For Yae Miko, the fact that Lu Heng had many romantic partners was already an established situation.
Since there was no way to stop it, why not try to accept it?
After all, she herself was the one who came later. Even Furina hadn't said anything, so those who came after her had even less ground to speak.
Yae Miko didn't know how many more there would be in the future, but at least she was currently near the front of the line.
Another thing that Yae Miko found highly amusing was this.
Lumine's progress was far behind hers. After she had successfully 'connected with the people' herself, sending the proof of her victory to Lumine...
Ha!
Yae Miko could already imagine Lumine's expression.
A dark, gloomy face, gritting her teeth in frustration but utterly powerless. Oh, how pitiful.
Even if Lumine wanted revenge, her 'seniority' would still be below Yae Miko's once she finally entered the picture.
A newly-arrived little sister wanting to pick a fight with her elder sister?
Impossible!
Moreover, that simple-minded girl Lumine was no match for her.
The more Yae Miko thought about it, the more amused she became.
Leaning against Lu Heng's chest, her Changli cosplay outfit long since rendered a 'damaged version', she asked with a laugh, "Are you particularly happy right now?"
Lu Heng's expression didn't change, but his internal alarm bells started ringing.
If Yae Miko had asked this under normal circumstances, Lu Heng would have answered directly.
But the current situation was different.
It was similar to the time with Furina; right after giving her heart and body to Lu Heng, she had become somewhat insecure.
While Yae Miko probably wouldn't be like that, what if she was?
Lu Heng didn't use his 'cyber fortune-telling', but instead carefully considered his words: "Of course I'm happy."
Don't be fooled by Yae Miko's usual carefree, trickster demeanor; in reality, she was quite similar to Changli – shrewd and calculating.
Having lived for so many years, Yae Miko saw through people's hearts with crystal clarity.
Trying to fool Yae Miko?
Not even Venti could manage it!
"Really now," Yae Miko rolled her eyes, feigning annoyance. "With the Grand Narukami Shrine's Guuji in your arms, you're still thinking of other women?"
Lu Heng: "..."
This was hard to handle.
Sensing that Yae Miko wasn't truly angry, Lu Heng's lips twitched.
Yes, this was the real Yae Miko!
Often with just one sentence, she made people tread carefully.
She seemed to enjoy seeing others flustered.
"What a wicked woman," Lu Heng sighed inwardly.
Once she got familiar with Focalors, these two would have quite the dynamic.
A simpleton like Furina would probably be led around by the nose, right?
The only thing that put Lu Heng's mind at ease was that none of them would take things too far.
With Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and Ei keeping an eye on things, Focalors and Yae Miko wouldn't be able to cause any real storms.
No other reason – while those two were gentle, their presence was truly formidable.
A single calm glance from them was enough to make one's soul tremble!
It wasn't just Lumine who was heartbroken just past noon.
The Raiden Shogun puppet was also upset.
Due to Ei's presence, the message Yae Miko sent wasn't too exaggerated.
Ei might not even understand the subtext of Yae Miko's message, but the Shogun puppet did.
When it came to matters involving Lu Heng, the Shogun puppet entered a strange state of overclocking.
Normally, her thought processing frequency might be a 5, but once the matter involved Lu Heng, it instantly jumped to a 10!
"Yae! Miko!"
The Shogun puppet was the one truly grinding her teeth in frustration.
"Why did you have to take this utterly unrestrained fox as your familiar?!" the Shogun puppet demanded.
Ei: "..."
What madness has this obsessed fool fallen into now?
Ei often felt a sense of hopelessness.
Just think, was the current situation right?
Her sister being resurrected was a heavenly blessing. Logically, she should be sticking to her sister's side every day, just like in the old days, governing Inazuma together with one heart.
But what happened?
Lu Heng took one trip through the river of time and captured her sister's heart.
In her sister's eyes: Lu Heng > Herself!
That wasn't even the worst of it.
Now, out of twenty-four hours a day, a full twelve hours were controlled by the puppet occupying her body!
In the past, Ei wouldn't have complained, because the puppet genuinely handled affairs for her.
But ever since being terrified by Lu Heng, the puppet had become a pure, unadulterated simp.
"Sigh."
Life felt hopeless.
Ei sat cross-legged in the Plane of Euthymia, elbows on her knees, chin resting dejectedly in her hands. "When will this day end?"
She thought that her strength being inferior to Lu Heng's was actually a very good thing, because it meant the Shogun puppet's strength was far below Lu Heng's, preventing her from turning yandere and pestering him.
Of course, under that premise, the Shogun puppet wouldn't have been scared into becoming a simp either.
"Stop shouting!" Ei finally snapped, unable to bear it any longer. "It's just that trivial matter! So what if Miko succeeded?! If you crave it so much, why don't you turn yourself into data and crawl into his phone?!"
