Chapter 56. Klee's Super Seniority?
Raiden Makoto spoke.
Raiden Ei had heard this voice countless times in the past.
Now, hearing it once again, Raiden Ei felt tears nearly surge from her eyes. Yet she forcibly held them back.
The last time she cried in front of Futsu Mitama had already been embarrassing enough. She absolutely could not cry again now. Yes. Absolutely not.
At the same time, Raiden Ei took out Musou Isshin, pressed it gently beside her ear, and concentrated all her mental power, wanting to hear Raiden Makoto's voice more clearly.
"Hello, hello, hello~ Can you hear me?" Raiden Makoto's gentle voice rang out again. Clearly, she still wasn't certain whether she could truly speak within the group call.
"I can hear you, I can hear you, don't worry." Futsu Mitama's voice carried a faint smile. "Makoto, is there anything you want to say to Raiden Ei?"
"Although typing can express emotions normally, there are still some things better spoken directly."
Yes. No matter what, words on a screen could never truly compare to hearing someone's voice.
Raiden Ei already knew that Raiden Makoto was still alive, and that alone had moved her deeply. But now, after more than five hundred years, hearing her sister's voice once more still nearly shattered the emotional restraint she had painstakingly maintained.
"Say whatever you want to say. I believe Ei has waited a very, very long time for these words."
Yae Miko's voice also sounded within the group call, now carrying unmistakable emotion.
Because truthfully, Yae Miko no longer remembered Raiden Makoto's voice very clearly. She only remembered that the former Electro Archon had been an extremely gentle god.
As for just how gentle she had been, Yae Miko could no longer fully recall.
After all, she had not belonged to the earliest generation of yokai and she was just a fox at that time.
And those earliest yokai had already perished five hundred years ago during the calamity of Khaenri'ah while fighting the Abyssal Beasts.
Yet even so, hearing Raiden Makoto directly speak to Raiden Ei now still stirred intense emotions within Yae Miko's heart.
This could already be considered a historic moment.
Inside the group call, Kamisato Ayaka, Kuki Shinobu, and Sangonomiya Kokomi were similarly excited.
The former Raiden Shogun.
The current Raiden Shogun.
And the future Raiden Shogun.
This scene was simply unbelievable.
It was likely something ninety-nine percent of Inazuma's people would desperately wish to witness.
Seeing this, Futsu Mitama also gave Raiden Ei permission to speak.
"Ei, you've worked hard all this time."
Raiden Makoto's voice remained incomparably gentle as she slowly continued, "Even now, I still feel somewhat guilty. Five hundred years ago, because of that sudden disaster, I entrusted all of Inazuma to you."
"Forcing you to suddenly shoulder so much responsibility—I believe the pressure you endured must have been immense."
"I'm truly sorry."
The moment those words entered her ears, Raiden Ei finally could no longer hold herself together.
Tears once again flowed from her eyes.
Hearing her sister speak so gently to her caused Raiden Ei's emotions to completely lose control.
Droplets formed from Electro Elemental energy fell quietly onto the floor like tiny violet pearls.
Originally, Raiden Ei had wanted to properly speak with her sister. Yet now, because she was crying once again, she could not say a single word.
Futsu Mitama and Yae Miko immediately realized that Raiden Ei's silence likely meant her emotions had become overwhelmingly complicated.
Futsu Mitama even suspected she had started crying again from sheer emotional impact.
After all, this was her sister.
After more than five hundred years, she was once again personally speaking to her.
"But!"
Raiden Makoto's tone suddenly changed as she sternly declared, "Even so!! You've managed Inazuma into an absolute mess!!!"
"Now! Stop hiding inside the Plane of Euthymia already!! Come out immediately! Inazuma still has countless matters waiting to be handled!!!"
"And why are you and Yae Miko both so lazy?!"
"The wine-tasting festival already ended several months ago. If you want to stimulate economic growth and prepare for future construction projects, then new events must continue to be organized!"
As those words fell, Raiden Ei abruptly stopped crying.
At the same time, the smile on Yae Miko's face also froze completely.
"..."
Futsu Mitama silently shrank his neck and decisively stopped speaking as well.
After all, he—the so-called future Raiden Shogun—had also been happily wandering around outside instead of properly working.
Kamisato Ayaka, Kuki Shinobu, and Sangonomiya Kokomi similarly didn't dare utter a single word.
Because all three of them could clearly sense the terrifying pressure now radiating from Raiden Makoto.
The pressure of the former Raiden Shogun.
The other party truly cared wholeheartedly about Inazuma's future.
Even if part of her anger came from cleaning up Raiden Ei's enormous mess, she was still undeniably conscientious and responsible.
