Chapter 366

They looked toward the sound.

They happened to see a tall white-haired man and a white-haired girl wearing a blue hat walk in.

As soon as they saw them,

Egeliya buried her head straight into Dixiya's embrace, not daring to lift it even a little.

"That's the Water Dragon King and the Hydro Archon."

Luo De glanced at the two people buying pastries at the counter.

Raiden Ei and Yae Miko did the same.

But Jean and the others showed no reaction; only Dixiya, who was holding Egeliya, sensed the abnormality and also looked toward Navia and Furina, who still sat on the throne in the name of the Hydro Archon.

Originally Luo De thought Raiden Ei and Yae Miko could tell something was off about Furina.

But it was unexpected to him.

Raiden Ei and Yae Miko glanced, then turned back and continued chatting there.

"Huh?"

Luo De blinked, feeling a bit curious.

"The Hydro Archon before them must be Furina, not Focalors."

"If that's the case,"

"Then she definitely lacks the power a god should have; she's merely a human body cursed with immortality."

"You know, even the fourth-seat executive official's servant from Snezhnaya, who hasn't reached Archon level, can notice Furina's abnormality."

"Why can't the true god and Archon-level Raiden Ei and Yae Miko see it? Moreover, the unimpaired Raiden Shogun is by Raiden Ei's side; even if they are now in a pure land, the Raiden Shogun should be able to detect Furina's abnormality."

"Could it be that they don't want to point it out?"

"Or maybe they already knew?"

As Luo De was pondering, Navia, who had been staring at him for a while, seemed to notice something, turned his head and locked eyes with him.

Luo De remained calm, nodded at him, and then leisurely walked toward the tavern's exit.

"What's up, Navia?"

Seeing Navia continually staring at a stranger, Furina, who had just finished buying pastries, also turned her head to look.

"Nothing."

"Just feel that person is a bit like me."

Navia's brows slightly furrowed, his gaze still on Luo De's retreating back.

"Like you?"

Furina was somewhat surprised.

She knows Navia's true identity.

The Water Dragon King of Teyvat.

If he can call that person a bit like him, then doesn't that mean...?

"Is he also a dragon?"

Furina is very smart.

In a human body, she has steadfastly held the Hydro Archon's throne for hundreds of years, not only keeping Hydro's power in order, but also no one has ever noticed her abnormality.

She relies on this clever act of feigning madness.

For many things, she has a clear grasp; with a little thought, she can quickly analyze them.

"He is human."

Navia's eyes grew more doubtful: "But he has some aura I find very familiar; I must have encountered its owner somewhere, yet I have no memory of it."

"Oh, I see."

Navia's words touched Furina's knowledge blind spot; despite having studied knowledge for five hundred years, she truly doesn't know what kind of person could make a Water Dragon King feel a familiar aura.

Or rather.

Not a human.

At the very least, Navia is also a five-hundred-year-old Water Dragon King; whatever leaves a deep impression on him is either a god or another dragon king.

"Could he be a servant of some god?"

Furina speculated: "During this Flora Festival, all seven of the Seven Archons have come, and everyone brought their retinues; could it be that one of their retinues came out to play?"

"Hmm, that's possible."

Navia nodded, then stopped dwelling on it, turned back and asked: "Did you get everything you needed?"

"All bought."

Upon mentioning this, Furina immediately smiled, her eyes narrowing, and also handed Navia a date-coconut honey pastry: "Try it."

"No thanks."

Navia isn't very interested in this human food; he prefers tasting waters from around the world.

As the Water Dragon King.

He has his own way of evaluating water.

For example, water heated with fire element tastes like nature's standard flavor; water boiled with charcoal has a pastoral taste; water treated with ice element is a plain, unremarkable clarity; yet, although both are melted ice-element water, the meltwater from Snezhnaya's ice has a completely different taste.

He has also analyzed how the taste of water differs by country.

Mondstadt's water is crisp; Liyue's water has a lingering aftertaste; Inazuma's water is deep and mysterious; Fontaine's water is sweet and warm, giving a feeling of home.

