Lumine had felt something was off ever since earlier.
Now that they were talking about the light novel Summoning King and its unclear relationship with the original author, it all made sense. No wonder Inazuma was promoting the Summoning King Grand Prix so heavily. So it wasn't just Mu Yang's investment—Lady Guuji was also cashing in on it, huh?
These people...
The group soon arrived at the center of Ritou, chatting and laughing.
Charlotte saw that Mu Yang was being cold and tight-lipped, so she sensibly stopped trying to pry.
She turned her head and began admiring Inazuma's scenery instead.
Inazuma had been reopened for over a year, but she had never had the chance to visit and explore. This trip was definitely worth it.
Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma—each place truly had completely different scenery, each with its own beauty.
Paimon saw her beaming expression and asked, "Charlotte is really optimistic, huh? She clearly came out because she was treated unfairly..."
Charlotte smiled and replied, "Is there anything wrong with that?"
Lumine suddenly spotted the Raiden Shogun not far away. "That's… Ei?"
Ei sensed them and instantly teleported over.
It nearly scared Charlotte out of her wits.
"Lumine, Paimon, and Mu Yang. We meet again."
[Worldly Wanderer]
[Three of the Seven Archons have already learned the art of slacking off. What is Nahida waiting for?]
[This is Ei herself, right? The General usually stays in Tenshukaku.]
Charlotte steadied herself and looked at the majestic and beautiful person before her. She turned to Lumine and asked, "Who is this sister?"
Lumine stood between the two. "Let me introduce you. This is Charlotte, a reporter from Fontaine. This is Ei… um, people in Inazuma usually call her the General."
"Eh?!" Charlotte froze on the spot but quickly recovered.
"Is… is this… the Almighty Shogun, Her Excellency the Narukami Ogosho?! Hello, hello, please forgive my rudeness…"
Thankfully, she regularly dealt with many big celebrities back in Fontaine, including staking out the Hydro Archon and being rejected multiple times when trying to schedule meetings with Lord Neuvillette…
The god before her gave off far more pressure than Lady Furina.
[Better call her sister.]
[Look how scared the kid is.]
[Charlotte truly lives up to her name as a great reporter—she did her homework well.]
[Indeed, she recovered so quickly and even got the full title right without panicking.]
"Guests who have come from afar, there is no need for such formality." Ei did not feel any conflict or offense.
"Y-yes… um, I mean, okay."
Charlotte took a deep breath to calm herself. "Haa… your acquaintances really are more impressive than the last…"
Before she could fully collect herself, Ei's next words refreshed her understanding once again.
Ei said to Mu Yang, "Are you here for a spar this time as well?"
Mu Yang replied indifferently, "I have other matters. It's about the Summoning King Grand Prix."
"Oh, then let's have a proper fight when there's time."
"Mm."
Charlotte listened to their lukewarm exchange, her brain struggling to keep up.
Wasn't Mu Yang just the small restaurant owner in Liyue Harbor?
Sparring with a god famous for her martial prowess?
[Hahaha, Charlotte's CPU is overheating.]
[Isn't Mu Yang just a restaurant owner? He can fight too?]
Charlotte thought of something.
Perhaps this was the network of a great hero?
In the end, she managed to convince herself…
Ei continued chatting casually with the group.
She had been invited by the Guuji this time to experience the lively atmosphere of the common folk's festivities.
At this, Paimon instantly turned into a know-it-all.
"Oh, I get it, I get it. The venue is bustling and there's tons of delicious food, right?"
Charlotte felt she couldn't join the conversation and said she would go find some people to interview while following up on clues, then walked away.
Although interviewing a god was a rare opportunity, she hadn't prepared sufficiently beforehand. Interviewing rashly could easily anger the other party, and even Editor-in-Chief Euphrasie might not be able to smooth things over then.
"Was it my identity that scared her?" Ei felt quite innocent.
Paimon played along, "I think it was Mu Yang's hidden strength that scared her, hehe."
"No, we were actually investigating separately earlier." Lumine waved her hand and then asked, "This is the venue for the Summoning King Grand Prix. Ei, do you also like Genius Invokation TCG? Watching the contestants play must be exciting, right?"
Ei said she was actually one of the participants this time.
"Eh?!"
Everyone except Mu Yang was surprised.
Ei, however, looked as if this reaction was strange.
"Why are you so surprised? Using cards for entertainment has existed since ancient times. I was also curious about what the card games of today have become."
"How did your matches go?"
"I reached the semifinals." Although she said that, there was no visible joy on Ei's face.
Just hearing the word "semifinals" made even Lumine want to praise her.
Are all of them geniuses?
[Paimon, why are you so surprised? Would the people of Inazuma dare to win against her?]
[Inazuma people: Don't dare move, don't dare move.]
[Champion prize: Experience the One and Only Slash.]
[Itto would dare to win, but can someone who can't even understand Onikabuto really win?]
[The one who can win and dares to win is probably that sly fox.]
The players guessed correctly.
"Unfortunately, I stopped at the semifinals because…"
The pink-haired fox walked over from the side. "Because she lost to me in the semifinals. She lost quite miserably—it was a total defeat."
Lumine smiled faintly. "How pitiful~ wuuu~"
"Oh my, little one, who taught you to speak like that?"
"Of course it was the beautiful and wise Guuji Yae Miko."
The Raiden Shogun said disdainfully, "Hmph, I merely lost to some petty tricks."
Yae Miko retorted, "What's wrong with petty tricks? Tricks within the rules are a display of wisdom."
"I suppose certain people spend all day shut up in Tenshukaku and never get the chance to master them."
[Dumb Ei.]
[Ei: Rules are meant to be broken. Turn the tabletop game into offline combat.]
Yae Miko's words actually made Ei reflective.
After the Sakoku Decree was lifted, Inazuma had achieved peace and prosperity, and compared to before, there were many more changes.
It was indeed time to go out more.
"However, some people's fear of the divine light still hasn't changed."
"In one or two matches, I saw the opponent's hands suddenly start trembling and they hesitated for a long time before playing a card."
"Now that I think about it, they probably didn't dare to play their winning move."
Mu Yang inwardly complained: So you only just realized that now?
Perhaps because of his secret complaining, Mu Yang was targeted by the Guuji.
The sly fox spoke in a roundabout way.
"Ah… other people pound their chests and stomp their feet after losing a match, but you're the opposite—you clearly won yet you're sulking here."
As she spoke, she suddenly brought up Mu Yang.
She suggested letting Mu Yang play a match against Ei.
Paimon quickly intervened, "Isn't that a bit much? Mu Yang is the champion of the Liyue region, you know."
The key point was that Mu Yang wouldn't hold back. He wouldn't tremble and hesitate to play cards—he would use those eight Omnidirectional Dice to easily take down Ei…
Yae Miko continued fanning the flames. "What's wrong with that? Ei was only one step away from the championship."
"Their strengths shouldn't be too far apart, right?"