The gathered women exhaled as one, the weight of the diary's revelations finally settling into something like relief.
The plan to save Fontaine's people was simple in design yet monumental in consequence: make all Fontainers into true humans. Solve the root problem—turn mimetic bodies fashioned from pure water-spirits into ordinary human flesh—and the vulnerability to the Primordial Belly Sea would vanish.
But reality never matched the prettiest vision.
Because the Fontainers themselves did not know the truth, no one ever paid for Furina's five centuries of lonely sacrifice. Because Focalors (the hidden, true divine persona) could no longer gaze upon the life she loved without guilt, she had to hide and suffer alone. The cost of salvation had been borne by so few—and almost no one ever knew.
In the meeting chamber, all eyes fell upon the girl floating in midair—naked, composed, and oddly serene. Furina and Clorinde's faces went scarlet; they had been seen, utterly exposed.
"Finished. Focalors' body is reconstructed," Su Xuan said with a small clap.
"With only Furina's DNA, we can manifest a whole new body in her likeness." He smiled, matter-of-fact.
Su Xuan's reasons for coming were many—the diary-holders, the Star-Swallowing Whale, and the five centuries of faith Focalors had amassed. If he absorbed that faith-power, Focalors would lack the strength to shatter the God Seat, and Neuvillette would not be able to forge the Dragon King into his full authority. But the Universe Mirror (the 乾坤镜) had the ability to alter a being's genome. Turning Fontainers into humans was not, in truth, an insurmountable technical problem.
Moreover, when Su Xuan had been alone with Sikok earlier, he'd used his Rule Authority to probe Sikok's DNA—extracting the traits that let her clan survive any hostile environment. If that adaptive pattern were grafted into Teyvat's people, the Abyss would no longer be an existential terror for them. Over time, mortals could learn to live in Abyss-tainted spaces; the Abyss would cease to be a planetary nightmare.
"Next step," Su Xuan said, "is to find Focalors' remaining divine consciousness and reunite it with the newly constructed body. Then she can live as any normal human."
Furina hardly heard him. She jabbed a trembling finger toward the floating figure. "Can't you at least manifest some clothes?" she blurted.
"This is Focalors, not you," Su Xuan replied with mock innocence.
"Oh—right…" Furina relaxed for half a beat—then snapped, "Wait! I am Focalors' public persona. Using my body to rebuild hers is the same as rebuilding me! Looking at her is like looking at me!" Her protest grew more animated; the idea of everyone seeing through her—of being seen naked in this way—filled her with mortification.
Su Xuan chuckled. "True enough."
Furina's face scrunched as the realization settled: this was Su Xuan's deliberate provocation. Of all the places to do this— in front of so many diary-holders! They've all seen me, she thought, cheeks flaring hotter.
"It doesn't matter," Rosaline said casually, breaking the thunder of Furina's embarrassment. "We'll meet her someday anyway—early or late, what's the difference?"
Furina blinked. The sentence lodged like a small, baffling stone; she couldn't parse Rosaline's calm indifference. But while she mulled that, Su Xuan finished folding away the crafted body.
"I'll go fetch Focalors' consciousness," he said. "If you're bored, visit the Opiclae Theater for a trial. Lumine and Paimon haven't experienced that yet."
Lumine and Paimon brightened instantly. "We should sample local customs in the Nation of Justice," Lumine agreed.
Sikok considered briefly and shook her head. "I've seen Fontaine's trials when I traveled here. I'll skip." Long years spent in Abyssal training had left her indifferent to petty theatricality. If there was time, she'd rather go capture the Star-Swallowing Whale for Su Xuan.
"If you don't mind, I'll fetch the whale," she offered softly.
The whale—Surtrochi's pet—had never impressed her beyond its size. Greedy and weak, it had once been a nuisance she had to babysit. It had awakened only after Talents like Tartaglia encountered it; thinking it through seemed like a string of contrivances. Why would Surtrochi place such a creature in Teyvat rather than the world beyond, if he possessed devouring power? Sikok suspected hidden ties between Surtrochi and Teyvat that even she hadn't fully understood.
Su Xuan nodded. "Then go. Bring the whale to me." Sikok gave a soft hum and tore a rift in the void with a single step, vanishing through the fissure with casual grace.
Arlecchino, Columbina, and Rosaline exchanged glances. They knew Sikok as the disciple of that elusive dragon-warrior Tartaglia's master—an impossible presence at their table, but here she was.
Lumine's voice cut the silence. "Actually, I want to see the Star-Swallowing Whale—what is it like?" The others admitted they felt the same. With Sikok gone, they decided to visit the Opiclae Theater first.
Furina folded her arms and frowned. "But not all trials are what you imagine. Fontaine's trials are scheduled—if you want to see the real thing, you need notice."
Su Xuan's eyes flicked toward Furina and Clorinde, sensing their wish. "There is one suitable case now."
He spread his hands. "The serial disappearances of young women—solved. The culprit is Masselle."
Clorinde's features tightened. "Dissolved?" Furina whispered.
Su Xuan nodded grimly. "Yes. Masselle is also the true culprit behind the Kares case." Navia's father, Kares, had been framed; the initial shooter was not Kares—Masselle's agent had killed the first man, then staged the scene so Kares would be the only one left holding the gun. Masselle then used prepared Primordial Belly Sea water to dissolve the assassin's body, leaving only clothes—ensuring Kares would be judged guilty.
Clorinde's eyes widened. Su Xuan's recounting was so vivid she felt transported to the original crime scene. "Why would Masselle do this? I remember Kares helped him when he first arrived in Whiteswell Town."
Su Xuan's voice went soft and cold. "Because no one believed the Fontainers could dissolve into water. Kares couldn't tell the truth. And when profit tempts, gratitude fades." Masselle had distilled diluted Primordial Belly Sea water into a drug—Les—that made Fontainers emotionally volatile and addicted. Masselle profited handsomely. When Kares discovered the truth, Masselle sent killers. The first pawn, Jacques, had a crisis of conscience and returned to warn Kares—Jacques was killed for it. Kares chose to die in the duel to protect Navia; his death ensured the target—the one controlling everything—would remain hidden.
Paimon and Lumine shivered in excitement at each twist. The mastermind behind the missing girls was not a mere profiteer—he was a monster driven by love and obsession.
Su Xuan produced two levitating diaries—Masselle's lab notes and Vinyel's travel journal. "I took these from his lab," he said. "Evidence."
Furina gaped at Su Xuan's effortless telekinesis; the ladies marveled as the journals floated into his hands. Minutes later, their faces hardened. Masselle's experiments and motives were in his own handwriting and too damning to ignore.
Paimon worried about legalities: "What if he refuses to confess—what then?"
Su Xuan smiled as if the solution were obvious. "Who cares if he confesses? Tell him you know where Vinyel is. He'll reveal himself to see her. He won't resist—he'll confess everything."
Rosaline snorted. "So it wasn't some grand shadow conspiracy—just a love-struck villain."
Furina leaped up, hugging Su Xuan's neck. "You're wonderful! With you, any problem becomes easy."
Su Xuan's smile stayed cool and confident. "Leave it to me."
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