Chapter 114: I Devoured Lu Mingze!

After the dream shattered, Focalors’ consciousness returned to the Oratrice Mécanique d’Analyse Cardinale. She quickly sensed that something was unusual following her return.

My perception has been heightened! And my control over the Authority of the Ancient Dragon has also improved. It feels intuitive now, unlike before, where I could use it, but always felt a sense of dissonance during the process.

Why? What happened?

Lu Mingze told me not to drink things from strangers, which means the food and drink I consumed in the dream were prepared by him on purpose, right?

Right, the Dream Tapir is a true dream, not a completely fictional one. The damage sustained in the dream carries over to the real world upon returning to one's consciousness. This means my experiences as a spiritual entity in the dream world have also been brought back to Teyvat.

I’ve grown stronger through the dream!

A light of realization shone into her world. As Focalors felt the surging power within her, she instantly understood why the dream had collapsed. There was no special reason; the dreamer’s power had simply reached its limit and could no longer sustain the dream.

The food and drink were nourishment, and the final downpour was a tempering he bestowed upon me. That tempered power fused the nourishment with me completely, making my own strength far greater and even granting me abilities I didn't possess before.

This is truly wonderful!

"What a cramped and narrow place. Is this where she usually lives? No wonder this girl loves the dream world so much—she can be satisfied just by eating and drinking whatever she wants."

Deep within Focalors’ consciousness, the ego belonging to Lu Mingze slowly stirred. Watching the young girl cheer for her newfound power, a smile of calculated success gradually spread across his face—a smile tinged with a hint of helplessness and complexity.

Although the Authority of the Ancient Dragon was stripped from the Dragon King by the existence in Celestia and bestowed upon the Seven Archbishops, it remains the inherent power of the Dragon King. The extent to which the Seven can master it is still lacking compared to the original owner. Neuvillette, the Hydro Dragon, can directly embody the God of Life in Teyvat to create real life and absolve the people of Fontaine of their sins.

But Egeria could not, and neither could Focalors. In their hands, the Authority is merely an additive power, unable to reach its full potential.

Lu Mingze, however, is a supreme existence from another world. Controlling the Hydro Authority of Teyvat is effortless for him. In fact, by merely keeping a portion of his consciousness within Focalors, he can make the Hydro Authority fully submit to her, allowing it to function at its peak.

Lu Mingze has quite a few things he wants to do in the world of Teyvat: meet the Dragon Kings, chat with "The Knave" on a bench in the dream world, or quietly exert pressure on the enemies behind the backs of Focalors or Furina.

(Oω)

For instance, if Lu Mingze doesn't want Focalors and Furina to know he has descended, he can keep his true self watching them from the dream world while letting his avatar in Teyvat detach from Focalors to act independently.

Although he loves to stir up trouble, he has his bottom lines. Thinking about it in his heart for his own amusement is one thing, but actually doing it would ruin the fun.

If it were Furina, she would certainly never be able to pull this off, or if she could, it would take a very long time.

'Everything is going smoothly so far.'

Helping Focalors is Lu Mingze’s goal, but it isn't his sole purpose. Taking advantage of her bad habit of eating anything she finds to let a portion of his spirit inhabit her and enter the Teyvat world—that is his true objective.

'Sigh, my brother is too foolish. He hasn't even mastered the proper way to use the Dream Tapir, even though he had access to it long before I did.'

'But that’s fine!'

Lu Mingfei doesn't know about these things, which allows Lu Mingze to plan and maneuver more effectively, ensuring he is prepared for any risks that may arise in the future.

But what exactly is the definition of a "Descender"?

A powerful entity with a will rivaling a world, arriving in Teyvat with power from outside the world.

Furthermore, the "Joy" power’s ability to hide his existence is even more effective than Lu Mingze imagined. Even as Focalors' consciousness transcended the world, the power of Joy remained in effect. It is precisely because of this that Lu Mingze was able to hide within Focalors’ consciousness; otherwise, she would have discovered him long ago.

