After Buyel's words fell, the atmosphere grew a little ambiguous.
Raiden Ei froze.
Her current situation was rather special.
Originally, she had turned her body into a puppet so that it could act in her stead to exercise divine authority, while she herself retreated into the Plane of Euthymia to avoid erosion.
After the video was exposed, she recovered the memories of her past life. Naturally, the puppet also obtained those memories.
The puppet possessed consciousness, but not much of a sense of self. For the most part, it operated according to the rules Raiden Ei had originally set—essentially a semi-intelligent program.
After gaining those memories, this semi-intelligent program judged Raiden Ei being together with Gu Chen as a path toward pursuing Eternity.
After all, Raiden Ei's obsession with Eternity had always been for Gu Chen. Now that her wish had been fulfilled, the puppet's consciousness entered a standby mode, allowing Raiden Ei to control the body.
And now Gu Chen had put forward this suggestion…
Giving the puppet an awareness of her own…
Buyel's joke was definitely going to come true, wasn't it?!
Even Raiden Ei couldn't stop her cheeks from flushing red.
"Brother-in-law, you're a genius!"
Yae Miko was the chief editor of Yae Publishing House and had read countless light novels.
She was extremely familiar with this kind of "one body, two souls" setup.
The more she imagined it, the more delighted she became.
Yae Miko said with a smile, "Since you're so strong, brother-in-law, when you can't handle it anymore, you can let that poker-faced general switch in to help you~"
"?!"
Raiden Ei's eyes widened.
What did she mean by switching to the poker-faced general to help when she couldn't handle it anymore?!
"Well, this really is forbidden knowledge now." Paimon snickered.
Lumine nodded deeply in agreement before adding, "I never thought Ei could unlock so many different attributes."
"What kind of attributes?" Guizhong asked curiously.
Lumine counted on her fingers. "Think about it—first there's the twin Ei sisters, right? That's one. Then there's the one body, two souls—who could resist that? And then there's the Inazuman War God thing…"
After hearing this, Guizhong said in surprise, "Ei's competitiveness is that strong?"
"Yeah, feeling the pressure now?" Lumine nodded.
Guizhong raised her delicate hand, resting her index finger against her chin as she thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Not really. We're not even on the same track."
"You really have a big heart." Lumine sighed.
After letting them brainstorm for a while, Gu Chen finally asked, "Ei, what do you think?"
Raiden Ei lowered her head, her hands twisting together as she said softly, "As long as you like it, I—I'm fine with anything."
"She's completely conquered." Yae Miko teased.
Hearing this, Raiden Ei didn't feel ashamed at all. Instead, she proudly shot Yae Miko a glance. "You're the only one left single now."
Yae Miko: "..."
She fell silent—Raiden Ei was right.
Makoto was Gu Chen's woman, and now Ei was too.
At the top of Inazuma, she was the only one still single.
What was this feeling of suddenly being mocked as a single fox?
Yae Miko rolled her eyes.
This was truly a case of hunting geese all day, only to get pecked by a goose in the end.
"Then let's try it." Gu Chen smiled.
"Eek—"
"Your grin's stretching clear to your ears."
Paimon looked at Gu Chen with utter disdain.
"Don't look at me with your filthy thoughts."
Gu Chen shook his head, then said solemnly, "Inazuma can't do without Ei, but Ei's a blockhead who can't handle things well when trouble comes up. So having a high-intelligence, high-efficiency puppet to help manage affairs is absolutely necessary!"
"You're right, but I still think you're looking forward to the 'one body, two souls' attribute more." Paimon nodded repeatedly, her expression clearly saying she'd be suspicious no matter what he said.
"Hehe."
Gu Chen rubbed his hands together and laughed.
Some things didn't need to be said out loud.
"Perfect timing—I've got plenty of materials on hand. Let's go." Gu Chen stood up and looked at Raiden Ei.
"Okay."
Raiden Ei nodded.
"Can we watch?" Paimon raised her hand to ask.
"That depends on Ei." Gu Chen thought for a moment before replying.
"No!"
Raiden Ei shook her head.
"What a shame." Paimon sighed.
"Just wait patiently." Lumine pinched her little face.
Watching Gu Chen and Raiden Ei head inside, Paimon flopped onto Gu Chen's seat and said, "I really want Boss Gu to give me teeth that never get cavities no matter how much I eat, and then remodel my stomach so I never gain weight~!"
"Hehehe…"
Lost in her fantasies, Paimon giggled foolishly.
"That's all the ambition you've got." Lumine shook her head with a sigh.
"This is called a dream, okay?" Paimon ignored her and flew over to Makoto's side to watch her and Buyel knit sweaters.
…
Inside the room.
"Do I need to do anything?" Raiden Ei asked nervously.
Gu Chen looked her up and down, stroking his chin. "Your technique is already excellent. At the very least, there's no need to modify the body itself. The only thing that needs upgrading is probably the puppet's consciousness."