If she still possessed a physical body, she would probably already be personally handling governmental affairs instead of urging Raiden Ei and Yae Miko to return to work.
Raiden Ei stopped speaking.
Yae Miko stopped speaking.
Even Futsu Mitama no longer dared to casually interrupt.
"Hello, hello, hello~ hic"
At that moment, Venti suddenly jumped into the conversation without hesitation.
He let out a drunken burp before continuing lazily, "Beelzebub, your microphone is still on. Don't pretend you're muted."
"Hurry and say something. This is a rare reunion between sisters. Staying silent like this really isn't appropriate."
Hearing this, Futsu Mitama silently gave Venti a thumbs-up in his heart. When it came to attracting hostility, Barbatos truly possessed extraordinary talent.
After leaving The Nameless Island, he would probably become the target of countless people.
Futsu Mitama suddenly became extremely curious what expression La Signora would show once she excitedly rushed toward Mondstadt to settle accounts with Barbatos, only to discover Zhongli and Raiden Ei both waiting there as well.
Just imagining that scene already felt entertaining.
Exactly as Futsu Mitama expected, veins faintly bulged across Raiden Ei's forehead.
Clearly, she now wanted to violently beat Venti.
"Alright, Barbatos. If you continue provoking people like this, you're probably going to get beaten sooner or later."
Maha Rukkhadevata's gentle voice also sounded throughout the call.
Clearly, she herself had not expected that even while existing only as a soul, the group call function would still operate perfectly.
Many other functions, such as voice messages, photos, and videos, remained unusable for her current state.
Yet the group call itself had no issues whatsoever.
This made Maha Rukkhadevata extremely curious.
Exactly what principle allowed remnant souls to communicate through the Chat Group?
For a brief moment, her thirst for knowledge surged intensely.
Unfortunately, in her current condition, she could only rely on previous experience to analyze everything before her.
"Ehe~"
Venti, however, appeared completely unconcerned. As long as he remained sufficiently lazy, then all problems would naturally disappear.
Besides, he was Barbatos, the Anemo Archon.
Escaping was one of his specialties. As long as he truly wanted to run, even Beelzebub and Rex Lapis together might not necessarily catch him.
Although the consequence would likely be that the next time they met, he would be jointly beaten by both of them.
Far away within the desert, Cyno trembled violently after hearing Maha Rukkhadevata's voice.
His face filled with uncontrollable joy. Although this was the first time he had personally heard Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's voice, there was absolutely no possibility of mistake.
This was their god.
The God of Wisdom.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
The master of plants and trees.
She… was truly still alive!!!
"I must hurry."
Cyno's expression became incomparably serious.
No one understood Sumeru's current situation more clearly than he did.
Within the Chat Group, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata still seemed to possess great expectations toward the Akademiya.
But in reality, the Akademiya had already become utterly corrupted.
Although Greater Lord Rukkhadevata instructed him not to reveal Sumeru's current situation within the Chat Group and instead wait until Futsu Mitama personally arrived—
In truth, Cyno himself also didn't wish to speak of it.
Because he believed in Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
Even though he was a desert dweller, that much remained unchanged.
As for Lesser Lord Kusanali, who appeared after the catastrophe five hundred years ago, she had remained hidden within the Akademiya for centuries, rarely showing herself.
Naturally, this made it difficult for many people to truly place faith in her.
Compared to Lesser Lord Kusanali, everyone in Sumeru had personally witnessed everything Greater Lord Rukkhadevata once accomplished.
Therefore, Cyno now desperately wished to resolve everything as quickly as possible.
Then he could proudly tell Greater Lord Rukkhadevata that Sumeru's condition had not yet deteriorated beyond salvation.
Perhaps by then, even if Futsu Mitama arrived personally, there would no longer be any need for him to intervene.
Thinking this, determination filled Cyno's eyes as he continued deeper into the endless golden sands.
Next, he needed to investigate those exiled scholars from Sumeru.
Meanwhile, within the Chat Group call, the Archons continued conversing freely while everyone else remained silent.
After hearing Raiden Makoto and Maha Rukkhadevata speak, everyone naturally understood that Bosacius should also be capable of speaking now.
As for why he remained silent—
Everyone quietly understood the reason.
With Barbatos, the Raiden Shogun, and the Dendro Archon all speaking simultaneously, who would dare casually interrupt?
Even Futsu Mitama, Aila, Albedo, Yae Miko, and Lumine had all quietly fallen silent, much less Bosacius.
After all, Bosacius had only recently joined the group.
Besides a handful of people, most members barely knew him.
Facing existences on the same level as Rex Lapis, it was natural for him to feel reverence.
Under such circumstances, Bosacius naturally did not dare casually speak.
"Dinner's ready!"
