In Tenshukaku,
Raiden Makoto stood by the window, looking down over the entire city of Inazuma.
Even though Inazuma City hadn't changed all that much in five hundred years,
it still made her feel like she was looking at a world from another lifetime.
"It's really beyond belief… beyond imagination…"
Even though her resurrected mind already held all the previous diary content,
that didn't stop her from rereading it carefully while she waited for Su Xuan.
"That war five hundred years ago…"
Raiden Makoto drew in a long breath.
The names "Lesser Lord Kusanali" and "Furina de Fontaine" were still very unfamiliar to her.
"Even Rukkhadevata and Egeria couldn't escape that disaster in the end."
She sighed softly, then withdrew her wandering thoughts.
In any case, she, Kitsune Saiguu, and Chiyo were the lucky ones.
And from the little fox's reports, she'd also learned some of Su Xuan's views on "reversing life and death."
According to that pretty boy:
For people like Raiden Makoto and the others—
those he himself wanted—
no one needed to pray or beg.
He would, based on his own needs, simply rewrite the fact of their deaths.
As for anyone else…
Su Xuan had his own separate considerations.
After all, time was no longer a problem for them.
Future matters didn't have to be rushed in the span of a single day.
"Five hundred years gone, and grown-up Miko's personality is completely different from Saiguu's now."
"She even dares use Su Xuan as backing to tease us 'seniors'."
Raiden Makoto spoke softly to herself, eyes gentle.
"It's obvious Su Xuan thinks what Inazuma needs right now is development. That's why he brought us back."
"He's nowhere near as casual as Miko makes it sound, saying we're just 'energy receptacles'."
She knew Miko wouldn't joke maliciously about such things.
But in Makoto's heart,
their timing of resurrection was simply too perfect.
The meaning of their return was first and foremost for the sake of their nation's future—and the world's future.
"Sigh… with a favor like this…"
"Just acting as energy containers won't even begin to repay it."
"In fact, no matter what we do, we might never be able to repay it…"
Raiden Makoto flipped to the earliest pages of the diary.
Those parts recorded Su Xuan's days with Raiden Ei on Yashiori Island.
She looked at that photo where Ei was grabbed and pinned down,
and the one where she was sitting obediently beneath his legs.
Raiden Makoto's lips curled in a quiet laugh.
"It's really hard to imagine someone as stubborn and rigid as Ei could build such a deep bond with him."
"He must've gone through a lot to get this far, huh…"
She only had a vague grasp of these things—
and compared to her, Raiden Ei, who was even more stiff and literal, would understand even less.
Su Xuan and Ei's "deep connection"… was almost certainly not easy.
Just as Makoto was murmuring to herself with a smile,
a light cough sounded from the doorway.
"Makoto, you're still underestimating Ei…"
"She's much better than you think."
"Mm… Makoto always treats me like a child…"
Listening to this one man and one woman speaking,
she didn't even need to look to know who it was.
Su Xuan, and her little sister.
She looked up.
Su Xuan walked in with one hand casually at Ei's waist.
The two strolled over and sat down together at the edge of the bed.
"I thought you'd already be lying down waiting for me."
"Didn't expect you to be sitting here reading the diary."
"On that point, Ei really does beat you; she's much more 'ready' than you are."
Su Xuan spoke first.
Raiden Makoto was gentle and well-mannered.
Even if she understood what was happening, there was no way she'd act as boldly as Yae Miko.
If Su Xuan didn't take the initiative to steer the conversation,
Makoto would definitely start by thanking him for giving them new life,
then for Inazuma's future,
then for taking care of Ei…
By the time she was done, Su Xuan would probably have fallen asleep.
"So in your heart, I'm more talented than Makoto in this area?" Ei's eyes sparkled, seeking praise from Su Xuan.
Raiden Makoto watched the two chatting away like she wasn't even there.
First she froze…
Then her lips curved into a soft smile.
She and Ei didn't need to say much to understand each other.
But this was her first time actually facing Su Xuan in person.
She had originally been worrying about how to bring up conversation topics or shorten the distance between them.
She hadn't expected Su Xuan's attitude to make it feel like they were already very familiar, like there was no need for politeness at all.
Just that was enough to ease her tension.
"If you say it like that, I can't really believe it."
"I know my sister very well, you know?"
Back when they played games,
Ei hadn't even understood what was so funny when everyone laughed during the match.
Things like this? She'd understand them even less.
"But now that you've said all that, you've made me curious."
Raiden Makoto smiled and sat down beside him.
