Chapter Forty: Studying the Eye of the Divine

"If I'm not mistaken, the ones behind this must be the Fatui—hmpf, a detestable bunch of lunatics!" Furina fumed, cheeks puffed in indignation.

"Fatui?" he echoed.

"That's right. Lapdogs of Snezhnaya, those who plot against the Gnosis. The one who attacked me before was likely one of their Harbingers. From what I've gathered, the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya seems intent on collecting all seven Gnoses for some great endeavor."

The Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya, was it?

Lumingfei silently committed the names of the Fatui and the Tsaritsa to memory. Once he arrived in Teyvat, he would make sure to find an opportunity to settle accounts with the Tsaritsa.

So, you sent someone to ambush my Furina, did you?

So, you’re the one keeping her from sleeping at night, aren’t you?

Just you wait! Once I reach Teyvat, I’ll show you just how you’ll pay for this!

Following Furina's words, Lumingfei asked, "Then this Tsaritsa... What is it that she wants to do?"

Furina lifted her gaze, looking into the distant azure sky beyond the window, lips pressed together as she replied softly, "That... is something one should not know."

"But not something one cannot know, right?"

"I dare not investigate. To know too much..." she hesitated.

"It’s fine, as long as you’re safe," Lumingfei reassured her, his eyes growing sharper as the desire to become stronger blazed within him.

He never thought of himself as someone who could persevere for a single goal. Yet, every time he spoke with Furina, he found the drive to grow stronger and the resolve to keep walking forward. Perhaps that was the change Furina had brought into his life.

Could he help her change her circumstances?

Was there a chance?

Lumingfei lowered his head in contemplation. Right now, he possessed a Word Spirit that could influence his conversations with Furina—the nameless Word Spirit (Mirror Eye) he'd just mastered. This ability greatly enhanced his learning, allowing him to analyze and reconstruct things he didn't understand.

Because he couldn't see Furina clearly, Mirror Eye had reconstructed her appearance through the analysis of subtle details. If that was possible, could he not analyze and reconstruct even more with Mirror Eye?

"By the way, Furina, you’re the Hydro Archon, right? Can you show me a Vision? I’d like to see what it looks like," Lumingfei requested.

Visions were unique magical organs found only in Teyvat, granting their bearers the power to wield elemental energy. Depending on the Vision's element, its wielder could command that particular elemental force.

If he could glean something from observing a Vision, he might be able to deduce a way for Furina to wield elemental energy herself.

Though Furina was a false Hydro Archon, she possessed the ability to open her elemental sight—a power she claimed was beyond the reach of mere mortals. Thus, Furina herself was certainly not ordinary.

Given her earlier speculation about the little devil, it wasn’t hard for Lumingfei to surmise that there was another presence behind her, perhaps akin to the little devil.

If his guess was right...

That being might be the true Hydro Archon, who entrusted Furina with governance while she herself handled other matters. Furina might not be the Archon, but her body was not that of a mere mortal—no ordinary person could live for five centuries.

There was hope!

A glimmer of anticipation flickered in Lumingfei’s eyes. If he was correct, there was some powerful force or immense potential hidden within Furina. To realize that potential, an instrument capable of channeling power would be required.

A Vision was the perfect medium!

"That’s not a problem. But can you actually see a Vision clearly? Isn’t our perception of each other rather blurred?" Furina asked doubtfully.

Uh?

Lumingfei froze. If he claimed he could see it clearly, Furina might explode on the spot. But if he said he couldn’t, there’d be no way to justify his request to see the Vision in the first place—an even bigger problem.

What to do? What to do!

Oh, right! There’s a way.

"I’m not looking at its surface, but at its elemental nature. Just as you can see the black elements on me, I can observe the elements on you—specifically, the Vision’s elements," Lumingfei explained.

"You can see elements?"

Furina was momentarily surprised, but soon returned to her usual self, teasing him, "Then tell me, what elements do I possess?"

Don’t you know yourself whether you have elemental power or not? Lumingfei grumbled inwardly. But picturing the hopeful look that Furina might have at this very moment, he couldn’t suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth, and in the gentlest of tones, he replied, "Of course... it’s the element of cuteness, my very favorite element."

"The... element of cuteness?"

Furina’s face flushed instantly. She sank quietly into the bath, hugging her knees, her eyes in the water bright and beautiful beyond compare.

Even the sounds in the water seemed sweeter.

She pinched her arm, forcing herself to gather her resolve, and stammered bashfully, "Idiot... what are you saying!"

As she gradually regained her composure, Furina realized she’d been out of line. She should have known that she was nothing more than a false Hydro Archon, and couldn’t possibly possess elemental power. Under such circumstances, to ask Lumingfei such a question—he could only answer as he had, couldn’t he?

Perhaps it was her own fault...

With that thought, Furina couldn’t bring herself to argue with Lumingfei any further and continued, "I’ll find a Vision for you to see. Let’s just let this matter go, hmph!"

"Mm, Furina is the best," Lumingfei said with a smile.

...

Some time later.

"This is a Vision. I can only show you for a moment—not too long," Furina said.

A Vision was an object imbued with the bearer’s will and desire. Should a Vision be lost—such as when seized or sealed by the Electro Archon—its owner would lose memory, lose desire, and become a mere shadow of themselves. Furthermore, a Vision would follow its chosen host of its own accord and, except in special circumstances, could not be held by strangers for long. Furina herself could not borrow one for more than a short time.

"Alright," Lumingfei replied, activating Mirror Eye to observe the Vision.

Although known as an external magical organ, to Lumingfei it looked more like an accessory—a violet glass bead, with simple elemental markings inside. Beneath those simple lines, however, were hidden intricate elemental structures.

It seemed, in a way, reminiscent of the alchemical products Senior Chu Zihang had once explained.

Perhaps the Vision was the pinnacle of Teyvat’s alchemical creations. If he could unravel the structure of a Vision and construct one with his own authority, it might greatly enhance his command over that authority.

For now, he needed to carefully study and memorize the Vision’s internal patterns and structures, observe its elemental layout, and, as he did so, attempt to reconstruct it with his power...

"Is this... alchemy?" murmured the little devil, hidden in the shadows. She watched as Lumingfei, with one hand held out as if grasping something, gathered a mass of Electro elements and combined them in a particular pattern, forming an unstable orb. Her eyes gradually filled with disbelief.