"Another me appeared in Poisson?" Furina's head swam at the news.
"Yes, Lady Furina," the Melusine confirmed with a nod. "Monsieur Neuvillette instructed me to inform you."
"Of course, Monsieur Neuvillette also mentioned that the people of Poisson might have misperceived things in the heat of the crisis."
"They must have been thinking of Lady Furina during those most dangerous moments."
Hearing the Melusine's words, a fleeting hint of guilt crossed Furina's face before she quickly concealed it and inquired, "What's the situation in Poisson? Is there any news?"
"Yes, Lady Furina. The people of Poisson have already reached safe shelter. The Court of Justice arrived promptly to rescue many in danger, and relief supplies are being transported from the nearest city to Poisson."
"What about the casualties?" Furina asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"So far, 316 people have been confirmed to have died in the disaster. There are only a few dozen injured, all with minor wounds."
"Still over three hundred dead..." Furina murmured, her expression dazed as she processed the number.
Though the figure was far lower than she had initially feared, Furina's heart remained heavy.
"Lady Furina, please don't be too sad. Monsieur Neuvillette said many of those people willingly jumped into the Primordial Sea Water. Several witnesses saw it happen," the Melusine said, hurrying to comfort Furina, whose spirits seemed low.
"And it was precisely because of their actions that the public discovered the seawater's anomalies more quickly, allowing for a timely evacuation."
"Ah? Is that so?"
"That's good then."
Furina paused, then nodded, a wave of relief washing over her.
"The people from Poisson have already been safely accommodated. Please don't worry too much, Lady Furina."
"If you have no further questions, I'll return to my duties now."
"Alright."
As Furina watched the Melusine's swaying figure retreat, a pang of guilt for slacking off momentarily pricked her heart. But she quickly suppressed the feeling.
Playing the Hydro Archon is exhausting! I'm not slacking off at all!
Still, the fact that the people of Poisson, in their moment of greatest peril, had hallucinated visions of her—when she was just an ordinary person, not the Hydro Archon—made it hard to bear the weight of their expectations.
Fortunately, the recent incident didn't have dire consequences. Otherwise, she truly wouldn't have known how to face the residents of Poisson.
Furina sighed softly, then turned her attention to her upcoming schedule.
Today was the regularly scheduled fan meet-and-greet. Furina had originally planned to cancel it, but after hearing about the situation in Poisson, she decided to proceed as planned.
This would be the perfect opportunity to inform everyone about the current state of affairs in Poisson and reassure them.
With this in mind, Furina headed to the Maison Gardiennage to find Clorinde and ask her to be her bodyguard for the time being.
Upon arriving at the Maison Gardiennage, Furina immediately summoned one of the officers and inquired, "Is Clorinde currently in Fontaine?"
"Lady Furina?!"
The officer's face lit up with surprise at the sight of Furina. Recovering quickly, he replied hurriedly, "Lady Clorinde is out on assignment. We haven't received any word of her return to Fontaine yet, and we're unsure of her exact location."
Furina nodded, a pang of insecurity hitting her heart at the news of Clorinde's absence.
"I understand."
"I'm planning to hold a meet-and-greet at Fountain Plaza shortly. Send some officers ahead to secure the area."
Furina glanced around the somewhat deserted Maison Gardiennage Headquarters, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"Strange... Why are there so few people here? Have they all been dispatched on duty?"
Upon hearing Furina's words, the officer's expression turned peculiar.
"Lady Furina...
"Don't you remember?"
"Remember what?" Furina asked, her gaze fixed on the officer.
"About half an hour ago, you already came to the Maison Gardiennage and gave us the same instructions. Everyone's already at Fountain Plaza maintaining order!"
"The meet-and-greet should have started by now, Lady Furina. Why are you still here?"
Furina froze for a moment, then blurted out inexplicably, "What nonsense are you spouting? I've never been here before!"
"You're the one who's mistaken!"
The officer immediately protested, "But it's true, Lady Furina!"
"If you don't believe me, ask the others here! Everyone saw it!"
Hearing this, Furina immediately called over the nearby Maison Gardiennage officers who had been observing the commotion and questioned them.
"Did I come here earlier? And tell you to maintain order at the scene?"
"Y-yes, Lady Furina... You did..."
The officer, intimidated by Furina's urgency, stammered out his answer. But his words only fueled her anxiety.
"We saw you too, Lady Furina. You were indeed at the Maison Gardiennage earlier," the other officers chimed in, confirming their colleague's statement.
What's going on here?
Just half an hour ago, she had been presiding over the previous Judgment. How could she possibly have visited the Maison Gardiennage to instruct them to maintain order at the scene?
Suddenly, Furina remembered the news Melusine had brought her earlier: a person resembling her had appeared in Poisson.
Could someone be impersonating me?!
