Yes, Lady Funina!

Just hours before the awarding ceremony began, Funina was struggling to choose a dress for the ceremony at home.

Which one should I wear?

Funina took out all the dresses she had worn before and those she hadn't worn yet, and tried them on one by one in front of the mirror. Unfortunately, none of them satisfied her.

For this reason, Funina went so far as to invite Richard, the protagonist of today's award ceremony, to choose the dress she would wear for the ceremony this afternoon.

"Lady Funina, I think you should just wear your usual outfit."

“?” Fu Ningna slowly typed a question mark. The way she looked at Richard now was like looking at a boyfriend who was casually brushing her off because he thought it was too much trouble to help his girlfriend pick out clothes.

This is a rare ceremony, and you might only experience it once in your life. Wouldn't it be a bit too ordinary to wear your everyday clothes?

Fulina hoped to present her best self to Richard at this important moment.

Seemingly knowing what Funina was thinking, Richard explained, "The reason I suggested you wear your usual clothes is firstly because it's not appropriate to dress up after such a disaster, and secondly because maintaining the image of the water god that the people are familiar with will help stabilize the restless hearts of the people after the disaster."

"Thirdly, and most importantly, I think Funina's everyday outfits are very beautiful, and I like them a lot."

Lore!

Looking at Funina, who had suddenly transformed into a steampunk princess, Li realized that the previous two reasons were unnecessary, and he could simply state the third one.

In any case, the final result is the same.

In the end, Furness followed Richard's advice and stopped worrying about the dress. She simply wore the same outfit she usually wore in her studio to the Opizke Opera House.

About half an hour before the medal ceremony was to begin, the Opicclay Opera House was already full, with all the guests who had received invitations arriving half an hour early.

This expresses both the guests' condolences for the victims of the disaster and their respect for Richard himself and those who made outstanding contributions to the disaster relief efforts.

The entire medal-awarding ceremony was roughly divided into three stages: opening remarks, medal-awarding in the middle of the ceremony, and closing remarks.

Normally, award ceremonies include guest speeches or artistic performances to celebrate this special moment; however, doing so was clearly inappropriate in this particular ceremony.

Therefore, this process was directly optimized, and a professional host was instead asked to recount the achievements of the recipients during the awarding process. Accompanied by solemn music, the solemnity was immediately maximized. Even a well-traveled star like Funina couldn't help but feel a little nervous in this situation, and her beautiful face was taut.

"Next, please welcome Lady Funina to award Mr. Richard the highest honor medal of Fontaine."

Upon hearing the host's words, Funina quickly tidied her appearance backstage, carefully combed her bangs in front of the small vanity mirror, and smoothed the unruly tuft of hair on her head with her slender fingers, making it look even more dashing and imposing.

Today is Richard's big day, and she must be in top form to present him with the medal; she can't afford to falter at this crucial moment.

With impeccable poise and graceful steps, Funina walked step by step to the front of the stage, came to Richard's side, took out the medal symbolizing Fontaine's highest honor from a gift box held by a waiter, and pinned it on Richard's chest.

Just as Furina was about to say something, a crisp 'crack' sound came from the Opiclie Opera House, like a smooth mirror shattering, or like porcelain cracking under immense external force.

The sound was so loud that it even drowned out the grand and solemn music playing in the room.

"What was that sound? Did you hear it?"

"I heard it, and you heard it too?"

"It looks like... something broke?"

The entire audience was caught off guard by the sudden noise, and even the band playing the music was stopped. In an instant, the entire venue fell into an unusual silence.

"Om-"

Another long, melodious cry, like that of an ancient whale, rang out, accompanied by increasingly dense, fragmented sounds, echoing throughout the entire theater.

Finally, after the sound reached a certain critical point, all the creaking sounds disappeared, replaced by a roar that swept through the entire Opiclie Opera House.

A colossal whale with a single horn on its head, defying description, broke through the constraints of space and leaped from the ground.

Faced with the sudden appearance of the mysterious giant whale, Funina instinctively shielded Richard in front of her, her small hand nervously tugging at Richard's sleeve.

"What...what is this?"

Compared to this giant whale, even the Stormterror Drake Dvalin, whom we encountered in Mondstadt, seemed rather small. Such a massive whale would probably not have been able to fit inside the Opicre Opera House, which is the largest theater in Teyvat.

Even so, this mysterious giant whale occupied about two-thirds of the entire venue, and its body had not yet completely left the alternate dimension behind it.

The whale was now charging straight toward Richard and his group on the stage, and Funina could even smell the salty, fishy odor in the air.

Richard used one hand to protect Funina behind him, while the other hand gathered water, and the power of water transformed into a solid wall in front of him.

The giant whale's horn crashed into the barrier formed of power with tremendous force, producing a teeth-grinding sound. After a brief stalemate, cracks slowly began to appear on the barrier, which was made entirely of water.

