Liyue, preparatory meeting for the Rite of Descension.
"Yuheng, I believe this topic requires further deliberation," Uncle Tianhu said, looking at the young Keqing with earnest concern. "Sigh, Rex Lapis has labored for Liyue for millennia. We cannot simply speak to him so bluntly..."
"Disrespect to the Emperor! Utter disrespect!" The Kaiyang Star nearby furrowed his brows, scolding, "Without the Lord of Geo, where would Liyue be? Yuheng, just what are you trying to achieve?"
"I also feel this matter is somewhat... excessive." Ningguang, the Tianquan, shook her head as well.
"I am merely fulfilling my duty," Keqing replied, unyielding. "While Rex Lapis provides a roadmap for Liyue every year, we remain far too dependent on a god."
"If one day Rex Lapis is no longer willing to perform this duty, where will Liyue go?"
"We all know the current prosperity of Liyue Harbor is like a grand sandcastle on a beach. Yet, it is not humanity that decides whether the tide rises. If we grow accustomed to divine protection, needing a god's guidance for every little thing, how are humans any different from infants in swaddling clothes?"
"How could Rex Lapis ever do such a thing!" The others could not bear to hear such rhetoric.
"Rex Lapis has guarded Liyue for a thousand years. But what about the next thousand? The thousand after that? Ten or a hundred millennia from now, will it remain the same?" Keqing did not back down an inch. "I have never presumed to speculate on the divine!"
"Yes, you aren't speculating; you intend to ask him directly," Tianhu sighed at this point. "And at the Rite of Descension, no less... Could you not choose another occasion?"
"Then I would actually have to be able to see Rex Lapis outside of the Rite," Keqing's voice carried a hint of grievance.
"Furthermore, the power to decide what questions are asked rests with me. I am the Yuheng, and this time—"
"Everyone, something terrible has happened!"
In the middle of their heated debate, Ganyu burst through the door clutching a large stack of documents, running at a jog.
"Is Rex Lapis seeking to punish the Yuheng for her insolence?" Ningguang teased with a smile, seeing her urgency. She knew that was impossible; she only said it to lighten the mood.
Ganyu shook her head. Though she disliked Keqing's lack of piety, the matter at hand was far more pressing.
"The Feiyun Commerce Guild has business dealings with the Cabriere Association in Fontaine. Just a few days ago, the president of that association was arrested by the Fontainian government." She distributed the documents. "Major scandals have surfaced. Local managers judged that Liyue must be informed, so they sent the intelligence back on a fast ship from Lumidouce Harbor."
"I believe this information must be taken seriously."
"If it makes Ganyu this anxious, I think we should look at the report first," the white-haired Tianhu said. He could see Keqing was set in her ways and no one could stop her.
Might as well let her be. Rex Lapis was broad-minded and wouldn't take offense; besides, this provided a perfect change of subject.
Hearing his words, and considering Ganyu's status, the other Qixing lowered their heads to read the report.
Their expressions shifted from relaxed to deeply troubled.
After finishing, Tianhu rubbed his temples. He would rather discuss Keqing's attitude; at least that had less impact.
"What is Fontaine doing..." Ningguang sat up straight. "Wait, are the people of Fontaine so... disrespectful to their god? They've pushed the Hydro Archon to such an extent?"
Her voice was full of disbelief.
From an outsider's perspective, for the Hydro Archon to release such life-threatening information, it meant Fontaine's internal issues could no longer be covered up. Continuing to hide the truth would lead to an immediate explosion.
The Hydro Archon's entire divine power was being used to sustain the land, leaving her unable to even clear out the corrupt officials within... The situation grew so dire she was forced to release top-secret intelligence, using the pressure of survival to force the Fontainians to change themselves.
Logically, any god facing such a situation would hide it as long as possible. The Hydro Archon did exactly that—she hid it for five hundred years. Releasing it now only proved they had reached a moment of life or death. Those people truly threatened the safety of Fontaine.
