As the sky gradually darkened, the girls slowly made their way back home one after another.
Collei and Ying'er had gone to Avidya Forest today to search for ingredients for a skincare formula, and a whole day of running about had left them thoroughly exhausted.
The moment they returned to the Serenitea Pot, they felt an enormous weight lift off their shoulders.
Nahida and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had also returned from the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
Accompanying them were Ayexia and Setaria.
Ningguang, too, had returned to the Serenitea Pot, bringing her little secretaries along.
When the girls were suddenly confronted with the unexpected additions of Raiden Ei and Kujou Sara, everyone was quite taken aback.
Nahida and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata most of all.
"I never imagined that even Inazuma's Her Excellency the Shogun would come here."
Hearing Nahida's astonished exclamation, Ningguang's eyes brimmed with shock.
"Inazuma's Her Excellency the Shogun?"
Who else in Inazuma could be addressed as [Her Excellency the Shogun], apart from the God who ruled over Inazuma?
Ningguang was startled by the Raiden Ei before her.
Standing right in front of her was a God of the very same standing as Nahida and Rex Lapis!
It was just that—
Raiden Ei somehow didn't give off much of an air of dignity.
A person watching cartoons with a little child—there was simply no way to connect her with the legendary, far-renowned Raiden Shogun!
It was the Raiden Shogun whose Musou no Hitotachi cleaved through mountains and formed Musoujin Gorge!
It was the Raiden Shogun whose will kept all of Inazuma wrapped in thunderstorms, protecting Inazuma from harm!
These legends had been passed down to this very day, and everyone believed the Raiden Shogun to be a God heavy with slaughter and of supremely formidable power!
Who would have thought she'd actually be eating cake while watching cartoons—and relishing every bit of it!
This stark contrast left everyone utterly astonished.
Collei and Ying'er had to go help finish cooking in the kitchen, and as they passed by Raiden Ei, they moved ever so cautiously, terrified of disturbing her.
Ayexia and Setaria were even stiffer all over, not daring to make any rash move.
Even Arlecchino, who had been turned into a cat, didn't dare so much as let out a breath.
You've got to be kidding!
This was the Raiden Shogun, after all!
Back in the day, the Fatui Harbinger [The Fair Lady] had been cleaved apart with a single stroke precisely because she'd provoked her.
Word had it that not even a speck of her had been left behind!
If she could revert to her human form, perhaps she'd still have a chance to flee.
But right now, as a poor little defenseless kitty, she'd probably be flattened dead with a single swat!
Noticing the gazes all around her, Raiden Ei was a little at a loss for what to do.
Kujou Sara rose to her feet and introduced herself with a humorless expression: "Good evening, everyone. I am Kujou Sara, General of Inazuma's Tenryou Commission."
"This is our Inazuma's Her Excellency the Shogun!"
"We'll be staying in the Serenitea Pot for a little while these days—forgive the intrusion!"
As she spoke, she gave a most solemn bow.
This grave, dignified manner of speaking only made people feel inclined to keep a respectful distance.
"H-Hello, everyone..."
Collei waved her hand, her heart fluttering with unease.
Making new friends was, for her at this very moment, a most grueling ordeal.
If only Amber were here, the atmosphere surely wouldn't be this awkward!?
Raiden Ei grew more and more awkward.
She didn't realize she shouldn't have to take the initiative to greet others either.
Had this been Inazuma, she wouldn't need to step forward and greet anyone at all.
As long as people knew she was the Raiden Shogun, they would obey her every command.
But the Serenitea Pot was a different matter entirely.
Here, she could only be counted as a guest.
Greeting and introducing herself to so many girls was just too awkward!
She subconsciously hugged Klee tighter.
At this moment, Xiangling poked her head out from the kitchen.
She had come back early in the afternoon, and had already gotten acquainted with Raiden Ei.
