Chapter 367

Fu Ning Na, who was still strolling around Xu Mi Cheng, had no idea that someone behind her had leaked everything about her.

However, the one who knows this matter is E Ge Li Ya, the former Hydro Archon of Feng Dan, and it will not affect her in any way, nor will it affect Fu Ka Luo Si's plan.

In fact.

Fu Ning Na simply didn't know what Fu Ka Luo Si's plan was.

She only knew that she must play the role of the Hydro Archon well, and must not let anyone know she is pretending, otherwise Feng Dan would be destroyed by the prophecy.

This is also why she didn't dare to go to the previous Geo Archon handover in Liyue, which was such a major event.

She was simply afraid that people would notice the abnormality about her.

But this time, the invitation to the Xu Mi Flower God's Birth Festival, she could not get out of it no matter what.

Because of the previous incident, Na Wei Lai Te has already developed some suspicions about her.

Although it is not very obvious.

But what Fu Ning Na has honed over the past five hundred years is the ability to read people's expressions and tone.

Relying on this ability,

she can easily make the most correct judgment when judging others.

Even when convicting criminals based on the unjust notion of 'guilty until proven innocent,' she has never made a mistake.

Thus she keenly sensed Na Wei Lai Te's doubt about her not going to Liyue.

You must know that this is the Geo Archon handover.

Looking across the entire Teyvat continent, this is also a first-time major event.

Apart from the fire god busy with war and the Electro Archon in a state of seclusion, the gods of all other nations have all arrived.

But Fu Ning Na used the excuse of being busy with domestic affairs to get out of this.

To outsiders, and even in Liyue's view, this reason is still reasonable.

But to Na Wei Lai Te, the highest judge who oversees all of Feng Dan's governmental affairs, just how busy could Feng Dan be with state affairs, how could he not know?

In private,

He also once asked Fu Ning Na about this matter.

In the end, Fu Ning Na casually brushed it off.

But Fu Ning Na is very clear about it.

Doing this once or twice is fine, but if done too often, Na Wei Lai Te, the highest judge, will be the first to suspect her.

Therefore, for this invitation to Xu Mi, she cannot get out of it no matter what; even if she doesn't want to come, she has to come.

As for the fact that she has not a shred of divine authority, to anyone she looks like an ordinary human.

On this point, Luo De's guess is correct.

She simply made use of the fact that no one dares to lay a hand on the noble Hydro Archon as her disguise, and besides constantly staying by Na Wei Lai Te's side, even when sleeping the two of them are right next to each other.

There is such an absolute dragon king of the level of the Seven Archons.

Any slight rustle cannot escape his ears.

Thus safety can be guaranteed.

Of course.

When one should hide, one must still hide.

Fu Ning Na fully brought out the acting advantage gained from centuries of performance, portraying a little girl who, although she has lived for hundreds of years, is still inexperienced in worldly affairs, with lifelike vividness.

Even Na Wei Lai Te had no doubts about her not attending gatherings with other gods and instead spending all day wandering around.

However, this also has to do with Na Wei Lai Te himself being unwilling to come into contact with gods.

As the second-generation Water Dragon King whose powers have been stripped away,

Na Wei Lai Te's very nature is innately imbued with hostility and dissatisfaction toward the Seven Archons.

This determines that when he meets those gods, he inevitably feels somewhat uncomfortable all over.

Especially when the one he meets is Nadixa, such a weak god, it always gives him the urge to judge the other party.

This has nothing to do with personality or thinking.

It is simply because his hostility toward the Seven Archons is an instinct deeply rooted in his marrow since birth.

If it weren't for his clear-headed rationality,

knowing that if he were to do something excessive, the gods of Teyvat would unite to retaliate against him, not only implicating himself but also dragging down all of Feng Dan.

"Feng Dan."

I don't know why, but when walking the streets of Xu Mi Cheng, Na Wei Lai Te unconsciously compares this place with Feng Dan.

Five hundred years ago.

Feng Dan was also in such a state of large-scale construction.

However, at that time Feng Dan was almost reduced to a half-ruined state due to the black disaster, and the reconstruction process was also extremely difficult.

While Xu Mi Cheng is now visibly undergoing upgrades and renovations, making the city more livable.

