Inazuma's Tenryou Commission.
Raiden Ei gazed at the diary in her hand, murmuring to herself, "I hope he arrives safely in Mondstadt."
"Hah?" A sudden voice from behind startled Ei, making her delicate frame tremble as she whipped around. Seeing it was Yae Miko, she could only glare in frustration.
"Miko, what are you trying to do, sneaking up on me without a sound?!" Raiden Ei said displeased.
Yae Miko feigned grievance, her voice dripping with resentment: "You're the Narukami, how could you not sense me approaching?"
"Or were you thinking about something else?"
Heh, it's only been a day apart, and she's already missing a man?
She even has the mind to worry if Su Xuan might run into danger on his way to Mondstadt.
How terrifying would something have to be to make him feel danger?
Ei, oh Ei, you're worrying about all the wrong things.
Looks like this General has fallen. Why not let this little fox take the General's seat instead?
"This is correspondence between Kujou Takayori and the Fatui. With this evidence, he can't deny it anymore." Yae Miko handed over a stack of letters to Ei.
Raiden Ei's expression remained indifferent: "If he denies it, just torture him. If he's done it, he won't be able to hide it."
Yae Miko shrugged her fragrant shoulders, thinking to herself: Looks like even with evidence I dig up, it's not as effective as a single line from Su Xuan's diary.
"But you seemed to know about this long ago." Raiden Ei glanced at Miko.
Yae Miko spread her hands helplessly: "And what could I do? Should I just tell the Raiden Shogun that the Sakoku Decree and Vision Hunt Decree are all part of the Fatui's scheme?"
"Do you think she'd listen? At least in her eyes, the Sakoku Decree and Vision Hunt Decree align perfectly with your Path of Eternity."
"If I went to her with this, guess if she'd see me as an enemy of Eternity and swing her Musou no Hitotachi at me?"
Raiden Ei nodded slightly: "Su Xuan said the same thing."
Yae Miko: "Oh? So he spoke up for me behind my back, huh."
Raiden Ei realized her verbal skills were no match for Yae Miko's, so she decided not to continue the conversation.
She immediately issued orders: "The main figures of the Three Commissions have all been apprehended. I plan to head to Watatsumi Island personally now."
"Get your side ready too—gather men to take over Watatsumi Island."
"And I don't want to see any Fatui in Inazuma anymore. Kill them on sight."
"As for Snezhnaya's ordinary citizens, confiscate all their assets and property in Inazuma and expel them from the borders."
Raiden Ei spoke like a machine issuing commands, not giving Yae Miko a chance to explain. She left after delivering her orders.
Once again, the pink-haired fox girl was left rubbing her temples in annoyance.
The Fatui were Snezhnaya's military force— their infiltration into another nation was already an act of invasion.
That was different from the nature of ordinary citizens lingering in Inazuma.
As Inazuma's god, Raiden Ei swinging her blade at another nation's civilians was unreasonable, both emotionally and logically.
Confiscating property and expelling them wasn't a bad idea, though.
But such an idea could never come from Raiden Ei's dry governance wisdom.
"Tch, looks like that man gave Ei the idea again." Yae Miko watched Raiden Ei's retreating figure with a sly smile.
She secretly made up her mind.
Next time she got the chance to meet Su Xuan, she'd steal him away from Ei.
"Hehe, I can't wait to see Ei's face when she realizes she's been abandoned. Will she cry and throw a tantrum? Wuwuwu, so pitiful~"
.....
Meanwhile, in Mondstadt's Angel's Share.
The tavern door was gently pushed open.
Bartender Charles's eyes sharpened as he greeted warmly: "What a surprise—the Knights of Favonius's librarian, Lisa."
"What brings you to the tavern?"
"I heard Grandpa Diluc from Dawn Winery is offering free drinks during the dragon disaster, so I thought I'd join the fun." Lisa smiled.
Charles let out a heavy sigh: "Unfortunately, Grandpa Diluc's kind gesture is likely to go to waste."
"After this afternoon's dragon disaster, Mondstadt's citizens are terrified of it striking again at night. Not only are they afraid to go out, I doubt they can even sleep."
Lisa pursed her lips with a smile: "But you're bravely holding down your post, aren't you? And..."
Her leisurely gaze drifted to Su Xuan's back: "Isn't there another brave soul over there, unfazed by the dragon disaster, calmly drinking alone?"
"Get me one of whatever he's having."
Taking the drink Charles prepared, Lisa sauntered over to Su Xuan and elegantly took a seat.
To state her intentions, Lisa didn't speak right away. Instead, she quietly pulled out Su Xuan's Travel Diary Replica (Yoimiya Exclusive).
She began flipping through it on her own.
Su Xuan glanced up but said nothing, merely stirring his intent slightly.
The diary replica in Lisa's hand immediately glowed.
[In normal times, Mondstadt's good drinkers at this hour would only be at two places.]
[Cat's Tail Tavern, Angel's Share.]
[Unfortunately, due to the dragon disaster, Mondstadt's citizens no longer dare to step out their doors casually.]
[But there's always some gutsy one unafraid of the dragon's ravages.]
[Sumeru Akademiya's once-in-two-centuries genius witch, Knights of Favonius librarian, the sleepy intellectual witch.]
[Rose Witch, Lisa.jpg]
[She seems lazy on the surface, but the unflappable one has everything under control.]
[Being called Sumeru's once-in-two-centuries genius proves her talent and ability.]
[Earlier, I talked about the difference between Visions and Delusions.]
[Visions are granted based on certain rules.]
[But for the witch before me, the way she got her Vision strikes me as pretty absurd.]
[She just felt like she needed one while researching elemental force.]
[And so, the Vision descended.]
[Even more, it seems she peered through her own Vision into deeper things—a thing called fate.]
Lisa looked up with a smile, elegantly saying: "I'm looking forward to your explanation."
Su Xuan shrugged without speaking directly, continuing to update the diary.
[After getting her Vision, Lisa wondered why the gods would give humans such powerful tools without explaining how to use them or demanding anything in return.]
[As Lisa spent more time in Sumeru, she began to see the consequences of unrestrained pursuit of knowledge.]
[She saw deranged scholars wandering Sumeru's forests, and wise sages undervalued in their advisory roles.]
[It was then she realized: knowledge comes at a price.]
[Everything gained requires a price or bargaining chip.]
[Fate's gifts always come with a clearly marked price tag.]
[Just like her own fate...]
[Hourglass, time...]
[Fate granted the Rose Witch talents and abilities beyond ordinary people, but in equal measure, a price beyond ordinary.]
[In her pursuit of knowledge and exploration, Lisa's time will be greatly shortened.]
[Simply put, the more she invests in her endeavors, the less time she has left.]
[In plain terms, she's a short-lived woman.]
Jean: "!?"
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