Furnessa, who was hiding behind Richard, saw it all clearly. Just as she was about to say something, she felt herself being thrown away by a tremendous force.

Then, in the air, Furina witnessed an unforgettable scene: the giant whale's sharp horn broke through the defenses Richard had built, and its gaping maw swallowed Richard in an instant!

Even more bizarrely, after swallowing Richard, the giant whale did not fall directly to the ground. Instead, it roamed freely in the air for a while before returning to the same spot and leaping back into the spatial rift it had come from.

Fryna was caught in mid-air by Clorind with lightning speed, but Fryna didn't care about her safe landing and struggled to rush towards the rift.

"wait wait wait!"

"Calm down, Lady Frinna." Clarinde held Frinna firmly with her hand, not giving her any chance to act foolishly.

"Let go, let go, Clorinde! I order you to let go! Richard, Richard, he's been swallowed by that strange fish, didn't you see?" Furness struggled incessantly, and her top hat rolled off her head and onto the ground due to the violent struggle.

Claude remained silent. Since she had no eye disease, she could naturally see the scene of Richard being swallowed by the mysterious giant whale.

But this doesn't mean she can let Funina rush into that mysterious alternate dimension. Clorind knows very well that if Funina, who has no ability to protect herself, enters that dimension, she will undoubtedly be adding food to that giant whale's diet.

Moreover, Richard once said that the Primal Ocean does not exist on the continent of Teyvat, but is located in an alternate dimension.

Behind this dark spatial gate, there is a strong possibility that it leads to the primordial sea that Richard has been searching for!

To Richard and his fellow outsiders, the Primal Sea of ​​Immortality was no different from ordinary seawater, but to himself and the locals like Funina, the Primal Sea of ​​Immortality was deadly.

Allowing Funina to enter the alternate dimension would only result in two outcomes: either she would be devoured by fish, or she would be dissolved by the primordial seawater.

Neither of these outcomes was what Clarinde wanted, and Richard's act of throwing Fryna toward himself a split second before being swallowed by the whale was clearly intended to prevent Fryna from doing anything foolish.

Thinking of this, Clarin looked at Fryna, who was still struggling, and said, "I see, but please calm down. Even if you rush in now, it will only increase casualties and won't change anything."

Furna knew perfectly well that what Clarind said was true, but she just couldn't help it. When she saw Richard disappear into the mouth of that mysterious giant whale, Furna felt a string snap in her mind.

Perhaps she herself didn't even realize that tears had already streamed down her face, wetting her clothes.

Feeling the struggles of the person in her arms gradually weaken, Clarinde said again, "Don't worry, Lady Frynn, Richard won't be defeated so easily. All I can do now is wait."

"..."

“However, it’s dangerous here, Lady Funina, perhaps we should…” Clarinde wanted to take Funina away from this dangerous place.

But Fulina shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll wait for him here."

"Let go, Clorind, you're hurting me. I won't rush in."

Furna's tone was completely flat, but... Clorind eventually let go of her hand, knowing that Furna had calmed down.

After calming down, Funina did not approach the dimensional rift again, but returned to her divine position, hiding herself completely in the shadows and quietly waiting for Richard's return.

Chapter 161 Fukaros, where is your seal of contract? (8K)

“It’s finally here…” Navelette sensed the anomaly occurring inside the Opiclie Opera House, her back to the two Fool’s Enforcers behind her.

"I'm sorry, Fontaine is not welcoming to you two right now. If you don't want to cause unnecessary trouble, you'd better leave as soon as possible."

“Supreme Judge Navelette, we meant no harm,” explained [Servant] Arecino.

Another female executive standing next to Arecino spoke up, "Hmph, Mr. Judge, didn't Richard tell you that I came to Fontaine on his behalf?"

“Richard?” Upon hearing the lady’s words, Navelette’s expressionless face showed a slight change.

Seeing that Villette still didn't believe her, the lady took out a crystal-clear ice crystal from her bosom and continued, "We are here on the land of Fontainebleau because we are carrying the grace and power of the Winter Queen and were invited by Richard."

It's one thing for him not to come and greet us himself, but to have us stopped is utterly unreasonable!"

Navelette could sense the power contained in the ice crystal in the lady's hand. Coupled with the lady's arrogant and stubborn expression and the absolute sincerity in her words, Navelette couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

Were the two Fools' Enforcers in front of him not here for their colleague, Prince D'Artagnan?

Navelette assumed that the two women, carrying the highly divine ice crystal, had come to avenge the imprisoned "Young Master" D'Artagnan.

The result was not like that, was it?

On the contrary, judging from the situation, it seems that it's still for Richard's sake?

Faced with the situation, even Navelette was momentarily stunned, unsure whether she should send the "Lady" and "Servant" to the Opiclie Opera House.

Before he could think any further, another piercing sound came from the Opiclie Opera House behind him, and as the sound faded, Richard's presence completely disappeared.

Villette frowned. Had Richard been swallowed whole by that star-devouring whale?

What's the situation inside the venue?

Richard... what exactly is he plotting?

According to Navelette's estimation, with Richard's strength, even if he faced the Star-Devouring Whale that had almost drunk up the Primordial Sea, he wouldn't necessarily be able to defeat it immediately, but at least he would be able to protect himself.

He first stopped the two Fools' Enforcers with unclear intentions, and then went back to join Richard to defeat the Star-Devouring Whale.

But now the other party has been swallowed up in a single move, which has obviously disrupted Navelette's plans.

"Still hesitating? If you keep hesitating, I think Richard will be completely digested by that monster." Although the lady was making sarcastic remarks, her expression was somewhat solemn.

The fact that the whale was able to take down Richard so quickly was quite unbelievable to the "lady" who had once witnessed Richard's power.

Of course, the lady didn't think that the fact that the star-devouring whale swallowed Richard meant that Richard had lost. After all, it was hard to say whether Richard had deliberately let the star-devouring whale eat him.

“Mr. Navelette, I am also a Fontainebleau native. Faced with the apocalyptic prophecy crisis, I think we should put aside our past grievances and overcome this difficulty together,” said [Servant] Arecino.

Finally, under the watchful eyes of the two executives, Navelette nodded slightly. "Alright, but I'll be keeping an eye on you, so please don't do anything that could be misunderstood."

The lady ignored Navigette's words and walked straight into the Opiclie Opera House.

“Mr. Na Villette, [Madam] has always been like this.” [Servant] Arecino smiled apologetically, but it was clear from her eyes that the apology was not very sincere.

When they returned to the Opicclay Opera, the audience had already dispersed through all the exits. The huge theater was now left with only Claude, Navia, Linette, and Frynn, who sat alone on the throne, weeping.

Upon seeing this, the servant Arecino couldn't help but think of the prophecy.

"All Fontaines are born with sin, which cannot be erased no matter how the righteous kingdom judges them."

Until one day, the sea level in Fontainebleau will begin to rise, and those burdened with sins will gradually be submerged by the sea…

…In the end, everyone will dissolve into the sea, leaving only the water god weeping on his throne. Only then…will the sins of the people of Fontainebleau be washed away.

The water god is now sitting on his throne and weeping, which means that the end of the prophecy is coming soon. Originally, Arecino thought that this day was still some time away, but she did not expect it to come so quickly and so suddenly.

If she hadn't met Lady Rosalyn, who had just obtained divine ice crystals from the Queen of Winter, while she was out, she would probably still be out there working hard to deal with the flood crisis in Fontaine.

"Lady Navelette." Upon seeing Navelette, Clarinde seemed to want to say something, but after seeing the two Fools' Enforcers following behind him, she ultimately swallowed her words.

When Lynette saw her "Father" and "Lady" arrive together, she remembered Richard's earlier instructions.

"Lord Navelette, please...judge the water god."

Upon hearing this, everyone present turned their gaze to Lynette, who had suddenly spoken. If they hadn't misheard, Lynette seemed to have said she wanted to judge the water god.

Regardless of whether it's appropriate to say this now, even if the timing is right, judging the gods of a nation... isn't that going too far against the natural order?

Moreover, what grounds should be used for the trial?

"Frinna isn't the water goddess, is that reason enough?" Arecino asked, looking at her 'child' Lynette. "Was this also an arrangement he left behind?"

Linette nodded.

Upon hearing the word "trial," Navelette seemed to understand something. He looked up at the massive cardinal decree and discovered that the decree mechanism had begun operating at some point.

"Ms. Funina, do you accept the charges against you brought by [Servant] Arecino?" Navelette returned to the dock and asked Funina.

Hearing someone call her name, Funina slowly raised her head, closed her eyes, and said, "I accept."

"I... confess."

The trial had barely begun, but it ended with Funina's lightning-fast confession. Navelette inserted the record into the port of the Cardinal Decree, and the enormous machine began to operate. Soon after, the port produced the verdict concerning the water god.

Navelette held the verdict in front of him, and his pupils contracted slightly upon seeing its contents, but he still read it aloud.

"[Water God], guilty... death penalty."

As soon as Navelette finished speaking, the [Imperial Revelation Machine] behind her, as if it had been waiting in advance, began to operate at full capacity after the verdict was delivered.

The accumulated energy of the Law Compensation for nearly five hundred years was finally fully mobilized by the [Imperial Decree] at this moment. Such a huge amount of energy even caused the light around the [Imperial Decree] to be distorted to varying degrees.

It's unclear what this decree's cardinal mechanism is made of, but it's amazing that it can still function properly under such terrifying and enormous energy without overloading or crashing.

As everyone's attention was focused on this miraculous scene, a figure slowly walked out from the [Illusion Machine].

After the figure completely emerged from the oracle and stood on the stage, everyone, including Funina, couldn't help but have this thought.