"Offering a business deal to a woman who likes to shut herself away? I mean Raiden Shogun. That's a great idea, Ningguang. I'll take on the role of your representative."
Eiji didn't object to Ningguang's desire to expand the range of the Teleportation Gate.
In fact, it also gave him a more plausible reason to approach certain women in Inazuma.
Ningguang's actions seemed like a wingman operation for him.
"...." Ningguang, Lumine, and the other women in the room.
From what Eiji said, he seemed to know a lot about Raiden Shogun.
Lumine: Let me guess—Raiden Shogun must be a very beautiful woman and one of Eiji's next targets.
Xianyun: This guy... He even wants to get his hands on an Archon? What's more, she's the Electro Archon!
As one of Liyue's Adeptus, she surely knows just how powerful Raiden Shogun is. Even Morax has to use his Geo element to protect himself if he doesn't want to be killed by the Electro element or the lightning unleashed by her sword strikes.
But yeah, Xianyun had to admit that woman was incredibly beautiful.
A lecher like Eiji would obviously be attracted to her.
[Why do I feel like my women are thinking lewd thoughts about me?]
Besides being a pervert, Eiji was also very sensitive! He could tell what they might be thinking about him.
Lumine, Xianyun, Gin, Chelsea, and Tsukushi looked away.
Hearing that this journey to Inazuma would involve a confrontation with the Electro Archon, some of the women also got excited.
"TheThunder God... Raiden Shogun?" Esdeath rose from her seat, letting out a crisp, passionate laugh. "Hahaha! Cutting through the stormy seas aboard the Beidou and heading to the Thunder God's dwelling... Eiji, you have to take me there! I want to see if the gods of this world can entertain me more than those sea monsters did before."
Akame slowly touched the hilt of Kiriichimonji at her waist, her pair of red eyes flashing sharply. "Our new target is the Thunder God's realm. I want to go with you, Eiji."
"Me too! Eiji, take me with you!" Kurome raised one hand. She didn't want to be separated from her sister, and wanted to travel with Eiji.
In that land called Inazuma, she and Akame might have a chance to seduce him.
The other members of the Golden Dawn certainly didn't want to stay in Liyue if Eiji went to Inazuma. Cornelia, Poney, Tsukushi, Chelsea, and Taeko also volunteered to accompany him on this journey.
"Sh, um... Lumine, quickly raise your hand!" Paimon pulled one of the protagonist's hands up into the air. She herself wanted to go with Eiji, but she couldn't do it without Lumine.
Lumine sighed, "Yeah… I've actually never been to Inazuma. Eiji, count me in."
The women's gazes turned to him, and Eiji smiled. "Of course, you can all come with me if you want."
While Kurome, Poney, and Paimon cheered with joy. Only Xianyun said something different from the others at that moment.
"Eiji, can I stay behind? It's been a while since I've seen my disciples; I want to check on them."
Eiji turned to look at Xianyun; he could see a sense of guilt on her beautiful face. He wasn't upset; instead, he replied casually. "Of course, I remember you have disciples. Don't forget to tell them good things about me."
Besides Ganyu, he knew Xianyun had another beautiful woman as a disciple.
He hoped she could act as his wingman. If not, that's fine too—he could easily meet them as her man.
"Thank you, and yes, I certainly won't tell them anything bad about you." Xianyun gave a faint smile, but there was tenderness in her eyes.
Morax would surely be surprised if he saw that scene. After all, that was Xianyun. She was usually indifferent to worldly matters, and certainly wouldn't look at a man with a gaze like that.
But right now, she was clearly looking at Eiji with the gaze of a woman who had fallen in love.
What kind of potion did Eiji give her!?
Eiji: It's love.
Miss System: To be precise, you kind of forced her to sleep with you.
Eiji: Miss System, she didn't refuse. We both did it because we like each other.
Her host is shameless as usual.
Miss System was numb.
Before Eiji could set the departure time for The Alcor fleet to Inazuma, the carved wooden door of the Jade Chamber's main hall suddenly burst open with a loud bang.
*Bang!*
Two important figures from the Liyue Qixing faction strode in, breathing heavily and walking with great haste. They were Keqing, the Yuheng, and Ganyu, the Qixing secretary who was half-Adeptus.
However, the panic etched on their faces froze for a few seconds. Keqing's footsteps halted, and her eyes widened as her gaze locked onto the handsome man in a red robe standing beside Ningguang.
Ganyu reacted just like Keqing. She hadn't forgotten her first encounter with Eiji about two weeks ago, and she had a pretty good impression of him.
She even still remembered how he had teased her.
"Yo, Keqing, Ganyu. It's been a while. You two look as beautiful as ever."
Hearing such a sudden compliment in the middle of that situation, both women blushed instantly.
Their composure wavered; Keqing cleared her throat loudly to hide her embarrassment, then replied nervously, "E-Eiji? It's good to have you here too! We really need you here right now!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Eiji reacted with confusion.
He pretended not to know about the crisis unfolding in the Liyue Sea or the threat approaching the harbor.
Ganyu bowed her horn-adorned head, her face flushing sweetly as she twirled the hem of her garment. "Hello, Eiji..."
She greeted Eiji, but then—she suddenly noticed someone else whose presence surprised her even more. Her gaze shifted to a woman in the room.
"M-Master, you're here too?!"
Unlike Keqing, who was focused solely on Eiji, Ganyu's attention was drawn to the elegant figure of a woman wearing red-framed glasses who was sipping tea in one of the chairs. That woman was her master, Xianyun.
