Fu Ning slowly opened his eyes and looked up…
Why is someone dragging him?
Fu Ning turned around and saw a girl trying hard to drag him into the shade of a tree.
"Hello?"
She wasn't the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles who attacked him—just an ordinary girl with a kind heart and no apparent threat.
The sound wasn't loud, but it truly startled Furina.
After all, in Furina's eyes, Fu Ning had already fallen into a deep coma and shouldn't be waking up any time soon.
Furina trembled, stepped back in fear, and looked at Fu Ning in horror.
"You—you—you—you—you… why did you wake up?!"
"…"
The girl didn't seem very bright, but she doesn't pose any danger either.
After gathering his thoughts, Fu Ning asked, "Hello, Miss. My name is Fu Ning. May I ask… where am I?"
At that moment, Furina realized she had asked a rather silly question.
Of course a demon god would have stronger regenerative abilities!
Yes, by now, Furina had fully assumed that Fu Ning was a demon god.
"Ahem." Furina cleared her throat and replied with exaggerated seriousness, "Hello, mysterious demon god. Standing before you is the Hydro Archon, god of justice, and sovereign of Fontaine: Focalors. But you may call me Furina."
"Water Goddess Furina…" Fu Ning silently committed the name to memory.
Wait—something felt off. Fu Ning asked, "Lady Hydro Archon, why did you call me… a demon god?"
Fu Ning had a gentle nature, so addressing Furina respectfully came naturally to him.
Furina tilted her head with confusion and asked, "Aren't you a demon god? Your body is full of cracks—how did you survive?"
His body… full of cracks?
He looked down at his hands.
Indeed—ghastly, abyssal wounds ran down the length of his arms.
Ah… these were the scars left by the Final Calamity Demon.
The last battle had been brutal. Even though it was only a fragment of the true demon, defeating it had come at great cost.
The price: permanent fractures across his body and a significant loss in strength, mitigated only by the power of his innate talents.
Recalling the legends of demon gods from the world of Blue Star, Fu Ning hastily crafted a narrative. "Ah… yes… I am a demon god. Lady Furina, you may call me the Dark God."
"Dark God" had once been his codename when he reached Tier Nine on Blue Star.
Fu Ning pointed to his head and said, "When I was born, all was shrouded in darkness. I don't remember much. I must have fallen into a deep slumber… and when I awoke, I was here—badly injured. My memory… seems damaged."
"That's all I can recall for now."
Furina was thrilled. Perfect! An amnesiac demon god with a mild temperament and diminished power—easily manipulated!
(Ayo 🥴)
Aside from the scars covering his body, Fu Ning actually looked quite handsome.
If she brought this "Dark God" back to Fontaine, alongside Neuvillette, they'd gain another elite-level asset!
"Then, Dark God, would you be willing to come with me to my nation—Fontaine? Perhaps I can help you restore your memories."
Fu Ning stood up, bowed slightly, and said, "It would be an honor, Lady Hydro Archon."
Furina beamed. Wonderful—once you're in Fontaine, you won't be able to leave so easily!
"Oh, right, Dark God, what's your true name?" she asked.
Fu Ning pondered. The name of a god should sound something like… Focalors?
After a moment, he made one up.
"My god-name is… Gohadow."
Furina brightened. "Very well then, Dark God Gohadow, follow me!"
She turned, hooked a finger in his direction, and walked ahead with a flourish.
Fu Ning stared at Furina's retreating figure, internally questioning: She turns her back so easily to someone she believes is a demon god? This Hydro Archon…
Still, he followed Furina's lively pace.
***
On the way, Furina kept chattering about Teyvat and Fontaine, giving Fu Ning a basic understanding of this new world.
Suddenly, Furina halted and glanced forward nervously. She hesitated, then asked, "Uh… Gohadow… how much power can you still use?"
Furina wasn't sure how to interact with a demon god—it was her first time, after all.
Fu Ning shook his head. "Lady Hydro Archon, please… call me Fu Ning."
Then he checked his body's condition…
From Tier Nine… all the way down to Tier Two…
His power had dropped drastically—from earth-shattering to being able to… punch through a wall, at best.
But why did Furina ask this?
He followed her line of sight and looked ahead.
"…What's that?"
He eyed the humanoid monsters in front of them with confusion.
Were there really such clumsy creatures in this world?
Furina looked a bit embarrassed. Though it was only a small group of hilichurls, she herself had zero combat ability!
"Ahem…" Furina cleared her throat and said sheepishly, "Dark God Gohadow, those monsters ahead are common across Teyvat—hilichurls and slimes. They're extremely weak! Perfect warm-up for someone who just woke up. So, uh… I'll leave it to you."
Fu Ning noted the nervous glint in her eyes and understood.
He mentally added several traits to Furina's profile: naive, childish, boastful, not particularly strong…
With her personality mapped out, Fu Ning responded appropriately: "Thank you, Lady Hydro Archon. I've only just awakened and need to reacquaint myself with my powers. Such weak monsters are unworthy of your divine intervention. Please allow me."
She's not bright—might as well humor her.
Sure enough, Furina was elated. Hands on hips, she completely forgot she'd just been bluffing.
Fu Ning turned his gaze toward the hilichurls and slimes. They hadn't even noticed the two of them yet.
With a body this damaged, even minor movements caused pain. There was no point using one of the Twelve Supreme Talents. Basic elemental control would suffice.
He slowly raised his right hand and pointed forward.
"Elemental Talent, Sequence Nine: Water."
A single water arrow shot from Fu Ning's palm, instantly piercing through a hilichurl.
The arrow split mid-flight into several streams, effortlessly eliminating all the remaining monsters.
Furina stared, dumbfounded. "Wait… aren't you the Dark God? Why are you using Hydro—one of the Seven Elements?"
"…"
"I said I am the Dark God. I never said I only use darkness."
"Oh! That's it!" Furina clapped in sudden realization. "You can use Hydro, right? Then why don't you become my follower?"
"How about it? Being a follower of the Hydro Archon is a privilege not many enjoy! Isn't that exciting?"
Fu Ning smiled faintly. This Hydro Archon really had the soul of an innocent girl.
He took a half-step back with his left foot, placed his left hand under his abdomen, and offered her a formal bow.
"It would be my great honor, Lady Furina."