Na Wei Lai Te, who has witnessed Feng Dan's five-hundred-year transformation,

subconsciously puts these changes together with the changes of Feng Dan City.

"Human."

Thinking of this, Na Wei Lai Te unconsciously again thinks about his history of getting along with humanity.

At first.

He came to Feng Dan after receiving a mysterious invitation.

At that time he had no special feelings toward humanity, and could even be said to completely dislike it.

After all, the death of the first-generation Water Dragon King.

It's because the Heavenly Principle wants to create humans, needing the Water Dragon's authority to control the primordial embryonic sea.

Correspondingly.

As a second-generation Water Dragon King born under Teyvat's rules.

Nahida naturally feels nothing toward humans, a creation that once made the first-generation Water Dragon King lose body and soul.

He agreed to take up the position of Fontaine's Highest Judge.

He merely wanted to resolve some lingering doubts in his heart.

At first.

As a standard foreigner, Nahida's arrival naturally provoked the exclusion of the Fontaine people.

Especially since he boldly reformed Fontaine's old aristocratic system.

Under these circumstances

Those old nobles holding power then launched a counterattack against him.

Using sneaky, affected tactics.

They drove to death the subordinate whom Nahida trusted and liked most.

This was also the first and only time he felt genuine disgust toward the human species.

Fortunately, at that time Nahida still had one extremely loyal subordinate.

This Special Patrol Captain named Votelin punished the thugs who killed his comrades with his own blood, and with his death he established Nahida's authority as Highest Judge, allowing him to firmly stand his ground, after which the old nobles could no longer shake his position.

After that, over four hundred years passed.

Nahida, who once felt nothing toward humans, now fully integrated into Fontaine without any grudge and developed genuine affection for humanity.

"Human life here is also quite good."

Nahida's soft muttering was heard by Furina.

She tilted her head curiously: "Nahida, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"I just noticed that many people have been mentioning the name Luo De along the way."

Nahida replied, his expression unchanged.

The name Luo De is famous not only in Sumeru but also in other nations.

Just as it was in Sumeru.

His reputation abroad is similarly a mix of praise and infamy.

Red King's Envoy, Dendro Archon's retinue, Savior of the Desert, Academy's Punisher, Butcher who kills without blinking, Frequent rule‑breaker lunatic—Nahida alone knows over two dozen such titles.

Some of these come from Sumeru rainforest people, some from Desert folk, and others from foreigners who brought them to Fontaine.

"He really sounds like an interesting guy," Furina mused, nibbling on her date‑coconut candy, adding, "And he's quite the troublemaker."

Furina is very interested in Luo De.

This hasn't been just a day or two.

Even before his reputation reached Fontaine.

Furina thus developed a strong interest in the two‑sided Luo De.

When she was separated from Focalors.

Focalors once told her.

Everything will end in a splendid, grand trial.

And Luo De's glorious achievements are more than enough to match the identity of such a splendid, grand trial.

Furina is exhausted.

She is merely a mortal's will, yet she has acted for five hundred years.

Such day‑after‑day accumulation has left her utterly exhausted.

So she very much wants to find someone to help her break free.

But Luo De is truly too mysterious and elusive.

Furina's intelligence network, spanning all of Teyvat and built over hundreds of years, knows very little about him.

At most, it's just the time Luo De spent in A Ru Cun before his rise.

After becoming part of the Dendro Archon's retinue, his whereabouts became unpredictable—often disappearing for months, then returning to do something earth‑shattering.

A long‑term lack of intelligence.

This is also another reason why Furina voluntarily came to Sumeru.

The Flower God's Birth Festival is such a major event that Luo De is sure to participate.

She can also use the opportunity to invite Luo De to make a trip to Fontaine.

Furina firmly believes.

Given Luo De's talent for causing chaos wherever he goes, she is sure to catch a chance to judge him.

Even if that's not possible.

She can also fabricate a few laws on the spot, pin some charges on Luo De, and give him a splendid trial.

But she doesn't know that.

The person who just brushed past her in the tavern is precisely the Luo De she has been seeking.

Meanwhile,

In the Puregood Palace,

Luo De furrowed his brow at Egeria's words: "What do you mean by what you just said?"

"You can replace Focalors and destroy the Hydro Archon's divine throne."

E Ge Li Ya repeated her previous words.

