"Welcome, both of you," Xia Yu said, extending a hand. "The Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing, and Lady Lisa of the Knights of Favonius."
"Lady Ei, you flatter us. You are the Shadow of the Archon; there is no reason for you to welcome us personally," Keqing replied, looking somewhat overwhelmed. "It should have been us seeking an audience at your door."
"The Shadow of the Hydro Archon is merely a shadow, not the Archon herself," Xia Yu said with a gentle smile. "I hold no specific office within the Fontainian government, so there is nothing improper about it."
"However, before our talk begins, I must apologize on behalf of Fontaine to both the Anemo and Geo Archons. I had no choice but to say those things that day. The situation in Fontaine could not be allowed to deteriorate further, so I resorted to such a desperate measure to stabilize the situation."
"I hope the two seniors can forgive the offense in my words. Once the situation eases, I will certainly pay them a visit in person."
She chose these words with care. It was a junior Archon apologizing to the senior Anemo and Geo Archons, not Fontaine apologizing to Liyue and Mondstadt. On the surface, the difference seemed minor, but in practice, the distinction was vast.
"I will certainly convey this to Rex Lapis during the Rite of Descension," Keqing replied, not daring to be negligent.
"As for Mondstadt..." Lisa pondered for a few seconds before saying helplessly, "We will also relay this to Lord Barbatos during the Windblume Festival."
While Liyue's Geo Archon was elusive, he at least appeared once a year to set the nation's development plan. But Barbatos... truly, no one ever saw him. She could only offer that vague promise.
"Good. Now that the pleasantries are over, let us discuss why you are here," Xia Yu said, nodding as she looked at them. "Fontaine has no major issues for the time being. Although I made it sound dire in the Opera House, the nation is far from collapsing."
"We are simply disappointed in the people of Fontaine. We want to use the urgency of potential national ruin to force our citizens to mature, so they stop clinging to the comfortable swaddling clothes of a god."
Keqing's eyes instantly lit up.
"So, there is no need to worry that Fontaine's crisis will spill over into other nations. If it were truly that severe, the ones at my door would not be you two, but the gods you believe in."
"As for our methods... though the Seven are powerful, Teyvat is not without crises capable of threatening us. In the past five hundred years, Furina protected the people of Fontaine so well that the entire nation is now rotting away inside the gentle cradle she wove."
"Pardon me, Lady Ei, but is 'rotting' not a bit excessive?" Keqing asked. "From what I have seen, Fontaine's national situation appears flourishing and stable."
"But that is built upon Furina sacrificing the entirety of her divine power," Xia Yu said, shaking her head. "Fontaine is extremely dependent on Indemnitium, and this energy can only be converted through belief."
"Yet, the Indemnitium we collect has been decreasing every year. Corruption within the government and nobility has begun to erode the entire nation. It isn't that we didn't give the people of Fontaine a chance."
Xia Yu shook her head. "They simply didn't know how to cherish it. For twenty years, the Fontainians made no changes, so we had to take extreme measures."
"If things continued this way, it was only a matter of time before Fontaine's corruption matched that of the old Mondstadt aristocracy. But Mondstadt's old nobles could be purged because the Anemo Archon and Vennessa led a rebellion. But Fontaine... I dare not imagine what would happen if Fontaine reached that level of rot and completely lost its supply of Indemnitium."
Xia Yu sighed. "Mining and factories that rely entirely on machinery would grind to a halt. The vast clockwork meka and the grand Court of Fontaine would suffer. Even the elevators connecting its levels would not be able to open. With the loss of industry, the economy would suffer a devastating blow."
"Fontaine would no longer be able to produce industrial goods for export. The consequence of a stalled industry is a massive unemployed population, yet Fontaine lacks enough manual labor positions to provide for them. Are we to ask experienced engineers and workers to pick up pickaxes and mine?"
"That would be a tragic waste."
