After leaving the room, Hyuga Hiashi noticed the worried expression on his wife's face and asked in confusion:
"What are you worried about?"
"You agreed to let Hinata and Roman stay together for a long time. Aren't you afraid Hinata and Roman might end up making a baby?"
Hinata's Mother voiced all the worries in her heart.
"Hinata is a smart child. Since she promised, she probably won't easily..." Hyuga Hiashi trailed off halfway through, recalling all of Hinata's strange behavior over the past few days. After pausing for quite a while, he continued, "Of course, more importantly, I'll deploy Elite Ninja Guards around Hinata's house. The slightest unusual movement, and they'll act immediately."
"With your guards watching over her, then I can rest easy."
Hinata's Mother let out a long breath.
Over the next few days, Roman and Hinata ate, drank, and played together. Just like that, six days passed.
Finally, Chaos Hall in their minds rose once more from the pitch-black, unfathomable mist of chaos.
Creak, creak...
The ancient gate, carrying the weathered hues of bronze, slowly opened.
Without any hesitation, the two immediately passed into Chaos Hall. They came before the Table of Destiny, found their seats, and sat down.
Hinata then looked around at the surroundings. "Chaos Hall has finally opened again. The environment hasn't changed noticeably since seven days ago."
Roman said, "Yeah, we can see Furina again!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Roman heard hurried footsteps coming from within the chaotic mist. Turning his head, he immediately saw a figure with short silver-blue hair.
It was none other than Furina, Fontaine's Hydro Archon of Teyvat.
Roman said, "Speak of the devil, and she appears."
"I'm not the devil. I'm Fontaine's Hydro Archon, Furina, Queen of All Waters, All Lands, and All Laws."
After pouting those words, Furina hurried to her seat and sat down, letting out a long breath. She looked at Chaos Hall with nostalgia, her hands stroking the rough surface of the round table. "After so many years, I've finally come back to this place. I had started to think my previous visit here was just an illusion."
?!
Roman and Hinata both revealed puzzled expressions. After exchanging a glance, they asked Furina in unison:
"What do you mean, after so many years? Hasn't it only been seven days?"
Furina said, "Seven years have passed since I last came here. I've already been Fontaine's Hydro Archon for seventeen years."
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
Roman and Hinata were both stunned. "Seven years have already passed in Teyvat, the world of Genshin Impact?"
"That's right."
Furina nodded. When she raised her head again, a glimmer appeared in her eyes. "I originally thought I wouldn't see you again for the next four hundred years.
"I would have to remain alone in Fontaine, playing the Hydro Archon and hiding every secret in my heart!
"—Being able to see you again now truly makes this god happy."
Roman and Hinata listened to those words and met Furina's gaze. Very quickly, they sensed the emotions in Furina's heart:
Relief!
Release!
Happiness!
After sensing those emotions, they both understood that Furina was telling the truth.
Since their last meeting in Chaos Hall, Furina had truly waited alone in anxiety for seven years, playing the Hydro Archon by herself.
"You've worked hard, Furina."
Hinata stood, walked behind Furina, and reached out her small hand to stroke Furina's silver-blue head.
Roman also stood and came to Furina's side, taking her soft, boneless hand to show that he would stay by her side and let her feel at ease.
Seeing what they were doing, Furina said awkwardly, "I'm fine. You don't need to do this."
Roman and Hinata blinked at her words but did not stop, because now that they were so close to Furina, their Soul Resonance had begun as well.
Through it, the two sensed Furina's emotions:
Hold my hand more!
Touch my—this god's—head more!
After sensing those emotions, Roman and Hinata exchanged a glance and both continued, making Furina feel even more at ease.
Only several minutes later did they sense that Furina's emotions had completely stabilized.
Then, the two stopped what they were doing, sat beside Furina, and asked her about more things that had happened over the past seven years.
Roman said, "Furina, after you resonated with Hinata and me seven years ago, did you gain any power after leaving Chaos Hall and returning to Teyvat?"
"I did." Furina nodded. "After I returned, I immediately practiced the Chakra Cultivation Method at Palais Mermonia, and then I obtained a Hydro Vision."
After saying that, Furina took a water-blue Vision from beneath her skirt and said:
"This is it.
"The divine eye belonging to the God of Justice, the Queen of All Waters, All Lands, and All Laws!
"That's how I publicized it to the outside world!
"With this, I, Furina, can control the Hydro element. It made playing the Hydro Archon much more convenient over the past seven years."
"Then can you summon three Hydro Elemental Life forms?" Hinata asked eagerly. "Lord Uther, Mademoiselle Crabaletta, and Mademoiselle Seelie!"
"Of course."
Furina raised a hand and grabbed at the Void, pulling an exceptionally ornate ceremonial sword from her waist:
Splendor of Tranquil Waters.
She pointed it at the Table of Destiny, and in an instant, three Hydro Elemental Life forms appeared, gathering power as they assumed attacking stances.
Seeing this, Furina hurriedly stopped them. "Stop, stop, stop! They aren't enemies."
???
Not enemies?
Lord Uther, wearing a top hat, scratched his head with his water-blue octopus tentacles.
Mademoiselle Crabaletta fluttered the tiny wings behind her and flew up, looking around to confirm that this was not Palais Mermonia.
As for Mademoiselle Seelie, the crab-like one among the three summons, she was quietly blowing bubbles...
"Wow, you really summoned them."
Hinata looked astonished, light blooming in her eyes. "Then have you taken them to fight any difficult opponents? Like Seals?"
"Ahem, not really." Furina crossed her arms and said lightly, "After all, I, Furina, am Fontaine's Hydro Archon. Every day of my time is extremely precious. I wouldn't do something so boring."
At that moment, however, the three summons atop the Table of Destiny all shook their heads in unison.
"Hey! Why are you three exposing me?"
Noticing the little trio's actions, Furina anxiously stamped her feet.
This scene immediately drew interested looks from Hinata and Roman. Under their gazes, Furina seemed like a deflated ball as she lowered her head and dejectedly admitted, "Fine, fine. Right after I got it, I secretly slipped out of Palais Mermonia and summoned the three of them to challenge a Seal... but we still couldn't defeat the Seal!
"Its health bar was too thick. Even with Mademoiselle Seelie, Lord Uther, and Mademoiselle Crabaletta joining forces, we couldn't hurt it!
"As for me, I'm the noble Fontaine Hydro Archon, the Queen of All Waters, All Lands, All People, and All Laws. Naturally, I couldn't possibly go up and brawl with a Seal..."
Furina's voice grew quieter toward the end, and she began feeling inexplicably guilty.
Because she knew the reason she had not gone up to fight the Seal was that she was afraid that even if she did—
the outcome would still be that she could not defeat it, and she might even be beaten to tears by the Seal...
Before you continue