After finishing the diary entry, Su Xuan crossed his legs and grinned mischievously at the flustered Raiden Ei.
Her hesitant expression—wanting to look but too afraid to—was endlessly amusing.
"Just look. I told you there's nothing to worry about."
Su Xuan chuckled. "Think about it. If the Heavenly Principles were truly awake or had any power left, do you really think I could so brazenly bind one of her chosen Archons?"
Raiden Ei's eyes trembled slightly.
Who knows!
What if your hidden power is even more terrifying than the Heavenly Principles?
No! If Su Xuan's hidden power surpassed even the Heavenly Principles, then the most terrifying thing wouldn't be them—it would be the man right in front of her.
"You're sure it's fine?" Raiden Ei asked weakly.
Su Xuan spread his hands. "If that thing really decides to punish me for writing in the diary, whether you look or not won't change the outcome."
"After all, you're the holder of the diary copy."
Raiden Ei: "..."
She couldn't argue with that.
As the holder of the diary copy, if anything happened, she'd be implicated regardless of whether she looked or not.
Fine, she'd take the risk!
But as she read through the diary, Raiden Ei's cheeks grew increasingly flushed and hot.
Every word struck at her heart!
Especially that last line: "It's just a rundown fishing village—still worried about destruction?"
What Su Xuan really meant was mocking Inazuma for falling so far behind other nations under her rule.
"Now, count how many islands Inazuma has."
"Narukami Island, Kannazuka, Yashiori Island, Watatsumi Island, Tsurumi Island, Crane Observatory..."
"Aside from Narukami Island and the connected Ritou, plus Watatsumi Island, which of the other islands can even support human life?"
"Watatsumi Island is severely corrupted by Sacred Sacrament soil, relying entirely on overseas imports and aid for food. One Sakoku Decree is basically a death sentence for them."
"Outside of your Narukami Island and Ritou, Inazuma's other territories might as well not exist."
"Forget eternal prosperity for your people across millennia—if you keep pushing this Path of Eternity for a few more years, a huge chunk of them will starve to death."
Faced with Su Xuan's teasing, Raiden Ei looked like a child who'd done something wrong, her gaze darting away, unable to meet his eyes.
After stewing for a long while, she finally mumbled, "So... Makoto's idea was the right one after all?"
"You're so dense. Didn't I explain it all in the diary?" Su Xuan shook his head helplessly. "As long as you don't mess with the Ley Lines or touch the Abyss, the Heavenly Principles won't care about you."
"Of course, the Heavenly Principles are dormant now anyway. Even if you did mess with the Ley Lines or the Abyss, nothing would happen."
"Hell, you could blow up your own divine throne and hand the ancient dragons' authority back to the Elemental Dragon Kings, and It still wouldn't react."
"The Ley Lines are what we rely on to survive—we'd never tamper with them lightly," Raiden Ei replied. "As for the Abyss, that's even less likely."
Thanks to Su Xuan's explanations in the diary and their chat, her mind felt much clearer.
With a long exhale, she looked at him seriously. "You mentioned earlier wanting to explore my secrets. Do you have time to talk about it now?"
"Hm?" Su Xuan blinked.
He roughly understood what she meant.
This woman hadn't forgotten his offer to help her fix the Snake God Suppressors.
"I'm curious too. Since you know so much about the Heavenly Principles, what secrets do I even have left worth exploring?"
Raiden Ei rested her chin on her hand, pondering for a moment before nodding in realization. "Are you interested in the puppet I created?"
"After all, you mention technology a lot in your diary."
No! I'm not interested in that stuff at all.
Su Xuan held back his laughter and said calmly, "Yeah, you got me."
"I know you and the Raiden Shogun share one body, so I want to study it."
"I see." Raiden Ei remained composed, showing no resistance.
"I'll assist with your research and tell you everything I know."
"In exchange, could you help me restore the Snake God Suppressors on Yashiori Island?"
"Depends on how cooperative you are." Su Xuan stood up.
With a wave of his hand, Raiden Ei's entire body floated up again under the control of telekinesis.
He flipped his hand, and she hovered horizontally in front of him like she was lying in midair.
Then, she suddenly felt pressure on her wrists and ankles.
Rings of telekinetic light embedded themselves in the void, binding her spread-eagled limbs firmly in place.
A telekinesis barrier then rose around them, enclosing the two alone.
Without hesitation, he reached out.
The unfamiliar sensation made Raiden Ei's body tingle like it had been shocked by electricity.
She couldn't help letting out a soft moan.
Though she didn't quite understand what Su Xuan was doing, it felt like he was searching for something inside her body.
"You... trying to find the Shogun's switch?" Raiden Ei steadied her breathing. "The Shogun's switch isn't like ordinary constructs."
"It doesn't exist in the body."
Sensing her full cooperation, Su Xuan shook his head solemnly. "No, I want to test what happens with a telekinetic massage."
"Or rather, your limits of endurance."
As his words fell, a faint glow lit up at his fingertip, gently pressing down on a single point.
In an instant, Raiden Ei felt like she'd taken some unknown devastating blow—her pupils dilated, and her back arched.
Boom!
Purple Electro energy surged uncontrollably from her body.