Villa.
Luo Chen continued.
"Under such circumstances, Beelzebul's understanding of Eternity gradually became extreme."
"If one moves forward, something will inevitably be lost. A price will inevitably be paid."
"If that is the case—then as long as one does not move forward, nothing will be lost."
"In that way, the people of Inazuma would never have to suffer as she once did."
"And she herself could eternally protect Inazuma."
"Thus, only this kind of Eternity—one that freezes all things in place—could allow Inazuma to endure forever."
"But even gods are subject to erosion."
"Today, the Raiden Shogun's prestige remains unmatched."
"But hundreds of years from now… thousands of years from now…"
"One day, Inazuma will inevitably lose the protection of its god."
"Just as Morax once foresaw."
"Yet the two chose completely different paths."
"One sought to entrust the nation to its people."
"And the other…"
"At this stage, Beelzebul obtained a certain technology."
"With it, she could create exquisitely crafted puppets—indistinguishable from living beings."
"In theory, such a puppet could perfectly replicate everything about a god."
"Which meant, in a sense, transcending the limits of lifespan."
"And thus, it could persist eternally—guarding Inazuma forever."
"Beelzebul was tempted."
"But such puppets were not easy to create."
"After countless failures, she ultimately used her own body as the basis to successfully create the Raiden Shogun."
"The very Shogun who would later rule from Tenshukaku for five hundred years."
"Because the puppet was born to resist erosion, Beelzebul accounted for every possible threat during its creation."
"Including herself."
"To that end, she severed all paths of retreat—making it impossible for even the creator to modify it."
"And this decision would later cause tremendous trouble for the awakened Beelzebul herself."
"One could only say—Beelzebul truly lived up to being a warrior."
"Ruthless to others, and even more ruthless to herself."
"Afterward, she handed all of Inazuma's governance to the puppet Shogun."
"She entrusted her Gnosis to her friend Yae Miko."
"And then, in the form of pure consciousness, she entered the space within Musou Isshin—the Plane of Euthymia."
"And thus began her life of complete isolation—
ah, no—her endless meditation."
Luo Chen paused briefly, then continued.
"Looking back at this period as a whole…"
"At the very beginning, this ideology was understandable."
"At that time, Inazuma had already lost far too much. No one wanted to lose anything more."
"So in a sense, Beelzebul was responding to the people's wishes."
"However, society is ever-changing."
"It cannot remain frozen because of one person—or one god."
"The people had already begun looking forward."
"Yet Beelzebul was still trapped in the sorrow of five hundred years ago."
"And thus, a chain of chaos followed."
Luo Chen sighed softly.
Zhongli and Ei's choices reminded him of a certain story—
One person who knew there was no retreat, only forward motion.
Another who feared loss so deeply that they chose escape instead.
The similarity was striking.
After learning of the Electro Archon's tragic past,
Most people already understood why she had made those choices.
And after hearing this evaluation,
they finally gained a clearer understanding of her Eternity.
extraordinary chat group
Lumine: One is transience, the other absolute stillness—these sisters' interpretations are fascinating. It really feels philosophical.
Paimon: Uh… wait, am I just dumb? Weren't we saying Ei's understanding was wrong? Why does it suddenly make sense?
Venti: Ehe~ There's no such thing as an absolutely wrong theory. In the end, it all depends on the environment.
Zhongli: From a rational standpoint, that is correct. Inazuma at the time was in ruins—no one wanted to experience that pain again.
Zhongli: As the light screen said, Beelzebul's ideology was extreme, but appropriate.
Zhongli: Yet as time passed, the people moved on. At that point, such extremity no longer fit.
Nahida: I understand now! That's when Lady Makoto's ideals became more suitable for Inazuma.
Nahida had an epiphany.
Previously, she only thought Beelzebul's ideology was wrong.
But now she understood—
There is no absolutely wrong method.
Everything depends on circumstance.
Different situations require different approaches.
One must be flexible—not rigid.
Just like Sumeru's current situation.
Firm measures first, swift and decisive.
Then gentler policies to soothe the people.
Nahida beamed with joy.
"Studying the experiences of senior Archons really does teach governance."
Others in the chat felt the same.
Furina: Exactly. Change is the norm. Beelzebul stayed in the Plane of Euthymia for too long and lost touch with her people.
Alice: This story tells us one thing—don't be a shut-in like the grumpy Shogun. You've got to go out and walk around! (smug.jpg)
Yae Miko: Indeed~ Escaping works sometimes, but only temporarily. Hiding like a turtle won't do, you know~
Ei rolled her eyes slightly.
What's wrong with turtles?
They live long!
But jokes aside, she quietly agreed.
If she hadn't isolated herself for so long—
if she had listened to the people earlier—
Perhaps she wouldn't have remained stubborn for so many years.
Villa.
Luo Chen continued.
"As for the chaos that followed—since it stemmed from Eternity—we'll only touch on it briefly."
"After the puppet Shogun took over, Inazuma wasn't ideal—but it wasn't terrible either."
"That is, until the Sakoku Decree and Vision Hunt Decree were enacted in recent years."
"The former targeted all Inazumans."
"It directly impacted countless livelihoods."
"Watatsumi Island, for example."
"Which eventually formed a resistance army."
"As for the latter—on the surface, it seemed to affect fewer people."
