Furina started playing a dress-up game.
A game of dressing up a doll.
The doll, of course, was the mysterious man who had suddenly barged into her life.
She played this game for ten years.
The dress-up game began when Furina made a set of clothes herself.
Since buying men's clothes outside would have been too suspicious, Furina bought the fabric herself and learned to make the clothes.
Although it was troublesome, for Furina, making clothes was also a way to relax. Making a little every day and completing a set over a few months was a good way to relieve stress.
And the clothes Furina made were naturally for the man.
She would make a set and then dress him in it. To be honest, the man was a perfect clothes hanger. This doll was worth keeping.
"My Supreme Bishop, your god has come to change your clothes again."
If anyone had seen Furina excitedly stripping the man's clothes...
Thankfully, no one could see, so Furina proceeded without any issues.
As for why she called this doll the "Supreme Bishop"... it was because Furina was playing a role-playing game.
As the days of pretending to be the Hydro Archon piled up, Furina's stress grew heavier, and the unconscious man on her bed had unknowingly become her only toy.
How to play with this toy?
Just dressing him up was no longer enough for Furina. She had now assigned him the role of the Supreme Bishop, tasked with spreading her faith, managing her followers, and reducing her stress. And for such a capable and loyal Supreme Bishop, Furina naturally had to reward him.
Yes, the God of Justice herself making and changing clothes for you—isn't that a grand reward?
Too grand, in fact!
Furina immersed herself in the role, happily stripping the clothes off her Supreme Bishop.
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle."
"I prefer it rough."
"Oh? No problem, rough it is..."
Furina suddenly stopped, her expression stiffening as she slowly looked up and met a pair of calm, starry eyes.
Furina silently stared into those eyes for ten seconds, then slowly retracted her hands, jumped off the bed, walked to a nearby chair, turned around, sat down, crossed her right leg, and smiled elegantly. "You're awake. How do you feel?"
The man propped himself up, glanced down, and saw that his clothes hadn't actually been removed. He then got out of bed.
Since Furina had also made shoes for her doll, he was fully dressed.
The man's expression showed no surprise. After getting out of bed, he simply looked at Furina with calm eyes and said in a flat tone, "So, Lady Furina, what are your orders for your Supreme Bishop?"
?
A question mark slowly floated above Furina's head.
The script seemed a bit off. No matter how she thought about it, Furina hadn't expected this kind of reaction.
To be honest, Furina felt extremely awkward. She was forcing herself to act, putting on a stiff performance.
But the other person... was he playing along?
Was he, like her, deliberately ignoring the awkward situation?
So cooperative?
But now, Furina wasn't sure how to respond.
Should she ask who he really was?
But if he asked her the same question, wouldn't that be bad?
So, maybe this was... fine?
Furina knew she shouldn't think this way, but she had no other options. Her situation didn't allow her to reveal the truth.
"By the way, I haven't introduced myself yet."
The man seemed to realize this as well. He sat down on the chair opposite Furina, placed his hands on the table, and spoke calmly.
"My name is Ye. I am a Descender from beyond the world of Teyvat. I have many identities, so I won't go into detail. But in this world, since Lady Furina has chosen to make me your Supreme Bishop, I will accept this role. After all, I have no home in this world and cannot leave for now, so I can only rely on your kindness."
???
Beyond the world of Teyvat?
A Descender?
What is this?
Furina was utterly confused.
It wasn't that she didn't understand what "beyond the world" meant, but... no, she shouldn't show her confusion. She should just go along with it.
"You say you're from beyond this world? Then how do you know my name?"
"Lady Furina's name is renowned even in another world. Countless people are your fans, and I am just one of them."
"Do you think I can believe that?"
"Then, Lady Furina, you can assume I arrived in this world long ago and thus know about you."
"So, you were indeed deliberate..."
Furina couldn't finish her sentence.
But Ye knew what she wanted to say and tactfully took over the conversation. "It was just an accident. When I finally broke free from my restraints and tried to leave 'this world,' I encountered an expected interception. The result was a bit beyond my expectations—it was insane. To trap just me, they sent fifteen Overgods' to block my way. Can't they let me live? Am I really that hated? Sigh... Anyway, it was because of this accident that I ended up in front of you, Lady Furina."
For the first time, the man, who had always been as calm as still water, showed a twitch of annoyance on his face.
He didn't seem to be lying.
But Furina couldn't understand what he was saying.
—If she couldn't understand, she wouldn't dwell on it.
The affairs of Fontaine alone were already consuming all of Furina's energy. How could she spare any attention for matters beyond this world?
In any case, there was good news.
That was... the other party didn't seem to question her identity as the Hydro Archon.
Whether he truly didn't question it or just kept his doubts to himself, as long as he didn't bring it up, everything else was irrelevant.
"I said you are my chosen Supreme Bishop. From now on, you are my chosen Supreme Bishop."
Furina spoke with an elegant smile:
"Stay in Fontaine and work for me. Someone as interesting as you, I never planned to let you leave my grasp anyway."
This was Furina's initial attitude toward Ye.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, and deeply wary.
At this moment, although Furina had casually assigned him the role of Supreme Bishop, it wasn't an official position, and Furina had no intention of making it one.
Furina's complete trust in Ye, no longer harboring any suspicion and instead seeing Ye's presence as her greatest source of security—that would come decades later.