"Lady Furina, Your Excellency the Supre Bishop, I've been occupied with recent affairs and thus have been unable to pay my respects until now. My apologies for the discourtesy."
The one who spoke these words was none other than Ningguang, the Tianquan of Liyue's Qixing.
Just the night before, Ye had vented his fury over losing a forest onto Furina in a dream. And now, early the next morning, Ningguang arrived at their doorstep alongside Keqing.
It was abundantly clear—she knew Furina's true identity.
Well, Ye had never expected Furina's identity to remain hidden from the Liyue Qixing in the first place.
Hu Tao was one thing—the scope of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's business ant she had little reason to concern herself with foreign affairs, nor the interest to do so. But if the Liyue Qixing didn't even know the na of Fontaine's Hydro Archon, they'd be a laughingstock.
Previously, the Qixing had been fully occupied preparing for the battle against Beisht. On the other hand, the arrival of a foreign Archon had undoubtedly left them uneasy, prompting them to observe the situation first.
—Especially since the foreign Archon who ca to Liyue was none other than the God of Justice, who, according to rumors, even sought to put other gods on trial.
"Hahahaha! I never intended to make a spectacle of myself. I simply heard that Liyue's Lantern Rite was quite fascinating, so I ca to enjoy it."
Furina laughed cheerfully, her spirits high:
"You must be Ningguang, correct? Not bad. For a re mortal, your bearing carries a hint of that certain… stack of traits."
"You flatter , Lady Furina. I dare not compare myself to Fontaine's Chief Justice."
From what Ningguang knew, Fontaine's Chief Justice—that stack of traits—was an aloof, transcendent being akin to an adeptus, much like the Supre Bishop. In fact, it was said that his individual combat prowess rivaled that of a god, surpassing even the Supre Bishop.
Rumors claid that the Fatui Harbingers had been granted divine authority by the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya. Yet even among such formidable Harbingers, only the top two could possibly stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Chief Justice. Ningguang was far from lacking in self-awareness.
If anything, she had always been the most self-aware of all.
For the weak facing the strong, the greatest danger was never their own weakness—but their failure to recognize it.
Only with sufficient self-awareness, with a clear understanding of the gap in strength, could the weak harbor even the slightest possibility of overcoming the strong.
Ningguang had never believed herself a match for the Supre Bishop of Fontaine. And yet… since childhood, she had never abandoned the conviction that one day, she would challenge that legend—and vow to erge victorious.
With that thought, Ningguang turned her gaze toward the Supre Bishop seated across from her.
Only those who acknowledge their weakness can hope to defeat the strong.
Only those who acknowledge their folly can hope to surpass the wise.
Ningguang knew she was weak. She knew she was foolish. But…
The weak can overco the strong. The foolish can surpass the wise.
So—why can't that person be ?
Every ti this thought crossed her mind, Ningguang's weary heart would reignite with fighting spirit. This ti was no different—her eyes practically glead as she stared at the Supre Bishop.
—Instantly putting Furina on high alert.
This woman must also be one of Ye's old flas from his dreams. Otherwise, why would she look at him like that?
"Alright, you've t us now. You must have much to attend to—Beisht and all that—so you should hurry back."
Ningguang and Keqing tensed. As expected of a god!
But then again, this was the Hydro Archon. There was no way the state of the seas could be hidden from her.
With that in mind, they saw no reason to linger. This eting had confird that the Hydro Archon seed to harbor no ill will toward Liyue, which was enough to set their minds at ease. Thus, they soon took their leave.
Just then, Ye spoke: "Regarding Beisht, there's sothing I'd like to remind you of—consider it a personal suggestion."
Ningguang's expression turned serious at once. "Your Excellency, please speak."
"Have the Millelith set up barriers along the coastline to guard against tsunamis." Ye's voice was calm. "Beisht is massive in size. If she were to send tidal waves crashing toward Liyue Harbor, stopping them without prior preparation would be difficult."
Ningguang and Keqing's expressions imdiately darkened. Without Ye's reminder, they truly hadn't considered this possibility.
Though Ningguang had prepared Qiqi as a contingency, and Ganyu would undoubtedly join the military operations when the ti ca, she still preferred not to rely on the adepti's power if possible…
Otherwise, she'd have no standing when speaking to them in the future.
"Thank you for the reminder, Your Excellency. I shall make arrangents at once."
The three of them departed together.
Before leaving, Keqing—who had kept her head lowered throughout the visit—couldn't resist one last glance at the legendary Supre Bishop of Fontaine.
Ever since seeing his photograph in Ningguang's possession, she had dread of him many tis. Now that she was face-to-face with him, she couldn't help but feel flustered.
After all… well, fantasizing about soone and then eting them in person would make anyone a little embarrassed.
As she stepped outside, Keqing shook her head, dispelling these emotions.
There was a major battle ahead—she needed to pull herself together.
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