This is outrageous! Who would dare pull such a stunt?!
Furina was furious. It was bad enough that someone had impersonated her fan and even died in front of her while disguised as Clorinde. But now they were impersonating her? This was utterly intolerable!
No one in Teyvat understood impersonation better than she did!
She had been playing the Hydro Archon role long before this impostor was even born!
"That wasn't me! You've all been tricked!"
"Not Lady Furina?"
The Maison Gardiennage officers exchanged disbelieving glances.
"But... that person looked exactly like Lady Furina!"
"Exactly! Her appearance, her clothes—everything was identical to Lady Furina's!"
"Wait, you must be mistaken. The clothes that other Lady Furina was wearing were a darker shade."
"Oh, you're right! Come to think of it, that other Lady Furina seemed... colder somehow."
"Though her voice was similar, now that I think about it, Lady Furina's tone was different—clean and decisive."
"Yes, yes! Now that you mention it, that other Lady Furina felt so reassuring... Ah, Lady Furina, you feel just as reassuring by your side!"
Furina glared at the Maison Gardiennage officer who she suspected had been gossiping about her.
"You men, gather the rest and come with me. That imposter might be using my identity to cause trouble. We need to stop her immediately."
"Also, send someone to notify Neuvillette. While they're at it, have them request reinforcements from the Court of Justice. We might be outnumbered."
After a moment's thought, Furina realized her safety couldn't be guaranteed and quickly added, "And bring extra security!"
At that moment, Furina found herself missing Emily. If her loyal attendant were by her side, she wouldn't have to worry about her safety at all.
Clorinde's strength was considerable too, but recently, for some reason, Clorinde had been acting distant toward her.
Furina wondered if Clorinde had seen through her facade and no longer believed she was the Hydro Archon, hence the deliberate distancing. She didn't dare confront Clorinde directly; if her lie were exposed, all her centuries of effort would have been in vain.
"Everyone, follow me immediately! Capture that impostor!"
"How dare she impersonate me and deceive everyone? Once we catch her, I'll personally deliver Judgment upon her!"
Furina waved her arm, leading a dozen Maison Gardiennage officers as they set off.
Before long, they arrived at Fountain Plaza.
The plaza was packed with people, but the meet-and-greet had clearly ended. Everyone was chatting and laughing as they prepared to leave.
"I never imagined I'd witness Lady Furina manifest a Divine Miracle with my own eyes! It was absolutely breathtaking."
"Exactly! As a die-hard fan of Lady Furina for ten years, this is the first time I've seen her take action herself. And what a spectacle it was!"
"Remember all those skeptics who doubted Lady Furina's Archon status? They look like clowns now!"
"Exactly! Lady Furina simply saw no need to act before. It was beneath her dignity."
"We've only recently seen Monsieur Neuvillette take action himself, so those who doubted Lady Furina were utterly ridiculous. Unlike them, I'll always remain Lady Furina's most devoted follower!"
-
Hearing the others' discussions, Furina's body instantly stiffened.
Divine Miracle?
What's that?
Suddenly, an ominous premonition stirred within her.
"Eh? Isn't that Lady Furina?"
Due to her elaborate entourage, Furina's presence quickly drew attention. A wave of gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Oh my gods, it really is Lady Furina!"
"Didn't Lady Furina say she had urgent business and had to leave? What's she doing here?!"
"I get it now! I understand everything!"
"Lady Furina must have wanted to secretly surprise us, that's why she pretended to have urgent business!"
"For our sake, Lady Furina personally orchestrated this dramatic scene! I could cry!"
"She even changed her clothes to approach us in such a humble manner! Tears of gratitude!"
"Lady Furina, please sign my autograph book!"
-
Forcing herself to remain calm amidst the surging crowd, Furina had no choice but to address them first to quell their agitation.
"Please, everyone, settle down. We'll get to the autographs later."
"Right now, we need your cooperation with something. Please remain where you are for a moment. We'll compensate you for any inconvenience this may cause."
After delivering these words, Furina immediately signaled the Maison Gardiennage officers beside her. Understanding her intent, they swiftly approached the officers maintaining order at the scene to inquire about the situation. Meanwhile, under the intense gaze of the crowd, Furina retreated behind the makeshift stage erected in the center of Fountain Plaza to await the results.
Furina sensed an unusual warmth in the crowd's gaze today, a fervor that made her feel slightly uneasy.
On the other side, a Maison Gardiennage officer who had arrived later found his colleagues and asked about the situation.
"Someone's impersonating Lady Furina?!"
The officer's face twisted in disbelief upon hearing this.
"Are you alright, brother?"
"The Lady Furina who left earlier seemed undeniably genuine!"
"You weren't here, so you wouldn't know, but just now, Lady Furina personally demonstrated a Divine Miracle!"
