On the other side of the shrine, Ei and Xia Zhen sat together.
In front of Ei were two bowls of Gods' Temptation.
One was her own.
The other had been made by Xia Zhi, meant for the Shogun.
Ei chatted quietly with her sister as she finished her portion, savoring every bite. Yet even after scraping the bottom of the bowl, she still wanted more.
That was the Anti-Divine trait at work—overwhelming and insistent.
Her gaze shifted toward the other bowl, the one meant for the Shogun. It had noticeably more food.
She looked at Makoto and murmured, "Sister, excuse me for a moment."
Closing her eyes, she sank into stillness.
Moments later, she opened them again—and her aura had changed completely.
The Raiden Shogun had taken control.
Makoto turned her head, smiling softly. "Shogun."
That smile, so close and gentle, hit harder than any sword. For a sister-obsessed warrior like her, it was lethal.
The Shogun's composure faltered for an instant before she quickly masked it. "...Yes."
She lowered her head, picked up the spoon, and took a bite of Gods' Temptation.
Makoto asked quietly, "How is it?"
The Shogun's expression softened, her voice trembling just slightly. "Delicious… truly… delicious."
---
After lunch, Makoto returned to Tenshukaku.
Now that she'd mastered the Ganyu's skill, handling official documents no longer felt like torture.
Meanwhile, Ei, Venti, Azhdaha, and the two adepti—Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver—had already departed for Araumi.
In the end, Azhdaha agreed to Venti's "partnership."
Of course, Venti wasn't actually going to dump all the work on the dragon king and go slack off at the shrine with a bottle of wine.
Things said over drinks were just that—drunken words.
Araumi wasn't just full of War Machines either; it was crawling with monsters, ronin, and treasure hoarders.
Those small fry weren't worth the gods' attention.
So Xia Zhi sent Qiqi and the others along to help. They could learn, gain combat experience, and handle any stragglers.
Charlotte volunteered to join too.
A war correspondent had to see the front lines, after all.
Xia Zhi agreed but told her to be careful.
Madame Ping also decided to tag along—most likely to keep an eye on Yaoyao.
Cloud Retainer, however, stayed behind.
She was too busy tinkering with the Ruin Grader they'd hauled back yesterday.
Xia Zhi went to see her, and together they began discussing how to turn that hulking ruin machine into a full-fledged Gundam.
From the Shop, he'd purchased a spatial stone—similar to the material Ping had used for crafting the Serenitea Pot.
By carving out an internal pocket dimension, it could serve as the cockpit.
The next challenge was how to let the pilot inside that inner space control the giant armor outside freely, without delay or restriction.
That required advanced sensory synchronization—something Xia Zhi excelled at, thanks to his Puppet Master skill.
After some time, he solved the problem perfectly.
Then they redesigned the armor's frame and appearance to match the aesthetic of the mechas from his original world.
And just like that, their inter-world Gundam was complete.
Xia Zhi placed a hand against the armor's surface. A wave of spatial energy rippled outward, and his body dissolved into the cockpit inside the spatial stone.
The interior was already customized—a soft, gel-like cocoon designed to cradle the human body.
When one lay down, the fluid gently enveloped them, soothing their senses until they drifted into a dreamlike state.
In that state, the pilot's perception became one with the mech. Every movement of the mind translated directly into motion outside.
Cloud Retainer stood nearby, eyes bright with anticipation.
Seconds later, the once-motionless machine stirred to life.
It rose smoothly to its feet.
"Success," she breathed, excitement lighting her face.
For a being who loved intricate mechanisms, seeing her creation awaken was pure joy—made even sweeter because she'd built it with the man she loved.
Double happiness.
Xia Zhi piloted the mech around the clearing for a while, moving with impressive control.
He couldn't help but think back to when he'd first started browsing the Shop. There'd been an item called Gundam Piloting Basics back then.
He'd laughed, thinking, Who'd need that? It's not like I'll ever have an actual Gundam to pilot.
But deep down, he'd always wondered what it would feel like.
Now he finally knew.
Dream fulfilled.
The mech came to a stop, and Xia Zhi stepped out.
Cloud Retainer tilted her head curiously. "How does it feel?"
Xia Zhi smiled. "Hard to describe. You should try it yourself."
She nodded, climbed in, and spent a few minutes testing it.
When she emerged, her eyes were thoughtful. "It still has room for improvement. The body's a bit clumsy. We could make it lighter, add a few weapons, maybe install a flight system on the back."
"Do whatever you think's best," Xia Zhi said with an easy grin. "I trust your judgment."
She smiled, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then leaned close to steal a quick touch.
Her long crane legs were smooth and soft beneath his palm.
He withdrew his hand. "Save it for tonight."
A faint blush colored her cheeks. "Who said I meant right now?"
He chuckled. "By the way, remember that recording you made for Ping last time?"
"The recording? Oh, you mean the music piece?"
"Yeah. She said she wants to hear me play it live."
"You agreed?"
"I did."
"Tch. And you still say you're not interested in her."
"Don't get the wrong idea. I just borrowed the Seed-Converting Box from her."
"When?"
"Tonight."
"Tonight? At her place or yours?"
"Neither. She wants to meet under the Sacred Sakura Tree."
"Figures. Moonlight and blossoms—how romantic."
"Jealous?"
"Hardly. If you can win her over, I'd be thrilled."
"Oh?"
"Because then I'll get to outshine her later."
"..."
Xia Zhi's expression twitched.
He'd read the private diary that Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver had given him—full of Madame Ping's black history.
Honestly, even if he did win her over, knowing her devious streak, Ping would probably end up helping her pin Cloud Retainer down instead.