To challenge a god for mortals, that was nothing but a delusion.
The dreamscape was a creation of a god's will.
How could the will of mortals possibly oppose the will of a deity?
How could they ever shake it?
Beidou couldn't understand any of this.
But Kamisato Ayaka did.
"Because the wishes of the people clashed with the god's will," Ayaka explained,
"It disrupted the stability of the dream.
If we can gather enough people to resist and act before the god intervenes—
we may be able to break the dream and return to reality!"
It was only a hypothesis, but it was the only reasonable explanation.
Otherwise, how did the dream even tremble that day?
And why was Lady Ei so visibly unsettled?
"...But is that even possible?"
Yelan asked, doubtful as ever.
She was not a dreamer—she was a realist.
If someone wronged her, she paid them back.
Simple.
So when Ayaka proposed such an idealistic plan, her first reaction was skepticism.
"It is," Ayaka insisted.
"If we use the strength of the Geo Archon himself to delay Lady Ei, then we may truly have a chance!"
Not just Tartaglia the Geo Archon too.
Ayaka knew perfectly well:
Lady Ei's swordsmanship was terrifying.
A single Fatui Harbinger, even one wielding power equal to a demon god, would not be enough.
Before Ei's blade, countless demon gods had fallen.
One more would make no difference.
But if you added Liyue's Archon to the equation—
Then the outcome was no longer certain.
After all, Morax had carved his legend through a far bloodier, more ancient war than Inazuma's.
The demon gods of Liyue's era were said to be even more monstrous.
Perhaps… he could match her.
"But the Geo Archon is captured!"
Yelan frowned.
If there were a way, she would have freed Zhongli already.
But how?
Even he could not free himself.
What could mortals possibly do?
"No need for you to worry," Ayaka said mysteriously.
"I have my own ways."
Her cryptic tone made all three women unhappy but they were also helpless.
After all, this was the Kamisato household.
They were guests… or prisoners, depending on perspective.
Even their escape from prison earlier had clearly been within Su Ran's expectations.
Were they not all dancing on strings?
Narukami Shrine
"Does the little fox's tail feel nice?"
"So fluffy… it's wonderful"
Su Ran was happily rubbing Yae Miko's tail, utterly unwilling to let go.
"And the ears?"
"They feel amazing too~"
Yae Miko didn't resist at all.
In fact—she leaned into his touch.
Ever since she returned from the space station, she had completely changed.
She used to obey Su Ran, yes— but she never behaved this… cooperatively.
One trip into space and her worldview had collapsed.
Just that one space station alone was enough to make her drool with envy.
And now that the station's manager was Ningguang, a certain pink fox was definitely not calm inside.
Su Ran! You can't let that woman from Liyue steal you away!
"So obedient… you must want something from me."
Su Ran teased.
He'd never seen this side of her.
Normally, Yae Miko was a "trickster fox" shameless, playful, seductive, always testing boundaries.
But this?
This was not normal.
And because it wasn't normal, he knew she definitely had an agenda.
"Of course I do" she said, tail swaying.
"Ningguang already became your left arm.
How could this little fox not try to become your right?
No way I'm letting outsiders steal your blessings"
She even exposed the tail that she normally wouldn't let anyone touch.
Let her ears be stroked.
Let him pet her hair.
Yae Miko was practically offering herself on a silver platter.
"But one space station is enough," Su Ran said lazily.
"More would cheapen it."
Truthfully, he could hand her a station to manage.
Yae Miko ran Inazuma behind the scenes whenever Ei was absent.
Her ability was undeniable.
But she was too whimsical.
Too mischievous.
A fox with the soul of a chaos gremlin.
Handing over a cosmic project to someone with such "talent for causing drama"
was far too risky.
So he chose the safer option—
Ningguang, the queen of competence.
"That's not fair!"
Yae Miko whined sweetly, by now sounding like honey melting in the sun.
"You can't favor her and not me!"
"If one wants to work and the other wants to play, how could it be the same?"
If her personality were different maybe he'd have chosen her.
"Look at Inazuma," Yae Miko pressed.
"Even with Ei not governing at all, the nation hasn't collapsed, has it?
Whose hard work do you think that is?"
She leaned close, pink eyes sparkling.
"Don't tell me that red-eyed woman is better than me?"
Su Ran suddenly understood why King Zhou of Shang had fallen to Daji.
A fox like this who wouldn't be tempted?
Bad women might be bad but they were irresistible.
"At most," Su Ran said,
"I can make you Vice Director.
Assist Ningguang.
Nothing more."
The space station was huge, and Ningguang would need help at first.
Giving Yae Miko a secondary position was safe authority limited, ego satisfied.
A perfect arrangement.
"No problem! That's plenty"
Yae Miko accepted immediately.
She knew herself well.
She only wanted to satisfy her curiosity.
If she ever got bored, she would drop everything without hesitation.
She wasn't a workaholic.
She didn't even take her job as Guuji seriously most of the time.
Running Yae Publishing House to indulge her own whims was far more her style.
Su Ran got to enjoy a fox tail.
Yae Miko got her promotion.
Both sides won.
At that moment—
Having tracked down Su Ran's location, Tartaglia leapt from the foot of Mt. Yougou directly to the summit of Narukami Shrine.
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