Gu Chen greatly approved of Raiden Ei's puppet-making skills.
The fact that she had been able to create someone like Scaramouche—a puppet that developed self-awareness—was proof enough of her mastery.
Though Scaramouche was an accident, and a failed product at that.
For Gu Chen, upgrading the Shogun puppet's consciousness was extremely simple.
Even without this technical reward, he had more than enough ability to accomplish it.
Rolling up his sleeves, Gu Chen said, "Just sit properly."
"Oh."
Raiden Ei obediently sat down cross-legged.
Gu Chen went behind her and lifted the purple hair cascading down her back.
Her back was smooth and fair.
It would be a shame not to do cupping therapy on it.
Gu Chen saw the pink triple-tomoe lightning mark at the back of her neck.
It looked like a tattoo, but it was more a symbol of power.
He reached out and placed a fingertip on the mark.
Raiden Ei felt a slight chill at the back of her neck. Then her head drooped, and her consciousness floated into midair.
"G?"
Raiden Ei was a little stunned.
She hadn't expected this situation.
It was like her consciousness had suddenly been ejected while she was controlling her body.
Once Raiden Ei's consciousness was expelled, the one who took over the body was the program she had created—the puppet.
"This body—"
"Don't talk."
Just as the Shogun was about to say something, Gu Chen raised a hand and covered her mouth. "I'm upgrading you right now. Don't make a fuss."
Momentarily stunned, the Shogun froze, then obediently stopped speaking.
The Shogun's will existed to pursue Eternity.
After gaining her memories, Gu Chen himself had become Eternity.
So the Shogun was completely obedient to him.
If her consciousness was merely a rigid program, then what Gu Chen was about to do was elevate that program into an independent consciousness.
Raiden Ei watched from the side.
Some of Gu Chen's operations she could fully understand, but others left her completely baffled.
She could clearly feel the gap between their attainments in puppet-making.
Inside the Shogun's mind, earth-shaking changes were taking place.
Changes on the level of consciousness itself.
"Settings" washed over her awareness like waves.
"Emotions" began to merge with her consciousness.
At every moment, the Shogun's awareness was undergoing transformation.
From a stiff program that only knew how to follow rules, she gradually evolved into intelligence, and then from intelligence into true consciousness.
The Shogun's consciousness could not originally be called a soul.
A soul was far too complex.
But now, her consciousness could indeed be called one.
A human light appeared in the Shogun's eyes.
"So that's how it's solved?" Raiden Ei was deeply shaken.
"It's not enough yet. She still needs to grow."
Gu Chen observed for a while.
Right now, the Shogun's soul was like that of a newborn child—innocent and ignorant.
Although she possessed abundant memories, they were like an incomprehensible book to her.
Gu Chen was enhancing the Shogun's experience and wisdom.
Just like human growth, except her growth was compressed into countless times less duration.
In just a few breaths, the Shogun's soul had matured.
Combined with her past experience of governance, she was now incomparably more mature.
"Thank you, master of this body." The Shogun turned to look at Gu Chen.
Hearing that form of address, Gu Chen couldn't help but grin.
Raiden Ei floated nearby, arms crossed, pouting at the Shogun.
The Shogun didn't even look at her.
She was now a newly born soul.
After pondering for a moment, she raised her palm, pushed Gu Chen to the ground, and said, "As thanks to my master, please feel free to make use of this body."
Raiden Ei: "???"
She had just been born—how did she know so much?!
Raiden Ei immediately wanted to return to her body.
But she found that the Shogun seemed to be rejecting her.
What did this mean?!
That body was hers!
Raiden Ei panicked.
"Former soul of this body, please do not disturb this body's repayment of gratitude," the Shogun said calmly.
Raiden Ei: "..."
She didn't mind being with Gu Chen herself, but she absolutely minded the Shogun using her body to be with him…
What she minded even more was that she could only watch from the sidelines, like an audience member!
Damn it, damn it, damn it!!
If she'd known, she would've rejected Gu Chen's proposal!!
…
"Tch, that's quite the commotion."
Makoto and Buyel both paused their knitting, their expressions subtly complex as they looked toward the room.
"It's broad daylight!" Paimon complained.
Because he was modifying the Shogun's consciousness, Gu Chen hadn't even used the master bedroom.
The rooms in the Gu residence were actually very well soundproofed, but none of them were ordinary people—any tiny noise sounded as loud as a cannon blast to their ears.
There was no way not to notice!
"In broad daylight…" Paimon shook her head with a look of deep disappointment.
"Tch…"
Lumine sucked in a breath, her long, fair legs pressing tightly together.
Makoto and Buyel had strong self-control. They exchanged a glance, smiled helplessly, and continued knitting.
Seeing Lumine's state, Guizhong gave a sly smile and reached out to touch her. "Lumine, your self-control isn't very good~"
Lumine rolled her eyes.
