Raiden Ei was in a very good mood.
Just like Su Xuan had said, Tsurumi Island had been a cursed place since the Archon War.
Its ley lines had always been damaged; even after the Thunder Bird massacred the islanders and was later shot down by her arrow on Seirai, the root problem was never solved.
When the war ended and Raiden Makoto became Inazuma's ruling Archon, she unified all the surrounding islands.
All except Tsurumi.
None of them could do anything about the broken ley lines there. At best, the island could be counted as Inazuma's territory on paper.
In reality, a patch of land that couldn't be developed and couldn't support life was no different from having nothing at all.
But now, things were different.
Tsurumi—and a good stretch of the surrounding sea—had all been reshaped by the Skyfrost Nail into a vast white landscape.
Even across all of Teyvat, that kind of scenery was one-of-a-kind. It would definitely draw countless curious eyes.
And where people gathered, development would follow.
Of course, what Ei cared about most was still that towering ice statue.
That massive sculpture was a blatant declaration to the world:
this unique ice island belonged to Inazuma.
Belonged to Inazuma?
She didn't much care which nation laid claim to it. The important part was that the only giant statue on that island was hers—Raiden Ei's—carved by Su Xuan's own hands.
Even if other statues went up in the future, she would always be the first.
As for tourism projects and economic planning, Ei felt she didn't understand these things and didn't want to meddle too much. Let the others handle it.
If even Miko can't get it done, she thought, then once Makoto comes back—or if Kitsune Saiguu returns as well—they'll figure out something between them.
As she mulled this over, Ei suddenly realized that once Raiden Makoto returned to rule Inazuma…
Her own role might become awkward.
The Seven Nations already had little chance of any large-scale war as long as Archons existed.
And now, with Su Xuan here, the key people in each nation would inevitably be bound closer and closer through the diary copies. Future relationships would only grow more intimate.
Teyvat's seven nations would eventually move towards cooperation and joint development.
In such a world, those skilled at governance and economics would be far more important.
As for those who ruled primarily by force…
Small problems wouldn't require them. And the one truly big problem—the Abyss outside the world, that devoured countless stars—
if Su Xuan didn't act, it wouldn't matter who else did. The result would be the same either way.
Thinking it through that far, Ei felt her own "positioning" a bit… embarrassing.
It might be better, once Makoto and the others returned, to leave Inazuma in their care and simply follow Su Xuan like Lumine did—
helping out on his journey, lending a hand where needed.
If Cloud Retainer can shove her disciple into his entourage, Ei thought, I don't see why I couldn't do the same with myself.
As she was pondering this, she passed by one of the tatami rooms.
She happened to see Su Xuan inside, along with Yae Miko and Sangonomiya Kokomi, the three of them discussing something.
"Kokomi?" Ei blinked. "Didn't she already go back to Watatsumi Island?"
Puzzled, she stepped into the room.
"Why is Kokomi here again?" she asked.
Su Xuan didn't look surprised at all by her sudden appearance.
"I went back to Watatsumi after I finished dealing with Enkanomiya and Tsurumi," he explained calmly.
"I set up a Flying Raijin – Guiding Thunder teleportation barrier for Kokomi—that one is connected to this very room."
He pointed at the empty space around them and chuckled.
"She can use a special array hidden in her room to come here directly through the barrier.
That way, it'll be easier for her to coordinate work with all of you."
A secret passage?
Ei thought it over and found the arrangement perfectly reasonable.
Su Xuan would have naturally blocked anyone else from using the Guiding Thunder teleportation route, so there was no need to worry about outsiders barging in whenever they pleased.
"And conversely," Su Xuan added, "you can also use this room to go directly to her side."
"As for teleportation barriers for ordinary citizens…"
He shrugged.
"I didn't set any up."
"If you want to send people to Tsurumi, or if anyone wants to travel there in the future, they'll still have to take a ship."
None of the three women had any objections to that.
Su Xuan had already done more than enough for them. It wasn't his job to solve every logistical problem for every citizen.
But as soon as Yae Miko thought of Ningguang's starship plans, she immediately understood Su Xuan's real intention.
He hadn't created Guiding Thunder teleportation routes for the masses—only for the diary holders.
It made communication and cooperation among them much easier, and at the same time, put more resources firmly in the hands of those at the top.
That would make it far easier for them to manage their countries—and eventually, all of Teyvat.
Borrowing the phrasing from the pact between Ei and Su Xuan…
The line should now be: the world will one day be theirs—and they will belong to Su Xuan.
Miko smiled and chimed in:
"Matters concerning the people should naturally be handled by us."
"And besides, if you arrange everything for them, all you'd do is encourage laziness."
She tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"As for the development of Tsurumi, I want to discuss it with the folks in Mondstadt and Liyue."
