Sky Island.
The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles was in an excellent mood.
Watching Zhongli become the laughingstock of the entire group gave her a rare sense of relief — almost like finally venting some pent-up frustration.
Served him right!
Who told him and Barbatos to stand by smirking when she was having a serious discussion with Gu Chen?
"Haha, Crooked-Mouthed Zhongli~"
Just thinking about it again made her snicker.
After a moment, she calmed herself and turned to the World Stabilizer sitting before her.
For the past two days, she'd been meticulously preparing to use it.
Even though the device was guaranteed to stabilize Teyvat, the Sustainer wanted to be absolutely certain — if anything went wrong, she could make immediate adjustments.
Today was the day she would finally activate it.
No one but her truly understood how fragile Teyvat had become.
Taking a deep breath, she began the binding process.
Light flared from the hollow core of the Stabilizer, forming strands of radiant energy that intertwined into a glowing miniature version of Teyvat.
She could even make out Sky Island, the Seven Nations, and the faint outlines of their cities. It was exquisitely detailed — like a world reduced countless times in scale.
Wherever the model showed distortion or anomalies, the real Teyvat was suffering from the same problems.
After a few minor adjustments, she watched as the miniature Teyvat began to stabilize.
At the same time, the real Teyvat trembled slightly.
It wasn't an earthquake — more like a subtle, rhythmic shiver that rippled through everything.
Nothing broke or collapsed, but everyone across the continents felt the strange motion and wondered what was happening.
The gods, of course, paid it the closest attention.
They knew the Sustainer had taken the World Stabilizer, and they were curious to see its true power.
"Did you guys feel that just now?" Paimon looked around nervously.
Everyone nodded.
"I thought it was an earthquake for a second! Everyone in the chat said they felt it too. Could it be that the Sustainer's using that World Stabilizer thing?"
Her eyes turned to Gu Chen, seeking confirmation.
He nodded slightly. "That would make sense."
Paimon's face went pale. "But wait — if just using it makes the whole world shake, what if she gets mad one day and slaps the thing? Wouldn't we all just… die?"
Gu Chen couldn't help but laugh. "You're overthinking it. It's called the World Stabilizer for a reason. Its job is to keep things steady, not destroy them."
Paimon scratched her head. "Well, when you put it that way…"
If it could just be smashed apart, the creator of that device would've been an idiot — a tool that could both stabilize and destroy the world?
That would be suicide waiting to happen!
The thought alone made Paimon shiver and dive into Gu Chen's arms.
Gu Chen patiently comforted her while Lumine stretched lazily beside him. "You worry too much, Paimon. Even if the sky falls, what's there to be afraid of? I've got my husband here."
"You're right!" Paimon said, eyes sparkling with sudden enlightenment.
She'd figured it out — the ultimate truth of life.
As long as she clung to Gu Chen's thigh, she didn't need to think. She could just eat and play without a care in the world.
"See? My husband's amazing, right?" Lumine chuckled.
Paimon nodded solemnly. "Yup! And very useful, too."
"...Huh?" Gu Chen blinked, question marks practically floating above his head.
Lumine glanced at Paimon, pouted, but didn't say anything.
Little flying mascot, that's all you'll ever be.
"So, where are we playing next? We've still got a couple of days before the next video!" Paimon asked eagerly.
Her question made Gu Chen pause to think.
After a moment, he smiled. "How about Inazuma? Zhen hasn't seen the current era's version yet. It'll be a trip home for her, and a vacation for us."
"Alright," Raiden Makoto replied with a gentle smile.
She'd been getting constant messages from her sister Ei — endless questions about paperwork and politics.
Most of them were trivial, but that silly sister of hers always managed to get tangled up over nothing.
She'd planned to return soon anyway, so Gu Chen's suggestion made her genuinely happy.
"Going back home, huh?" she said softly, smiling.
"Gu Chen," Guizhong teased, patting his shoulder, "you'd better think hard about whether you've bullied your wife lately. Once she's home, she might team up with her family to teach you a lesson."
Gu Chen fell into mock contemplation, then said seriously, "Please. Do I look like the kind of man who bullies his wife?"
Lumine tilted her head, thinking. "No, you don't."
Paimon gasped dramatically. "Wait, so you're saying—he's that kind of man?!"
"What are you even thinking?!"
Raiden Makoto caught Paimon, ruffled her hair, and gently pinched her cheek.
"How could he possibly be that type?"
"Hehe~" Paimon giggled, smoothing down her hair and snuggling into Zhen's arms.
"When do we leave?" Lumine was already bouncing with excitement.
Gu Chen smiled. "No time like the present."
"Yay!"
"Let's go!"
Inazuma City – Tenshukaku
Raiden Ei sat slumped on her throne, staring blankly at the mountain of paperwork before her.
Kamisato Ayato was out handling external affairs, leaving Kamisato Ayaka and Sangonomiya Kokomi to assist her inside the palace.