This made Luo De frown even more deeply, and he asked doubtfully, 'Are you sure?'

Luo De himself has used the power of faith.

Knowing how powerful this wish power originating from humans truly is.

Even Fukaluosi would need to accumulate the power of faith offered by all the people of Fontaine for five hundred years to have the ability to destroy the god's throne.

What does he rely on? Just the little bit of power of faith he scraped together from A Ru Cun and Hope City?

And E Ge Li Ya still said very firmly, 'When you become the Red King, your strength will naturally be enough.'

'That's not realistic.'

Luo De again denied, 'Even if the people of Sumeru acknowledge me as the Red King, the power of faith I can obtain is very limited, far from reaching the standard to destroy the god's throne.'

'Destroying the god's throne is not about the strength of power.'

'But rather lies in negation.'

E Ge Li Ya shook her head and uttered a word Luo De had never heard before.

'Negation?'

'Negate what?'

Luo De stared, not understanding E Ge Li Ya's meaning.

In his understanding.

This negation is likely a conceptual negation, namely a conceptual ability that can form something similar to the endless slashing ability of Lei Dian Zhen.

E Ge Li Ya's following answer.

Not much different from Luo De's own understanding.

'Negate the existence of the Hydro Archon.'

'In all of Teyvat, only you Descenders have this ability.'

E Ge Li Ya sighed and said, 'I now understand what Fukaluosi wants to do.'

Then.

She then analyzed Fukaluosi's plan: 'This plan of Fukaluosi likely never expected to last this long.'

'You just said this plan has loopholes, the problems with Furina are too obvious, easy to suspect, and then only a little probing would expose her, right?'

'I think.'

'This loophole and flaw are probably intentional on Fukaluosi's part.'

The more E Ge Li Ya spoke, the more complex her expression became.

Luo De also derived a special meaning from her words: 'Are you saying that Fukaluosi intentionally wanted people to discover Furina's abnormality, so that through questioning her, the principle of the Fontaine people would be turned into questioning, even denying, the existence of the Hydro Archon?'

'Yes.'

E Ge Li Ya sighed again deeply: 'Furina has too many flaws; in Fukaluosi's eyes, not to mention others, even Nawailait, who constantly interacts with her, would surely notice something off. Think about it: if the Chief Arbiter doubts her divine status, could a splendid and grand judgment be avoided?'

'So that's what her prophecy meant.'

Luo De's mouth twitched, and he finally understood why Fukaluosi would say such a thing to Furina.

Basically, everything is in her plan.

In Fukaluosi's view, the power of faith is just a small matter; as long as Fontaine insists on judgment, with the divine power she inherited from E Ge Li Ya plus the wish power of the Fontaine people, it is definitely enough to destroy the god's throne.

But merely having enough power is useless.

The Hydro Archon's throne can ignore the wish power of its people; even if the power is sufficient, it cannot harm it in the slightest.

At this point, the Fontaine people need to deny the existence of the Hydro Archon.

Thus adding a blade to this sword that can truly damage the Hydro Archon's throne.

In Fukaluosi's plan.

Furina's ability to persist is likely not long; once she remains inactive for a long time or reveals flaws, people's doubts about her will grow stronger.

Then sooner or later, a judgment against the Hydro Archon will descend.

That is the splendid and grand judgment that Fukaluosi firmly believes in.

But Fukaluosi did not anticipate this.

Furina's will is actually so strong that she has persisted for five hundred years, tormenting her spirit to the point of extreme exhaustion, yet she continues to strive to endure.

'What sin!'

Luo De's evaluation is just these three simple words.

'Alas—'

Fukaluosi cannot comment on Luo De's words.

Because she feels the same way.

Everything, on the contrary, has become the burden of Furina's excessive persistence; otherwise, she could have long been freed from this centuries of torment.

Fortunately.

Now E Ge Li Ya has found a lifeline that can save Furina.

In her pleading gaze, Luo De, after long contemplation, finally said, 'Let's wait until the Flower God Birth Festival ends; then I'll assess the situation. If the situation in Sumeru is completely stabilized, I'll come to help you.'

'Thank you.'

Having received the long-awaited affirmative reply, E Ge Li Ya wept with joy, repeatedly thanking Luo De.

(End of chapter)