"Thanks to that Skyfrost Nail, a huge stretch of sea has become glacial islands. Tsurumi is much bigger than before.
Taking on a project that large by ourselves would be… exhausting."
As she spoke, Miko glanced over at Ei.
The Shogun might not understand any of this, but the one who stood to benefit most was still her.
After all, that island now had a towering ice statue of Raiden Ei dominating the skyline.
Beyond marking the island as Inazuman territory, such a masterful sculpture was destined to become a stunning landmark.
Miko couldn't help feeling a little jealous—but what could she say? Ei was her dearest friend.
On this matter, Yae Miko was genuinely happy for her.
At the very least, it showed that in Su Xuan's heart, he did hold a certain respect for them.
He wasn't really treating them as mere "energy receivers."
After listening to Miko's plan, Su Xuan nodded slightly.
"That actually lines up with what I came back to discuss."
"Lumine, Paimon, and Shenhe are currently purifying the Thunder Sakura roots and clearing out the filth."
"Once they're done, I'm planning to bring Raiden Makoto, Kitsune Saiguu, and Chiyo back—all at once."
Ei and Miko both trembled.
That moment… had finally arrived.
Strangely though, neither of them felt the wild excitement they'd once imagined.
Instead, they simply looked quietly at Su Xuan.
Yes—because with him here, the miracle of reversing life and death almost didn't feel like a miracle anymore.
As long as he existed, and as long as he was willing to act…
There would be no such thing as irreparable regret or unavoidable tragedy.
"You don't need to look at me like that," Su Xuan said, glancing at Ei and Miko. "If you want to thank someone, thank your own faces for turning out nice."
Miko snorted and burst into laughter.
Then she put on a mock-wounded expression.
"Purple hair and white hair are really your type, huh? We pink-haired ones are so pitiful."
"Right, Kokomi?"
Kokomi only gave a gentle smile.
"That's not true. I'm very happy."
"Ah yes, yes…" Miko drawled, eyes narrowing. "When it's that small, it overflows so quickly, of course you're happy."
Kokomi kept her serene smile and didn't argue.
But inwardly, she was muttering: Guuji-sama might be a bit… fuller, but she still ended up in tears begging for mercy. Where does she find the face to tease me?
Su Xuan: "…"
She looked so calm on the outside. From his perspective, there was no way Kokomi's inner monologue about Miko was anything flattering.
Still, this little undercurrent didn't matter.
With Su Xuan's "deterrent power" looming over them, the diary holders would, at most, grumble in their hearts.
If anyone wanted to turn things into a blood-drenched love triangle…
That'd have to stay in their dreams.
"I still don't quite understand one thing," Ei said, frowning slightly. "Why wait until Lumine finishes purifying the filth around the Sacred Sakura?"
At that, Miko also realized why Su Xuan had never brought up the Thunder Sakura cleansing himself.
So Lumine had already taken action before he did.
"Sigh, I didn't think Lumine would end up being unable to sit still after all," Miko muttered.
"Still, I'm curious—how did she even find out there was a problem at the core of the Thunder Sakura ritual…?"
As the shrine's Guuji, Miko was undoubtedly aware of the Sacred Sakura's current condition.
But she swore she had never pushed Lumine to do anything this time.
Even if she had wanted to use Lumine to accomplish something, it would have at least had to be related to Su Xuan.
At most, she would've tried to bribe the traveler into speaking a few kind words for her.
Of course, with the way things were now, Miko didn't need Lumine to bridge the distance between herself and Su Xuan anymore.
"It was a shrine maiden wearing a fox mask," Su Xuan replied calmly. "She introduced herself as 'Hanachirusato' and requested Lumine's help."
"The so-called Miss Hanachirusato is actually a memory remnant left behind when Kitsune Saiguu died."
"Because her will was so strong, the fragment of her mind that remained to protect Inazuma never dispersed."
"It fused with the Abyssal filth, and eventually formed a memory-based being."
"She's always remembered her mission—protecting the Sacred Sakura. So once she sensed a problem, she started looking for a solution."
"Most likely, she saw that Lumine was unusual and decided to approach her."
When he finished, the atmosphere in the room grew noticeably heavier.
Kokomi hadn't known much about Kitsune Saiguu before, nor about what she had done for Inazuma.
But now, just from that description alone, she could tell exactly what kind of person Saiguu had been.
A woman whose very last thought had been protect this land.
Someone who truly deserved respect.
"You're worried that as long as that memory remnant exists, it'll affect bringing her back?" Miko was the one to break the silence.
Su Xuan nodded.
"At the very least, the memories she left behind should return to the ley lines and rejoin everything that once belonged to her."
"The Heaven and Earth Mirror can bring her back using your memories of her—but the one I bring back should be complete."
"So, I decided it'd be best to wait until that memory-body fades away before I pull her back."
"We can afford to wait a few days."