Judging by Lu Mingze’s will, status, and power, he is a Descender—specifically, a powerful yet unknown "Fifth Descender [Part]."

It is a pity that only a small portion of his spiritual entity descended into Teyvat, not his entire being.

This thought crossed Lu Mingze’s mind, only to vanish just as quickly.

That silly girl will definitely fall for it!

Now, it is time to plan the next steps!

If Focalors wants to leave, he will find a way to keep her, perhaps by using delicious food and drinks as bait.

I heard the Oratrice Mécanique d’Analyse Cardinale is responsible for trials...

Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck Lu Mingze: what if he interfered with the next trial and forced the verdict to be a death sentence?

Death penalty! Death penalty! Everyone gets the death penalty!

That would be so much fun!

(ω) Surprised? Unexpected?

Teyvat and the world of Dragon Raja are parallel worlds. Although they are different, Lu Mingze did not need to pass through the "False Sky" to enter Teyvat, so he would not be defined as a traditional Descender.

Currently, only a tiny fraction of Lu Mingze’s spirit has reached Teyvat, and its intensity is not even equal to Focalors’. However, having learned about Teyvat through Focalors, he has a certain level of understanding and knows many secrets.

'If that's the case... isn't that even better?'

Thinking of this, Lu Mingze’s mouth curled into a wild grin. Precisely because his true self remains in the world of Dragon Raja, his spirit and his true self can stay linked through the power of Joy, allowing him to do things that would be impossible if he had fully descended.

But that is not enough, not nearly enough. Lu Mingze wants to observe this world through his own eyes... and he cannot let Focalors find out, at least not too early. If he were to suddenly appear after a very long time, she would surely be quite shocked, right?

Partial spiritual manifestation across worlds is difficult even for Lu Mingze, but fortunately, Focalors is such a glutton that she provided him with ample opportunities for experimentation.

"Wuu... wuu..."

Focalors’ sobbing suddenly echoed. She was crying quite bitterly. Lu Mingze felt a bit confused. He watched her from within, watching her cry and mutter to herself:

"Lu Mingze, wuu... Lu Mingze... you really are a good person."

This silly girl is hopeless. She doesn't even know I've hitched a ride into Teyvat through her, and now she’s calling me a good person. She’s crying from being moved; I only gave her a trivial boost, and she’s already this touched. It’s almost cute how silly she is.

Amidst Lu Mingze’s helpless sigh, Focalors continued to wipe her tears, saying:

"The world of the Dream Tapir is a dream world. Every effect in the dream is truly reflected in the spirit of the one trapped within, and I have genuinely grown. That means everything I ate, everything I devoured, was actually Lu Mingze’s spirit."

Ah, wait. Are you actually this smart? Have I been misjudging you all this time?

Lu Mingze’s eyes widened slightly. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, feeling a secret sense of unease: he felt he might be exposed soon, much sooner than he had anticipated.

It seems I underestimated Focalors. Although she seems unreliable, her reasoning and analytical skills are actually quite good. I might need to think about how to explain things to her.

"Lu Mingze is a spiritual entity, but his race in the other world is the Dragon race, and he possesses immensely powerful strength. Therefore, by devouring his spirit, I was naturally able to gain the ability to fully master the Hydro Authority—a power I should never have had." Focalors sobbed, her expression filled with grief.

That is indeed the case, but...

Why are you crying?

Lu Mingze’s expression began to shift. He realized that Focalors’ logic had gone astray somewhere, leading to an outrageous conclusion. He began to hide his presence even more carefully.

"I... I ate Lu Mingze... wuu..."

Focalors cried to herself, skillfully curling into a small ball within the Oratrice. Her ability to curl up was identical to Furina’s; in that regard, she was truly worthy of the title of Hydro Archon.

Lu Mingze: () Speechless.

"Wuu..."

