You're Serious?!

"That's the situation," Neuvillette said in his office. "In just a few days, the quantity of Sinthe in Fontaine has multiplied several times over."

"I ordered a strict crackdown immediately, but with the sudden rise in supply and the sheer volume involved, the Garde is struggling to keep up."

"If we want to control the spread, we'd need years, at the very least, to make any real impact. But time is exactly what we don't have right now."

"With Sinthe circulating as it is, even a single year from now we could be looking at countless families torn apart from addiction—and Sinthe could even spread to other nations, affecting even more lives."

Neuvillette looked to Furina. "Which is why I wanted to ask if you might have any ideas on how to respond."

"Huh?" Furina was taken aback. "Me?"

"Neuvillette, you know me better than that! Since when have I ever been any good at these things?"

"I'm not the type to deal with this—I can't handle it, so please, don't expect me to!"

Neuvillette looked at her, somewhere between helplessness and disappointed.

"True, under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be asking for your opinion. But your performance in the Vacher case was hardly what I'd call 'incapable.'"

His expression grew more complex—an unreadable mix of resignation and frustration.

"Your acting skills are truly remarkable; I was completely fooled by them for years, to the point that I singlehandedly managed all of Fontaine's affairs myself."

"But it seems the need for this act has passed, don't you think?"

"Right now, the spread of Sinthe is ultimately your responsibility. You should be the one to clean up this mess."

"Wait! Not me—I really can't do it!"

Seeing Neuvillette earnestly pinning the responsibility on her, Furina began to panic, waving her hands in protest while backing away.

"Felina! Help me! Save me, quick!"

Her desperate cries made Felina laugh in her mind.

"Alright, alright, calm down. Just follow my lead and adjust your tone," Felina replied, her voice steady and reassuring.

Furina took a deep breath, composed herself, and cleared her throat.

"Alright, fine! I may not be particularly good at governance, but as it happens, I do have an idea."

"Here's what we'll do, Neuvillette—have your people find all the sources of Primordial Seawater and place them under strict control, to cut off the raw material for Sinthe."

"At the same time, double down on cracking down on Sinthe trading with unprecedented force."

With that, Furina stopped talking.

Neuvillette looked at her, puzzled. "And then?"

"And then? Then, leave the rest to me. I promise that within half a month, Sinthe will take a severe hit!"

With that, Furina turned and left, leaving Neuvillette deep in thought in his office, scratching his head in confusion.

Although he didn't entirely understand Furina's plan, Neuvillette followed her instructions.

Soon, several locations where Primordial Seawater was sourced were identified and placed under strict control. Additionally, large numbers of officers were deployed throughout Fontaine to enforce a rigorous crackdown on the Sinthe trade.

Meanwhile, Furina and Felina were also taking action.

That day, somewhere outside Fontaine's city limits…

In a secluded area, Furina appeared in disguise. She wore a tall hat that hid her distinctive hair, along with sunglasses and a mask.

In this getup, nobody would recognize her as Fontaine's Archon.

"Felina, are we really going through with this?" Furina whispered nervously.

"What's there to be scared of? You're the Hydro Archon, and besides, we're on the side of justice here—nothing to worry about!"

"Plus, you're enjoying this a bit, aren't you?"

"Heh, guess you can tell!" Furina scratched her head sheepishly.

Guess what Furina was up to?

That's right, to curb the spread of Sinthe, Furina, under Felina's urging, was posing as a Sinthe dealer!

"Quiet down. Adjust yourself—someone's coming," Felina warned.

Furina took a deep breath, preparing herself, and turned to face her approaching "client."

Furina did have a few informants of her own. When the Traveler had mentioned heading to Fontaine while still in Sumeru, it was her informants who relayed the information to her. And as soon as the Traveler and Paimon arrived in Fontaine, it took less than twenty minutes for Furina to personally meet them. The efficiency of her informants was not to be underestimated.

Today, after leaving Neuvillette's office, Furina had instructed her informants to spread the word that she had plenty of Sinthe on hand.

Now, here she was, disguised as a Sinthe dealer, waiting for a buyer.

And sure enough, someone arrived.

"Hey, looking to buy?"

She gave the newcomer a shifty look, raising an eyebrow with a crooked grin—fitting the part of a petty criminal to a tee.

"Yeah, how much?"

"Since you're new, let's say two thousand per bottle. And remember to spread the word among your friends."

"Haha, no problem! I've got a few buddies who love this stuff. Give me two bottles!"

"Alright! Thanks for the business!"

Furina glanced around to make sure no one else was watching, then carefully handed over two bottles of liquid, flashing a sly grin.

"Just to be clear, all I'm selling you is regular Fontaine seawater. If something happens, you didn't get it from me, got it?"

Her buyer blinked in confusion for a moment before nodding in understanding. He grinned knowingly, as if sharing a secret.

"Ah, I get it. Just regular seawater, right? I won't say a word—thanks, sister!"

Smiling happily, he walked off with the bottles.

An hour later, the man returned home, eagerly unscrewing the cap, ready to enjoy the blissful euphoria he believed Sinthe would bring.

But as soon as he took a swig…

"Ughhhh!"