"But in reality, that wasn't the case."
"Because Vision holders are not ordinary people."
"When hunted, most would not surrender quietly."
"They would either hide under false identities—
or flee to Watatsumi and join the resistance."
"Once Watatsumi gained these people, it immediately acquired the strength to challenge the Shogunate."
"And that, in turn, worsened the suffering of ordinary civilians."
"In essence, this war was merely a continuation of the previous one."
"One has to say—Orobashi truly left Beelzebul with a massive problem."
"And it didn't stop there."
"The Tri-Commission also became entangled."
"The Yashiro Commission secretly contacted the resistance."
"The Kanjou Commission supplied resources to the Fatui for Delusions."
"And the head of the Tenryou Commission, having received Fatui benefits, pushed the Vision Hunt Decree."
"Under such conditions, Inazuma descended into chaos."
"To make this clearer, let me give you a few civilian cases."
Luo Chen played several prepared clips.
Case One:
After the wards suppressing the Tatarigami on Yashiori Island were destroyed, illness spread rapidly.
The village head Washizu, once a protector, became a perpetrator.
The pharmacist Yasumoto died after personally testing medicine.
Before dying, he entrusted the pirate leader Kidou to escort Chouji's sick mother to Sumeru.
Case Two:
On Nazuchi Beach, Lumine and Paimon encountered a Shogunate deserter named Inaba Kyuuzou on a wrecked ship.
They helped him fend off pirates—only to later find his suicide note.
He wrote of joining the Shogunate out of admiration for the Shogun.
At first, he served with passion.
But the war broke him.
Because the enemy was no longer monsters—but humans.
Possibly his own countrymen.
He never doubted the Shogun's decisions.
For Eternity, sacrifice was inevitable.
Yet regardless of reason, such a war was still a sin.
Someone had to bear that guilt.
So he chose to end his own life—
to shoulder part of the sin for the Shogun he revered.
The scene shifted to Inazuma City's message board—
where his wife had posted a missing person notice.
Then another shift—
Pirate logs revealed they were subordinates of Kidou, gathering supplies to save Chouji's mother.
They had intended to rescue the orphaned child afterward.
Case Three:
Two young Shogunate soldiers—Gongyi and Kenji.
Childhood friends.
Gongyi joined the resistance after being ostracized.
He died in battle.
Kenji went mad.
He abandoned his own name, taking his friend's instead.
And wandered Yashiori Island alone as "Gongyi."
When the clips ended, silence fell.
Only now did people truly understand how chaotic Inazuma had been.
Though the Fatui and corrupt officials bore much blame—
At its root lay the Electro Archon's extreme Eternity.
Citizens of peaceful nations like Mondstadt and Liyue felt profound relief.
Thank Barbatos.
Thank Rex Lapis.
Meanwhile, Inazumans felt conflicted.
They respected and revered their Shogun.
They knew her intentions were for their sake—
She had even turned her own body into an eternal puppet.
Yet… human hearts are human hearts.
Complex emotions were inevitable.
ordinary chat group
Inaba Shizuko: Kyuuzou… you're alive! Thank goodness!
Inaba Kyuuzou: Shizuko… I'm sorry. I'm a deserter…
Teppei: A deserter—but also a loyal man!
Amakumo Juugo: We saw your loyalty! Come back! Inazuma has changed—
The Shogun needs people like you!
Ogura Mio: Your wife has been searching for you all this time. Can you really leave her alone?
Inaba Shizuko: I don't want your suicide note. I want you back—alive!
Years of shame, fear, admiration, and pain finally broke Inaba Kyuuzou.
He dropped to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
At last, he bowed deeply to the light screen.
"Thank you, great Light Screen, for saving my life."
"Thank you for saving Inazuma."
"If ever called upon, I will give my life without hesitation!"
"Inazuma has changed—I know what I must do."
He bowed again, then spoke in the chat.
Inaba Kyuuzou: I'm coming back. Shizuko—wait for me!
He then turned toward the pirates.
They were not enemies.
They needed his help.
In the shadows, Kenji—or rather, Gongyi—smiled faintly.
"Good… very good."
"With people like you, the Shogunate will surely gain more justice."
Tenshukaku
The atmosphere fell silent once more.
"W-Waaah… Lumine, I think we did something bad…"
Paimon burst into tears.
The Iwakura Clan deserved their fate.
But these pirates… they were saving lives.
And she and Lumine had killed them in the original future.
The guilt was overwhelming.
Lumine felt heavy too—but then she smiled.
"Don't cry, Paimon. That was the original future."
"We haven't done anything yet."
"So those pirates are definitely alive."
"And Inaba Kyuuzou won't die either."
Paimon froze—then lit up.
That's right!
Nothing had happened yet!
Everything could still be saved!
Ei, hearing this, also exhaled in relief.
She turned to Miko.
Miko understood instantly.
"Don't worry. Kujou will send people to retrieve him."
"As for Yashiori Island, I've arranged evacuations."
"The damaged wards will be repaired immediately."
"The war is over—Lady Kokomi will assist as well."
Only then did Ei truly relax.
Thinking of the light screen's revelations, her guilt surged.
So much suffering… all because of her ideals.
This is my sin.
Why should others bear it for me?
Ei had made her decision.
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