Time returned to the present.
Flynn briefly explained to Escoffier how his ability differed from a Vision.
She clicked her tongue in amazement.
"So what you're saying is, you now wield authority equivalent to Lady Pyro Archon's. That makes you another Pyro Archon?"
"Uh..."
Flynn stalled for a moment.
That was not how he had explained it. Escoffier's understanding had drifted a little off course.
But after thinking it over, in a certain sense... she was not actually wrong.
Everyone knew that Natlan's Pyro Archons had always come from humanity. The succession passed through combat in the Sacred Flame Pilgrimage, where the strongest inherited the seat of the Archon and gained the portion of Pyro authority tied to the divine throne.
Flynn was human too, and he now held half of the Pyro elemental authority.
Round it off a little, and how could that not count as another Pyro Archon?
So he smiled instead.
"Mualani and the others are going to be very happy."
Escoffier laughed as well.
In any other nation, something like the ruling god's authority no longer being unique would inevitably stir unease.
Natlan alone was different.
Its war against the Abyss had lasted for centuries, even millennia. The people of Natlan only ever wished their side could become stronger, stronger still, strong enough to push the Abyss all the way back in one sweep.
What, you're saying there might be hidden dangers if divine authority stops being unique?
That was a problem for later.
But as the laughter faded, Flynn's eyes turned toward the direction of Natlan, and a trace of regret and unwillingness surfaced within them.
It's a pity... I still can't go back to Natlan yet.
He had not forgotten the real reason he left.
Having gathered enough Phlogiston was only the excuse he put on the surface.
No matter how closed-off Natlan was, it was still one of the seven nations of the mortal world. Over the past year, Flynn had done extremely well for himself there. If he had wanted to use Natlan's channels to get his hands on some Primordial Sea water, it would not necessarily have been that difficult. It only would have taken time.
But that was also exactly why the Abyss had set its eyes on him.
As he recalled the past year, a faint daze crossed his face.
The truth was, he had never planned to go to Natlan.
Putting the game aside, once someone actually transmigrated, who in their right mind would want to live in a country where Abyssal rifts could open practically anywhere, at any time?
But there had been no helping it.
After the shipwreck, he could hardly blame the Flower-Feather Clan for saving him.
That was simply the kind of person Flynn was. He was clear-cut in both gratitude and resentment. He would never think that being rescued was only natural just because his bad luck came from the World Seed resisting the force of rejection.
Especially when they had answered sincerity with sincerity, treated his wounds without asking for anything in return, and only said they wished to form a bond of goodwill...
What else could he do?
Had it been Mondstadt or Liyue, he would have found a way to get to the higher-ups and start telling stories, meaning the plot information in his head.
Even in Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, or even Nod-Krai, he could have selectively revealed some of what he knew.
There was no grand scheme behind that. If someone treated him sincerely, then naturally he wanted things to get a little better for them as well. As for himself, he had a cheat. His hardships were only temporary. He did not need to build his future on hoarding that information, so there was no reason to keep it clenched in his fist forever.
Only Natlan was different.
The Abyss had already seeped even into the Night Kingdom, the final resting place of souls. Its ability to gather information was pervasive, impossible to guard against. The moment he said something, the worst-case scenario was that the Abyss might learn of it right after.
And if that prematurely triggered the final war with the Abyss, then what?
What exactly were they supposed to fight with?
That was the problem with Natlan.
Knowing the plot there was useless unless you also had the strength to win.
So Flynn could only throw himself into building things, easing the material shortages caused by Natlan's endless wars and improving people's lives where he could.
With the little foreknowledge he possessed, making money was never especially difficult. Add in some of the unusual things he displayed, and it did not take long before Natlan's upper ranks took notice of him.
Because everything had begun with kindness, Flynn answered it with kindness of his own.
And the people that kindness drew in came bearing kindness as well.
One step after another, his work grew larger and larger. He became more valued, and his standing in Natlan rose higher and higher. That was how he came to know girls like Mualani.
His bond with Escoffier had its roots in that as well.
But everything came to an abrupt halt a short while ago.
The Abyss had marked him.
They found an opportunity to flood the area around him with a large number of Abyssal monsters, intending to kill him.
There was nothing strange about that.
War was built on logistics.
On the surface, Flynn was only running ventures and improving livelihoods, but in truth, he had been providing Natlan with a great deal of support in its struggle against the Abyss.
If the Abyss was not going to target him, then who would it target?
Flynn had not even suspected that his bad-luck constitution was what exposed him. After all, he had been building things there for nearly a year. Even if the earliest, smallest stage did not count, it had still been close to half a year.
If anything, the Abyss had moved slowly.
But it reminded him of one thing.
It was time to leave.
Not because he feared death.
He believed the people of Natlan could protect him. After all, by then he was important enough that Mavuika had long since given him a residence of his own, right beside the Speaker's Chamber, next to her own home. In terms of safety, it could hardly have been more secure.
Liyue Harbor might have been safer, perhaps, but what about the road getting there? Teyvat had its own realities.
He simply did not want his friends in Natlan to pay an even greater and more pointless price for his sake.
Perhaps that too could be called a kind of arrogance unique to one who knew the future.