That wasn't the only shocking part. If it were just a matter of corrupt nobles, it wouldn't affect other nations. Mondstadt's aristocrats were once lawless, yet the Anemo Archon's internal purge didn't spill over into Liyue.
What was more terrifying was the Hydro Archon's declaration. She confessed that if she were assassinated, she would have to abandon Fontaine just to survive. This completely exposed her weakness.
Coupled with her words about the precarious state of Fontaine...
"Wasn't Fontaine always peaceful?" Ningguang truly couldn't maintain her composure. "Technically advanced, people prosperous... By any metric, it shouldn't have fallen to this."
"One can only say the Hydro Archon has sacrificed much," Tianhu sighed. "It's a pity the people of Fontaine failed to realize their god's hardships. Her meticulous protection has raised them into giant infants."
Their view was unanimous: People of Fontaine, you really need to reflect. To push your own god to this point... what on earth did you do?
Looking at the peace and harmony of Fontaine in the past, the Hydro Archon hadn't mistreated them at all!
"The most urgent matter isn't that," Keqing focused on the practicalities. "Honestly, looking at Fontaine from Chenyu Vale before, I never understood why they were so much higher than the surrounding land. Now it seems they are being propped up by this Primordial Sea Water."
"A sea of life, the blood of the planet," she sighed. "We must consider what happens to Mt. Mingyuan and Yilong Wharf if Fontaine truly collapses and the floods come rushing down."
"Then there is the issue of the Hydro Archon," Tianhu shook his head. "If Fontaine falls and the people of Hydro are wiped out, will she truly become a tyrant or a mad god, stirring up tsunamis to drown the world? If that happens..."
"And that Primordial Sea Water—does it truly only dissolve Fontainians? If so, why?"
"Regardless, we must consult Rex Lapis," Ningguang said, looking at Keqing. "This is a crisis concerning all of Teyvat. Keqing, I hope you can..."
"I know the priorities," Keqing nodded. "Fontaine is more important. The world has finally enjoyed five hundred years of peace. If something happens there, then... sigh."
"Before that, I believe we should send a delegation to Fontaine. We cannot be left in the dark when the disaster hits. We need to find out what Fontaine is facing. If we can help... we should."
This won unanimous approval from the Qixing.
Liyue was simply too close to Fontaine. Standing on Mt. Mingyuan or in Chenyu Vale, one could see the towering coastlines of Fontaine in the distance. Keqing did not believe a flood of that magnitude would leave Liyue unscathed.
"I am truly curious, though. What did the Fontainians do to drive the Hydro Archon to such extremes?"
This question didn't just haunt the Liyue Qixing. It echoed in the Knights of Favonius, the Sumeru Akademiya, the Snezhnayan Fatui, and Natlan... Well, not Inazuma. The thunderstorms had sealed the nation shut.
High up in Tenshukaku, the Raiden Shogun remained unaware.
In any case, regardless of their individual stances, a consensus formed: the people of Fontaine were truly excessive, driving their habitually merciful Hydro Archon to this state.
★ ★ ★
Meanwhile, our Hydro Archon sat at the dining table, chin resting in her hand, watching her distracted younger sister.
"What's wrong? Not to your taste?" Furina asked with feigned casualness.
"Oh, no," Xia Yu stopped stirring her bowl of Poisson Seafood Soup. Snapping back to reality, she said, "I was just... thinking about some things."
"Oh? What things?" Furina asked tentatively, her voice a mix of curiosity and hesitation. "Do you want to go somewhere fun? I'll take you."
"...No," Xia Yu tilted the corners of her mouth into a smile. "Just... some trivial matters."
'But you don't look like you're thinking of trivial matters at all...'
Furina wanted to speak but hesitated. She didn't dare ask.
She felt as if... once the question was asked, she would lose something.
"The trials for those nobles have begun," Xia Yu changed the subject. "Aren't you going to watch?"
"I'll go if you go," Furina replied, her eyes fixed on her sister.
"I... I think I'll pass. Leave it all to Neuvillette," Xia Yu shrugged. "Let him judge them slowly."
