"From what you've said, Morax chose to pass away of his own accord... In what way did he do it? Can you tell me in detail?" After resolving the issues with Arataki Itto and Kujou Sara, Raiden Makoto returned to Tenshukaku with her sister and the puppet, accompanied by Lumine and Paimon.
Raiden Makoto was very curious about how her old friend, the Geo Archon of Liyue, Morax, had actually done it.
"Didn't Lumine and I go to Liyue together? We originally thought we could meet the Geo Archon at the Rite of Descension, but when we got there... a giant dragon fell right out of the sky..." Paimon recalled the scene, still feeling a bit frightened.
"Afterward, Lumine and I were both treated as assassins..." As Paimon carefully recounted those events to Raiden Makoto, Makoto gained a general understanding of how Morax had retired.
"Sister... you're not thinking of emulating Morax, are you?" Seeing Raiden Makoto's thoughtful expression, Raiden Ei guessed her intention. "Are we going to be like him?"
"What do you think?" Raiden Makoto turned her gaze toward Raiden Ei. Ever since she first heard news about the Geo Archon Morax from Paimon, the idea of complete retirement had already taken root in her mind.
Liyue had now become a nation driven by its own people. Could Inazuma do the same? Especially since she had already resolved most of Inazuma's major issues, leaving only scattered, minor ones.
Watatsumi Island would likely never harbor thoughts of rebellion again; she had already decided how to handle their arrangements.
"I..." Raiden Ei was momentarily stunned. If possible, she was completely unwilling to be Inazuma's Electro Archon; as long as she could be with her sister forever, that was for the best.
Wherever her sister was, she would be there—that was her home.
"I'll follow your lead, Sister. I have no objections." Raiden Ei smiled. "How Inazuma develops should indeed be left to those humans to decide."
From the moment she gave the Gnosis to Yae Miko, she was no longer the Electro Archon of Inazuma.
"Huh?" Paimon and Lumine were both stunned. "No way, Sister Makoto, you're really going to emulate Rex Lapis?"
"Yes."
"It's the only way. Sara, Ayaka, and the others have only just begun to grow. Otherwise, if everyone in Inazuma simply follows our arrangements, how can there be any talk of development? The issues with the Tenryou Commission and Kanto Commission have been completely resolved."
Furthermore, she had established an inspection agency for the purpose of monitoring and reviewing the Three Commissions.
It was somewhat similar to a separation of powers, yet entirely different.
Moreover, she had thoroughly divided the responsibilities of the Three Commissions, so that from now on, each would be responsible for its own specific duties.
Therefore, she should be able to retire like Morax and enjoy her future time with her sister.
"So, I have to trouble you both with something again." Raiden Makoto smiled; she had made her decision.
"Hmm?"
"Help me find Childe of the Fatui. Don't you know him? I think he's quite suitable." Raiden Makoto even had a plan in mind—a plan for total retirement.
"Alright then."
"But we'll have to try; we might not necessarily find him." Lumine nodded and then disappeared from Raiden Makoto's sight.
"Sister... are we really going to do that?" Raiden Ei was somewhat puzzled. "Didn't you used to say that Inazuma..."
"The past is the past, and the present is the present." Raiden Makoto sighed slowly. "The fate of humanity should indeed be held in their own hands. How Inazuma develops in the future will be entirely up to them."
"Even someone as steady as Morax chose this path, so why can't we?" Raiden Makoto's words fell Raiden Ei into silence, but she eventually nodded.
"Sister, as long as I'm with you, it's fine... I won't care about anything else anymore." Raiden Ei had a face full of smiles as she hugged Raiden Makoto tightly. "Sister..."
"Don't you agree?"
"Yes."
"I need to continue arranging some things... Ei, you take good care of the puppet for now."
"Okay."
...Outside Tenshukaku.
"Lumine, Sister Makoto isn't serious, is she? She really wants to emulate Zhongli... and she's looking for Childe again..."
"She seems serious." Lumine nodded. Having traveled through Mondstadt and encountered the Dvalin incident, and then through Liyue and encountering Osial, the Vortex Archon, she had realized a truth.
Regardless of whether a nation has a god, human resilience is enough to handle future crises. A god is actually just a spiritual symbol. Even though Zhongli guided Liyue's direction every year, the specific development was entirely decided by the Qixing.
