Ayaka parted her lips, just about to speak, but Yae Miko lazily leaned back in her seat and lifted a hand to stop her.
That seductive aura unique to the Celestial Enchantment Body—now even more refined than before—made Ayaka and the others flush instantly.
Their hearts wavered.
They quietly scolded themselves for lacking composure…
but in the end, they all averted their eyes.
No one dared look directly at Yae Miko.
Now, at last, they understood why most people in Mount Shu avoided staring at her for long.
The Celestial Enchantment Body was not something ordinary people could endure.
"Let's set everything else aside first."
Miko smiled, eyes glinting with mischief.
"What I'm curious about is—everyone else seized the chance to join Mount Shu. Why didn't you?"
"Meeting the Sect Master is rare enough. Getting so close to him is even rarer."
"And now he's already discussing serious matters with Peak Master Zhongli. That opportunity you let slip—doesn't it sting?"
Ayaka fell silent—Kokomi and the others too.
Miko was right.
Jiang Yan hardly ever left Mount Shu.
This was the best chance one could hope for.
If they had stepped forward, Jiang Yan would likely have examined them.
Even if only one of them qualified for Mount Shu, it would have been worth it.
Perhaps—maybe—all of them had good aptitude.
But now that chance was gone.
Jiang Yan was busy. They couldn't interrupt him now.
And entering Mount Shu, becoming a cultivator—was the only way to remain standing in the new era sweeping Teyvat.
It meant forging an unshakable future.
For themselves.
For their homelands.
But compared to personal futures—
right now, they cared far more about saving Inazuma.
Missing the opportunity meant they just had to wait for the next time.
But Inazuma… could not wait.
Not even for a few years.
Miko did not rush them.
She simply watched Ayaka with a fox's knowing smile.
After a long silence, Ayaka finally gave a bitter smile.
"How could we not feel regret…? Mount Shu's standing is undeniable."
"The power of cultivators is clear to the world. The future belongs to cultivation. One step behind… means falling further and further."
"I don't even know if there will be another chance to join Mount Shu."
"But for better or worse… we still have hope."
"We can wait. For the next mountain-opening ceremony, for the next opportunity. But Inazuma cannot wait."
"Lady Guuji…"
Ayaka tried not to let her personal feelings seep into her words—she didn't want it to sound like moral pressure.
But this concerned the lives of Inazuma's people. How could she stay calm?
Avoiding Miko's gaze, she said softly, voice trembling:
"As long as the Shogun's Isolation Decree and Vision Hunt Decree continue, Inazuma declines day by day."
"You may not know… the Shogun no longer governs. The upper echelons rot. War drags on. Monsters run rampant."
"The people live in agony—no hope, no future."
"Famine spreads. Corpses litter the roads."
"Lady Guuji, every word I say is the absolute truth."
"We do not know what sort of 'eternity' the Shogun seeks… but if this continues, Inazuma will only walk toward death."
Ayaka clenched her fists and looked straight at Miko.
"Teyvat is undergoing spiritual revival."
"Inazuma struggles to survive even now. Once the revival sweeps our land…"
"Inazuma will be annihilated."
"And the only one who can change this—
is you, Lady Guuji."
Miko's smile faded.
She sipped her tea, then looked toward Kujou Sara.
"I find that unlikely."
"My stubborn Raiden Shogun let Kujou Sara come here with you, didn't she?"
"That means she understands Inazuma's situation. You only need to wait until she thinks things through."
"That woman is stubborn like a bullheaded child, but Inazuma is precious to her. Once she sees the truth, she won't cling to that hollow eternity."
"Her heart knot… only she can untie it. No one else can."
She cast an amused look at Kujou Sara.
"Even if I could defeat her easily now, you wouldn't want me to fight my only good friend, would you?"
"If I win she'll sulk for centuries. That would give me a headache."
From the moment Sara and Kokomi arrived together, Miko had known Ei must have already come out to observe.