"Why don't you tell me how the two of you started your 'bonding journey'?"
Su Xuan: "…"
This was the kind of thing you could only feel, not describe.
Was this big sister not concerned about her own little sister's reputation at all?
This concerned her sister's virtue, for goodness' sake.
The handsome traveler was speechless.
He was still thinking about how to refuse when Ei, propping her chin on her hand, calmly spoke up first.
"Back then, I felt what Su Xuan said made a lot of sense."
"I'd peeked at his diary secrets, so he deserved to know my secrets too."
Su Xuan: "?"
"It was only after he finished exploring my secrets that I understood what it was he wanted."
Raiden Makoto looked at Su Xuan with an expression that clearly said: I knew it.
This was exactly the kind of thing she'd expect from a rigid, literal-minded Ei.
"I thought it was Su Xuan who forced the bond to start," Makoto said with a mischievous smile.
Now that Ei had confessed on her own,
Su Xuan just shrugged and smiled.
"That's why I say Ei is very gifted. Otherwise, I really would've forced the bond to begin."
Raiden Makoto's eyes widened—
Two seconds later, she slowly calmed down.
Because once the gods in the heavens decided they needed seven archons,
the ground had been plunged into a war of gods that lasted a thousand years.
The people of the land had been devastated; casualties beyond counting.
Compared to that command from above…
With powers greater than those lofty gods,
Su Xuan's version of "force" was practically angelic.
"Pfft."
Makoto couldn't help but laugh, then glanced at Ei's calm expression.
"If it had really gone that way, Ei probably would've cried from fright."
Ei's face immediately showed a hint of wounded grievance.
"Stop looking down on me all the time."
"The first time, I did black out without warning…"
"But after that, under Su Xuan's hands-on training, I improved every time."
"I only got scared and thrashed around because of some inexplicable feeling, but I always conquered it in the end."
Su Xuan: "…"
What was with that strange sense of pride?
"Oh…"
A soft, amused sound came from beside him.
He turned his head and locked eyes with Raiden Makoto's curious gaze.
Her lips moved like she was about to ask for more details.
Su Xuan hurriedly cut in.
"It's getting late. We should talk about something serious."
With that, he took out two sets of pure white clothing from his storage.
"These are pure white four-piece sets."
Raiden Makoto: "?"
Raiden Ei: "What is that supposed to be?"
The two sisters studied the "set" laid out in front of them.
Makoto separated the pieces.
The so-called "four-piece set" was: a veil, a gauzy dress, detached sleeves, and stockings.
All of it pure white.
She rubbed the fabric between her fingers.
The material was sleek and snug, clearly meant to cling to the body regardless of size.
"The texture is extremely comfortable, and the design is beautiful…"
"But the main slip of the dress…"
Her eyes were full of doubt and confusion.
It felt like half the dress was missing.
"Are you planning to introduce clothes from your world to Teyvat?" Makoto asked, genuinely curious.
"But… isn't this just a half-finished sample?"
Su Xuan: "…"
He really couldn't tell if she was truly clueless or just pretending.
"I want the twin gods of Inazuma to put them on, so I can see the effect."
"And it's not a half-finished outfit. That is the actual design."
Raiden Makoto's pupils shrank slightly.
Su Xuan caught the flicker of panic in her eyes and smiled.
"No need to look like you've never seen the world before."
"This kind of design is meant to improve emotional communication."
"Besides, in your case, you're going to be jumping out of it sooner or later anyway. Whether it 'covers' you or not doesn't really matter."
Raiden Makoto: "Eh!?"
…
Outside, the sky gradually lightened.
Makoto lay nestled in Su Xuan's arms.
She couldn't help glancing to the side at Ei, who was sprawled out fast asleep.
With every breath Ei took, you could see little traces of energy leaking from her body.
Makoto let out a soft sigh.
"Sigh… weren't you a little too rough on Ei?"
From an older sister's perspective, seeing her little sister looking like she was recovering from a serious wound… it was hard not to feel distressed.
But ultimately, she knew this outcome was also on her.
She herself was too "weak" at this sort of thing.
In a moment like this, she couldn't stand tall in front of Ei and shield her from the storm.
After all, the sheltered Raiden Makoto—
just a few "taps" from Su Xuan, and she'd nearly ascended on the spot.
"Don't worry."
Su Xuan gently kneaded her.
"I've figured it out."
"You and Ei are twin gods. Other than personality and the way that affects your voice…"
"Everything else about you is nearly identical."
"Just give it a few days of focused 'training' and you'll definitely be able to stand in for Ei."