"Look at Venti. He doesn't manage anything in Mondstadt, and most Mondstadters have almost forgotten him."
"But isn't Mondstadt developing with all its might under Acting Grand Master Jean's leadership?" Lumine said thoughtfully.
"It's just that Sister Makoto wants us to find Childe, but who knows where he is?" Lumine was a bit at a loss. She had no idea where Childe was; she couldn't exactly get a megaphone and shout for him on the streets of Inazuma, could she?
"Are you looking for me?" As a voice drifted into Lumine and Paimon's ears, Paimon knew it was Childe as soon as she heard that familiar voice.
"Childe?!"
Tartaglia stood there with a smile on his face. While waiting for orders from the Tsaritsa, he had been observing Lumine and Paimon.
He heard from Signora that back in Mondstadt, Lumine and Paimon were with the Anemo Archon, and in Liyue, they were with the Geo Archon.
And now in Inazuma, they were even with the Electro Archon. He was starting to suspect if Lumine had some kind of god-attracting constitution—how was it that in every country, she ended up with that country's god?
Tartaglia was actually quite puzzled. When he had pretended to be 'Thoma' on the street, he should have been seen through, and later he had tried to rescue the Scaramouche from the Kamisato Clan and held Ayaka hostage with him.
Yet to this day, he hadn't seen a single Wanted Poster related to him in Inazuma; he could even walk directly onto the streets.
Because the sakoku decree had been lifted, Narukami Island no longer required investigations into the paperwork of outsiders.
He walked through Inazuma City boldly, and no one bothered him at all.
"What exactly are you looking for me for?" Tartaglia looked at Lumine with interest. He and Lumine simply had different stances, but he recognized her; as a friend, she was very suitable.
But sometimes he also found her quite a nuisance.
"Childe, it's not that we have something for you, it's Sister Makoto who wants to see you," Paimon said hurriedly. "Hurry up and come with us to Tenshukaku."
"Sister Makoto?"
"Raiden Makoto, the Electro Archon of Inazuma, Raiden." Seeing Tartaglia's confusion, Paimon added a clarification, thinking he didn't know about those things.
"Why would the Electro Archon want anything with me?" Tartaglia was stunned, completely baffled. "It's not to settle scores, is it?"
"Hard to say. Why don't you go and talk to Sister Makoto in person? I can't explain it clearly in a short time." Paimon said seriously, "Childe, it's really important."
"Okay."
Although Lumine and Paimon could be annoying sometimes, at least they wouldn't lie to deceive him. If it were anyone else asking him to see the Raiden Shogun, he definitely wouldn't believe it—wouldn't that be like a sheep walking into a tiger's den? How could he be so foolish as to put himself in danger?
He wasn't as arrogant as Signora, who acted as if she had lost her mind.
"Let's go, let's go."
...Tenshukaku.
"Sister, are we really going to emulate Morax?" Raiden Ei looked at Raiden Makoto, still somewhat uncertain, thinking she might be joking.
"What is it?"
"You've asked several times now. Ei, you don't want to continue being the Raiden Shogun, do you? It's not out of the question..." Raiden Makoto looked at Raiden Ei with a smile. "Anyway, when the time comes to go to Liyue, you can stay in Inazuma, and I'll take the puppet with me."
"..."
"Sister... I'm just making sure, okay? I don't want to be the Raiden Shogun."
Who would want to be the Raiden Shogun when they could travel and have fun with their sister? She certainly didn't.
"I've already arranged everything, and the necessary reforms should proceed normally..." Raiden Makoto smiled. "That girl Kujou Sara is quite reliable."
"Besides, Saiguu and Miko can also help us."
"Now what needs to be done is to arrange the retirement plan." Raiden Makoto already had a plan in mind; one could say everything was ready, needing only the final touch.
"Grand Narukami, there is someone outside claiming to be your friend seeking an audience..."
"Let them in."
As the Shogunate Soldier led Lumine and Paimon in, Tartaglia followed behind them.
"Childe?"
"Tartaglia greets the Grand Narukami."
"Greetings, Shogun." Tartaglia said respectfully. He wasn't like Signora; he knew how to respect the gods.
None of the Seven Sovereigns of the World who could fight their way out of the Archon War were simple.
