Xia Zhi slowly walked through Furina's Corridor of Fate.
He saw the moment she first stood upon the grand theater stage, facing Fontaine's citizens head-on, and the countless times she had rehearsed alone in her room, tirelessly practicing her lines to empty air.
He saw her clumsily yet earnestly handling her first case reports, and the first time she met those who worshipped the Hydro Archon.
He saw her anxiety when she sent people to investigate hydrological data, her panic upon seeing the rising water levels, and how she feigned calm in front of others, only to return to her room and whisper her fears to the mirror in private.
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Day after day, time marched forward relentlessly.
He watched as she grew from initial clumsiness to eventual competence.
Generations of citizens were born and died.
He watched as she went from emotional ups and downs to numbness.
Year after year, the waters rose.
He watched as she went from anxiety to eventual collapse.
After all, she was only human.
A human's mental endurance has its limits.
Xia Zhi understood this deeply.
When crafting incense, if his mental energy was depleted, he too needed rest before continuing.
But Furina didn't have that luxury.
Though she stood seemingly at the highest pinnacle, she was actually teetering at the edge of a perilous cliff, walking on thin ice every moment.
She constantly kept her nerves taut, terrified of misspeaking, showing the wrong emotion, or accidentally revealing her true self, causing irreparable consequences.
The fate of all Fontaine pressed heavily upon her frail shoulders, leaving her afraid even to nap.
She never had a moment to relax or breathe.
Every day, she lived like a bowstring stretched to its limit.
As if the very next second, she would snap.
Yet somehow, against all odds, she persisted for five hundred years.
Xia Zhi accompanied her every step of the way.
His initial curiosity gradually faded into solemn silence.
Five hundred years—
Throughout this period, rain or shine, Furina never missed a single trial.
No matter how big or small the case was.
Simply because the voice from the mirror had once told her: all of this would come to an end in a grand, theatrical trial; only then would everyone be saved.
Because of this, many Fontaine citizens couldn't understand Furina, and even quietly spread negative rumors about her.
Furina remained silent about these accusations.
But Xia Zhi knew that deep down, she was hurting terribly.
She was just human.
And humans can't endlessly contain and suppress their emotions.
Those feelings always find a way out.
Most commonly through tears—it's human nature to cry when overwhelmed by sadness.
Furina was no exception.
Sometimes, while meeting with her faithful followers, tears would involuntarily slip down her cheeks, driven by the loneliness and pain she could not speak aloud.
Even then, she'd lightly wipe her eyes and smile, casually claiming it was merely an excess of Hydro energy within her.
Only deep in the night, sitting alone on her bed, knees hugged tightly to her chest, would she quietly cry to herself.
"It's been so long... so lonely... How much longer must I endure?"
"It's been hundreds of years already. Perhaps this drama will continue for hundreds more..."
"I never imagined this would be so painful..."
"Have I reached my limit? No, I probably hit my limit long ago. Today, I didn't even notice when I started crying."
"I wish I could talk to someone—even just one person... But that would ruin everything, wouldn't it?"
"For hundreds of years, I've searched for a way to break the language barrier, but there's no hope..."
"All I can do now is keep believing... that continuing to play the role of Hydro Archon is the only way to save Fontaine. Please, the me in the mirror, you have to succeed."
Standing before Furina, Xia Zhi couldn't help but slowly reach out his hand.
Her tears slipped through his palm, gently falling onto the bedsheets.
He paused slightly, quietly withdrawing his hand.
He stayed silently by fate's side, watching her until she finally cried herself to exhaustion, collapsing onto the bed in sleep.
Crying secretly beneath her blankets—this was now the only outlet left to her.
When she awoke, she couldn't afford even a moment to dwell on her previous night's breakdown. Furina immediately resumed playing her part..
One day, Xia Zhi suddenly saw a familiar figure at Furina's side—Charlotte, the newspaper reporter.
The timeline in the Corridor of Fate was finally approaching the present moment.
At the same time, Fontaine's rising waters had reached a dangerously critical point.
Ancient prophecies began spreading throughout Fontaine, causing growing panic among the people.
When the timeline in the Corridor of Fate finally synchronized completely with the present, Furina's Corridor of Fate ended.
Xia Zhi stopped at its end.
Now he understood.
Just like last time, when he used [Intertwined Fate] to witness Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's fate, the events in this Corridor were Furina's original destiny.
In this destiny, she had never met him.
Xia Zhi exited Furina's Corridor of Fate.
The stars of Furina's constellation, dimmed.
A shooting star fell from the constellation, landing gently in his hand.
Xia Zhi examined it—the previously pink-and-blue orb had now turned completely blue.
[Acquaint Fate]
Quality: Diamond
Type: Single-use item
Trait: Destiny, Connection, Intervention
Effect: A follow-up item obtained after using Intertwined Fate. Upon use, enter the Corridor of Fate of the bonded individual, and freely choose any time and place to intervene in their destiny.
Hidden Effect: The bonded individual's starting affection towards you is "Love," and affection increases +100% faster. Both parties share 10% of each other's total attributes.
Just like before, the [Intertwined Fate] had transformed into an [Acquaint Fate], with significant improvements.
Originally, its only effect was: "Upon use, open a special portal, guaranteeing an encounter with the bonded individual."
Back then, Xia Zhi needed his special traits [Space Rip] and [Time Rewind] to to return to the past and save Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
But now, the effect had changed from random to selectable, and no longer required additional traits to function, clearly becoming more convenient.
The first hidden effect built upon the previous one: the initial affection increased from "Friendly" to "Love," and the affection gain rate rose from "+50%" to "+100%."
Xia Zhi couldn't help recalling the strange sounds he'd overheard coming from Furina's bathroom when he first entered her dreams.
Now, perhaps he somewhat understood why she'd fallen so deeply in love with him...
A love buried and fermented for five hundred years—who knew how intense it might have grown...
Hopefully, she hadn't become a yandere...
Wait! I haven't yet traveled back in time to meet Furina! I still have a chance to avoid that outcome!
Xia Zhi thought carefully and silently made a decision.
The hidden effects also included another bonus: "Both parties share 10% of each other's total attributes."
This meant that once bonded, he'd gain 10% of Furina's total stats, and Furina would likewise gain 10% of his.
He recalled the [Thread of Fate] he'd given to Shenhe.
It had a similar hidden effect: both contracted parties gained +5% to all attributes.
Each had its own advantages, he supposed.
After carefully examining it, Xia Zhi stored away the [Acquaint Fate].
He couldn't use this item right now.
First, he needed some sleep.
He'd wait until tomorrow, when he was fully prepared, to proceed.