"No problem, leave it to me!" Thoma said, patting his chest.
"Alright, next, Ayaka, you and I will go to Tenshukaku."
Of course, before going, they still had to deal with the curious crowd blocking their way.
"Everyone! The Hiiragi Clan and the Kujou Clan have done too many things that harm the people of Inazuma, but from today onwards, these things will no longer happen."
"I will re-select the families to serve in the Tenryou Commission with the Raiden Shogun. Only families who pass the assessment of me and the Raiden Shogun will be qualified for the duties of the Tenryou Commission!"
"As for more decisions, please forgive me for not being able to provide them, because I cannot make choices for the Raiden Shogun without authorization."
Actually, Shiki hadn't thought it through yet, and having never been interested in family interactions, she knew very little about the families within Inazuma.
This is why she brought Ayaka to Tenshukaku. Clearly, no one understood the families within Inazuma better than Ayaka, who had become the Shiratsuyu Princess.
"Nirishiki, we believe in you! You're the great person who saved thousands of people in Crimsonwood Village and abolished the Vision Hunt Decree! Everyone, isn't that right?"
"Yes!"
"You flatter me. Now I need to discuss policies with the Raiden Shogun, so could you please make way?"
As soon as Shiki finished speaking, the people spontaneously cleared a path for the two of them. In their eyes, the girl was their Deliverance, and she would make Inazuma even better.
Shiki and Ayaka walked into Tenshukaku surrounded by the people, while the Traveler had also arrived at Ritou Harbor via a Waypoint.
"Traveler, how do we get to that Tatarasuna that Miss Ryougi mentioned?" Paimon asked, floating in the air.
"Idiot Paimon, of course, we're going by boat."
"Eh? But isn't Ritou still under lockdown?"
"So we'll take our own."
As soon as she finished speaking, Lumine pulled out her Waverider from her storage space.
Unlike ordinary Vision holders, her storage space was much larger than theirs, and she also had the Serenitea Pot given to her by Granny Ping, so even if the storage space couldn't fit it, she could put it in the Serenitea Pot.
"Oh right, how could I forget that! And, Paimon is not an idiot!" Paimon stomped her little feet in the air in frustration, then followed the Traveler into the Waverider.
The Waverider sped eastward. Since she hadn't yet allowed the Waypoint in Kannazuka to remember her presence, she could only go this way for now.
The scene returns to Shiki. At this moment, they had followed the Okuzume to Tenshukaku. It was Shiki's first time seeing this magnificent building.
Its height certainly couldn't compare to Earth's steel skyscrapers, but to construct such a tall building using only stone and wood was quite astonishing.
Entering Tenshukaku, the Raiden Shogun stood with her back to them at the very end. Upon sensing someone enter, she turned around.
"Shiki, you're here."
This form of address clearly indicated that Raiden Ei was in control. If it were the puppet Shogun, she would have addressed her as Ryougi.
"I'd love to rest, but someone has to clean up the mess left by the two Tenryou Commissions, don't they, Raiden Shogun?" Shiki shrugged slightly, appearing a bit helpless.
"There's no need for formalities between us. Just call me Ei."
"Alright… So, I'll call you Ei then?"
"Mm." Raiden Ei nodded gently. The other party's voice always reminded her of her older sister. Of course, if it were the other one, it would be even more similar.
Ayaka, standing nearby, widened her beautiful eyes. What was going on? Did Shiki and the Raiden Shogun have some special relationship?
Noticing the girl's confusion, Shiki decided to explain it to her in detail.
"Ayaka, regarding me and the Shogun… Ei, it starts with Visions. You probably already know that I don't actually have a Vision, right?"
"Mm, but that fake Vision shouldn't have anything to do with the Raiden Shogun, right?"
"It doesn't, but the electro element I'm currently using has a great connection to Ei."
"Do you know why the electro element I use is golden? Because it comes directly from Ei's older sister, Raiden Makoto's power."
"The Raiden Shogun are a pair of twin Archons. Actually, Inazuma's original Raiden Shogun was Raiden Makoto, but due to an incident, Makoto's death occurred, which led to Ei becoming the new Raiden Shogun."
"And I inherited Makoto's power from the Sacred Sakura Tree. That's why my lightning is golden, just like a Slime."
"Ei and I use power from the same source. In a sense, we are family," Shiki explained to Ayaka from beginning to end.
And as her words fell, Raiden Ei's voice came over.
"Shiki is right. If we calculate according to human generations… hmm… Shiki should call me Aunt."
Ayaka was greatly shocked upon hearing this. What kind of absurd development was this? Her best friend was actually related to the Raiden Shogun?
"So… when you disappeared from the field earlier, you went to acknowledge kinship with the Raiden Shogun?"
"Uh… If you put it that way, there's actually nothing wrong with it…"
Shiki had to admit one thing: Raiden Ei had indeed discussed the source of her power with her in the Isshin Pure Land, although most of it was still a debate about eternity.
But they had discussed it after all, so what Ayaka said was indeed not wrong in a certain sense.
"Um… Shiki, can I ask you something?"
"What?"
Just as Shiki was confused, she saw Ayaka ask with some difficulty, "Shiki… how old are you… this year…"
"…"
"What are you thinking? I'm only eighteen, okay?"
Shiki was speechless. Do you know how much DMG such a sentence can cause to a girl?
What she said was all true, because her birthday was on February 17th, so she started school earlier, and after the college entrance exam, she was only seventeen when she reported to university.
After that, she went to a comic convention and then came to Teyvat. Counting the birthday she didn't celebrate in February, she was indeed eighteen.
"I am indeed older than Ayaka, but only by two years, and my birthday is in February!"
"Oh, sorry, sorry."
Ayaka's face was as red as an Apple. What was she doing, asking such a rude question?
Raiden Ei, standing nearby, frowned. Why did she suddenly feel a sour taste?
"Alright, let's save the small talk for later. Let's first discuss which families should take on the duties of the Tenryou Commission."
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