"Why don't you believe me either?!"
Ms. Furina's words and her somewhat disappointed gaze pierced Neuvillette's heart like steel needles, causing him a sharp pang of pain.
But... he had long been mentally prepared. No matter how difficult it was, he had to make Ms. Furina state her position today.
Even if he couldn't ask what her plan was, he at least had to extract some of the information she knew.
As a person of Fontaine, all information related to The Prophecy should be shared; only then could there be more solutions.
The more solutions there were, the greater the possibility of Fontaine escaping the silent demise foretold in The Prophecy.
In this matter... no one was wrong.
Thinking of this, Neuvillette took a deep breath and continued, "Ms. Furina, if that's the case... we can avoid discussing matters directly related to your plan. Let's exchange other information."
"Yesterday, the Golden-haired Traveler and I explored an ancient ruin in Beryl Region. Deep within the ruin... we saw three stone tablets related to The Prophecy."
"Are you aware of these three stone tablets?"
Neuvillette's tone was grave, just as it had been in every Judgment he had presided over for the past five hundred years—serious and imposing.
Although this was not his intention, in Neuvillette's mind... no other tone or questioning method was more effective than this.
Hearing this tone, as if judging a criminal, Ms. Furina's eyes narrowed slightly, and then she spoke mercilessly, "Although I don't understand why you're suddenly speaking to me in such an interrogative tone, I learned a saying from Yuto: 'Concern breeds confusion.'"
"I'll assume you're concerned for Fontaine, which is why you're being so disrespectful to me."
"As for the stone tablets you mentioned... I am not aware of them. In fact, I didn't even know there were unexplored ancient ruins within Fontaine's territory."
Upon hearing this, Neuvillette frowned slightly, his gray vertical pupils scrutinizing Ms. Furina, unable to discern whether her words were true or false.
After a brief thought, Neuvillette continued, "Very well... there were originally four stone tablets. The first is missing, and the remaining three are each engraved with different images, all seemingly related to The Prophecy."
"This is my second question: The second stone tablet depicts the Former Hydro Archon, Egeria, kneeling on the ground facing a floating island in the sky, as if confessing her sins."
"Regarding this... as the one personally appointed by Egeria as the next God... do you not know anything either?"
At this point, Neuvillette once again raised his head, his gray eyes fixed on Ms. Furina, trying to glean something from her answer and her demeanor.
Ms. Furina, however, met his gray eyes without the slightest fear, stating unequivocally, "I told you, I have never seen these stone tablets, nor do I know why Egeria would perform an act resembling prostration."
Looking at her unwavering heterochromatic eyes, Neuvillette withdrew his interrogative gaze, then lowered his head and fell into contemplation.
"Is that so...?"
In Neuvillette's view, if one were to find the person most familiar with Egeria on Teyvat... it would only be Ms. Furina.
After a brief thought, he slightly raised his head, looking at Ms. Furina, who met his gaze without any fear, and continued to ask impassively, "I will ask again: Do you truly have no information regarding the Former Hydro Archon?"
"The information I deciphered from the second stone tablet is that Egeria apologized or confessed her sins due to certain matters."
"Regarding these matters... you should be the one most informed."
Neuvillette's gaze was sharp; he stared intently at Ms. Furina, and at the bottom of his gray vertical pupils... a hint of suspicion was hidden.
Facing Neuvillette's second inquiry, Ms. Furina replied somewhat testily, "Every God has their own secrets. The previous God is the previous God, and I am I. It's normal that I don't know the previous God's secrets, isn't it?"
"Besides, Neuvillette, you yourself have determined that the Former Hydro Archon was apologizing or confessing her sins. You've been in the position of Chief Justice for five hundred years, haven't you?"
At this point, Ms. Furina first shook her head, then continued, "I won't talk about distant Judgments; I'll just mention the recent case of the missing girl. Did Marcel admit his transgressions? He only confessed under overwhelming evidence, didn't he?"
"Why would you assume that Egeria would necessarily tell me things that could be considered blemishes?"
Ms. Furina hit the nail on the head. With Yuto's four hundred and eighty-nine years of companionship, Ms. Furina had been influenced by Yuto to some extent.
And now... was the moment those 'influences' came into play.
Neuvillette looked at Ms. Furina's resolute expression, momentarily speechless.
From her recent words... he saw Yuto's shadow.
This sudden sense of déjà vu made Neuvillette somewhat disoriented, and even his initial doubt was temporarily dispelled.
But he quickly discovered the problem: Ms. Furina was equivocating.
She deliberately compared fundamentally different people and Gods, aiming to disrupt his logical flow.
This precisely proved one thing... Ms. Furina indeed had an issue regarding this matter; otherwise, she wouldn't compare two fundamentally different things.
Moreover, according to ancient records of Fontaine... Egeria was not a heinous villain but a gentle God, kind to her very core.
—How could a gentle God hide her mistakes and let her successor bear it all alone?
Thinking of this, Neuvillette took a deep breath and then spoke, "Ms. Furina, I know you have been investigating matters related to The Prophecy through certain means and channels. This is not strange; on the contrary, it's a reassuring sign."
"But the problem is not there, but that even after investigating, you have done nothing. That is the strange part."
At this point, Neuvillette paused slightly, then continued, "Your behavioral logic and your thinking... are completely inconsistent with your exaggerated performance so far. What exactly..."
Hearing Neuvillette's words, Ms. Furina's eyes widened abruptly, and she gently bit her lip. Her mind raced... what should she do next?
Soon, Ms. Furina thought of a countermeasure.
"Neuvillette, since you pay so much attention to me... you should understand one thing: questioning me, doubting me, is meaningless."
"Because I am the Hydro Archon of Fontaine, the God who represents justice. I wish for The Prophecy not to happen more than anyone else. Everything I do is for Fontaine's continued existence!"
"And you, as the Chief Justice, are still considered my subordinate; you should obey my decisions. So why do you question me again and again?"
At this point, Ms. Furina slowly closed her eyes, and after a moment, she slowly opened them, speaking in an unprecedentedly calm tone, "I am very disappointed, Neuvillette."
With that, Ms. Furina turned and left Neuvillette's office, not even bothering to glance at the Traveler standing by the door.
For her... the most urgent thing now was to escape, find a place to reorganize her thoughts.
If she stayed here any longer... she would likely reveal more flaws.
"Sigh..."
Ms. Furina sighed silently, then slowly closed her eyes and prayed inwardly, "May it be possible to stall until you resolve all this, may it be..."
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