And Sumeru's water is very rich in flavor; upon careful tasting, it can give him many different sensations.

Regarding customers' strange requests.

The bartender still tried to satisfy them as much as possible.

He poured plain water with some mint and spicy fruit juice as garnish into a cup; seeing that Furina had bought many pastries, he didn't take Navia's money and gave it to him for free.

This also earned Navia's heartfelt thanks.

And just as he was tasting the water from Xu Mi Cheng, Furina was sampling the pastries.

Just as Egeria had stepped out, she suddenly popped out of Dixiya's arms, exclaiming: "No, she isn't! She —"

Before Egeria could finish her sentence, Luo De pressed his hand over her mouth.

"Mmm—"

Egeria struggled desperately, wanting to shout out that that person was not Focalors.

However, when she saw Luo De shaking his head slightly at him.

She froze for a moment, then obediently closed her mouth, merely glancing resentfully once more at the tavern.

"What isn't? Who?"

Completely unaware, Jean asked doubtfully.

Dixiya had long seen Egeria held in her arms.

But she merely regarded Egeria as being like Paimon and Ying, and thought Luo De had picked up some elf somewhere.

However, Egeria never spoke, just staying there quietly, taking a bite if there was food, drinking water if there wasn't.

So Jean had no idea whatsoever about Egeria's situation.

At this moment, upon first seeing Egeria, she seemed to have discovered something, and Jean couldn't help but feel curious.

"Nothing."

"Just mistook her."

Luo De gave a perfunctory reply, then immediately made another silencing gesture toward Egeria.

Seeing that Luo De seemed to know something.

Only then did Egeria suppress her inner panic and confusion, returning to her quiet state.

"Looks like it's some huge secret, huh."

Just then, Yelan, who had suffered a dull loss in the tavern, spoke up, then said: "Such an important secret—we'd better stay out of it. Farewell; let's meet again if we get the chance."

"Let's meet again if we get the chance."

Luo De smiled and nodded at her.

After Yelan said that, Jean and Kaeya, who had originally wanted to know the inside story, also had no choice but to leave.

In the blink of an eye, only Leidian Zhen and Yae Miko remained from the large group.

Luo De dropped the act and asked directly: "Do you guys know something?"

"Know what?"

"We don't know anything."

Yae Miko giggled, taking Leidian Zhen's hand: "Zhen, let's go watch a theater performance and let this little guy play the riddler game on his own."

"Uh"

Luo De remained silent.

One could tell that those two indeed knew something.

It was only because of some reasons they couldn't speak of that they chose to stay silent.

After everyone had left.

Luo De looked at Egeria, then at Dixiya, and said helplessly: "This must not be leaked."

Dixiya immediately understood his meaning, decisively let go of Egeria, and said with a smile: "I'm going to look for Dina Zephed; I haven't seen her yet on this return to Xu Mi Cheng. When you're done, just come find me at Hume's house."

"Okay,"

Luo De nodded and waved goodbye to Dixiya.

After everyone had been driven away.

Only then did Luo De look at Egeria, crook his finger at her, and say: "Come with me; you still have the right to know."

Having the right, Egeria frowned, then hurriedly followed.

She wanted to know.

What exactly is it, that even she, the former Hydro Archon of Fontaine, is not qualified to know?

Before leaving.

She also gave a deep glance at the tavern where Navia and Furina were.

Egeria was quite certain.

The Hydro Archon of Fontaine who was with Navia is actually a human wearing Focalors's appearance.

Although their demeanor differs.

Yet on her, Egeria indeed sensed an aura similar to Focalors's but utterly different, especially since she also bears a curse from Focalors.

All these bewildering circumstances are concentrated in that human.

This inevitably makes Egeria feel doubtful.

What's the deal with this human impersonating Focalors?

How is Focalors now?

Why can't the Hydro Dragon King see through this human's disguise and still treat her as the Hydro Archon? How far has Fontaine's prophecy progressed? Burning with anxiety.

Yet Egeria had no choice but to follow behind Luo De at his leisurely pace, wanting to urge him on but unable to get the words out.