"Then let me take you out to play," Furina invited again. "Let's tour all of Fontaine Court."
"Forget it. You know exactly what would happen if the two of us went out now," Xia Yu shook her head with a laugh. "Since that trial, all of Fontaine is in motion. The Special Security and Surveillance Patrol and the Marechaussee Phantom have been drowned in reports these past few days."
"Before, people endured those injustices because of the power those nobles held. Now that they've fallen, this surge of emotion has caused their sentences to be extended again and again. I'm starting to worry if the Fortress of Meropide can even hold them all."
"True, the Duke sent me a report recently saying Meropide is about to burst," Furina sighed. "He really can't manage it all and complained that we locked up so many people at once."
"I don't think he's truly complaining," Xia Yu smiled. "Complaints in words, but asking for more staff in between the lines."
"What can we do? We have to send people," Furina threw up her hands. "And the newspapers lately—wow, you haven't seen them. They've painted those people as absolute monsters, though they weren't good to begin with."
"The citizens need reassurance. We must make them understand that the Hydro Archon can still hold on, that Fontaine cannot fall into chaos. The pressure on every department has spiked, and foreign merchants are leaving, afraid Fontaine will explode at any moment..."
"There's so much to do!" She groaned, then grabbed Xia Yu's arm. "Help me with some work, please? I can't handle it alone!"
"I don't believe you," Xia Yu said, putting on a stern face. "You are the Hydro Archon. How can you say you can't do it?"
If Furina could maintain Fontaine's stability for five hundred years, these tasks were no great hurdle for her.
"But I'm tired," Furina rubbed her head against Xia Yu's hair. "Just help me out, okay?"
"Fine," Xia Yu relented. What else could she do?
"Great! Then the task of receiving the foreign envoys is yours," Furina giggled. "With such a huge event in Fontaine—especially after what you said—other nations will definitely send people to see what's going on."
"And I can play the victim to get some aid from them," Xia Yu added, catching the drift. "After all, Fontaine is in the center of Teyvat's main continent. If we collapse, the other nations won't have a good time either."
In truth, Fontaine's current situation stemmed from Phanes' prophecy. She handed down the prophecy simply to punish Fontaine, as the "psuedo-humans" created by Egeria were an act of rebellion in her eyes.
However, the surrounding nations were human realms. She would not reshuffle her millennia-old plans just to punish the mistakes of one group. Fontaine's crisis would ultimately stop at Fontaine's borders; it wouldn't sweep across the world.
But other nations didn't know that. Perhaps the two first-generation gods of Anemo and Geo knew some secrets, but given Venti's nature... he would likely avoid these muddy waters. And Zhongli probably wouldn't make a move either.
Since the Heavenly Principles were punishing Fontaine, they couldn't easily intervene. Besides, it wouldn't reach their borders.
Still, at this stage, some help was necessary—mostly to soothe the Hydro Archon. Look, we tried our best to help you through the crisis, but that was the Heavenly Principles, right? When the time comes, take your grievances to Celestia.
Don't come wrecking other nations. After all, we helped you, right?
The two old gods didn't need to worry about whether they could beat the Hydro Archon. Rather, Focalors should worry about how many rounds she could last against those two old-timers. But Fontaine's situation was unique; just looking at those high sea borders, even if the Hydro Archon couldn't fight, a single tsunami would be enough for other nations to handle.
"Fine, I'll handle those people," Xia Yu nodded. "By the way, how long do you think it will take for them to arrive?"
Furina's heart tightened. She lowered her head and said, "Within a month. They should be quite anxious about this."
"...A month," Xia Yu didn't notice her expression, lost in thought. "Then I need to prepare well."
'A month... a month... the time should be enough.'
She reached out and touched her chest.
That countdown... time was running out.
'Where exactly are you taking me? Home? Or to another... or rather, what exactly happened to me?'
'...But... I had already resigned myself to fate.'
Yes, she had accepted it. She forced herself to do so much in Fontaine, all for the sake of a peaceful life in the future.
And now... you tell me... I have to leave?
★ ★ ★