Furina drew a deep breath. She knew full well—though she had the right to refuse, refusing this test would mean admitting she was no god.
Audience: "Furina is just staring at that seawater without saying a word. She truly seems afraid. So she really is only human, after all?"
Navia, watching Furina, also felt a great sense of dread. By her calculations, Furina would definitely flee at this moment and would never touch the Primordial Seawater.
[Ningguang: The Traveler's move is simply devastating! Furina can only admit she is human now. After all, Furina herself knows best—she is nothing more than an ordinary human.]
[Keqing: That's right. Regardless of whether the test is performed, the answer will emerge, and it will be the exact same answer. There truly is no need for Furina to keep holding on any longer.]
[Sigewinne: What a decisive, clinching trump card!]
[Neuvillette: It appears that after that meeting, each faction prepared very thoroughly.]
[Nahida: There is no point in continuing further. Yet why is it... that I see a firm resolve in Furina's eyes? I feel as though she will not give up.]
[Arataki Itto: No way. Pushing on any further would have no meaning beyond throwing her own life away.]
[Zhongli: I, too, see a familiar steadfastness. Furina will not yield.]
The remarks of two major gods once again raised everyone's expectations. After all, one was the oldest of the gods and the other the God of Wisdom. Their words could be taken as highly authoritative.
In the video.
Neuvillette once again urged caution: "Given the danger of this experiment, Lady Furina, you need not—"
Before Neuvillette could finish speaking, Furina had already plunged her hand into the seawater. Paimon was so frightened she squeezed her eyes shut.
[Nahida: I knew it. In truth, Furina's heart is exceptionally resilient. Her will surpasses that of many ordinary people.]
[Wriothesley: But this only buys a few seconds at most, doesn't it? Is it worth dissolving in the water just to keep the secret for a few more minutes?]
[Klee covered her eyes: I can't bear to watch.]
[Keqing: Wait—no, no, Furina didn't dissolve!]
[Klee: She really didn't dissolve! Could it be that Furina isn't human?]
[Zhongli: That is indeed a possibility.]
[Furina: No. I am unquestionably human. Of that there is no doubt.]
In the footage.
Furina's body trembled. She gasped for breath in great, heaving gulps and then burst into loud laughter: "I'm fine! I'm fine! My hand is still here! I didn't dissolve!"
"Now do you believe me? I truly am a god, not some ordinary human who would just dissolve. Really."
Neuvillette did not affirm Furina's words. Instead, he sent for Sigewinne.
Sigewinne came up and carefully examined Furina's hand. She reached a conclusion: "Based on my observations, Miss Furina's skin condition and her rapid, labored breathing both indicate she has been affected by the Primordial Seawater. The degree of effect matches that of an ordinary human who has come into contact with seawater of the same concentration."
[Ningguang: Affected by the Primordial Seawater, yet not dissolved. What exactly is going on in Fontaine?]
[Lyney: Allow me to explain. Primordial Seawater can dissolve Fontainians—there is no doubt about that. However, when the concentration is reduced to a certain level, it only causes minor harm to the skin. People have previously used diluted Primordial Seawater to create a special beverage. Those who drank it became highly excited.]
[Ningguang: In other words, Furina is indeed a human—a Fontainian who would dissolve.]
[Sigewinne: Doesn't that mean that just now, Lady Furina plunged her hand in fully prepared to die?]
[Keqing: She could have chosen to yield. The moment the Traveler posed the question, the answer was already sealed. Why did Furina still persist?]
[Furina: For the justice within my heart.]
In the video, even though her identity as a human had been completely exposed, Furina did not give up. She fought desperately to defend herself.
"What in the world is going on? I didn't dissolve in the Primordial Seawater. Is that not proof enough?"
Navia explained: "At first, we did indeed plan to use seawater from near Poisson, because we were certain you would choose to flee, just as you always have."
"But in the end, after everyone discussed it, we switched to diluted seawater that wouldn't dissolve a human. After all, even if it was only one chance in ten thousand... even if some unexpected situation arose... none of us wanted to see another person dissolve in that seawater."
Paimon: "So the plan was to use low-concentration seawater, along with a check from Nurse Sigewinne?"
"Thank goodness we chose that method. Otherwise, wouldn't Furina have..."
[Paimon: Good thing Navia made such meticulous arrangements in advance. Otherwise, Furina would have been in grave danger. After all, no one expected that even in a hopeless situation, Furina would keep on holding fast.]
[Hu Tao: My Zhongli saw it coming!]
[Ningguang: Director Hu, you should be more solemn before a god.]
[Zhongli: That won't be necessary. I am quite fond of this child, Hu Tao. I would not have remained at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor otherwise. Hu Tao, you may simply treat me as a grandfather.]
[Hu Tao: Oh, so that's how it is, Zhongli! You're upgrading yourself from a junior to a grandpa now? Take this!]
[Zhongli: This child Hu Tao... I find her rather difficult to handle.]
[Venti: What a wonderful relationship!]
[Barbara: If the Anemo Archon likes that kind of girl, then I could also—!]
[Venti: That's wholly unnecessary. I still prefer drinking alone.]
Furina stared at her own hands in disbelief, unable to accept the reality.
Lumine also sank into thought.
Furina knew beyond a doubt that she was human. Yet why had she still dared to plunge her hand into that seawater? Was this still the same Furina who always fled from everything? Could it be that, to her, maintaining the false identity of a god was more important than life itself?
She should have given up long ago, shouldn't she?
But Furina still did not give up. She looked toward the audience. "Listen to me! Listen to me, please! Don't look at me with those cold eyes... All right? That test just now doesn't count!"
"Look, you also have no way of proving that a god wouldn't be affected by Primordial Seawater, right?"
"And also... also, if I were truly human, how could I have dared to plunge my hand into that seawater? That would have been completely meaningless!"
From the audience, there was no response.
"Listen to me! I beg you... listen to me. I really am a god..."
Tears were already welling in Furina's eyes. But no matter how she explained, no one believed her anymore. The evidence was simply far too overwhelming.
[Sigewinne: Furina looks so pitiful... On that vast stage, she doesn't have a single ally.]
[Neuvillette: In truth, Furina cannot be blamed. After all, she is only a Fontainian without any divine power. Faced with such disaster, there was nothing she could do—she could not fulfill the people's expectations of a god.]