King walked by her side. Hearing this, he glanced at her sideways, his face expressionless as he spoke calmly:
"Because during the Sakoku Decree, you wrote the 'righteousness' of 'eternity' over the directive to 'love the people'."
Raiden Ei's body shuddered slightly.
"For the sake of 'eternity', the people became a necessary sacrifice."
King's voice was calm, yet it was like a blunt knife, slowly cutting open the truth she was unwilling to face.
"They respect you and rely on your majesty to protect Inazuma from foreign invaders."
"But they fear you just as much."
"They fear your unquestionable 'eternity' and your indifference, which allows you to sacrifice everything for the sake of the greater good."
"Especially now, in this chaotic time just after the Great Purge has ended."
King stopped in his tracks, his gaze sweeping across the empty street. In the distance, the suppressed crying of a child could be heard.
"They revere you as a God, yet fear you like the thunder."
"..."
Raiden Ei fell silent.
The morning light made her pale face look almost transparent, making those cracks appear even more vivid and piercing.
She opened her mouth slightly, as if wanting to say something, but not a single word came out.
Five hundred years of obsession, of self-righteous protection—in the end, was this terrifying image all that remained in the eyes of her subjects?
To think she had always believed that writing "loving people" into the program was a form of benevolent rule.
"..."
Beside them, Zhongli slowly finished the last sip of tea in his cup. His amber eyes gazed at the low-lying houses of Inazuma City in the distance, lost in thought.
Reverence and fear.
Gods and humans.
The measure and balance between them was something he had explored for over six thousand years, yet even now, he dared not say he had fully grasped it.
"Little friend King's words..."
Zhongli spoke softly, as if addressing King, yet also as if whispering to himself: "Are truly enlightening."
"The art of governing a country is like brewing tea. If the water is too hot, the tea becomes bitter and loses its original flavor; if the water is not hot enough, the aroma will not emerge, leaving only the form without the essence."
"This 'water temperature' is the will of the Gods."
The group walked silently through the cold, quiet streets. The oppressive atmosphere even made Paimon unusually quiet.
The air was filled with a faint smell of damp mold and the scent of cheap food.
"Eh? What's that smell?"
Paimon's little nose twitched as her eyes followed the scent.
In an inconspicuous corner by the roadside, there was a crude stall made of a few old wooden planks.
A little girl stood behind the stall.
She looked no more than eight or nine years old, thin and small, wearing coarse cloth clothes with patches. Her little face was slightly flushed from the morning wind.
In front of her was an old clay pot, kept warm by a small charcoal stove underneath, with a few chipped bowls placed beside it.
Inside the pot was a mushy naku weed soup. Hardly any oil could be seen, with only a few pitiful slices of naku weed floating in the clear broth.
When the little girl saw this large group of people approaching, especially Raiden Ei walking behind King, her face turned pale with fright.
She reflexively took a few steps back, but unwilling to leave her stall, her small hands tightly gripped the hem of her clothes.
King stopped.
He glanced at the watery naku weed soup, then at the little girl's red, frozen fingers and timid eyes. After a moment of silence, he turned his head, his gaze falling on the still-dazed Raiden Ei.
"Did you bring any money?"
"Ah?"
Raiden Ei was taken aback by the sudden question, her purple eyes filled with confusion.
She instinctively felt the sleeves and collar of her kimono... they were empty.
This puppet body did not need to eat or spend money.
Mora... the last time she had touched it personally seemed to be five hundred years ago, when her sister gave her pocket money?
Raiden Ei looked at King helplessly and shook her head blankly.
"No... I don't have any money..."
Seeing this, Yae Miko also quickly began fumbling through the sleeves and folds of her ornate shrine maiden outfit.
Usually, she would carry money, after all, she often bought Fried Tofu to eat.
But this morning, she had left in a panic.
Her heart was full of worry for Ei and fear of King; how could she have remembered such things?
After searching for a long time, she also came up empty-handed.
An embarrassed look appeared on Yae Miko's face. "Um... can we put it on a tab?"
Just as the fear in the little girl's eyes grew—
"Clink—"
A crisp and pleasant clinking sound rang out.
A well-defined, steady, and powerful hand reached out, placing a large handful of glittering gold Mora in front of the little girl.
The Mora formed a small pile, reflecting an enticing luster under the morning light.
There were denominations of all sizes; at a rough glance, it was enough to buy the entire street with change to spare.
King raised an eyebrow and followed the hand with his gaze.
He saw that Zhongli was already standing by the stall at some point, holding a cup of hot tea with a calm expression, as if he had just done something perfectly ordinary.
"Zhongli?"
King looked at him, his tone carrying a hint of amusement. "Didn't you say you forgot to bring money?"
Zhongli smiled faintly and nodded slightly.
"There is something Mr. King might not know."
"Zhongli is indeed short on funds."
"But Morax still possesses a modest amount of wealth."
Raiden Ei: "...?!"
Yae Miko: "!!!"
The purple-haired God and the pink-haired fox's pupils dilated instantly, their eyes widening into circles.
They both focused intently on Zhongli's face.
Morax?!
Wait, when did he get here?!!
They actually hadn't noticed him at all?!
Raiden Ei felt as if her perception of reality had suffered a massive blow.
Yae Miko's scalp tingled even more, her heart churning with waves of shock.
Zhongli coughed lightly and explained in a peaceful tone, "Why are you two so shocked? It's merely a small trick to hide from the public eye and facilitate observation while walking through the mortal world; it's hardly worth mentioning."
Hardly worth mentioning?!
Yae Miko's mouth twitched as she heard this, her mind screaming with silent complaints:
To be able to hide one's presence so perfectly...
...and to fool the Raiden Shogun, one of seven sovereigns, and the Kitsune Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine like they were fools...
If this is considered a "small trick," then is there even such a thing as a "big trick" in Teyvat?
Is this the ancient God who presides over "contracts" and "Precious Stones"?
How terrifying... "Not going to play dead anymore, Zhongli?"
King looked at the pile of golden Mora, then glanced at Zhongli's nonchalant expression, his lips curling into a half-smile.
"Hahahaha—"
Hearing this, Zhongli didn't feel embarrassed; instead, he laughed heartily.
The laughter was deep and open, echoing in the cold morning breeze and startling a few sparrows on the eaves.
"I'll stop pretending."
He suppressed his laughter, but his amber eyes held an indescribably complex mix of emotions—sentiment, relief, and a rekindled spark.
"Little friend King has shown me so much. If I were to keep pretending, it would be quite boorish of me."
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