In simple terms.
From this day forward, the Tri-Commission would no longer be a system of hereditary families.
Instead, anyone who passed the examinations could join and rise through the ranks. Clear paths for advancement were now established.
The Tenryou Commission was headed by Kujou Sara, but it was no longer the exclusive interest group of the Kujou Clan, or any single faction.
As for the Kanjou Commission, a new family was appointed to manage it. For now, this duty was temporarily handled by Sangonomiya Kokomi.
The two siblings of the Kamisato Clan continued to manage the affairs of the Yashiro Commission.
However, they no longer held formal ownership or inheritance rights. Yet, the Raiden Shogun made no changes to the personnel within the Yashiro Commission itself.
This was considered a gesture of appeasement for the Kamisato family.
Much of Watatsumi Island had collapsed, with more of its land shifting towards Yashiori Island and Kannazuka.
Furthermore, due to the previous containment field that had covered the area, Yashiori Island and Kannazuka were no longer dangerous.
They became suitable for human habitation.
But being forced to leave their homeland was still a blow to the people of Watatsumi Island. They felt lost and uncertain about the future.
The Raiden Shogun summoned the Divine Priestess, Sangonomiya Kokomi, and put her in charge of the Kanjou Commission.
Firstly, as a hostage of sorts.
Secondly, it was also to reassure the people of Watatsumi Island.
To tell them:
'Even after all the major trouble you stirred up before, I don't plan to hold it against you.'
'We are one family. All this squabbling back and forth… isn't it time to behave?'
She made it clear that she intended to repay malice with kindness.
--+--
Sumeru.
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had returned to her position.
This greatly stabilized the unrest and anxiety that had followed the complete withering of the rainforest.
Some had preached that Sumeru was being punished by the heavens, that this divine retribution was why even their most vital rainforest had turned back into yellow sand. What else could it be but a warning?
Compared to the Lesser Lord Kusanali, the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata clearly held more authority.
Now, at this point, they had already restored Irminsul to its former state.
Encouraged by the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, Nahida confessed what had truly happened, revealing the secrets behind it all.
Unable to withstand the pollution of the Forbidden Knowledge any longer, and to protect the Irminsul, Sumeru, and the world, the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had no choice but to have the Lesser Lord Kusanali erase her existence.
At this point, everyone could accept.
Now everything was changed back, and the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had returned.
Nothing could be better than this!
At the same time, the Balladeer, who had once been the esteemed Grand Sage of the Akademiya, fell once more, becoming a war criminal. His crimes were considered even more heinous than before, sparking public fury and making him a target of universal condemnation.
Upon hearing that the Balladeer was to be sent to Inazuma for a public trial, countless people from Sumeru petitioned to follow.
Even after the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and Nahita screened and selected from the crowds, they still ended up sending the largest jury panel in history. A vast, surging mass of people, numbering over ten thousand.
The main city of Sumeru was left half-empty.
This case was truly one that would make the entire continent take notice.
It involved two nations and multiple gods.
The sins committed by the Balladeer over the centuries were almost innumerable. Some of his victims had no surviving descendants, while others, upon learning the news, wept with joy and cried out in relief.
Kaedehara Kazuha, upon hearing this news, immediately asked Captain Beidou to take him back.
The preparation time for the trial was very short.
Everything felt rushed!
But this did not mean the matter was taken lightly.
Therefore, the site chosen for the trial and execution was the former plaza of the Tenshukaku, where the abolished Statue of the Omnipresent God had once stood. A new statue of the Raiden Shogun was erected there.
Both Baal and Beelzebul attended simultaneously.
Buer and Nahida were also present.
"I did nothing wrong!"
"You bastards!"
"It was you! It was all of you!"
"You betrayed me!"
"This is my fourth betrayal! I curse you all!"
The Balladeer was defiant.
He shouted threats, then finally begged and screamed. Utterly wretched.
Like a dog!
Nahida watched him, feeling nothing.
It was the previous Archon who had betrayed him, not her. Had she been the one to deal with him initially, and not the previous Archon, even if she hadn't killed him outright, she would have immediately repatriated him to Inazuma.
And then!
Demanded compensation from Inazuma for the damages.
But, as it turned out!
Although Inazuma had caused losses for Sumeru, the alterations to Sumeru's Irminsul had caused historical chaos in Inazuma, creating significant problems for them as well.
They were roughly even in the balance.
So it was best to just drop the matter!
"Proceed, Ei."
Baal watched as the Balladeer was pelted with who-knows-how-many rotten eggs, spoiled vegetables, shredded leaves, and even specially prepared fertilizer by the people of both Sumeru and Inazuma.
She sighed softly.
This was enough.
Moreover, Raiden Ei's blade technique was peerlessly precise.
She could ensure that strike after strike after strike after strike… thousands, even tens of thousands of cuts, would not kill the Balladeer instantly.
She was filled with remorse.
Her moment of weakness in the past, sparing the Balladeer and not destroying him, had led to so many calamities befalling Inazuma, and Sumeru as well.
She was indeed culpable.
As the one who had been so single-minded in her experiments back then, faced with a failed creation, knowing he was a failure, yet letting him roam free without restraint…
This was precisely a reflection of Raiden Ei's immaturity.
In Fontaine, Focalors appeared, accompanied by Furina, and told all the people of Fontaine the truth of what had happened.
It was only at that moment that the people of Fontaine learned that the prophecy had not been false. Instead, Lady Focalors had sacrificed herself, taking the blow meant for all of them.
That blade, which should have fallen upon every citizen of Fontaine, fell upon Focalors alone.
This feeling of being deeply cherished was indescribable for the people of Fontaine. They cried, they wept, they rejoiced—they felt everything at once!
Now, Focalors needed to reforge her divinity and reclaim her divine throne.
Not a single person was unwilling.
As for Natlan, the Abyss had been eradicated.
The entire nation was liberated!
The true meaning of the Pilgrimage of the Return of the Sacred Flame no longer needed to be considered.
But the Pilgrimage of the Return of the Sacred Flame itself was preserved.
Excluding the final segment that involved confronting the Abyss, it would likely develop more rituals and more competitions in the future, continuing as a unique festival.
"People of Natlan, I have ascended to godhood."
"My apologies, but the position of Pyro Archon will no longer be subject to re-selection. Unless, of course, I perish!"
As for Mavuika, the Pyro Archon, all of Natlan naturally held her in high esteem.
So when they learned that she, with the support of Celestia, had become the true Pyro Archon, everyone cheered and celebrated.
The fact that gods were limited by lifespans, replaced over time like human emperors, was, in a way, not a good thing.
If even the central pillar couldn't remain stable, how could the nation itself find stability?
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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