Seeing everyone being so cautious, not daring to approach Raiden Ei, Xiangling spoke up warmly: "Ye Xi said just now that everyone should chat with Her Excellency the Shogun more—she isn't good at socializing."
"If you all act like this, won't it make Her Excellency the Shogun feel really awkward?"
Raiden Ei immediately cast Xiangling a grateful look.
Hearing Xiangling's words, Collei and the others were all quite astonished.
The Raiden Shogun was poor with words and couldn't make friends?
Now that was truly a piece of strange news.
"So even a God has the same troubles as me..."
Collei suddenly felt a great deal better.
All this while, she'd been endlessly troubled by her own inability to make friends.
Seeing that even Raiden Ei, a God, was the same way, she instantly felt a sense of kinship.
"Hello, Her Excellency the Shogun. I'm Ayexia, a scholar of the Sumeru Akademiya."
Ayexia took the initiative to sit down beside Raiden Ei and greet her.
Raiden Ei hurriedly nodded as well: "Just call me Ei. I'll remember your name, Ayexia."
Seeing how gentle Raiden Ei was, Ayexia gradually let herself loosen up.
"Her Excellency the Shogun, your figure is really nice. May I have a feel?"
"Eh!?"
A flash of bewilderment crossed Raiden Ei's beautiful eyes.
Kujou Sara, off to the side, was instantly filled with envy!
"Touching Her Excellency the Shogun's divine body!? How I look forward to that!"
Kujou Sara's eyes, too, brimmed with longing.
"How could even you, Sara..."
Before Raiden Ei could finish, a jumble of noise came from the doorway.
It was Dehya and the others, back at last!
Today, Lumine had gone to the desert to set up a portal, while Dehya and Alusha had gone off to play in Aaru Village, picking up Candace on the way back.
The moment Lumine and Paimon stepped through the door, they spotted Raiden Ei.
"Eh——!? Ei-bao! H-How did you get here!"
With that, Lumine came pattering over with a "thump-thump-thump," flung herself forward to hug Raiden Ei, and nuzzled her little face against Raiden Ei's chest.
"Traveler, you're here too?"
Raiden Ei was quite surprised as well.
Last time in Sumeru, she had indeed seen Lumine at the Ye Family Compound.
Back then, Lumine had been beaten up by The God of Righteousness and was recovering from her injuries.
She'd assumed Lumine had continued on her travels, never expecting that she'd followed Ye Xi to the Serenitea Pot.
She and Lumine were on quite close terms.
"Aiya, my dear Her Excellency the Shogun, you've finally come!"
"Tonight I'm going to sleep wrapped up in your arms~!"
Beside her, Kujou Sara's face was full of envy.
To be able to nuzzle so intimately in Raiden Ei's embrace, and even sleep together at night!
What an enormous honor that was!
With Lumine's appearance, the awkward atmosphere instantly vanished without a trace.
The girls introduced themselves to one another, and very quickly grew familiar.
Quite a few people already knew Candace.
Back during the plan to defeat the Great Sage, Candace had taken part.
After a hearty round of chatting, Beidou sidled up to Ningguang.
Ningguang was slightly stunned: "Captain Beidou, did you get hurt while out at sea?"
"Oh? What makes you say that?"
Beidou's smile was not quite a smile, her gaze full of playful amusement.
Ningguang furrowed her brow. Seeing how stiffly and unnaturally Beidou was walking, she instantly thought of that night a few days ago—her own first time.
The next day back then, she'd been exactly like Beidou!
"Beidou, don't tell me you...."
Beidou nodded, leaned close to Ningguang's ear, and murmured: "Your man really is impressive!"
"You——!"
Ningguang understood at once: "So that's it. Looks like even the famous Captain Beidou has been defeated by our own Master Ye Xi."
"You, the Tianquan Star of the Liyue Qixing, surrendered just as easily—and you've still got the nerve to talk about me?"
Beidou put on a cheeky, grinning face, leaving Ningguang unable to get a word out.
