.
Chat Analysis
Albedo:
"I can't calculate its exact size."
"There's nothing in the void for scale."
Heizou:
"Its breathing is weakening."
"It's like a candle flickering in the wind."
Azhdaha:
"Did you notice?"
"When it breathes out, the airflow becomes cosmic storms!"
Clorinde:
"And when it opened its eyes briefly, the surroundings became brighter."
"When it closed them, everything returned to darkness."
Xingqiu:
"I checked ancient texts."
"When its eyes open, it is day. When they close, it is night."
"My pressure levels are rising…"
Sustainer:
"Honestly… I recommend everyone stop watching."
"This being is far beyond Teyvat's level."
"A single action could affect an entire world."
"No—correction."
"One breath might erase Teyvat entirely."
Furina:
"Is it really that exaggerated?"
"Maybe we just lack a reference point."
Kaeya:
"Look at that."
"Now that she's the Sect Leader's wife, she's already becoming a professional contrarian."
"I bet she'll turn into his biggest anti-fan within half a day."
Neuvillette:
"Well… she is Furina."
Furina:
"What nonsense!"
"I'm now a die-hard Chen-Chen fan!"
Dvalin:
"Chen-Chen…?"
"Do couples really talk this disgustingly?"
Lumine:
"Honestly that nickname feels weird."
Venti:
"The First Wife has spoken."
"I'm siding with her. I just threw up."
Zhongli:
"Agreed."
Furina:
"But he calls me Fufu!"
"Calling him Gu-Gu sounds even worse!"
"…Fine, I'll call him Ah Chen instead."
Gu Chen:
"Thank you everyone for fixing that nickname!" 🙏
Furina:
"You're sleeping on the sofa tonight!" 😡
Kaeya:
"The Gu Chen in this group is chaotic."
"But the Gu Chen in the video is divine."
"So I'll worship the video version while roasting the chat version."
"Fair deal, right?"
Venti:
"Perfect."
Osial:
"No matter how powerful he is, we still roast him here."
Albedo:
"Enough joking."
"The keyword scene is coming."
In the Video
The colossal black dragon's breathing grew weaker.
Golden blood poured down like a cosmic waterfall.
Its life force was fading.
And it seemed unable to stop it.
Finally—
The dragon released a long, sorrowful cry.
Its golden pupils dimmed.
And slowly closed.
The Ancient True King had fallen. 🌌🐉
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