Thus the two left the grand bazaar all the way, passed through Treasure Merchant Street, and finally Luo De brought Egeria to the Academy, heading straight to the Purification Palace at its highest point, where they found Nadixa, swamped with work.

"I need a place absolutely silent, where no one can hear my voice—not even that person."

Luo De made this request to Nadixa.

Hearing this.

Egeliya's pupils suddenly contracted, realizing the situation of that girl just then, which might be far more complicated than she imagined.

Soon.

Nadixa had already arranged a place for them.

It was the cage where she had been imprisoned originally.

After Nadixa later modified it with the help of the World Tree, that place could now be called the safest in all of Teyvat; no one could eavesdrop on its interior sounds through it.

After locking both Luo De and Egeliya inside the cage,

Nadixa handed the key to Luo De, then thoroughly sealed off the area where the cage was located, awakened the World Tree's power, and activated the soundproof seal barrier.

After doing all that.

Luo De waited a moment longer, confirmed that the barrier was fully active, then said to the impatient Egeliya: "Regarding the matters of Fontaine and Funina, it's very complicated; I can tell you because, according to the World Tree's records, you are a dead person, just like me, both independent of the fate line, so telling you this will not affect the subsequent development of the fate ordained by Heavenly Principle."

"Fate ordained by Heavenly Principle?"

Egeliya's premonition came true.

She had long felt that Funina's affairs were likely related to Fontaine's prophecy.

Now Luo De said that.

Her heart trembled even more, feeling that something bad was about to happen.

Next.

Luo De would tell Egeliya everything he knew.

After succeeding as the Hydro Archon, Fukaluosi split her personality and divinity; the divinity sharpened its knife awaiting death, while the personality served as her substitute to deceive Heavenly Principle, thereby allowing the Water Dragon King to regain the ancient dragon's authority, thus pardoning the Fontaine people's original sin, resolving Fontaine's prophecy crisis in this way.

Having finished saying all that.

Egeliya was completely stunned, opening and closing her mouth but unable to utter a word.

"You know why I don't tell others this, right?"

Luo De shrugged: "If more people knew this, Fukaluosi's plan would be utterly ruined, and the Fontaine people would still be unable to escape their fate of dissolution."

"Ah ah."

Egeliya tried to speak for a long time, but still couldn't get the words out; only tears streamed down the corners of her eyes.

"Actually."

"I think this is quite unfair, and the risk is really high."

Luo De propped his chin, as if not seeing Egeliya's expression, and said: "I won't say anything else—just this immortality curse: anyone with strength near that of an Archon can tell that the Hydro Archon is cursed; don't you think someone would be curious?"

Egeliya's body tensed up again.

"That Water Dragon King is indeed formidable; with him, Fontaine is effectively still governed by one of the Seven Executive Governors."

"But Funina cannot always be under his protection."

"If anyone doubts her identity, a little probing will immediately reveal the problem."

Thinking that a servant suspecting Funina could attack the Hydro Archon right under the Water Dragon King's nose, Luo De muttered: "Fontaine's security level is indeed lacking."

"Then, then over these years…"

Egeliya finally spoke: "Over these years, how much injustice has she endured?"

"Indeed, quite a lot."

"However, Fukaluosi's plan is nearly complete; once she deceives Heavenly Principle and shatters the Divine Seat, she will also be freed."

Having calculated the time, Luo De said firmly.

Fukaluosi's faith power had long almost accumulated; now only a catalyst is missing.

As for this catalyst,

It is Ying.

And Ying said that after participating in the Flower God Birth Festival in Sumeru, she would go to Fontaine.

Anyway, it will be soon.

Hearing that it would be soon, Egeliya bit her lip, her eye sockets filled with tears.

Fukaluosi is the person she entrusted back then to come and resolve Fontaine's prophecy crisis.

In other words.

Her current choice.

The double torment of her and Funina is all brought by her Egeliya.

Just like that, she cried silently for a long time.

Seeing Luo De preparing to open the prison door and leave, Egeliya raised her head and pleaded, "You, you can help Fukaluosi destroy the divine throne?"

(End of chapter)