Still, she really hadn't expected Beidou to act so fast.
Then again, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
This captain, who had bickered with her for so many years, could now be counted as family too..
.....
Of the goings-on outside, Ye Xi knew nothing at all.
He was in the study, giving Enjou some instructions.
"...Lord Ye Xi, what important matter is it that you've summoned me here for?"
"I've already singled out the intelligence personnel who can be stationed in Liyue!"
"In the future, they can take up residence in our new districts of Liyue and carry out their work!"
Looking at Enjou's weary expression after his long labors, Ye Xi spoke up: "Uh... well done, Enjou."
"Next, we can send people over to Inazuma."
"Eh? What!?"
Enjou's face was full of shock: "My Lord, do you mean to say...."
"In these mere two days, you've taken Inazuma as well!?"
Ye Xi nodded: "Almost. I'm in the midst of planning. As for the specific location of the economic zone on our Khaenri'ah island, my preliminary thought is somewhere near Watatsumi Island."
Watatsumi Island was far from Narukami Island, and far from the International Commerce Guild too. By rights, it shouldn't be placed near Watatsumi Island.
But the crucial issue was that, once the shipping route opened, Watatsumi Island would, compared to Ritou, be the closest option whether to Liyue Harbor or to Port Ormos.
When that time came, goods from Liyue Harbor and cargo coming from Port Ormos would, as a first step, all dock at Watatsumi Island.
Once distribution was complete, they would then be transported from Watatsumi Island onward to Ritou.
So in the future, Watatsumi Island was bound to flourish tremendously.
"This...."
Enjou could hardly believe his own ears!
You've got to be kidding!
This speed was simply far too fast!
The personnel for Liyue hadn't even been sorted out yet—how had the Inazuma side already been settled too!?
He felt utterly hollowed out, every bit of progress moving so fast he couldn't keep pace.
Compared to the Prince of the Abyss—who, after more than five hundred years, still hadn't accomplished as much as Ye Xi had in a single month!
Absurd!
Ye Xi went over his plans for Inazuma with Enjou.
"When the time comes, Inazuma will have many ships, and we can send some people over to serve as pilots."
According to the plan, Inazuma would have many ferries in the future—like buses—responsible for the transit and travel of the island's people.
Enjou nodded again and again: "Understood, my Lord. My master is truly wise!"
"When that time comes, most of the people on these ships will likely be merchants from the International Commerce Guild, heading to Watatsumi Island to pick up goods or to trade!"
"We can obtain a vast amount of intelligence from them!"
"Truly worthy of my master—you've thought of everything!"
Ye Xi let out a soft sigh. He had to admit, Enjou's way of thinking really was peculiar.
Let him interpret it however he liked.
Having finished discussing the Inazuma matter, he then recalled the entertainment company business he had discussed that afternoon at the Tenshukaku with Yae Miko, Kamisato Ayaka, and the others.
He could form a company, gathering outstanding actors, singers, and the like from every nation, then host all sorts of ceremonies—the popularity was bound to be explosive.
At this thought, he told Enjou his idea.
"...You mean, holding entertainment performances in every nation?"
Enjou pondered for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up: "Understood! My King's scheme is brilliant indeed!"
Ye Xi: ???
What scheme?
He had no idea what Enjou had read into it this time!
Enjou praised admiringly: "By developing these entertainment industries, we divert the attention of every nation and lull them into complacency!"
"And while every nation is engrossed in these spiritual arts, Khaenri'ah rises swiftly!"
"Brilliant!"
Ye Xi could only exclaim—what a guy. This fellow Enjou had practically mastered the entire art of war.
He'd simply wanted to start an arts company to put on performances everywhere, and by the time it reached Enjou, it had turned straight into 'amusing ourselves to death.'
Born in adversity, dying in comfort and ease, is that it?
He sighed helplessly: "It really has to be you, Enjou."
....
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