Ei was stubborn, yes. Shut-in, yes.
But she wasn't blind.
Spiritual revival meant danger—
and opportunity.
To resist it with outdated ideals would only destroy the nation.
Ei wasn't foolish enough to let Inazuma be swallowed whole.
Otherwise, Kujou Sara would never have left the country.
Without Ei's personal approval, Sara—Inazuma's most rigid loyalist—would never have joined forces with Kokomi.
So Miko wasn't truly worried.
Ei had seen the situation.
The rest was simply time.
And time was short—spiritual revival would not wait.
But then Sara spoke quietly:
"The Shogun did indeed allow me to accompany Lady Kokomi to Liyue… but she has not lifted the Vision Hunt Decree or the Isolation Decree."
"As long as the Isolation Decree stands, Inazuma continues to slowly die."
"Lady Guuji—we need you to persuade the Shogun. The decree must end soon."
"If Inazuma cannot cultivate, it must at least learn martial arts."
"Once the beasts spread to our shores, Inazuma will fall."
Miko frowned slightly.
"Really? She hasn't lifted it?"
"That makes no sense. Xiao already visited—you'd think she'd stop assuming she can fight spiritual revival alone."
"Even if she keeps the Vision Hunt Decree, the Isolation Decree is suicide."
"What is she thinking? Sending you here just to learn martial arts, then returning to shut the gates again?"
"Absurd. Without spiritual herbs, without beast meat, martial cultivation will crawl like a snail."
"When beasts reach Inazuma, they will be at peak Foundation or Refining Essence. She can't shoulder all that alone."
"She must cooperate with Liyue. She must develop martial arts. She must allow cultivators."
"What is going through that woman's mind?"
Kujou Sara shook her head helplessly.
"I do not know, Lady Guuji. The Shogun simply ordered me to travel to Liyue. She gave no further instructions."
"That makes no sense…"
Miko lowered her head, tapping her chin.
"Even if she's stubborn, she wouldn't be this foolish."
"She couldn't possibly fail to see the danger."
Her sharp criticism left Sara awkward, embarrassed.
Being forced to listen to a friend rant about a superior was… uncomfortable.
"Kujou Sara," Miko said suddenly, "Tell me everything that happened that day."
Sensing something wrong, Sara carefully recounted everything:
Xiao's appearance.
The reports.
Ei's grim expression.
Her sudden departure.
Miko's expression grew colder and more serious.
She had a suspicion—
a dangerous one—
but she needed confirmation.
After a moment, she said gently:
"Wait here."
She rose and walked toward Shenhe.
"Senior Shenhe," she whispered, "may I trouble you to perform a divination?"
Though Shenhe specialized in slaughter with the Divine Ghost Seven-Slaying Order, she still possessed the divination skills befitting Little Bamboo Peak's future Peak Master.
Shenhe did not refuse.
Listening carefully, she closed her eyes.
A mysterious aura rippled around her.
After a moment, Shenhe whispered something in Miko's ear.
Sara and the others couldn't hear it—
But they clearly saw Miko's expression darken instantly.
She thanked Shenhe, then returned.
Her face was calm.
But an oppressive anger pressed against Ayaka's chest.
"Lady Guuji… what is it?"
Miko closed her eyes.
She didn't answer immediately.
After a long silence, she muttered in irritation:
"That idiot. I warned her. She didn't listen. And now look—"
"She's gone and made a complete mess!"
"She's not only ruined herself—she's dragged all of Inazuma to the cliff's edge!"
Sara's heart lurched.
"Lady Guuji—what happened to Her Excellency the Shogun?!"
Miko exhaled slowly, then opened her eyes with reluctant resignation.
"Truth is…"
"The one sitting in the Tenshukaku all this time—
is not the real Electro Archon."
"That is merely a puppet."
"A doll created by the true Raiden Shogun, Beelzebul… using her own body."
"The real one is in the Plane of Euthymia—in closed-door meditation."
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