Focalors continued to cry. As she wept in the pitch-black core of the Oratrice, she muttered: "Lu Mingze sacrificed himself to save me. He even let me devour his spirit... wuu... he is truly... truly... wuu..."

'This girl is this moved?'

Lu Mingze smiled. If Focalors mistakenly believes this is reality, then there is no harm in playing along with her assumption. If one day, when she faces danger again, I suddenly appear, it will surely be an interesting scene, won't it?

That’s fine, too.

And just as this thought emerged in Lu Mingze’s mind, Focalors finally uttered the second half of her sentence through her sobs:

"...He really tasted so good!"

Lu Mingze: ? (д；) Huh??

Did the trickster end up being the one tricked?

As Focalors spoke, she couldn't help but wipe the corner of her mouth, where tears were still streaming down. Her expression was incredibly complex; grief and pain overwhelmed her, yet the joy of eating and drinking while with Lu Mingze also came back to her. She didn't even know what she was feeling anymore.

She was genuinely sad, but as soon as she recalled her time with Lu Mingze, she couldn't help but think of the food, because that was the only time in five hundred years she had been able to eat with her own body. That sensation was impossible to ignore.

Furthermore, Focalors didn't believe Lu Mingze was dead, because when the dream collapsed, his spirit still felt very strong to her. He had enough power to sustain the dream and enough power to fake his own state.

Not only that, but Focalors had spent enough time with him to know he wasn't a stranger. She had a rough idea of what kind of person Lu Mingze was.

He was a tsundere little boy, elegant and gentle yet possessing a noble air. His eyes hid an arrogance, like a sleeping lion. He would help her, but someone like him would absolutely never sacrifice his life for her. Focalors knew this very well.

It was precisely because she knew it was highly unlikely Lu Mingze would die, and even less likely that he would suffer any fundamental damage—he was the type of person who knew how to measure his steps—that she had this reaction.

If Lu Mingze had truly died, she wouldn't be thinking about how "tasty" he was right now.

'I suddenly really want to give her a good thumping.'

Lu Mingze covered his face with one hand, suppressing the urge to burst out of her body and roar at her. He had more important goals; he couldn't afford to be exposed now.

Decided!

Tonight, I’ll go find The Knave, that person named "Cappuccino"!

Although my current spirit isn't strong enough, my status and the power of Joy are more than enough to crush elemental power. I can fundamentally forbid her from using her elements; no matter how strong her elemental power is, she won't be able to unleash it.

I am the Fifth Descender. A Descender’s status is equivalent to that of an entire world, and they possess a will that rivals a world. How could a Descender possibly fail to beat a single Fatui Harbinger?

No way, right? Surely not?

The First Descender is the Heavenly Principles; the Third is Nibelungen. When two Descenders fight, the world crumbles and Teyvat is on the verge of destruction.

Surely there isn't a Descender who, while the Heavenly Principles are asleep, can't even defeat a shadow of the Heavenly Principles, a Sustainer, or a mere subordinate, and gets insta-killed without even putting up a fight?

It’s like someone saying there are four Demon Kings in the world, and then the Fourth Demon King gets wiped out by a minor general under the First Demon God without even lasting a few moves. Then the question arises:

When the gap is that large, is that Demon King even worthy of being called a Demon King?

Probably not, right?

After a brief thought, Lu Mingze decided that the Little Grass Archon was spouting nonsense. The so-called "Fourth Descender" was just a blind guess on her part. With that explanation, everything made perfect sense.

Although the Little Grass Archon is one of the Seven, Lu Mingze’s status is higher. Toward those with a lower status than his own, he feels an innate arrogance, believing it is normal for such beings to make mistakes in their judgments.

So...

Perhaps I am not the Fifth Descender, but the true Fourth. The one designated by the Little Grass Archon as the Fourth might not be a real Descender at all, because his strength, will, and status don't match the level of a Descender, and there is no evidence to prove he possesses the matching capabilities.

Forget it. Let’s go see The Knave.