Raiden Makoto: "?"
She caught the hint of mischief at the corner of his lips.
Makoto rolled her eyes in wounded indignation and quickly tried to change the subject.
The moment his hand reached for her head, she finally blurted out the question she'd been holding back.
"Is it really like you wrote in the diary? You truly don't want any descendants?"
Unfortunately for her, her understanding of Su Xuan was still far too shallow.
Her solemn, straight-to-the-soul question didn't stop his hand at all.
Her head still didn't escape being firmly grabbed, then pressed down.
And at the same time, her diary copy leapt out of her consciousness.
[Last time, Rosalyne asked if I'd be interested in recognizing Thunder Cannon as my son. Now, Inazuma's first Electro Archon, Raiden Makoto, is asking me the same kind of question.]
In Sumeru, inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
Truly sealing someone's consciousness always caused some degree of harm.
So when she didn't need to go out, Nahida liked to let Azar's awareness return briefly—
but to keep him from realizing he'd been used, she would lull him into dreams.
Even now, the little god still sat in her cage, eyes wide like little bells.
"Raiden Makoto…"
"Wasn't Inazuma's first Electro Archon killed in Khaenri'ah?"
"Does that mean Su Xuan has already resurrected her?"
[Speaking of descendants…]
[Beyond immortality, my current abilities are gradually becoming transferable to others.]
[At this point, I don't need any so-called blood heir to inherit my strength and help carry my burdens.]
[So I'm quite sure I don't need children.]
[That said…]
[In my plans, there are two little girls I'll have to recognize as daughters.]
Far-off skies were paling into dawn.
The pretty girls just waking from their dreams barely had time to wash or eat before the diligent diarist fed them a huge new melon.
"Who are they?"
Ei, who had been "playing dead" on the bed, suddenly sat up and looked at Su Xuan with shining curiosity.
Below, Makoto's eyes went wide.
"So you weren't actually unconscious," Su Xuan said, pulling Ei back into his arms.
She looked briefly down at Makoto, then said calmly,
"I just… wanted to give Makoto more chances to talk with you."
Makoto: "?"
So all that worry just now was just her own imagination?
Her little sister had been acting for her?
Still, this wasn't the time to argue with Ei.
Makoto was just as curious about which two girls this man—who wanted no bloodline heirs—intended to call "daughters."
[The first is that troublemaker in Mondstadt who disappears the moment you look away—little Klee.]
Jean: "?"
[Speaking of Klee…]
[Our ever-upright Acting Grand Master is more like her real mother than her actual creator.]
[Given my relationship with Jean, I don't see any problem with being Klee's father, do you?]
Somewhere in Mondstadt, Jean's face flushed red over the washbasin.
She fully agreed with Su Xuan's logic.
Very reasonable.
Flawless, even.
[As for Klee's actual mother…]
[Now there's a troublesome woman.]
[A member of the Hexenzirkel—Teyvat's Great Demon King, Alice.]
[How troublesome?]
[Stormterror's Lair was one of her whims; in Inazuma she nearly blew Kujou Sara sky-high; when she turned up in Liyue, Morax himself had to tail her the whole time for fear she'd start something.]
[One day she decided she wanted a daughter, so she just used life-creation techniques to make lively little Klee.]
[As for whether Klee's "lucky" destiny was bestowed using some convenient authority related to the boundary… I'll keep my opinions to myself.]
[Anyway, I doubt Alice will agree to this.]
[But whether she agrees or not doesn't actually matter. If she refuses, I'll just take Klee by force.]
The girls reading along: "…"
So he wasn't even going to pretend now?
He was straight-up planning to steal someone else's daughter?
A daughter created with life magic, at that?
But the older ladies who understood more couldn't stop their lips from twitching.
Was he really stealing Alice's daughter?
He sounded much more like he wanted to steal Alice herself.
Sadly, the little elf still asleep somewhere had no idea she'd already been marked as Su Xuan's "prey."
[As for the second one…]
[She lives in the very nation I'll be heading to next.]
[Sumeru.]
[You know, the little Dendro Archon who still hasn't forgotten the God of the Woods is really very adorable.]
[If she's willing to acknowledge me as her father…]
[I don't mind helping her solve the issues of the Withering and the Eleazar disease plaguing Sumeru's people.]
Nahida: "…"
Nahida: "Eh!?"
His condition was strange…
But happiness had arrived so suddenly she felt a little dizzy.
"But why would he pick me to be his daughter?"
The little Archon's eyes shone with pure confusion.
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL