Narukami Grand Shrine on Narukami Mountain.
Kujou Sara's expression was grave, her lips trembling slightly. "The Yashiori Island shipwreck incident was actually an order personally issued by the clan head?"
"This can't be possible, right? Could Su Xuan be slandering the clan head..."
That was an entire village's worth of villagers.
Even if many had been infected by Orobashi's curse, there were still plenty of healthy ones, yet they had all been rounded up and sunk together.
Yae Miko calmly savored her tea and snacks.
The look she gave Kujou Sara carried a hint of amusement.
She knew this tengu before her wasn't furious or confused over Kujou Takayori sinking the villagers of Katabami Crimsonwood Village.
No, it was because such a major event had been concealed from the Raiden Shogun, with Kujou Takayori daring to issue the order on his own.
This was betrayal, a slight against the General.
After all, there was no one in Inazuma more blindly loyal than Kujou Sara.
For her, forget the Vision Hunt Decree—even if the Raiden Shogun demanded her life one second, she'd end it without complaint the next.
"You two, don't get worked up. Have some tea and calm down." Yae Miko's fox eyes narrowed slightly.
If they couldn't handle this bit of truth, they'd collapse on the spot when they learned the Sakoku Decree and Vision Hunt Decree had been pushed by the Fatui.
"To think the Resistance Army's actions were instigated by the Fatui from the shadows." Kamisato Ayaka said anxiously, unable to sit still.
Yae Miko glanced at Ayaka and smirked. "I wonder if that leader on Watatsumi Island has a diary copy. She ought to thank Su Xuan for uncovering the truth—otherwise, that pot would boil her ornamental fish alive."
Kamisato Ayaka swallowed hard, forcing a smile. "Y-Yes! All thanks to this traveler from beyond this world."
Yae Miko chimed in with a smile. "Sigh, it's just... we don't know what he'll write next..."
Kamisato Ayaka's body tensed up.
She was terrified Su Xuan might get excited and visit Coral Palace Heartsea, dragging the Yashiro Commission into it while introducing the Resistance Army.
Yae Miko's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Rest easy. No matter what he writes, Ei will judge for herself."
"It's just... right now, she's probably clinging to Su Xuan, hoping he'll help clear out the curse."
...
Temporary shelter on Yashiori Island.
Raiden Ei knelt gracefully with her knees tucked under her, her delicate nose wrinkling repeatedly.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm making instant noodles."
"What's that?"
"This thing's called an electromagnetic pot. And it doesn't need electricity—just flip the switch and it works."
"Electromagnetic pot? Such a marvelous invention. Did you bring it from beyond this world? Why say it doesn't need electricity to work?"
"...."
"Are you a bottomless pit of questions or what?" Su Xuan's head buzzed from Raiden Ei's barrage.
He shot her a glance. "There's no Three-Colored Dango here. If you want something to eat, it's my noodles or nothing."
"If you want some, I'll make a few more packs. If not, sit quietly over there for now."
Raiden Ei followed his gesture to a box by his feet, covered in unfamiliar script.
Beside it was a large bucket of clear water, labeled with more text she couldn't read.
But the aroma of noodles filling the room piqued her curiosity about this otherworldly food.
"Fine! Make some for me then." Raiden Ei didn't hold back.
Su Xuan shrugged. "Tch, you're straightforward—no concept of politeness."
Instant noodles weren't gourmet, but the rich flavor packets still had Raiden Ei eating heartily.
Once the meal ended, her attention fixed on the electromagnetic pot.
She flipped the switch on and off repeatedly, then nodded in realization. "I see—it's using thunder elements to generate heat for cooking. So simple a principle."
"With that look, you act like you could make one." Su Xuan cleared the dishes and sat beside her. "If you think you can, I'll give it to you to study."
A fleeting purple glint flashed in Raiden Ei's eyes, quickly replaced by panic.
As Su Xuan pushed the pot toward her, she shoved it back, rejecting it outright. "Thank you, but I can't accept this."
The moment she refused, a ripple stirred in her mind.
Puzzled, she glanced at Su Xuan packing away the pot, then silently pulled out her diary.
"Why'd this guy update the diary again all of a sudden?"
[Raiden Ei really doesn't know the first thing about politeness.]
[As a god, she doesn't need to eat, but I do.]
[I was just politely asking if she wanted to try some otherworldly noodles while cooking.]
[And she straight-up tells me to make her some.]
[Of course, the real fun is the contrast in her inner world.]
[She clearly wants to study my electromagnetic pot, but when I offer it, fear stops her cold.]
[Yeah... I felt that instant of panic from her.]
[As for why, I can guess—probably scared that tinkering with otherworldly stuff will bring doom.]
[It ties into her pursuit of eternity, too.]
[Electromagnetic pot.jpg]
Inazuma's Sakoku Decree and Vision Hunt Decree boiled down to Raiden Ei's chase for eternity.
Most didn't get why she pursued eternity or what it even meant to her.
But seeing Su Xuan confidently dissect eternity in the diary perked up every woman in Inazuma.
Su Xuan might know why Raiden Ei sought eternity—or what eternity truly was.
"He even knows about this?" Yae Miko mused suspiciously. "This man's omniscient, peeking into our very hearts..."
"Though, this lone man and woman alone together—not doing anything proper and messing with other stuff... what a waste of the moment..."
[Speaking of Raiden Ei's idea of eternity—or why she came to believe in it.]
[I recall some words from deep in her heart. She said...]
[Where thunder's light flashes, shadows fall. I am the shadow.]
[With no-mind, clear Inazuma's path forward—yet each step forward loses something.]
[Even she lost... in the end.]
[Those tales still echo under every thunder sakura's shade.]
[But the scars of loss still burn this nation.]
[She said to pursue it—even fleeting light means we have this [moment].]
[But I witnessed a nation sprinting full-tilt, losing everything before Heavenly Principles.]
[That [moment] is illusion. Only [eternity] nears Heavenly Principles...]
[Now I am no longer shadow. This body is most noble, wielding the realm's great power, granting subjects one dream...]
[An unchanging eternity across millennia.]
[The 'her' in Raiden Ei's heart is the First Raiden Shogun—her beloved sister, Raiden Makoto.]
[Raiden Makoto's ideal was pursuit, even of fleeting light...]
[Khaenri'ah, vanished five centuries ago, embodies that pursuit perfectly.]
[A godless Khaenri'ah, built by human wisdom alone into an unprecedentedly mighty civilization.]
[Strong enough to slay gods.]
[Yet that diligently sprinting nation was weed before Heavenly Principles—effortlessly uprooted.]
[In a blink, its people cursed undead, those unable to resist turning to Teyvat's monsters.]
[....]
The women: "!?"
Raiden Ei's gaze sharpened as she hurriedly tried to close the diary.
Big bro, you mentioned Celestia before—that was one thing—but now you're straight-up naming Heavenly Principles in your diary?
What terrified Raiden Ei most was how Su Xuan dragged Heavenly Principles into it while recording *her* affairs.
Was this deliberate intent to doom Inazuma?
"Esteemed traveler from beyond this world, could you please stop recording the diary for now?" Raiden Ei's voice was a mosquito's whisper. "Or... at least wait until you've left Inazuma..."
Su Xuan: "..."
[But all I can say is Raiden Ei worries too much.]
[Or put another way, her grasp of Heavenly Principles is superficial, leading to these misguided acts.]
Su Xuan rubbed his chin, about to organize his thoughts and write more.
Suddenly, a "thud" sounded.
Looking up, he saw Raiden Ei kneeling before him in seiza, as if begging him to stop updating the diary.
Su Xuan: "...."