Closing in on the truth

Paimon: "The first thing depicted on the stone tablets is what you were just discussing. The former Hydro Archon used her divine power to turn Oceanids into humans..."

"In other words... everyone in Fontaine evolved from Oceanids. That's really surprising... judging by everything that's happened before, maybe... this process is reversible?"

"And the second thing depicted on the tablets is Celestia floating in the sky, with the Hydro Archon leading her people in kneeling before it... but Celestia still punished them."

"This should be when the Hydro Archon and everyone in Fontaine were burdened with [original sin], right... in that case, is [original sin] the same as the [Hydro Archon's sin] you were just discussing...?"

"And on the third tablet, the Hydro Archon is shown about to fall into the water, with lots of people gathered around her."

"But speaking of that, we saw someone almost fall into the Primordial Sea before, didn't we!"

"The fourth tablet shows the prophecy every Fontainian knows. Everyone will dissolve in the Primordial Sea, while the Hydro Archon sits on her throne and weeps alone, and so on."

[Lynette: Turning Oceanids into humans... brother, why don't you try that magic trick? (Mischievous grin)]

[Lyney: Don't be ridiculous. That's the power of a god. No magic trick could ever do that. (Speechless)]

[Tartaglia: Fontainians were made from Oceanids by the Hydro Archon, so were the people of Liyue made from rocks by the Geo Archon?]

[Hu Tao: Wow, what an interesting idea! This director approves. Consultant Zhongli, do you think that's possible?]

[Zhongli: Even rocks have hearts, but the people of Liyue clearly aren't made of stone! (Sips tea)]

[Ningguang: It feels like everything Furina wants to hide is on these tablets.]

[Kaiye: Is the truth about to come out? That's worth celebrating. Diluc, bring out your treasured wine!]

[Venti: Wine!? Where? Where?]

[Diona: No drinking!!!]

[Diluc: Opening the wine at halftime? The Knights of Favonius are as unreliable as ever.]

In the video.

"At first, we didn't know whether this prophecy of doom would come true, either. But ever since that incident, we've known it was only a matter of time!"

Paimon spoke slowly as she recalled what they had seen in the ruins last time.

As Lumine listened, she held the documents Charlotte had given her, matching the events they had encountered since arriving in Fontaine with the images on the tablets one by one.

Lumine: "From the earlier [serial disappearances of young women case], we know that Fontainians dissolve after coming into contact with the Primordial Sea..."

"And the first tablet says that long ago, the Hydro Archon used her divine power to turn Oceanids into the Fontainians of today..."

"Perhaps that's why they dissolve in the Primordial Sea..."

"And the contents of the second tablet might correspond to the trial we just held for the Hydro Archon. What we're seeing now might already have played out once in history. As Neuvillette just said, the Hydro Archon's true [sin]... and the [original sin] that the second tablet tells us Celestia imposed on the people of Fontaine and the Hydro Archon..."

"And the contents of the third tablet can be substantiated by the incident where Navia nearly fell into Primordial Sea Water, as well as what Navia herself recounted after waking up... while unconscious, she experienced a trial in her mind. Could the Hydro Archon falling into the sea and the people surrounding her in the tablet's picture represent something similar?"

"The fourth tablet is a little easier to understand. Its prophecy has long since spread to every corner of Fontaine. At first, not many people believed it... but the Primordial Sea crisis that broke out in the Fortress of Meropide, along with the fact that Fontainians dissolve in Primordial Sea Water, has provided considerable support for the possibility that the prophecy will come true."

"Thinking back now, if we hadn't responded in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Paimon picked up where Lumine left off. "So Fontainians dissolve in the waters of the Primordial Sea, but that doesn't mean they die. It just means that after touching Primordial Sea Water... they return to their original form-Oceanids."

"The [Hydro Archon] was sentenced to death by the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale in court. The charge was so serious that no one had expected it. Could the Hydro Archon's sin actually be the [original sin] of all Fontaine...?"

"Navia accidentally fell into the Primordial Sea during the last expedition and nearly dissolved. While she was unconscious, the residents of Poisson who had already dissolved in the Primordial Sea surrounded her and forced her to undergo a trial, wanting to make her stay."

"And the Primordial Sea crisis that broke out in the Fortress of Meropide last time was the best possible proof that the events in the prophecy are about to happen. Now it's just a question of sooner or later."

"So the things described on the tablets in those ruins all seem vaguely connected to what we've experienced lately. Thinking it through carefully now, a lot of things actually become clear..."

[Yanfei: What I said before was right. It should be the Hydro Archon who's sentenced to death, not Furina. At most, she's only made a tiny mistake.]

[Navia: Yes, I hope so. Although Furina can be a little flaky, she's still watched countless people in Fontaine grow up, and many people place their faith in her. I still can't accept her being sentenced to death.]

[Barbara: What a relief, what a relief!]

[Ganyu: In any case, as long as Furina is all right.]

Paimon: "Looking at it this way, it seems we've... reached some pretty unbelievable conclusions!"

Neuvillette's expression remained unchanged, without the slightest shift. He merely gestured for the Traveler to continue.

Lumine: "First, the first tablet tells us... Fontainians aren't humans in the true sense."

Lumine's first conclusion landed among the audience like a bomb.

Sitting in the audience, Lynette turned to Lyney beside her after hearing this. "Brother, I didn't hear that wrong, did I?"

Lyney: "I don't think so. We really... aren't humans in the true sense."

Paimon continued, "Everyone in Fontaine was made this way from Oceanids by the former Hydro Archon using her divine power. And the best evidence for this deduction... is that only Fontainians dissolve in the Primordial Sea, and the young women in Vacher's case later took the form of Oceanids too..."

"Navia, too. Toward the end of the trial, Navia also said that all the residents of Poisson had turned into Oceanids, including Silver and Melus."

Lumine: "The deduction from the second tablet... is that the Hydro Archon's true sin... was turning Oceanids into Fontainians."

Paimon: "That's right. Taken together with what's on the first tablet, the act of turning Oceanids into humans without permission crossed Celestia's bottom line. So the reason the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale sentenced the Hydro Archon to death was actually that the Hydro Archon turned Oceanids into Fontainians."