Kujou Sara stood guard beside the throne like a dutiful sentinel, while Yae Miko leisurely brewed tea nearby, surrounded by delicate sweets and the scent of sakura.
The elegant head priestess sipped her tea with serene delight — and just a hint of smug amusement.
Ei's eyes twitched.
This fox.
This evil fox.
Why did she keep coming here just to watch her suffer?
Every few sentences out of Miko's mouth were about "Dumb Shogun this" and "Hopeless Shogun that."
It was infuriating!
Why?! What did she ever do to deserve this?!
Sara, standing silently by, was secretly enjoying the scene.
As a warrior, she didn't have to handle administrative tasks — lucky her.
Kokomi, on the other hand, looked like she was dying inside.
Between Watatsumi affairs and Shogunate duties, she was drained to the core.
Energy: –999.
A short break and a breath of relief: +99.
Still –900 overall.
Ayaka, the "Shirasagi Himegimi," was in no better shape.
She was elegant and clever, but even she had her limits.
Now she finally understood Ei's pain.
Creating a puppet to handle everything was… well, it was a smart move, in its own twisted way.
Shifting your suffering onto the people? Morally questionable, perhaps — but undeniably effective.
Ayaka sighed, staring wistfully at the pile of documents before her.
So this was what being the Shogun felt like.
The air in the Tenshukaku was thick and oppressive.
Even the Ashigaru delivering reports tiptoed, afraid that one wrong word would set off the overworked trio.
A breeze drifted in from outside.
Ei instinctively looked up.
That entrance… she recognized it immediately.
Could it be—?
The doors opened, and Gu Chen and Raiden Makoto, hand in hand.
Zhen's gentle smile lit the room, while Lumine and Paimon hurried to comfort the exhausted Kokomi and Ayaka.
"Guizhong, over here~" Yae Miko beckoned sweetly.
The two ancient friends sat down to share tea and snacks, watching the chaos with an indulgent smile.
"Brother-in-law!!" Ei's eyes sparkled with desperate hope.
"You want me to take your workload, don't you?"
Gu Chen's teasing smile said it all.
Ei's grin froze.
Damn it! He saw right through me again!
"You're the Shogun. Trying to dump your duties on someone else, hmm?" Zhen said, gently poking her sister's forehead.
Ei shrank back, looking like a child caught skipping class.
"I just wanted a tiny little break… maybe a day or two?" she mumbled, holding up three fingers.
Gu Chen pried them down. "Be good. Back to work."
"Brother-in-law~!" she tried, batting her eyes.
Unfortunately, her "cute act" was… horrifying.
Zhen, unable to watch, sighed and said, "Alright, alright, I'll help you a little. But you have to learn. I have a husband to take care of too, you know."
"Okay!" Ei agreed instantly.
As long as she could rest even for one day, she'd take it.
"Fox, you help too!" Ei called.
Miko froze mid-bite. "Ehehe, the Grand Narukami Shrine has so many duties, you know~"
"Like what?" Ei glared.
"Enjoying sweets calms the mind and revitalizes the soul. Later, I'll have some fried tofu and meditate — all for the benefit of the faithful, of course~"
Ei stared.
Sounded legit… but somehow, she knew that was complete nonsense.
"Move over," Zhen said, nudging her sister aside to sit closer to Gu Chen — very close, in fact.
Ei: "…"
First you tell me to learn, then you kick me out?!
Do you want me to go mad?!
Down below, Kamisato Ayaka whispered to Lumine, "The two Shogun sisters and their husband… they look so perfect together~"
Lumine caught the glimmer of excitement in Ayaka's eyes. "Wait, which kind of fan are you?"
Without hesitation, Ayaka replied, "A Zhen x Gu Chen shipper!"
Lumine was speechless. Even this noble lady liked shipping couples?
"Well, you can fangirl later. For now, back to work," Lumine said sweetly.
"...You're a demon," Ayaka muttered, deflating as she turned back to her paperwork.
Gu Chen skimmed through a few files and suddenly frowned.
"The Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual still isn't done?"
Ei froze, already bracing for a scolding. "There were too many things at once! And Miko said she'd handle it!"
Miko quickly stuffed a pastry into her mouth. "Mmph—don't worry, I'll take care of it!"
The ritual wasn't a trivial matter — even with Zhen's timeline merged into this one, the cleansing still had to happen.
That meant Hanachirusato still existed somewhere.
After some thought, Gu Chen pulled a ring from his sleeve and tossed it to Lumine.
"Go handle it, dear. That ring will keep Hanachirusato from fading away. She's too pure to just vanish like that. Besides, she's probably smarter than this airheaded Shogun."
Ei didn't even protest being called that — she just nodded obediently, like a soldier receiving orders.
"Preserving Hanachirusato… I'll come too," said Yae Miko, standing up.
"Let's go," Lumine said, stretching lazily.
They'd come to Inazuma for a vacation — but a little adventure never hurt.
After all, that was the whole point of traveling: to see the world, and never lose sight of why they started.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 60 chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/SwipeSage