At that moment, Paimon's energetic voice suddenly rang out from downstairs.
Futsu Mitama immediately stopped paying attention to the ongoing group call.
He called Aila and Black Aila before heading downstairs together.
Carefully calculating, they had not eaten for nearly an entire day and night.
Black Aila's situation was even more extreme.
No one knew exactly how long she had remained trapped within that strange space.
Although, according to Black Aila herself, even without food she could continue surviving merely by circulating the energy within her body—
Futsu Mitama still insisted that eating remained necessary.
After all, even Rex Lapis, the Raiden Shogun, and Barbatos were either already eating or preparing to eat.
So naturally Black Aila also needed to eat properly.
Black Aila's expression became somewhat subtle after hearing this logic.
Because Rex Lapis—or rather Zhongli—was usually either on the way to freeload a meal or already freeloading one.
Raiden Shogun—or Raiden Ei—was either eating desserts or preparing to eat desserts.
As for Barbatos—
Did that drunkard even need explanation?
Through Aila's memories, Black Aila already possessed a fairly comprehensive understanding of the legendary Seven Archons.
Still, since Young Master had spoken that way, Black Aila naturally did not argue.
Because she also wished to sit together beside Young Master during meals.
Soon, Futsu Mitama, Aila, and Black Aila arrived downstairs.
"Hi~"
The moment they entered, they discovered Guizhong had somehow already arrived.
She waved cheerfully while smiling brightly.
"Hurry and sit down. I can't wait to start eating already."
Not only Guizhong.
Zhongli had also arrived at some unknown point.
He calmly sat nearby while leisurely drinking tea, his expression as composed as ever.
"You two..."
Futsu Mitama looked at Guizhong and Zhongli with a strange expression before finally turning toward Guizhong and asking,
"Weren't you supposed to be testing the Azhdaha Mech?"
Earlier in the Chat Group, hadn't Guizhong said she was going to Guyun Stone Forest to test the Azhdaha Mech? Yet now she had suddenly appeared here.
"Surprise! Bet you didn't expect this~"
Guizhong seemed to notice the confusion in Futsu Mitama's eyes and immediately smiled brightly.
"I already finished testing the Azhdaha Mech. There weren't any major problems with it."
"Then I thought, since I was free anyway, why not come over here for a meal? After all, aren't you all using those legendary kitchenwares now?"
"I still haven't properly tried food made with legendary kitchenwares before, so this is the perfect opportunity. On the way here, I happened to run into Mr. Zhongli while he was heading out for tea and music, so I simply dragged him along too."
As Guizhong explained herself cheerfully, Futsu Mitama quietly glanced toward Zhongli.
A trace of helplessness flashed through Zhongli's eyes.
Then, as though nothing had happened, he calmly continued drinking tea.
Clearly, he originally hadn't planned on coming either. Unfortunately, Guizhong had caught him midway and directly brought him here.
"It's fine. One more person just means one more pair of utensils."
Futsu Mitama didn't mind much. Turning toward Kuki Shinobu, who was carrying dishes out from the kitchen, he asked:
"There should still be enough food, right?"
Kuki Shinobu nodded slightly.
"Since we already considered certain people's appetites beforehand, we prepared quite a lot."
As she spoke, her gaze subtly drifted toward Shenhe not far away.
"And because we used legendary kitchenwares, the taste definitely won't be bad."
Because the amount of food being prepared had been excessive, Kuki Shinobu had specifically borrowed the legendary kitchenware from Raiden Ei.
In exchange, Sangonomiya Kokomi promised that every time she made desserts in the future, the first serving would be reserved for Her Excellency the Raiden Shogun to taste.
Thus, Kuki Shinobu, Lumine, Kokomi, and the others had all used legendary kitchenwares while cooking.
Naturally, the flavor would not disappoint.
Of course, if someone wanted to compare it with dishes painstakingly crafted by master chefs, then that would be another matter entirely.
After all, true gourmet cuisine required precision refined down to every second.
Meanwhile, Kuki Shinobu and the others, despite seriously cooking, would still occasionally become distracted by the Chat Group discussions and various gossip.
After all, the topics discussed by Maha Rukkhadevata, Raiden Makoto, Venti, and the other gods had simply been too shocking.
Some discussions involved Khaenri'ah.
Others involved gatherings between the Archons.
There was even one particularly outrageous story about Barbatos drunkenly pouring wine all over Rex Lapis's head during an Archon gathering.
That kind of secret was already beyond ordinary explosive gossip.
It was the kind of thing only beings on the level of Archons would ever know.
Under those circumstances, how could Kuki Shinobu and the others possibly remain perfectly focused while cooking?
That was obviously impossible.
Therefore, Kuki Shinobu could only guarantee that the dishes tasted excellent.