"If I could do that, would I need you to tell me?!" the Shogun puppet retorted angrily.
If it was her sister, Makoto, fine – she couldn't lose her temper with her sister.
But Yae Miko...
She'd better appear before her right now and receive her reward: the Musou no Hitotachi.
"Don't you dare lay a hand on Miko," Ei warned. "Or don't blame me for being rude. Besides, your 'brother-in-law' won't let you off either!"
"Who needs you to tell me that?!"
The Shogun puppet was furious, but not to the point of losing her sanity.
She muttered, "Why is there such a troublesome creator... If she were gone, I could directly launch a night assault and climb into his bed... Hehe... Mr. Lu..."
Ei: "..."
Someone, please save me!
3:00 PM.
Yae Miko had fallen into a deep sleep. Hanachirusato, blushing, was cleaning up the messy room.
An hour earlier, the insatiable little fox had begged Lu Heng to use a healing spell to restore her to peak condition, then challenged Lu Heng to another 'battle'.
Remembering this, Lu Heng could only shake his head.
She simply hadn't seen enough of the world to understand the true power of a 'Demon King'.
At the moment, Lu Heng was sitting on the sofa, drinking tea.
A trace of worry actually clouded his brow.
The tea leaves he'd gotten from Zhongli were almost finished again. Looking at the remaining half-pack, Lu Heng felt anxious!
"Lu Heng~"
Hearing the voice, Lu Heng looked up.
Ei approached gracefully.
Kamisato Ayato followed behind her with people carrying boxes. They waited respectfully outside the shop door.
Seeing this, Lu Heng immediately stood up.
Ei came to Lu Heng's side. Her gentle smile shifted slightly as she leaned in and sniffed lightly near him.
Oh no!
Why did he have the feeling of a primary wife discovering evidence of her husband's affair?
Fortunately, it was just an illusion.
"You didn't even clean up properly," Ei chided gently. "There are fox hairs all over your clothes... How intense was it?"
Lu Heng looked down at himself, puzzled. "There aren't any?"
Ei shook her head with a soft laugh.
"Alright then," Lu Heng said helplessly, realizing that Ei had learned some of Miko's mischievousness.
"Alright, I'm here on official business." Ei's eyes curved slightly.
No wonder the little fox liked teasing others so much; it was actually quite fun.
"But it's time to add some foundation for Inazuma," Ei said, her expression turning serious as she approached the counter.
"How much Mora did you bring?" Lu Heng asked.
"Three and a half billion, all for equipment and artifacts." Ei let out a soft sigh.
The fact that Sumeru could produce forty billion didn't mean that was all they could produce; it was just what they could mobilize initially after handling some matters.
For Inazuma to produce three and a half billion was pretty much the limit of what they could muster in the near term.
When Ei first mentioned the amount to Kamisato Ayato, his expression had soured.
He was starting to feel like an official in charge of the national treasury in ancient times.
Even though the gold in the treasury wasn't his, spending it was genuinely painful!
Two million people in all of Inazuma needed to survive, develop, find employment, and eat. He was the one primarily responsible now!
This wasn't an exaggeration. Kamisato Ayato truly felt this way. Ei only needed to steer the general direction, while Ayato had to consider countless details.
The more responsibility he shouldered, the more he realized that everything required money, everywhere needed funds!
Trade fleets from all over the world were about to arrive at Ritou's docks. The government needed to purchase many things, which meant another massive expenditure.
The economy was already struggling, and now it was stretched even thinner.
But did that mean they shouldn't summon?
No.
Kamisato Ayato's opinion was: summon slowly, summon gradually, summon according to a plan, summon with rhythm!
But that wasn't feasible.
It wasn't that Ei thought his idea was bad, but rather that Inazuma's foundational strength urgently needed improvement.
This was a matter of national prestige.
This wasn't about personal embarrassment. Loss of face on a national level was a serious issue, as it could easily damage the people's confidence.
Of course, this didn't mean they should 'keep up appearances despite privations'. According to Ei's calculations, three and a half billion was just right.
It was an amount they could produce without overly impacting the subsequent economic recovery.
"That should be enough," Lu Heng nodded slightly. "The Unified Management System and three thousand sets of equipment and artifacts?"
"Yes," Kamisato Ayato confirmed.
"Easy enough."
With Ei present, the configuration of the 'Strategist' role was confirmed on the spot.
Next came the gacha summons for two and a half billion Mora.
Frankly, Lu Heng was now gaining a clearer concept of what 'rich enough to rival a nation' truly meant.
Think about Ningguang and Diluc – individuals who could casually spend four or five billion Mora!
Of course, this was a comparison for a single summoning session.
From a long-term perspective, Inazuma could still produce two or three billion Mora next month and the month after, but Ningguang and Diluc might not necessarily be able to match that consistently.
Unless one's wealth reached the point of controlling multiple economic lifelines, an individual's resources ultimately couldn't compare to a normally functioning nation.