He doubled over, retching as he spat the "Sinthe" onto the floor.

Within moments, his face turned bright red as his room echoed with his furious shouts.

"—Damn it!"

"Damn it, it really is just seawater!"

Ten days passed quickly.

Throughout this period, Furina had been "selling Sinthe"—all of it merely ordinary seawater passed off as the illicit drug. Initially, Furina felt nervous, as selling Sinthe was, at its core, illegal. As Fontaine's publicly revered Hydro Archon, the consequences would be unimaginable if her involvement was exposed. Fontaine was a nation of justice, and the Hydro Archon was the God of Justice herself. The thought of knowingly breaking the law gave her great pause.

But with Felina there to reassure her…

"Don't worry! We're doing this to ruin Sinthe's reputation—just a little longer, and the very mention of Sinthe will disgust people."

"We're protecting Fontaine here!"

"And besides, everyone involved in buying or selling Sinthe is already breaking the law. They'll have no choice but to keep silent if they realize they were duped!"

Under Felina's persistent encouragement, Furina mustered the courage to continue.

She found herself reluctant at first, and even tense, but there was something in the thrill of breaking taboos. For nearly five hundred years, she had carefully kept up the image of a divine figure in the people's minds, living cautiously, almost as if bound by invisible rules. She constantly repressed her own emotions and needs, afraid a single misstep might expose her as something less than the god everyone believed her to be.

Yet in selling fake Sinthe to unsuspecting addicts—a small act that technically broke the law—she felt a spark of rebellion ignite within her, a sense of "breaking free." The feeling teased out her long-repressed desires, which only intensified with each exchange, giving her an inexplicable thrill. Initially hesitant, she grew more daring and carefree with each encounter, and her acting only improved.

Felina observed Furina's recent transformation with satisfaction.

This was, after all, part of her intent. Though Felina could have easily handled the situation herself, she chose to let Furina take the reins. The reasoning behind this was similar to Layla's alter ego, who concealed her existence from Layla so as not to demotivate her.

"Layla's a very capable person, but she doubts herself far too much. If she knew she had another self capable of doing everything better, she'd end up thinking, 'Oh, I'm so hopeless anyway—might as well just let my other self take over.'"

Though Furina wasn't quite as self-critical as Layla, Felina's rationale was the same.

Felina was capable of handling everything for Furina, but if Furina saw her other self as constantly outperforming her, it would deal a blow to her confidence. Felina had come to this world to help Furina, to make her life easier, happier, and more fulfilling—not to create a sense of inferiority or self-doubt within her.

Felina didn't wish to make the world her own stage by overshadowing Furina's role. Allowing Furina to "sell" fake Sinthe was as much about letting her release her suppressed emotions as it was about helping her realize her own value.

Felina's actions were ultimately motivated by a desire for Furina's happiness and well-being.

There was, of course, one more reason for letting Furina play this role: Felina's acting was terrible.

If she had to pose as a drug dealer and negotiate with shady buyers, she would give herself away instantly. But Furina was different. She was a master of singing, dancing, and drama—a five-hundred-year-old artist to the core. In terms of cunning and strategy, Felina was confident in her skills, but in the art of acting, she had to admit, Furina was far superior.

"Ha! So, you have something you're not good at after all! Don't worry; leave it to me!"

When Furina realized this, she laughed with genuine happiness, delighted to find that her other self wasn't perfect either. She was glad to be able to assist Felina in something, as well as relieved to discover that Felina had her own limitations.

Furina didn't disappoint. Just watching her "suspiciously" glance around during her transactions, playing up the role with an impressive array of furtive expressions, was proof of her remarkable talent.

While Furina was busy selling fake Sinthe, Felina wasn't idle either.

Previously, she had noted that Vacher's willingness to risk assassins to target Furina had been largely due to malicious manipulation by the Fatui.

Felina had vowed that once Vacher was dealt with, she would exact revenge on the Fatui, demanding that the Harbinger Arlecchino come to bow her head in apology.

As for her method of revenge? Felina had long been preparing her approach.

Remember that scene from the game's story:

One night in Fontaine, Furina was chasing a stray cat down an alley alone, only to be attacked by Arlecchino, who had long harbored doubts about whether Furina held the Hydro Gnosis. Furina was so frightened that she collapsed on the spot, pleading tearfully with Arlecchino not to kill her.

Although Arlecchino spared Furina, certain of her lack of power and the absence of the Gnosis, the aftermath was particularly telling.

Arlecchino had later recounted the event to the Traveler, mentioning that…

"—As we discovered afterward, Furina didn't dare tell anyone about the attack. She was so afraid that she didn't even touch her favorite little cakes and spent the night quietly crying in her room."

This line might seem minor to some players, but it's actually packed with information.

Furina was the highest authority in Fontaine. Her quarters wouldn't be accessible to just anyone.

Think about it—if you're crying quietly in your room, it's doubtful your mom listening at the door could even hear you.

But Furina, a ruler of an entire nation, was crying in her room at night, and someone still overheard her. What does that tell us?

It means that the Fatui's infiltration around Furina was severe.

What's more, whoever the mole was, they were close enough to Furina's daily life to know about her late-night tears and her uneaten cake.

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