"All right, no need to guess. I took the initiative to accept the commission from a friend's apprentice."
Lumine immediately understood—Mona had mentioned that among her master's friends, there was a great prophet.
So Lumine took the initiative to ask, "Will Fontaine's prophecy come true?"
Mage N: "Yes. The visions foretold in the prophecy will certainly come to pass. You could even regard them as future history."
Paimon grew anxious at once: "How can that be... Then is there still any chance for us to stop it?"
Mage N: "You should have already witnessed a case of failure. Things in Teyvat are not so easily changed."
"However, the prophecy is merely the future as seen from the gods' perspective. But in the blind spots of the gods' vision... could it be that something is also happening?"
"Will the things you will see in the future differ from the fate that the gods behold?"
The witch's words left Paimon thoroughly bewildered.
Mage N continued: "I think you understand what I mean. What is inconsequential, and what is something that must be acted upon. No matter what Teyvat's fate may be, in the end, what guides you is only your own destiny. You need only do what you must do."
"All right, the tea is excellent. Thank you for your hospitality. Let us bring today's tea party to a close here."
"With that, the voice vanished."
[Charlotte: So mysterious. I'd love to interview her...]
[Mona: Please allow me to dissuade you of that notion. You absolutely do not want to deal with them.]
[Jean: With the help of the witch Alice, the Stormterror's Lair was successfully transformed into the Stormterror's Ruins.]
[Klee: Mama! Is my mama a member of the Hexenzirkel too?]
[Jean: Yes, your mother is a very powerful person. She left Mondstadt when you were very young to undertake a matter of great importance.]
[Klee: That's so cool!]
Later, Lumine met Mona again, confirmed the witch's identity, and also verified the validity of that information.
In the following two days, Lumine also encountered a Melusine and Charlotte and was likewise uplifted by their cheerful and open-hearted outlook.
The Melusine said that even if the apocalypse were to arrive tomorrow, one must still eat delicious cake today. That is what living is.
Charlotte said that rather than racking her brain over inexplicable matters, it's better to simply let things take their natural course. In the final moment before death, one should still choose to do what one loves. In the last instant before the waters rise, I'd probably be putting together a global news report.
[Ganyu: Faced with the prophecy, they were not afraid.]
[Zhongli: Life will not change because of fear. Optimism is always better than pessimism.]
[Hu Tao: You really do understand so much, Zhongli. Worthy of being the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's consultant.]
[Zhongli: I simply enjoy reading books in my spare time.]
During this period, Lyney and the others also finished preparing the trap.
After Lumine returned to Poisson, she met Neuvillette's messenger, Isadora: "I've come this time to help convey a message from Monsieur Neuvillette. An incident occurred this morning at the Opera House. The Marechaussee Phantoms have defined it as a small-scale riot. Lady Furina was originally watching a performance at the Opera House, but during the intermission, some audience members suddenly turned on her, loudly denouncing Lady Furina's inaction. Before Lady Furina could respond, several more people began emotionally reproaching her as well..."
"Later, more and more people joined in, and a public condemnation of the Hydro Archon unfolded within the Opera House."
[Ningguang: The timing doesn't add up. Several days have already passed since the crisis at Poisson. Why was there no denouncement back then? I suspect it's because the trap wasn't ready yet. The condemnation on stage—the director behind the curtain is likely the House of the Hearth.]
[Lyney: As expected of the Tianquan of Liyue. Although the events in the video take place in the future, what's shown in the footage is indeed what I would want to do. The one who orchestrated this should be me.]
[Lynette: Mm. Stirring up so many people—I definitely had a hand in helping.]
[Furina: The audacity! To incite the people to question a god! I, Focalors, declare you guilty.]
[Lyney: But we haven't actually done anything yet.]
[Furina: ...]
[Ningguang: Watching up to this point, all the content has been building up to the Hydro Archon. The true sinner is you, isn't it? Furina, the Hydro Archon.]
[Furina: How can that be? How could I possibly be guilty? Fontaine's laws were all established by me.]
...
In the video.
Paimon: "People have turned their accusations toward Furina, haven't they? After so long living in fear of the prophecy, the people have finally found an outlet for their frustration."
Isadora nodded: "That's right. People have always taken it for granted that they can rely on a god. When they feel unsafe, the one they instinctively blame is also the god."
Paimon urgently pressed on: "Is Furina all right?"
[Furina: I never imagined that the ones in Fontaine who'd care about me would be Lumine and Paimon.]
Isadora: "Lady Furina is fine. Seeing that the situation was about to spiral out of control, she said she had spoiled the mood and hurriedly left the Opera House."
"Unexpectedly, Lady Furina then simply disappeared. The Marechaussee Phantoms dispatched many people to search for traces of her, but there are still no leads."
"Still, I don't think there's any reason to be anxious. Lady Furina is a god. Even if she fell into the hands of a mob, what could humans possibly do to her?"
[The Knave: And if Lady Furina is not a god at all?]
[Furina: How could I possibly not be a god?]
[The Knave: Whether she is or not, I imagine we'll have an answer soon enough.]
In the footage, Paimon also began her own analysis.
Though Furina seemed carefree and particularly flamboyant on the surface, she had never been a hard-hearted person.
Being publicly denounced by the people this time, it was impossible for it not to weigh on her heart.
Thus, the most likely scenario right now was that Furina had used this as an opportunity to go to Poisson, to try and work through her own guilt.
Lumine agreed, and immediately the two of them set off for Poisson together.
At the spot where the bridge had broken, Lumine spotted Furina, but she didn't disturb her. Instead, she began to eavesdrop.
Furina stood alone, gazing at the water's surface, talking to herself. Tears were already welling in her eyes.
"Give up. It's meaningless."
"You see? It still happened. Everyone died."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
"Give up, Furina. Stop holding on."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
"But even so... what else can I do?"
[Ganyu: Can gods also cry? I don't know why, but seeing this scene, I feel so sad.]
[Neuvillette: Just what secret are you hiding, that you would come here all alone and pour your heart out to yourself?]
[Furina: Let's leave the broadcast room, all right? Let us exit the broadcast room. The content that follows cannot be watched any further. Otherwise, Fontaine will be destroyed. Let's stop watching, all right?]
[Mona: The prophecy is a fixed future history. The content of this broadcast is footage of the future. I think the future is already set. No matter what we do, the events of the future will still happen, won't they?]