Ei and Miko both nodded in agreement.
They might lack other things—but after being seized by this man, the diary holders had no shortage of time.
In the past, all they could do was remember the dead in their hearts.
But now, they had a real chance to meet them again in the flesh.
Compared to that, waiting a few days—
even a few years, a few decades—was nothing.
"Since Miko wants to co-develop Tsurumi with Mondstadt and Liyue, I'll use the time while we're waiting for Lumine to finish to go visit both nations."
"I'll set up similar teleportation barriers there—to make things easier for all of you to coordinate."
At this point, aside from the Sacred Sakura, Inazuma no longer had unresolved problems.
And for the purification ritual itself, with Lumine's current strength, beating filth into submission was something she could do with one hand tied behind her back.
Cleaning that corruption up was just a matter of time.
Su Xuan had now traveled across three nations. It was time to consolidate the diary holders he'd already gathered.
He also wanted to see how Ningguang's construction of the new Jade Chamber was coming along.
In hidden corners of all three nations, he would set up teleportation routes leading straight to the Jade Chamber.
That way, all of the diary holders could eat, live, and work in the same hub as him, Su Xuan.
On a whim, he stood within Tenshukaku and spread his telekinesis outward—
in an instant, it covered both Liyue and Mondstadt.
[With my current power, even standing in Tenshukaku, I can easily extend my telekinesis across the sea.]
[Mondstadt, Liyue, and Inazuma—three nations, fully covered.]
[And with Instant Transmission, as long as I can sense any living being, I can appear beside her in an instant.]
The girls finally understood.
They now realized why he always vanished and reappeared so suddenly—
and why there was always some random monster near him.
So that's what had been going on.
Earlier, he'd mentioned the Guiding Thunder barriers that could even redirect the Abyss itself. Now, he'd revealed Instant Transmission too.
Su Xuan truly was full of hidden tricks.
[Of course, if I've already placed a Flying Raijin mark somewhere, I don't even need to sense any living being.]
[I can just jump straight there.]
The girls: "…"
So his teleportation tricks still weren't done?
In the past, just by flying with telekinesis, Su Xuan hadn't even needed a day to go from Inazuma to Mondstadt.
Now, he could pop up at any chosen location in an instant.
Of course it was him. Who else could it be?
[Just now, Miko mentioned wanting to link Mondstadt, Liyue, and Inazuma via a Guiding Thunder network, for easy travel between us.]
[I think it's a great idea. I'll head to Mondstadt and Liyue in a bit and pass her proposal along.]
In Mondstadt, Jean—soaking in a warm bath—shot upright, water splashing.
"Su Xuan is coming back to Mondstadt?"
"Mm… it feels like it's been so long since we last saw him."
In truth, it hadn't been that long at all.
It was only because Su Xuan worked too efficiently that it felt that way.
From his departure to now, it had barely been more than a month—
And that was only because he'd burned ten days messing around at sea.
[Before I go, let's see what everyone's up to.]
[Little Jean is… ah. Sorry. She's bathing.]
The girls: "?"
You sure that was an accident?
"Bathing?" Ningguang looked up sharply from the documents she was sorting under lamplight.
"Acting Grand Master Jean's method is quite good.
I should also…"
[Ningguang is still working. As expected of Liyue's finest.]
[Keqing is busy in the Yuehai Pavilion, buried in paperwork.]
[Ganyu's helping her out as usual.]
[Hm… and what's Cloud Retainer doing?]
[Sitting alone on a corner of the Jade Chamber, deep in thought.]
On the Jade Chamber's deck, Cloud Retainer snorted.
"'Su Xuan's Jade Chamber,' is it?" she grumbled.
"This immortal is contemplating the next stage of the realm within the Serenitea Pot!"
"All this is for your sake, and you call it standing around doing nothing…"
[Still, the best one has to be our "Lady of the Night," already lying in bed.]
Yelan: "…"
Why did that feel like she'd been caught slacking on the job?
"So now he can just… look down on the whole world?" she muttered under her breath.
[Lisa's the same as Yelan—about ready to turn in and get some beauty sleep.]
[Eula really does love the cold. She's run back to Dragonspine again.]
[And this time she dragged Amber along.]
[Did something happen in Mondstadt?]
[Do they really need the Spindrift Knight and Outrider on joint patrol?]
Eula and Amber glanced at each other.
They really had just gone there to patrol, and one thing had led to another…
"Amber, let's go. Back to Mondstadt," Eula said at once. "Su Xuan might return any day now."
[I've taken a look around. Everyone's either already resting… or buried in work.]
[I really don't know who to pick for Instant Transmission.]
[Forget it. I'll just go with the first one. Jean it is.]
The girls: "?"
If they remembered correctly, Acting Grand Master Jean was still… in the bath, right?
Su Xuan was definitely doing this on purpose.
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