"Do you know why I looked for you?" Looking at the brown-haired youth before her, Raiden Makoto had a smile on her face.
"Why does the Grand Narukami seek me? What Signora and the Scaramouche did was entirely their own doing and has nothing to do with Snezhnaya." Tartaglia thought Raiden Makoto was about to start questioning him and quickly changed his tune. "They were only following orders..."
"Your goal is for this, isn't it?" When Raiden Makoto brought out the Gnosis, Tartaglia's gaze turned entirely toward it. That was precisely the Fatui's recurring goal: the Gnosis.
"I heard that after the Geo Archon and the Cryo Archon reached a contract, the Gnosis was given to the Cryo Archon. Is that true?"
"Yes." Tartaglia nodded. At the time, he had been played like a fool, only later finding out that his actions were entirely part of the contract between the Geo and Cryo Archons; he was just a pawn.
Signora had been keeping it from him the whole time.
"I am not the God of contracts, but I know your goal is the Gnosis... It's not that the Gnosis can't be given to you." Raiden Makoto's next words made Tartaglia perk up, and he then looked at her very seriously. "If the Grand Narukami has any requirements, just say them, and I will report to Her Majesty the Tsaritsa."
"Help me complete a contract similar to Morax's..." Raiden Makoto didn't know exactly what kind of contract Morax had reached with the Cryo Archon, but it was likely related to rebelling against the Heavenly Principles.
Wasn't the Cryo Archon collecting Gnoses precisely to rebel against the Heavenly Principles? Barbatos and Morax might not have known the Heavenly Principles' purpose, but with memories of her past life, Raiden Makoto knew that their actions were actually to protect the continent of Teyvat.
If Teyvat and the Honkai world really belonged to the same branches on the imaginary tree, then as human civilization developed, one day the Honkai would completely descend upon Teyvat.
As the Electro Archon Raiden, she had never been to The Abyss and didn't know what was actually inside; what she knew was still very little.
But in any case, the Gnosis was now a completely useless object to her. Reaching a deal with the Cryo Archon was not out of the question, as it would also prevent the Fatui from continuing to cause trouble in Inazuma; she knew they wouldn't let go until they got the Gnosis.
"I will be holding a Festival in a few days. At that time, I want you to make a move against me..."
After Raiden Makoto explained her plan in detail to Tartaglia, he finally understood her intention.
So Raiden Makoto wanted to be like the old man.
"Once the matter is settled, the Gnosis will be given to you." Raiden Makoto's words made Tartaglia fall into deep thought. For a moment, he even had the thought of not reporting this to the Tsaritsa yet; he could completely do it himself.
After getting the Gnosis, he would then return to Snezhnaya to report back to Her Majesty.
"I accept." Once Tartaglia had finished thinking it through, he said with a serious face, "Grand Narukami, the plan is perfectly fine."
"Good."
"Then go and make some preparations."
As Tartaglia withdrew, only Raiden Makoto, Raiden Ei, Lumine, and Paimon remained in Tenshukaku.
"Is Sister Makoto planning to go to Liyue with us after completing the plan?" Paimon asked curiously. "That should be a good time."
"Yes."
"It's necessary to take my sister out for a good walk." Raiden Makoto smiled and glanced at Raiden Ei. Ei was still pondering those matters, and she was actually a little bit uneasy.
After all, Inazuma was the joint effort of her and her sister. What if Inazuma fell into a slump because of this?
What would happen then?
But then she recalled that she had hardly managed anything for five hundred years, and she felt a bit embarrassed to voice her concerns.
"Taking Ei out to see the world would be very good."
Sometimes she really felt her sister was a bit of a naive country girl, both in her actions and her speech; she gave off that kind of feeling.
And Raiden Ei had indeed shut herself in the Plane of Euthymia for five hundred years, so becoming a naive country girl was quite normal.
"I'll also need your cooperation when the time comes."
"Ei, can you create two puppets that look just like us? They don't have to be perfect, just enough so that they can't tell the difference."
She should also start preparing for the upcoming retirement ceremony.
---------------------------------
I hope you enjoy this fanfiction! If you're having fun and want to read 30 chapters in advance, feel free to check out my Patreon: patreon.com/TLScarlet
Your support means a lot so if you like the story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone.