Neuvillette thought to himself: Surely she didn't just come here to find a place to read, right? No, she's the Hydro Archon—her actions must have some deeper meaning.
What could it be? The prophetic book… Could she be hinting at Fontaine's prophecy?
Not telling me directly but using this method—could there be some reason she can't speak openly?
Neuvillette took a book from the shelf beside his desk—the third act of the Inazuma prophecy.
He usually didn't read due to his busy workload, but books like these prophetic ones he always purchased. Whether he read them was another matter.
Keeping them close was mainly for intelligence purposes, handy for investigations when needed.
Quickly skimming through the book's contents, Neuvillette fell into deep thought.
What exactly was the Hydro Archon's "hint"? The discussion between Yae Miko and the Electro Archon probably wasn't it.
After all, that was about eternity, and neither the Hydro Archon's pursuits nor Fontaine's prophecy had much to do with "eternity."
That left the "manga" panels at the end as the suspicious part.
Could it be? Neuvillette focused on Pierro's words: "Seize the authority of the gods."
Was the key to Fontaine's prophecy tied to this? The authority of the gods was linked to the Dragon Kings, so perhaps that's why the Hydro Archon didn't tell him outright?
The gods' authority included the great power of the Dragon Kings. If that power could be returned to Neuvillette, he might indeed have a way to stop Fontaine's prophecy.
But the question was: How could that power be returned?
Even if it could be, why would a god return such power to a Dragon King? Strictly speaking, gods and Dragon Kings were enemies—would the Hydro Archon really return that power to an enemy?
Neuvillette closed the book, still unable to decipher the Hydro Archon's hint. Was this just the inscrutability of a god?
Come to think of it, when he asked Lucian about Fontaine's prophecy, Lucian's smile had been quite ambiguous too. Humans were so hard to understand.
Back in her little room, Furina had no idea what Neuvillette was overthinking about. By now, she had kicked off her shoes, shed her clothes, and was lying in bed, ready to sleep.
With the Inazuma story concluded, back in the real Inazuma, Lucian and the others held a discussion.
"Everything ready?" Lucian asked, somehow having found a pair of glasses, crossing his hands in front of his mouth, posing like Commander Ikari.
The small issue was that his glasses were the sunglasses Navia had given him during his time in Fontaine.
So, his current look was less Commander Ikari and more like Gintama's MADAO.
Kujou Sara nodded. The Tenryou Commission was temporarily under her control. After all, she was a Kujou, from the main family, and with Kujou Kamaji, the legitimate heir, assisting her.
Yae Miko chuckled lightly. "Oh my, I'm not so sure. It depends on the little one's training results~."
This fox was clearly confident but deliberately saying things to dampen morale.
"I'm fine," Lumine spoke up. These past few days of "Anti-Raiden Shogun Training" had her memorizing the Raiden Shogun's attack patterns by heart.
But after reading the book, she realized resisting the Electro Archon wasn't the key. Sometimes, raw numerical differences couldn't be overcome by skill alone.
Not to mention, the other side was just as skilled technically.
The real key was to let Ei see the wishes of her people, using the power of their collective will to confront her.
Thus, they chose the moment when Lucian released the third act of the story.
This third act should ignite the "passion" in people's hearts, elevating their emotions into wishes, increasing their chances against Ei.
However, such emotions wouldn't last long. Like a Phantom Thief's calling card, the sparked emotions and wishes had a time limit before they'd fade if not strong enough.
So, when the third act was released, everyone would read it together to coordinate their actions swiftly.
"The resistance is ready," Kokomi said.
With Kujou Takayuki of the Tenryou Commission arrested, and the commission now under Kujou Sara's control, Sara was part of the "Anti-Raiden Shogun" faction. This made it much easier for Kokomi to come to Inazuma City, almost like returning home.
But this didn't mean Kujou Sara and Sangonomiya Kokomi had reconciled. If possible, Sara still wanted to arrest Kokomi.
Those who opposed the Shogun should be arrested and thoroughly interrogated! Rip those white stockings to shreds!
You oppose the Shogun, you're wrong. I'm opposing the Shogun too, so I'm wrong too. Let's both face punishment together.
"To think we're letting the resistance into Inazuma City…" Kujou Sara clutched her forehead.
She felt she was truly betraying the Shogun, but she had no choice but to act this way.
She knew the Shogun's condition and intentions. To gain an audience, they had to resort to such "extreme" measures, and the resistance's willpower was a critical piece.
Sara had already prepared to atone afterward. If the Shogun ordered her to commit seppuku, she'd do it.
In Sara's eyes, she was currently the most disrespectful person to the Shogun. She couldn't sleep at night, repenting silently in her bed before Ei's portrait.
And after learning there were two versions of the Shogun, she decided she'd need to repent twice.
"I've arranged a festival, opening tomorrow," Ayato said.
The festival wasn't to celebrate prematurely but to draw people to the event location, clearing space for Lucian and the others to act without risking collateral damage.
If this "revolution" succeeded, the festival could double as a victory celebration. Yoimiya eagerly took on the task of arranging the fireworks for the event.
She planned to put on a grand fireworks show to celebrate everyone's victory.
When Lucian found out, he specifically gave Yoimiya the automatic firework-launching divine machine created by Cloud Retainer, asking her to record it for Cloud Retainer to see.
Speaking of Cloud Retainer, she and Guizhong were together, originally planning to dine with Zhongli, using Cloud Retainer's automatic cooking divine machine.
This was because of the story in the second act of Historia Antiqua Chapter that Lucian wrote, prompting them to check on the Geo Archon's mood.
But Venti's visit caused a slight deviation, so the Adepti didn't join the three Archons' meal.
The Adepti figured they could dine with the Geo Archon any day, but the Anemo Archon's visit was rare, so they let the Archons have their gathering first.
Thus, it became a meal among Archons and a separate one among Adepti.
If Inazuma lost, though, the festival might turn a bit grim… a "funeral of rose-colored fireworks."
Fortunately, everyone was prepared, so theoretically, there shouldn't be any issues.
"If there's no problem, let's get moving," Lucian nodded.
"I have a problem," Thoma spoke up. "So, even knowing the future, I still have to 'get arrested'?"
"Yes," Lucian said bluntly, with fervor.
"You're the most critical piece, Thoma. It's all on you!"
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice: Thoma – About Lucian
"He definitely did it on purpose during the Vision Hunt Ceremony! Absolutely! He's just getting back at me for making him eat that dark cuisine!"