While the people inside Wangshu Inn were murmuring among themselves, outside the inn, a bolt of lightning filled with terrifying power split the sky.
With a deafening crash, it struck the cliff beside Dvalin with precision. Though it did not hit him, the explosion sent countless rock fragments flying, pelting his body.
In the past, if someone had attacked Dvalin, he would have retaliated without hesitation. But now, he felt an overwhelming pressure in the sky above, pressing down on him so heavily that he could not lift his head.
Though the being did not reveal itself, the moment Dvalin felt that power, only one name came to mind.
The Heavenly Principles. The supreme existence of Teyvat.
At that moment, not only Dvalin outside the inn, but everyone inside—every listener from Liyue, the Qixing, the Raiden Shogun, and Venti—whether they wielded elemental power or not, felt the pressure from the sky.
As if, in the next moment, the Heavenly Principles would strike down with thunderous force and erase the entire inn.
Everyone trembled, daring only to whisper.
"We're doomed. The storyteller has killed us—"
"You can talk about anything, but why mention that forbidden book?"
"Even the powerful god Orobashi was sentenced to death for reading that book. What chance do ordinary people like us have?"
"But the storyteller only talked about the secret of Orobashi's death. He didn't go into detail about the book's contents. We don't know what's in Before Sun and Moon. We should be safe, right?"
"There should be no crime, right?"
The audience murmured among themselves. They felt wronged. They had only come to listen to stories, and now they had committed an offense. It would be truly unjust to be punished by the Heavenly Principles for this.
But soon, after a thunderclap and a flash of lightning, the sky fell silent again. The overwhelming pressure vanished.
Many understood. Like the thunder that had sounded before Orobashi opened Before Sun and Moon, this was not a punishment but a warning. A warning to everyone that all who came into contact with Before Sun and Moon must die.
Seeing the lightning disappear, the audience breathed a sigh of relief.
"It was just a warning. If the punishment had come down, all of Liyue Harbor would be finished—"
"Storyteller, why don't you tell a different story?"
"You can't tell any more stories about Before Sun and Moon—"
"Other storytellers charge Mora. You charge lives—"
The audience sighed in relief. Many looked at the storyteller on stage, their minds racing with questions.
Since the storyteller knew so much, had he read Before Sun and Moon himself? Why hadn't the Heavenly Principles punished him?
Though many questions remained, since the storyteller himself had not been punished, why should they, mere listeners, be afraid? Aside from a few who fled the inn in fear, most of the audience stayed, eager to hear what happened next, to learn how Orobashi was slain by the Raiden Shogun's blade.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the inn, the three Electro sisters, Barbatos, and Zhongli—as the Seven Archons of Teyvat, they understood this world far better than ordinary listeners.
But even they had only learned now that the one truly responsible for Orobashi's death was not Ei, who had swung the blade, but the supreme Heavenly Principles.
Hearing this truth, Barbatos asked curiously, "What secrets are in that Before Sun and Moon? Old man, I've heard you know everything. Have you read it?"
Though Barbatos had heard of the forbidden book, he had never imagined that merely reading it would result in a powerful god being sentenced to death. It was truly shocking.
Zhongli's perpetually indifferent expression flickered. "I have no interest in that book."
As one of the Seven Archons of Teyvat, the closest beings to the Heavenly Principles, Zhongli knew what he should and should not do. That ancient book, Before Sun and Moon, was one of the forbidden things.
Beside him, Ei's expression was complicated.
No wonder. At the time, she had thought that invasion made no sense. Knowing he could not win, knowing he would die, Orobashi had still led his warriors to Yashiori Island. It was less an invasion than a deliberate death.
Makoto noticed her sister's distress and sighed. "According to the storyteller, the story has only just begun. Let's keep listening. Perhaps there will be a turning point."
Though she said this, Makoto knew that the past could not be changed. Orobashi would die. And they, the listeners, could only watch from the inn.
Ei said quietly, "I understand."
Soon, they turned their attention back to the stage, waiting for the storyteller to continue.
...
Meanwhile, on stage, Li Mo waited for the audience to quiet down, took a sip of tea, and continued his story.
As he spoke, the Electro projections above the inn shifted once more.
In the images, after being sentenced to death by the Heavenly Principles, Orobashi had secured the right to live for the people of Enkanomiya.
Looking at Before Sun and Moon in his claws, Orobashi wished he could use his divine power to destroy it. But instinct told him not to. If he destroyed the book, all of Enkanomiya would suffer.
In the end, following the example of Enkanomiya's previous god, he used his power to seal the book once more.
Leaving the palace, Orobashi looked at the desolate land of Enkanomiya, at the people kneeling on the ground. His heart was filled with sorrow. By now, he had completely taken on the role of Enkanomiya's god. He could not bear to leave these people.
Then, the people of Enkanomiya, still kneeling, began to pray to him.
"Great Lord Orobashi, please use your boundless power to save your people—"