"That level of Elemental Power control... it's beyond what any ordinary person could achieve. Only an Archon could do that!"
"You haven't been fooled by an impostor, have you?"
Hearing these words, the Maison Gardiennage officer's conviction began to waver.
Upon closer reflection, it did seem possible that someone might be impersonating Lady Furina, given the absence of a second Lady Furina.
"Did Lady Furina truly perform a Divine Miracle just now?"
"Of course! Didn't you see the tens of thousands of people who witnessed it firsthand?"
"But... the Lady Furina on my side seemed genuine too..."
"Real or fake? Could someone really impersonate her so convincingly? I'm going to check it out."
"Alright, I'll take you there. But be careful. Until we figure out which one is the real Lady Furina, don't do anything reckless."
"Don't worry, I know how to behave."
After their conversation, the two officers approached Furina, who was resting behind the makeshift stage erected in the center of Fountain Plaza.
When the Maison Gardiennage officers maintaining order saw Furina, they were visibly stunned.
"The resemblance... it's uncanny!"
"What resemblance are you talking about?"
Seeing the displeasure on Furina's face, another officer immediately tugged at his colleague's arm, snapping him out of his daze.
"L-Lady Furina, I mean... the other Lady Furina looked exactly like you!"
"She's not me! She's an imposter! Don't call her by my name!" Furina snapped, her anger flaring at the officer's explanation.
"Yes, yes, of course," the Maison Gardiennage officer nodded repeatedly, mentally weighing which Furina seemed more authentic.
White Furina's appearance, tone, and demeanor were identical to the Hydro Archon Furina he knew. Dark Furina's appearance and demeanor were also mostly consistent with the real one, though her tone had shifted slightly. But she had personally demonstrated a Divine Miracle!
She must be the real Archon!
This one before me is the imposter—I'm ninety percent certain!
Just as he was about to denounce the imposter with impassioned words, he suddenly realized that if he was wrong and this was the real Furina, his career would be ruined.
So he abruptly changed course, asking Furina diplomatically, "Lady Furina, I was wondering, what's the penalty for impersonating an Archon in public?"
"Why do you ask?" Furina replied, puzzled. "We haven't even caught the imposter yet. Isn't it a bit premature to be discussing Judgment?"
Yet she answered him anyway.
"Fine, as an Archon, I'll indulge your curiosity in advance."
"According to Fontaine Law, impersonating an Archon in public carries a minimum sentence of ten years!"
Hearing Furina's response, the Maison Gardiennage officer finally relaxed and immediately pointed at her, shouting, "Enough! You imposter, surrender now!"
Furina pointed at herself, bewildered. "You're calling me an imposter?"
"Of course!"
The officer, already imagining the grand reward he would receive from the real Furina for exposing this fake in public, felt as energized as if he'd been injected with adrenaline.
"In Fontaine, even three-year-olds know that our revered Hydro Archon, Lady Furina, has memorized every single article of Fontaine Law!"
"That's your biggest flaw as an imposter! You don't even understand the Law!"
"I don't understand the Law?"
Hearing this, Furina became even more bewildered. She was certain she hadn't misremembered the contents of Fontaine Law.
"Exactly! What you just cited was Fontaine Law version 1.0, but the current version is already 10.0!"
"Lady Furina, as the Hydro Archon of Fontaine, must surely know this! Yet she's still applying outdated laws to judge today's crimes!"
"That proves you're a fake! Confess immediately, you blasphemous wretch! If you confess now, we might consider it a voluntary surrender!"
Hearing this deduction, even the Maison Gardiennage officers beside him were convinced, glaring angrily at Furina.
"So you're the impostor impersonating Lady Furina! How dare you deceive the Maison Gardiennage and nearly make us disrespect the real Lady Furina! This lawlessness must be severely punished!"
Drawn by the commotion, other Maison Gardiennage officers paused their duties and turned their attention to the scene.
"Wait, wait! What's this about 10.0? When did Fontaine Law change so drastically? It hasn't been updated in centuries!"
A ringing exploded in Furina's head, followed by a persistent buzzing in her ears.
"I simply haven't been paying close attention to the recent updates in Fontaine Law. How dare you accuse me of being a fake based on that alone?"
"You'd better immediately cease your blasphemous behavior towards the Archon, or I'll personally hold you accountable!"
"Hmph, it seems this impostor still hasn't given up."
"Then show us what you've got."
"The real Lady Furina displayed Divine Miracles that ordinary people could only dream of, before tens of thousands of witnesses."
"If you claim to be Lady Furina, then demonstrate these miracles to us. If you can, we'll believe you are the true Hydro Archon."
"And I'll gladly accept whatever judgment is handed down for my slander against Lady Furina."
"Come on, start your performance!"
The speaker gestured for Furina to begin.
Furina felt the gathering gazes around her, her body growing increasingly rigid...