Furina took a deep breath. She knew perfectly well: although she had the right to refuse, refusing this test was the same as admitting she wasn't a god.
Audience: "She's just staring at the Primordial Seawater… not saying anything. She's actually scared. So she really is just a human?"
Navia felt her heart sink. Based on her calculations, Furina would definitely run from this—she would never dare touch Primordial Sea Water.
[Ningguang: The traveler's move is too brilliant. Furina can only admit she's human now. After all, no one knows better than Furina herself that she's just an ordinary person.]
[Keqing: Exactly. Whether she tests or not, the result is the same—there's no longer any point in resisting.]
[Sigewinne: What a decisive and terrifying trump card…]
[Neuvillette: It seems everyone was very well-prepared after that meeting.]
[Nahida: But… something's off. I can see determination in Furina's eyes. It feels like she's not going to give up.]
[Arataki Itto: No way! If she keeps going, she's just gonna get herself killed!]
[Zhongli: I see that determination as well. Furina will not give up.]
[These words—from the oldest archon and the God of Wisdom—immediately raised expectations.]
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Neuvillette tried to stop her again.
Neuvillette: "Given the danger of the test, Lady Furina, you don't have to—"
Before he could finish, Furina plunged her hand into the seawater.
Paimon shrieked and squeezed her eyes shut.
[Nahida: I knew it. Furina's inner strength is far greater than she shows. Her willpower surpasses that of most people.]
[Lyney: Even so… this will only delay dissolution by a few seconds. Is it worth risking her life just to hide the truth for a little longer?]
[Klee: I can't look! Is she melting??]
[Keqing: Wait—no! She's not dissolving!]
[Klee: She's really not! Does that mean… Furina isn't human??]
[Zhongli: That is indeed a possibility.]
[Furina: No. I am human. That is beyond question.]
In the footage, Furina trembled violently, gasping for air—then burst into shaky laughter.
Furina: "Look—look! I'm fine! My hand is still here! I didn't dissolve!See? Now you believe me, right? I am a god! I'm not some ordinary Fontainian who'd melt!"
Neuvillette did not confirm her claim. Instead, he summoned Sigewinne.
Sigewinne carefully inspected Furina's hand.
Sigewinne: "Based on her skin condition and stress reaction, Lady Furina was affected by the primordial seawater. Her symptoms match those of an ordinary human exposed to the same concentration."
[Ningguang: So she was affected—but didn't dissolve. What is going on in Fontaine?]
[Lyney: Let me explain. Primordial seawater definitely dissolves Fontainians. But if the concentration is low enough, it only causes mild skin damage. People even used diluted seawater before to make… well, a strange stimulant drink.]
[Ningguang: Meaning—Furina is human. A Fontainian who would dissolve.]
[Sigewinne: Which means… she put her hand in, knowing she was risking her life.]
[Keqing: She could have backed down. The moment the Traveler raised the question, the outcome was already decided. Why did she keep fighting?]
[Furina: Because I needed to protect my idea of justice.]
Even now—her identity exposed—Furina kept struggling to defend herself.
Furina: "Why?! Why didn't I dissolve?? Doesn't this prove something?!"
Navia stepped forward.
Navia: "Originally, we planned to use seawater from Poisson. We assumed you would run away, like always. But in the end, after discussing it… we switched to a low-concentration sample that wouldn't dissolve humans. None of us wanted to see even one more person melt away—no matter what."
Paimon: "So it was low-concentration seawater… and Sigewinne checked her condition to confirm it?"
She exhaled in relief.
Paimon: "Good thing Navia prepared everything ahead of time—otherwise Furina would've… well…"
[Paimon: Thank goodness Navia planned so carefully. No one expected Furina to keep resisting, even when she had already lost.]
[Hu Tao: Look! Grandpa Zhongli noticed it too!]
[Ningguang: Hu Tao, mind your manners in front of an archon.]
[Zhongli: It's fine. I am fond of Hu Tao. If not, I wouldn't still be at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. You may consider me like a grandfather if you like.]
[Hu Tao: WHAT—You went from little brother to grandpa?! Fight me!!]
[Zhongli: … Hu Tao and I do not get along.]
[Venti: Aww, such warm family bonds!]
[Barbara: If Lord Barbatos likes mischievous girls, then I—!!]
[Venti: No, no. I prefer drinking alone.]
Furina stared at her hands in disbelief, unable to accept the truth.
Lumine also fell into deep thought.
Furina knew she was human. So why did she still dare to put her hand into the seawater?
Was maintaining her fake identity as the Hydro Archon really…
More important to her than her own life?
By all logic, she should have surrendered long ago.
Yet she didn't.
Furina (to the audience): "Listen to me! Please—listen! Don't look at me like that. Just now doesn't count! Look—you can't prove that a real Archon wouldn't be affected by primordial seawater, right? And—and if I were human, why would I dare to put my hand into something that could kill me? It makes no sense!"
Silence. No one answered.
Furina: "Please… someone… say something… I really AM the Hydro Archon…"
Her eyes brimmed with tears. No matter what she said, no one believed her anymore. The evidence was overwhelming.
[Sigewinne: Poor Lady Furina… on that vast stage, she doesn't have even one ally.]
[Neuvillette: We cannot blame her entirely. She's only a powerless Fontainian. In the face of catastrophe, she could never meet the expectations placed upon a god.]