Yae Miko tilted her head slightly upward.
She suddenly found herself thinking about topics she had abundant theoretical knowledge of, but had never practiced.
In the entire Gu residence, the only one in a similar state was probably Paimon.
"Why are you looking at me?"
Noticing Yae Miko's gaze, Paimon felt confused.
"Nothing." Yae Miko shook her head.
Paimon didn't think much of it. She said, "As the saying goes, a calm mind brings coolness. As long as you maintain composure, you won't be affected… Hmm, it's almost noon. What are we having for lunch today?"
Changing the subject, Paimon said excitedly, "I want Wanmin Restaurant's boiled fish in chili oil. What about you guys?"
Lumine slumped weakly over the table. "Whatever. I'm not picky."
"Alright, then I'll get you honey-glazed carrot pancakes with meat." Paimon nodded, then added, "Oh right, ask Ganyu what she wants."
Time passed quickly.
When Ganyu returned from work at noon, she found Lumine slumped at the table, as if all her strength had been drained.
"What happened?" Ganyu asked in confusion.
"Wanting something you can't get," Paimon shook her head.
"G?"
Ganyu was even more confused.
"Come eat." Paimon didn't explain further.
Seeing this, Ganyu didn't ask more. She sat down with her bowl of Universal Peace, ready to eat, when she noticed Gu Chen walking over in a black trench coat.
He changed clothes?
Ganyu blinked.
"Brother-in-law, how did it feel?" Yae Miko was extremely curious.
Gu Chen paused slightly, then said after two seconds of thought, "It's hard to describe."
"Then describe it in detail!" Yae Miko's curiosity was scratching at her like a cat's claws.
"It's just hard to evaluate."
Gu Chen shook his head again.
Footsteps sounded behind them. Yae Miko turned to look.
Raiden Ei floated nearby like a wandering soul, her face full of grievance.
The Shogun carried a gentle aura, her expression adorned with a smile that naturally inspired goodwill.
Yae Miko froze for a moment. "Ei, why did you turn into this?"
"She won't let me return to my body." Raiden Ei pointed at the Shogun.
Yae Miko said, "So… don't tell me you watched the whole thing?"
Raiden Ei really didn't want to admit it, but she still nodded, sighing dejectedly. "It's so annoying. I really want to stab her."
"I inherited your martial skills… and my will has also been elevated. We are evenly matched." The Shogun said calmly.
Her words clearly implied she wasn't afraid of Raiden Ei at all.
"That's my body!" Raiden Ei screamed.
"But it's mine now." The Shogun lifted her chin slightly, her tone carrying a hint of teasing.
Raiden Ei: "..."
"Pfft." Makoto covered her mouth and laughed.
Guizhong widened her eyes. "So Ei really watched for half the day?"
Raiden Ei said awkwardly, "Can you not emphasize that part…?"
"Hahahaha…" Yae Miko laughed so hard she doubled over.
Paimon nearly choked when she sprayed out the food she'd just put in her mouth. Slapping the table, she said, "Amazing, absolutely amazing!"
Lumine couldn't help laughing. "Chen, you didn't do this on purpose, did you?"
Gu Chen's expression turned serious. "Nonsense. How could I possibly do it on purpose?"
"Master is kind-hearted. It has nothing to do with him." The Shogun said earnestly.
"Master?"
Lumine opened her mouth and looked at Gu Chen with an expression that said so this is what you're like. "So that's the kind of thing you're into?"
"It's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding." Gu Chen waved his hands repeatedly.
"Mhm, mhm. Master said he really likes it." The Shogun chimed in.
Gu Chen: "..."
"It's fine, we all understand." Buyel nodded with a warm smile.
Makoto looked at the Shogun, then at Gu Chen, and nodded. "I can understand."
"It's fine, I won't look down on you." Guizhong said, holding back laughter.
Ganyu held her bowl of Universal Peace, completely stunned, the little tuft of hair on her head swaying as she moved.
She had just gone to work—what on earth had happened at home?
"Ganyu, let me explain everything to you." Yae Miko leaned over.
After hearing the whole story from start to finish, Ganyu's eyes slowly widened in shock.
"Ahem!"
Gu Chen cleared his throat. "Let's talk about something serious."
"The Shogun now has an independent soul. Essentially speaking, Ei's body has nurtured two souls. It's perfectly fine to regard them as one entity."
"So when can Ei return to her body?" Paimon pointed at the floating Raiden Ei.
"Right now." The Shogun answered.
"Then I have no objections."
The others exchanged looks, shrugged, and continued eating.
"Although Ei suffered a bit, once you think about how all government affairs will be handled by the Shogun from now on, that bit of grievance doesn't amount to much. Just treat it as an exchange." Makoto said with a smile.
Raiden Ei sighed.
It was precisely because of this that the Shogun had made her watch as a spectator for half the day.
Feeling guilty—there was nothing that could be done about it.
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