Ei lowered her gaze, posture straight and earnest, her voice steady despite the tension in it:
"Please… do not mention that being in your diary."
She understood more clearly than anyone what Su Xuan had referenced.
Ei had once seen a nation that ran forward with all its strength—only to be erased in an instant.
Khaenri'ah had embodied Makoto's creed:
"Seek the light, even if only for a moment."
Yet the price of that brilliance… was annihilation without return.
And the one who decided that price—was the presence sitting high above the sky.
A being who, with a mere thought, could collapse mountains, drown cities, and turn countless living beings into dust.
Yet Su Xuan mentioned it as though casually recalling a neighbor in passing.
If That One ever noticed…
Su Xuan might be killed on the spot.
And Inazuma would be buried alongside him.
Su Xuan: "…"
[Look at her—absolutely terrified. I just mentioned the Heavenly Principles in front of her, she's ready to ascend into the Pure Land of Panic…]
[But honestly, her kneeling posture is surprisingly elegant. Let me save this real quick.]
[Raiden Ei — kneeling_set.jpg]
Everyone reading: "…."
Su Xuan glanced down at Ei, who still maintained the formal kneeling posture—too afraid to even turn a page of the diary.
He sighed, stretched out a hand, and gently rubbed her head.
"You just finished eating noodles from another world. And that didn't scare you," he said lightly. "But mentioning the Heavenly Principles does?"
Ei tilted her head slightly, answering with complete sincerity:
"That is different. Food is harmless. But artifacts and tools brought from beyond this world—if I were to study them… it may be seen as transgression."
She hesitated, then lowered her voice further.
"And you spoke of That Being while referencing me. Here, in Inazuma…"
Su Xuan waved it away.
"Relax. The Heavenly Principles are dormant. They won't wake any time soon."
"And the one who upholds their authority now—Death's Sovereign—is barely paying attention to Teyvat at all."
"Rukkhadevata's successor?" Ei's eyes flickered.
"No," Su Xuan shook his head, amused. "I'm talking about Ruo-Nawa."
Ei stiffened.
He should not know that name.
"After the establishment of Natlan's law framework," Su Xuan continued casually, "Ruo-Nawa was reprimanded. She told Marzanna to just blame her if the Heavenly Principles complained."
Ei blinked.
He was… gossiping about the Seven Sovereigns like they were coworkers arguing over paperwork.
"And after that," Su Xuan added, "she gave up and started coasting."
Ei slowly regretted ever opening her mouth.
Before, he was only writing these things.
Now he was saying them out loud.
This wasn't indirectly setting Inazuma on fire.
This was taking the torch inside and sitting down for tea.
But Su Xuan simply pressed two fingers to her forehead—
And under the soft pulse of telekinesis, she stood up involuntarily.
"I'm not afraid," he said with a laugh. "Why are you afraid?"
Ei: …because I LIVE here.
But Su Xuan didn't give her time to protest.
[As I was saying—Ei's "Eternity" originates entirely from fear of loss.]
[She saw Khaenri'ah erased, and concluded that Makoto's ideal of "momentary radiance" was wrong.]
[So after inheriting the title of Raiden Shogun, Ei's first priority became ensuring Inazuma would never share Khaenri'ah's fate.]
[She sealed herself in the Plane of Euthymia, combating erosion, and sought a path to "Eternity."]
[If the Heavenly Principles forbid mortals from reaching beyond the world, then she would forbid her people from reaching beyond Inazuma.]
[To extinguish ambition at its root, one must first silence the source of desire.]
[Thus—the Vision Hunt Decree was born.]
[Yet the strange part is: Ei began researching Eternity centuries ago.]
[So why was the Vision Hunt and Sakoku decrees only implemented recently?]
[Because the plan wasn't hers.]
[It was proposed by the Fatui, through the Tenryou Commission and Kanjou Commission.]
[Meaning—Ei did not find the "solution" to Eternity. Someone handed it to her.]
[And Ei—who is unmatched in martial prowess and technology—has the political intuition of a fresh radish.]
Ei: "…"
The other women reading: "…there's no way to argue that, actually."
[Now, regarding Khaenri'ah: Ei only saw the destruction—not the cause.]
[The Heavenly Principles allowed a godless nation to exist. That alone was already a massive exception.]
[But Khaenri'ah decided "exception" meant "immunity."]
[They mined leylines without restraint, tampered with abyssal power, and built gateways toward other nations for future conquest.]
[At the head of it all, Ilmin—drunk on ambition—used his own kin as a vessel to draw abyssal power.]
[He failed. The abyss erupted. The continent nearly collapsed.]
[Only then did the Heavenly Principles strike.]
[If a nation does not disturb the leylines and does not reach into the Abyss, the Heavenly Principles do nothing.]
[Fontaine has steamships, ether engines, autonomous constructs—no "sky spear" fell on them.]
[Natlan has motorcycles and dragonbone armaments older than recorded history—not a hint of divine punishment.]
[Sometimes I truly wonder… if Ei should stop thinking about the 'future of Eternity' and maybe start by stabilizing her own backyard.]
[Right now… Inazuma is basically a fishing village worrying about Khaenri'ah-level politics.]
[A bit too ambitious, no?]
Yae Miko froze mid-sip.
"…A fishing village?"
The entire nation of Inazuma: "? ? ?"
Ei: "...…."
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