"By logic, fire and water should clash—but I've never heard of ice and lightning being incompatible."
And yet… the Tsaritsa was angry again.
The moment she laid eyes on the Raiden Shogun, her fury reignited— and the two of them started fighting. Again.
The skies over Guyun Stone Forest darkened, as lightning and blizzards tore the heavens apart.
The once-majestic sea below turned to chaos.
Even Zhongli, if he were present, could only sigh and admit:
"This place is beyond saving."
Even if one filled the sea with stone, the freezing cold rising from the depths would kill any living thing that dared remain.
Guyun Stone Forest… was finished.
"You didn't happen to egg them on behind my back, did you?"
Su Ran turned to glare at the little duckling.
According to Mona, the Tsaritsa had flown into a rage right after speaking to her— and the instant she saw the Shogun, she had challenged her to a duel without a second thought.
Ei, of course, never refused a fight.
And so, the two goddesses clashed once more.
If this kept happening every few days, how was anyone supposed to live in peace?
At least they'd chosen to fight over the sea.
If it had been anywhere else, the destruction would have been unthinkable.
The little duckling said nothing.
She didn't intend to cause trouble, but… it was hard to deny that she'd played a part.
"Couldn't you stop them?" Su Ran pressed.
"At this rate, they'll end up sinking all of Liyue!"
Two foreign Archons, fighting on Liyue's doorstep.
If this wasn't blatant bullying of a godless nation, what was?
Of course, Keqing couldn't stand it.
"If they want to fight, they can fight somewhere else!
Why must it be here!?"
Her voice trembled with fury.
Without the Geo Archon's presence, Liyue felt… powerless.
"Then why don't you go stop them yourself?" Su Ran said lazily.
To be fair, he wasn't wrong— he found the constant fighting tiresome too.
But if it continued, maybe the two of them would end up as something like… "frenemies."
Enemies? Hardly.
Not with him around.
"I… I'm just a mortal."
If she could stop them, she would've already done it.
"And isn't this exactly what you wanted?"
Su Ran shrugged.
"No gods interfering in Liyue's affairs—pure 'rule by man,' wasn't it?"
Keqing's face darkened.
Those words hit her where it hurt.
A nation without its god was a weak nation.
Without a divine protector, what authority did mortals truly have?
Right now, that truth was being laid bare.
Even if the Archons were being "considerate" enough to fight offshore— the fact that they could decide to duel whenever they pleased proved how meaningless Liyue's "independence" really was.
Maybe… humans weren't ready to rule themselves after all.
Teyvat still belonged to the gods.
"What's this? Has our righteous Keqing finally lost faith?"
Su Ran teased lightly.
Keqing ignored him, fists clenched tight.
"I could grant you power, you know~"
Su Ran's tone turned playful.
Temptation dripped from every word.
Power— a gift few could ever resist.
Keqing hesitated.
She'd seen what Su Ran's power could do— what he'd given Childe, what he himself wielded.
No side effects.
No exhaustion.
A mortal body with the strength of a god.
"And what's your scheme this time?" she asked cautiously.
Su Ran smirked.
"Ningguang might need a bodyguard.
I figured you'd fit the part nicely."
Keqing's face twisted.
Seriously?
He wanted her to play Ningguang's hired muscle?
Thinking of that ring again, she finally understood— the reason behind it, the partnership, the power… everything made a strange sort of sense now.
"I'm not someone you can just buy off!"
After a long pause, she raised her chin, her voice full of conviction.
Power was tempting, yes— but if it wasn't earned by her own hand, then it wasn't hers.
Besides, power given could be taken away.
And Su Ran was not the sort of man she fully trusted.
"What a shame," Su Ran sighed.
He had half a mind to bribe her with a few pats on her little cat ears, but that chance had evaporated.
"Don't worry, though," he added.
"I've had my fill of Liyue's drama anyway.
I'll be heading back to Inazuma soon—Ei will come with me.
Once we're gone, those two will stop tearing up your coastline."
At least she'd get her peace back.
The only regret, perhaps, was that Zhongli was still missing— which meant Su Ran wouldn't get to witness the funeral of Morax.
"Really?"
Keqing's eyes brightened instantly, her tone full of barely concealed relief.
"You sound awfully eager to see me leave," Su Ran chuckled.
"Can you blame me?" Keqing snapped back.
"Look at what's happened since you arrived!"
Everywhere he went, chaos followed.
He'd brought the Raiden Shogun, the Tsaritsa, and a mountain of trouble.
He'd turned Childe from a nuisance into a walking natural disaster.
Sure, he'd killed one rogue god—but at what cost?
Now, Liyue was terrified.
No one dared speak loudly, and even the Qixing were forced to keep their heads down.
Before, they'd had Morax to lean on.
Now, he was gone— and mortals couldn't even pretend to be strong.
"For you, maybe this is torment," Su Ran said lightly.
"But for Ningguang, it's an opportunity of a lifetime."
That shut Keqing up.
She knew he was right.
Keqing was too upright—too idealistic.
Even when faced with unimaginable power, she refused to take a bite of the fruit offered to her.
If she had just a fraction of Ningguang's ambition, "rule by man" might've already been realized.
After all, Ningguang's path was still the same goal— but her method was far more pragmatic.
Why not hold onto a stronger thigh for support?
Liyue had once leaned on the Geo Archon's might.
Now, leaning on Su Ran, a mortal genius who surpassed gods— wasn't that still, in essence…
rule by man?
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