"I can imagine what follows. People who lose their jobs and cannot feed themselves or their families will take risks. A single loaf of bread could be sold for hundreds of thousands of Mora. Social order would collapse, and government credibility would vanish. When workers can no longer act as producers to create wealth, their existence becomes a burden to the state."
"Most of these people are young or middle-aged men. I need not say where they would flock once they lose their livelihoods."
Xia Yu took a sip of tea before continuing. "And Fontaine's agriculture... sigh. Our food supply is highly dependent on imports. Miss Lisa should know this; Mondstadt is Fontaine's largest food exporter."
"Because the land is constantly sinking, the nation's arable area is shrinking. At this stage, we can still rely on our industrial exports to trade for food, but if industry stops, famine will immediately break Fontaine."
Xia Yu shrugged helplessly. "Those bureaucrats are truly incompetent. The national food crisis is staring them in the face, yet do you know? When I checked the national grain reserves a few days ago, there was only enough to feed the population for half a year!"
"Huge amounts of food are wasted pointlessly every year. At a noble's banquet, piles of food go untouched. After the party, they aren't even willing to give the leftovers to those struggling on the edge of starvation."
"Can you guess what they said?"
"How can lowly commoners be worthy of eating the same food as nobles," Lisa answered. "Such rhetoric is also recorded in Mondstadt's history."
As someone who spent her days in the Knights' library, she had read many such accounts.
"Exactly. Ha, nobles the world over are truly birds of a feather," Xia Yu laughed, clapping her hands. "As the Shadow of the God of Justice, my requirements for officials and nobles are not high. I only ask for a balance of power and responsibility."
"They should perform the duties of their office. Instead, they held the power of Fontaine only to seek personal gain. They did none of the things a normal government should do!"
"That is why I launched this purge. If they were allowed to continue, Fontaine might not have Mondstadt's luck. Mondstadt does not have a Sea of Life beneath it, ready to drown the country at any moment."
"Furthermore, to maintain the existence of Fontaine's land, Furina cannot spare the divine power to judge those scoundrels. If we didn't strike now while there is still hope, by the time it became irreversible... sigh."
"A stalled nation, widespread famine, broken order... in that situation, how long could Furina last as the God of Justice? She would likely fall into despair, withdraw her divine power entirely, and—just like in the prophecy—sit on her throne watching Fontaine be submerged by the Sea of Life, weeping alone."
"So, to prepare for the future, we had to break that possibility in the most violent way. That is why that trial took place."
She explained so much because, as neighbors, she had to give them the bottom line. Otherwise, everyone would stay tense. How could they coexist later?
Besides, by painting a tragic picture, she could draw in aid. If nothing else, after today, Mondstadt's grain export policy to Fontaine would surely loosen significantly.
Moreover, this twisted the truth of the prophecy. It shifted it from a sin committed by the former Hydro Archon to the fault of the Fontainians themselves. At the very least, it would discourage some people from digging too deep.
She told the other envoys the same thing. If anyone asked why the Primordial Sea was under Fontaine?
The answer: pure bad luck. Only the Hydro Archon could suppress such a disaster. Fontaine's existence was essentially plugging the "eye of the sea" for all of Teyvat.
If the Heavenly Principles woke up and heard this, she would surely ask: Where did you find this unofficial history? But since she hadn't woken up yet...
The right of interpretation belonged to the Hydro Archon.
And hearing this, what else could Keqing and Lisa say?
They could only nod in understanding. After all, the Shadow of the Hydro Archon had been sent to explain things clearly. Fontaine was truly at a crossroads of life and death; without reform, the whole nation would slide into the abyss.
What else could they do? Forgive it, of course.
"In that case, Mondstadt can rest easy," Lisa breathed a sigh of relief. Hah, she thought it was a bigger deal. It was just a purge of nobles—Mondstadt had been there, done that.
