"Is that so? Alright then…" Although Guizhong was a bit disappointed, she quickly accepted it. The tribe was small now, and more people would make it easier to develop.
Soon, Akio and the others finished their meal. Just as Guizhong was about to return to rest, Yoimiya dragged her to Akio's hut.
"Hey, hey… Yoimiya, what are you doing?" Guizhong was puzzled but didn't dare to struggle, afraid that her strength might accidentally hurt Yoimiya. Despite being weak, she was still a deity, and her power far exceeded that of mortals.
"Just come with me," Yoimiya said, pulling Guizhong into the small hut and casually setting up a spatial barrier.
However, Guizhong didn't notice and simply followed Yoimiya inside.
As soon as they entered the hut, Guizhong saw Akio sitting on the mattress, looking at her with a faint smile. She was confused.
"Akio, what did you want to talk to me about?" Guizhong asked, puzzled.
"I just have a few questions for you," Akio said, waving his hand. "Can you tell me why, as the God of Dust, with the power to control sand and stone, you're so weak that you can't even kill a single monster?"
"…" Guizhong's face turned bright red as her weakness was pointed out. She glared at Akio and said, "How should I know? A deity's power is innate. I wish I had great strength, but I don't!"
"Look at that Morax next door. As soon as he was born, he went on a rampage, conquering everything around him. No deity dares to invade his tribe," Guizhong sighed. "I don't have that kind of power."
"Then what will you do if another deity invades?" Akio asked.
"If I can't defeat them, I'll have to lead my people in another migration," Guizhong replied.
"In the Archon War, the victors thrive, and the losers perish. There's no escaping this war," Akio said. "You can't avoid the Archon War forever. One day, you'll have nowhere to retreat. What will you do then?"
"Then I'll use my life to protect my people and let them worship a stronger deity!" Guizhong said without hesitation.
"The love of a deity is truly selfless," Akio remarked, clicking his tongue.
Deities love their people—it's a rule of Teyvat. Every deity deeply loves their people, and though their love may take different forms, they are all willing to sacrifice their lives for their people.
"So, Akio, why did you call me here?" Guizhong asked, still confused.
"Nothing else, I just wanted to hear your thoughts," Akio said with a smile. "From now on, my wife and I will be troubling you, Lord of Dust."
"Mhm, just live well here. It's much safer than the wilderness," Guizhong nodded. "Rest well today."
"Alright," Akio nodded, watching as Guizhong left.
"Akio, I'm still hungry. Let's go hunt a monster outside," Yoimiya suggested, looking at Akio.
"I was thinking the same thing," Akio agreed. The two of them stepped into the Imaginary Space and disappeared from the hut.
…
Boom! Hundreds of miles away, a massive bull-like monster collapsed to the ground like a small mountain, raising a cloud of dust.
"This bull will feed us for a long time," Yoimiya clapped her hands. She had just killed the monster with a single slap and was excited at the thought of having meat to eat.
Using the power of the Herrscher of the Void, Yoimiya quickly butchered the entire bull and stored all the meat in her Vision Space.
"Akio, there's so much meat. Should we give some to the tribe?" Yoimiya asked. She couldn't bear to see the people of Guizhong's tribe eating such poor food. They'd probably suffer from malnutrition, right?
"I was thinking the same thing," Akio nodded. "But we can't show ourselves. Let's just drop a large piece of beef at the entrance of the tribe from the sky."
"Alright," Yoimiya nodded. With a flick of her finger, a flame ignited the dry wood she had gathered, and she began roasting the meat.
Yoimiya's roasting skills, honed under Raiden Makoto's guidance, were excellent. The meat was perfectly cooked—crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with an irresistible aroma.
"Yoimiya, you've really mastered this. You could start your own business," Akio praised as he bit into the meat. "It's just missing some salt. It's not as flavorful as it could be."
"Hehe, this is Sister Makoto's secret recipe. But I forgot to bring salt," Yoimiya chuckled. Suddenly, she asked, "By the way, during this time, are Sister Makoto and Sister Ei leading their people in battle in Inazuma?"
"Sister Ei mentioned those who died for Inazuma… Could it be us?" Yoimiya looked at Akio.
"Perhaps, but we can't interfere with history. Makoto and Saiguu have already been revived. There's no need to complicate things further," Akio nodded.
"Mikoshi Chiyo's whereabouts are unknown. I'm not sure if she's dead or alive. If she's alive and we bring her to the present, having two Mikoshi Chiyos meet would likely cause the World Tree to collapse instantly," Akio said seriously. "As for the Tengu General Sasayuri's death, we don't even know when it happened."
"This time, we're here mainly for Guizhong. We'll deal with the others later," Akio said earnestly.
"Alright," Yoimiya nodded.
"It seems my strength still isn't enough! Damn, this is frustrating," Akio cursed.
When had he ever been so frustrated? He couldn't even show his true strength in front of Guizhong, fearing it might damage the timeline or cause Teyvat to collapse.
In the past, whether facing a goddess or a beauty he admired, a slight display of charm would leave a good impression. But here, he was constantly restricted.
Damn it! Once I gain the power of the 「Tree」, I swear I'll pull all the beautiful deity women who died back from the river of time!
"Akio, you're already very strong!" Yoimiya leaned against him, speaking softly. "Your abilities are unmatched in all of Teyvat. A mere mortal like me was elevated to godhood. Who else could do that?"
"Besides, traversing the river of time to save deities who were destined to die in history—who in Teyvat could do that?"
Yoimiya's gentle comfort made Akio feel a bit better. He hugged her and sighed, "I know, I'm just feeling a bit frustrated. Strength is something that has no upper limit."
"You've already done so much. You reunited Sister Makoto and Sister Ei, brought Saiguu back to Inazuma, saved Hanachirusato from the corruption, and averted the Honkai disaster in Enkanomiya," Yoimiya kissed the corner of Akio's lips. "You are the salvation of Inazuma, and the salvation of this world."
As the two kissed, a rustling sound came from nearby, as if someone was approaching.
A/N: Enjoying the story? Read 60+ chapters ahead on Patreon! Your support helps: Patreon.com/nneol