As for whether they had reached the level of carefully perfected gourmet cuisine—
That was naturally impossible.
"Alright then."
After receiving confirmation from Kuki Shinobu, Futsu Mitama also gave up the idea of ordering food from Wanmin Restaurant and asking Xiangling to cook instead.
"Oh, hurry up already! Sit down and eat!"
Paimon, meanwhile, looked like she was practically starving to death as she frantically urged everyone to sit down.
She truly was starving.
Originally, they had planned to eat earlier.
But then they unexpectedly ended up entering The Chasm.
After that, they had remained trapped inside that strange space for an entire day and night.
Although Paimon had mostly spent that time sleeping, her hunger had fully returned after leaving.
If she hadn't secretly eaten a bit of food while in the kitchen earlier, she felt she genuinely might have starved.
Lumine looked at Paimon with a subtle expression.
After all, "a bit of food" was definitely an understatement.
"Alright, alright. Everyone sit down first."
Seeing Paimon's desperate appearance, Futsu Mitama himself also began feeling hungry and quickly urged everyone to take their seats.
"Yay!"
Klee immediately jumped up excitedly, her entire face filled with happiness.
"I'll prepare the utensils."
Albedo naturally took the initiative to help.
"I'll bring over the dishes."
Shenhe also quietly moved to assist.
Aila and Black Aila exchanged glances before silently helping arrange additional tables and chairs.
With so many people eating together, proper preparation was naturally necessary.
Soon, everything had been arranged properly.
One delicious dish after another was carried onto the table.
Golden Shrimp Balls.
Adeptus' Temptation.
Black-Back Perch Stew.
Cream Stew.
Golden Crab.
Sweet Madame.
And many others.
Looking at the table overflowing with food, Futsu Mitama even took out a bottle of Narukami sake before looking toward Albedo and Zhongli.
"Want a drink?"
Albedo and Zhongli exchanged glances before both calmly shaking their heads.
Neither planned to drink.
Albedo still needed to continue researching the strange power within his body afterward. As for Zhongli, he still had plans for tea and opera later, making alcohol inappropriate for now.
Klee, however, looked extremely interested in the Narukami sake.
Unfortunately, she was still too young to drink.
Guizhong, on the other hand, became visibly interested. Although she had already tasted it before, she still wanted another drink.
Futsu Mitama subconsciously glanced toward Zhongli, whose expression remained perfectly calm and unreadable.
Thus, with absolute righteousness, Futsu Mitama firmly refused Guizhong's request.
In the end, nobody drank the Narukami sake.
Futsu Mitama quietly stored it away before finally inviting everyone to begin eating.
At the dining table, Guizhong seemed to grow increasingly fond of Klee.
She even directly picked Klee up and placed her onto her lap.
"Tell me what you want to eat~ I'll help you pick it up."
This immediately made Klee extremely happy.
"Thank you, Sister Guizhong!!"
Hearing that sweet voice, Guizhong became even happier.
Then, almost immediately, she enthusiastically invited Klee to go fish blasting together sometime.
She even declared that she would personally take Klee to Guyun Stone Forest to blast fish.
Blast however much she wanted.
Even if Osial accidentally got blown awake, she wasn't afraid at all. After all, she had both Morax and Azhdaha backing her up. That was how confident she was.
Klee's face instantly filled with temptation.
However, after hesitating briefly, she still shook her head obediently. She admitted she had already made mistakes today, so she planned to avoid fish blasting for a while.
Besides, she still remembered what Brother Mitama had told her earlier.
Until the Jumpy Dumpty bombs specifically modified for safe fish blasting were fully improved, she wouldn't casually go fish blasting anymore.
Albedo's expression became somewhat complicated.
Regarding Klee's sweet and affectionate "Sister Guizhong" he suddenly felt extremely fortunate there were no ordinary Liyue citizens present.
Otherwise, the seniority relationships would become completely chaotic.
Meanwhile, Shenhe remained fully focused on eating.
Zhongli also calmly commented on several dishes.
The two of them appeared completely unbothered by the conversation between Guizhong and Klee.
Seeing this, Albedo quietly sighed in relief.
Thankfully, neither of them reacted.
At the dinner table, the conversation soon shifted toward Tartaglia's suspicious actions.
Even now, everyone still couldn't fully understand what his true objective had been.
After all, Tartaglia had signed a contract to enter The Chasm. Yet from the surface, it appeared he accomplished nothing except rescuing a group of Fatui soldiers.
But if that had truly been his only goal—then why would he sign a contract that clearly placed him at a disadvantage?
Just as everyone continued discussing matters related to the Fatui—
A knock suddenly sounded from outside.
Tartaglia and Yelan had arrived together.
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