"Two hundred and fifty thousand summons. How do you want to allocate them?" Lu Heng asked, taking a sip of tea.
Kamisato Ayato immediately replied, "Of course, Her Excellency will handle all of them."
If the summons were split into quotas, getting a 5-star card would be a good thing, but not getting one would mean taking the blame.
Even though Ei wouldn't hold him responsible, Kamisato Ayato hadn't survived in the Shogunate for nothing. He was a master of avoiding blame, always calculating meticulously!
"You..." Ei saw right through Kamisato Ayato's thoughts.
But she didn't press the matter.
As a superior, it was acceptable to apply appropriate pressure to motivate subordinates, but there had to be limits. Too much pressure was simply inhumane.
Although Ei was an Archon, she was quite understanding of her subordinates' difficulties.
"Shall I start summoning then?" Ei asked after a brief moment of thought, a hint of playful smile gracing her lovely face. "Will you bless me with luck?"
"I've already started praying for you in my heart," Lu Heng replied with a warm smile.
Wait, you two are still chatting?
Aren't we going to summon?
Kamisato Ayato thought for a second and decided to be understanding.
After all, his superior worked every day and had little time with her partner. When given the chance for some semi-private 'alone time', of course they would chat a bit more.
Ei didn't keep them waiting long.
When it came to summoning, she wasn't doing it for herself this time, which inevitably brought a trace of nervousness.
She tapped the 100,000x summon button. Golden light blossomed.
Three 5-star Gold cards!
Another 100,000x summon.
Another three!
With 50,000 summons left, Ei tapped the 10,000x summon button five times. This time, only one Gold card appeared.
A total of seven 5-star Gold cards!
"My luck..." Ei pondered.
"Not bad," Lu Heng said with a smile.
In terms of the number of Gold cards, it was about average.
Whether it was truly lucky or not depended on the usability.
Lu Heng immediately picked up the first 5-star Gold card and turned it over.
The card face depicted deep and shallow black and white marks, as if carved with numerous grooves.
He appraised it.
[Spatial Rend]
[Rank]: 5-Star • Gold
[Type]: [Skill Card]
[Traits]: [Spatial Law] [Fold and Seal]
[Description]: "The most despairing thing in the world might be facing your enemy, yet the space you inhabit has shifted to another dimension. Layers of a crumbling world press down upon you, leaving you only to await death!"
"Wow!"
"Starting with a bang."
Lu Heng smiled. "The description is clear. It's a skill card that utilizes spatial laws to kill enemies."
This skill was quite powerful.
When activated, the space around the opponent is immediately sealed. Shattering space to escape into the void becomes impossible.
The sealed space then begins to fold inward from the periphery.
It's like a cube collapsing in on itself, layer by layer, like folding a piece of paper.
When the folded space reaches the target's body, it folds the person along with it.
Head pressed against toes, heels pressed against back, then folded further.
This continues until even the cells within the body are folded. Then the space shatters and churns, breaking apart like glass.
Ignoring differences in realm, very few could withstand this technique!
After all, Time is supreme, Space is king; where Fate is absent, Causality reigns!
Those who master space to a profound level are never weak!
Equipping this card basically meant mastering most of the laws of space governing a small world like Teyvat.
Lu Heng then looked at the second card and appraised it.
The card depicted a golden stomach.
[Golden Stomach]
[Rank]: 5-Star • Gold
[Type]: [Talent Card]
[Traits]: [Digest and Grow Stronger]
[Description]: A good appetite is a blessing.
This card also had its merits.
"It's quite straightforward," Lu Heng said, looking at Kamisato Ayato. "Take Ayato, for example. After equipping this card, your stomach becomes a Golden Stomach. Everything you eat will be digested and transformed into your power."
"Your potential ceiling is raised and broadened. Just by eating, you can eat your way to the level of a deity!"
"Good. This card shall be yours, as a reward for your hard work during this period," Ei said with a smile.
Kamisato Ayato fell into thought upon hearing this.
He was tempted by the prospect of power.
Because only sufficient strength could ensure the continued stability of the Kamisato Clan.
Kamisato Ayato asked cautiously, "Will my appetite become enormous? What about the feeling of hunger?" He wasn't looking down on the card, but wanted to understand its pros and cons.
"Don't worry about that," Lu Heng said, understanding Ayato's concern. "You can eat as much as you want. As for hunger, it will be the same as a normal person's. As long as you have three regular meals a day, there won't be any issues."
Kamisato Ayato felt relieved upon hearing this. "It seems I worried over nothing."
"It's good to be careful," Lu Heng said seriously. "The effects of many cards aren't limited to their descriptions. They might have subtle uses not mentioned. The specifics still need to be researched by the user."
"Understood," Kamisato Ayato nodded.
Lu Heng looked at the third 5-star Gold card.
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T/N:
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