Chapter 96

{Wait, I remember—there was once a friend of his who stayed at the Academy alongside the Narcissus Cross. }

{"I heard Su Bai accomplished a great deed this time; it seems many people have been influenced by him and begun joining the sect."}

{"Haha, so many nuns—maybe they're just drawn to his handsome looks."}

{Furina: "..."}

{He's only been here a short while, and he's already achieving deeds? How impressive. }

{People are actually volunteering to join the sect now. }

{Should I give him some reward or something? }

{I've got it—I'll give him my Radiance of Still Flowing Waters, and incidentally... }

{Since the sect now has people, I'll promote him to Pope of Fengdande Sect. }

{"Su Bai, you must keep it up—work hard for the great deity."}

{On the day of the authorization, Furina's solemn expression made Su Bai's lips curl into a faint smile. }

{Furina was puzzled—she didn't understand why he was laughing, yet he laughed with great joy. }

In the days that followed, the sect continued to send Furina thousands of miles of mousse.

{Furina never grew tired of it. }

{Whenever there was a trial at the opera house, Su Bai would sit below in the seating area beside her. }

{Over time, Furina noticed that, from some point onward, her burdens seemed to have lightened considerably. }

{Troubles no longer came to her—they piled up entirely on Su Bai. }

{Furina enjoyed this hard-won ease, yet she worried for Su Bai. }

{"Will his body hold up under this kind of work?"}

{Yet, far beyond Furina's expectations, every problem that reached Su Bai received complete resolution. }

{Su Bai's popularity surged further, surpassing the Chief Justice Navellet and drawing even closer to her. }

{Yet Furina felt nothing amiss—indeed, a strange little joy stirred within her. }

{Occasionally, when she spotted Su Bai surrounded by various beauties from above, Furina's face would droop in displeasure. }

{Unfortunately, she could not display such a human expression. }

{If anyone learned she was upset because other girls surrounded the Pope, her identity would surely be exposed. }

{Until that day... }

{To honor Pope Su Bai's contributions to Fengdande, the opera house added a new seat in the VIP section. }

{To the people of Fengdande, Su Bai had officially become an equal to Furina in status—and in actual authority, more people obeyed Su Bai than Furina. }

{That day, Furina beamed and said with a coquettish tone: "Hmm, no wonder I chose you—your talent and strength are truly..."}

{"Oh my, you're almost catching up to me."}

{Su Bai, slightly shy, replied: "It's all thanks to the Water God's help."}

{"Um..."}

{"Go on, go on—what else do you want to say?"}

{"I'd like to ask the Water God—do you still remember our promise by the sea...?"}

{"That is... to sail together, traveling across all of Teyvat."}

{Sailing trip... }

{Promise by the sea... }

{At that moment, Furina froze completely. }

{No wonder she'd always felt, since the first time she met Su Bai, that his gaze held something strangely special. }

{Perhaps his purpose in coming to Fengdande was truly her... }

No—it was the version of herself in the mirror, the true Water God, Fucallos.

{"And I feel you've already forgotten—even no longer remember who I am."}

{Su Bai scratched his head awkwardly. }

{"This..."}

{Furina instantly panicked. }

{This panic rivaled the terror she felt during her first speech as Water God. }

{Su Bai knew the true Water God—and he... }

{Thinking quickly, Furina hastily invented an excuse: "Ahem, Pope, you know the source of Fengdande's power comes from the Oracle's Judgment Mechanism."}

{"To sustain the Oracle's Judgment Mechanism, I channeled all my own power into it."}

{"Since then, I've forgotten many, many things—even my own behavior sometimes feels foreign to me."}

{"So that's how it is?" Su Bai suddenly understood. }

"You did this for Fengdan's prophecy, Fucallos."

The instant Su Bai spoke the name Fucallos, Furina felt as if a blade had pierced her heart.

{Her entire body lost all strength, yet she still forced a smile: "You're truly clever, my Pope."}

{Furina didn't know why her emotions had plunged so low. }

{She barely made it home, and that night she had a nightmare. }

{"I, Su Bai, Pope of Fengdande, will of course give my all in service to the Water God."}

{"But not to you, this impostor."}

{The revulsion in Su Bai's eyes made Furina feel the sky had collapsed. }

{"No, listen to me, it's not how you think—I..."}

"Hmph! Dare to impersonate the Hydro Archon in my heart? You should be locked in the deepest part of the Fortress of Meropide and fed to dogs..."

Scared!

Furina woke up in a fright, her body drenched in cold sweat, and she cried the entire night.

Was she wrong?

She is not the self in that mirror; she is merely a substitute. Yet who would be willing to be someone else's substitute?

If not for Fontaine, she...

She could have become an ordinary girl, needing to disguise herself from no one.

Especially when facing someone she likes.

Fortunately, that was just a dream; Qianli Mousi would still line up before Furina's dining table punctually every day.

Yet suddenly one day, Su Bai posed a fatal question to Furina.

"My Lord Hydro Archon, I have made a new discovery regarding the Primordial Sea water's ability to dissolve people."

"I am puzzled as to why Fontainians are dissolved by the Primordial Sea water. Perhaps if I learn the truth, I might be able to do my utmost to stop the prophecy."

Furina: "Eh, is there such a thing?"

"Alas, you know well that my memories have become confused; I truly cannot recall..."

"Please draw some power from the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale. I only need you to tell me this one thing, and perhaps I will be able to..."

Unfortunately, the final result was that Furina did not act according to Su Bai's words; she simply could not do it.

This caused some friction between the two.

Since then, the words between the two grew fewer and fewer, until finally, they did not speak a single word for eighty-nine years.

Su Bai never appeared at the Opera House again; all work handovers were reported by others.

Only Qianli Mousi continued to be delivered to Furina's presence on time.

But during this process, Furina also heard rumors that many were dissatisfied with her performance.

There were even more excessive rumors claiming the Pontiff of the Fengdande Sect has already controlled everything, and the Hydro Archon is merely a puppet.

The timid Furina would hide under the covers every day, silently wiping away tears.

She feared that if she were exposed, she would destroy Fontaine's last hope, and she feared even more that Su Bai would discover her impersonation of the Hydro Archon.

As for being locked in the Fortress of Meropide and fed to dogs, she did not worry about that so much; what she could not accept was the look of disgust in Su Bai's eyes in the dream.

Fortunately, rumors of the blonde traveler broke everything.

Su Bai finally began to actively approach her again; during Lin Ni's magic performance, his behavior made Furina breathe a sigh of relief.

"So all along, you are still you..."

Furina gazed at Su Bai's back, a warmth rising in her heart.

She was even ashamed for having occupied Su Bai's concern with lies.