Fontaine only had to resort to such theatrics because they were sitting on a ticking time bomb. Otherwise, a god could handle nobles and officials with a flick of the wrist.
"Lady Ei's words have benefited me greatly," Keqing focused elsewhere. "As an ally, Liyue will not stand by and watch Fontaine struggle."
"After I return and consult Rex Lapis, a specialized representative team will come to discuss trade between our two nations."
She was only sent on short notice to investigate. She hadn't brought specialists, as she had expected chaos and didn't want to drag them into a war zone. Besides, no one knew Fontaine needed these things before now.
"However... Lady Ei," Keqing hesitated for a moment before asking, "May I venture a question?"
"Oh? What is it, Miss Keqing?" Xia Yu smiled at her. "Ask away."
"Do you... or rather, does the Hydro Archon believe that humanity cannot move forward without divine protection?"
"Hmm? An interesting question," Xia Yu drummed her fingers on the table. "Has Miss Keqing asked the Geo Archon the same thing?"
"...Not yet," Keqing shook her head. "It was my turn to organize the Rite of Descension this year, and I planned to ask during the ceremony. But then this major event happened in your country, and everything had to make way for it."
"I think you should ask," Xia Yu said with interest. "It's just a question; it won't take long. If you're nervous, just frame it as a follow-up to our conversation."
"As for my answer, it's quite simple. I hope humanity can leave the swaddling clothes woven by the gods and start walking on their own."
Xia Yu sighed. "Otherwise, Furina wouldn't have given them these past few decades. Unfortunately, the people of Fontaine disappointed us."
"Perhaps because the cradle we wove in the past was too peaceful, too comfortable. Fontaine would rather drown in a sweet dream than... sigh."
"Gods are not omnipotent. The development of civilization has never relied on a single powerful individual. If you ask my attitude, I can only say that if the Fontainians can become self-reliant—even if they stumble a bit—and survive in this world, I would feel very proud."
Xia Yu gestured with her hands. "You know, it's like the feeling of relief when a child you remember toddling around is now able to run and support themselves with their own hands."
"It's just a shame the Fontainians didn't live up to it. The cradle was too comfortable, so they didn't want to take a single step out of that gentle land. But even a god cannot protect them forever. They must one day leave their mother and face the world alone."
"So we could only puncture the prophecy crisis to let them know this country was never safe. We hope the crisis of national extinction will force them to open their eyes and look at this world, which is not nearly so gentle."
"So... that is how a god sees their people?" Keqing looked radiant. "In that case, wouldn't that mean Rex Lapis..."
"I wouldn't dare speculate on the Geo Archon's attitude," Xia Yu said. "After all, we are second-generation gods and are not very close to him."
"But I think he must be tired as well. Caring for a nation relentlessly for thousands of years... we feel exhausted after only five hundred."
"Gods get tired too?" Lisa asked, surprised.
"Hearts get tired, hearts," Xia Yu smiled at her. "Gods are living beings too. As long as there is life, who doesn't get tired eventually?"
"So, my thoughts were correct," Keqing's eyes sparkled. "Maybe Rex Lapis..."
"Why don't you go back and ask him?" Xia Yu egged her on. "Rex Lapis has always been generous. With my words as a comparison, even if you guess wrong, he won't make it hard for you."
She patted Keqing's shoulder. "Believe in yourself. Don't always feel that independence is some act of treason. I know people must oppose you; such things are unacceptable to the devout. To them, you are a traitor, ungrateful, trying to usurp the god's power."
"But that is only the perspective of the devout. Admiration is the emotion furthest from understanding. To them, a god is supreme and inviolable. But has anyone stood from the god's perspective and thought about how they view their people?"
Xia Yu continued her persuasion. "At least for me, the people are like children."
"What parents in the world would be furious to see their children live independently and support a family?"
"If the Fontainians were that capable, my tears of relief would fill the Court of Fontaine."
"Go ahead and ask. I guarantee there will be no problem!"