Xianyun slowly set down her porcelain cup, gazing at her disciple with the calm authority of an Adeptus, though her eyes narrowed slightly. "My disciple, Ganyu... You've finally noticed your master's presence. And is there anything wrong with me being in Ningguang's office?"
Ganyu frantically waved both her hands in the air, nervously denying it. "N-No! It's not like that, Master! I… I was just so surprised that, of all places, you're here…"
It was only natural that Ganyu was so surprised. As far as she knew, for thousands of years, her master had been a holy hermit who always resided atop the cloud-capped peak of Mt. Aocang, keeping her distance from all worldly affairs of mortal humans—including refusing to stay in Liyue Harbor.
But now? Xianyun hadn't just come down from the mountain—she was sitting comfortably in Ningguang's luxurious Jade Chamber, enjoying tea with Eiji as if this place were her own home.
She even addressed Ningguang in a friendly tone, as if they were on good terms.
Ganyu had indeed heard a rumor that her master had gone with Eiji to Mondstadt a few days ago on some business.
However, her innocence meant she had absolutely no idea that during that trip, Xianyun had lost her virginity and become one of the women in Eiji's harem!
Her master's relationship with Eiji was even better than her own with Ningguang! Ganyu hadn't even realized that yet.
Xianyun, sensing her disciples' emotional turmoil, simply smiled amusedly, then steered the conversation toward the urgency of their visit. "Judging by the look on your face and your erratic footsteps, it seems there's a serious problem going on down there."
Ganyu immediately straightened up, her expression changing drastically once again to one of extreme tension and anxiety. "That's right, Master! A major problem is unfolding right now!"
She glanced at Keqing beside her, giving her a look as if asking her to explain the situation to everyone.
Keqing understood the signal; she stepped forward into the center of the room and spoke in a slightly trembling voice.
"The ancient seal left behind from the Archon War in the Guyun Stone Forest region was completely shattered a short while ago!" she said, her voice loud yet filled with dread. "The Sea God—or Ancient Monster—Osial has completely broken free from the constraints of the Geo Stone Spear! That colossal monster is currently plowing through the ocean and is certain to arrive at Liyue Harbor within minutes! If no one stops it, the monster will trigger a tsunami and wipe out the entire population of Liyue without exception!"
Upon hearing the news of Osial's awakening, Ningguang's office was suddenly enveloped in silence for a moment.
[This plot has finally begun—that's good.]
How is that news a "good thing" for you, Eiji!?
Ningguang, Lumine, Xianyun, and the other women who could hear his inner voice stared at the only man in the room in confusion.
*Eiji, may I be the one to fight it—"
Esdeath was about to ask if Eiji could hand Osial over to her? She was going to kill it herself.
She was fired up, and anyone could see the maniacal grin on her face as she prepared for battle. Beidou shot her a glance as if she'd gone mad for wanting to fight an ancient monster like Osial all by herself.
Fortunately, Eiji interrupted Esdeath by saying, "Esdeath, you'll have to be content with the deep-sea monsters from the mission I gave you earlier for now. The prey that's come this time belongs to your man."
Esdeath looked a little dissatisfied, but she didn't object to her man's decision.
Beidou was stunned, "What? Eiji, are you serious about what you just said?!"
Not only Esdeath, but Eiji has gone crazy too!
Or maybe he's just so arrogant that he thinks he can defeat Osial all by himself?
"Eiji, fighting Osial alone is too reckless. In this situation, everyone in Liyue must certainly work together."
Keqing thought Eiji was overestimating his own power. Even if she had heard his inner voice before, she still doubted him.
However, she frowned because Ningguang and the others didn't seem to share her view.
"Ningguang, you think the same way I do, right?"
The woman with hair resembling a cat's tail asked her, and Ningguang smiled amusedly. "Because my man, Eiji, said so. I trust him."
"Are you crazy!?"
Keqing's eyes widened.
Has love scrambled Ningguang's brain?
"Of course, we still have to protect the citizens so they stay safe while Eiji deals with Osial. Keqing, have you told the soldiers to evacuate the citizens?" Ningguang added.
"I already did that before Ganyu and I came here."
Keqing replied, but she still wanted to return to their previous topic. She also glanced at Eiji and noticed he was just giving a faint smile.
From what she could see, he did indeed look very confident.
"Eiji, defeat that ancient monster or whatever it is! Paimon and the others will support you from behind!"
What the little fairy who was always by the Traveler's side said didn't help either.
Why, aside from her and Beidou, was there no one else here who doubted Eiji's ability to defeat Osial? Even Ganyu's master, the Adeptus, Cloud Retainer (Xianyun), took another sip of tea from her cup.
Wasn't she a little too calm?
Actually, Ganyu also doubted Eiji's power, but she was too shy to say anything at that moment.
"Good job. Now, we just have to wait for Osial to arrive."
Ningguang didn't seem panicked, even though she had a serious expression on her face that made her look even more beautiful than Keqing remembered. Not only that, but her figure now even made her feel a little envious.
But just as she said that—
*BOOOOOOMMMM!!!*
The sound of an explosion rang out from the distance.
The corners of Eiji's lips curled up even higher.
His turn to show off in front of so many beautiful women had finally arrived!
Leme: Hehehe. This is a great opportunity, our King! Let the women who are skeptical of your power see just how amazing you are. Make them think that you're the only one who can be their husband.
Miss System: "...."
She didn't say anything.
...
At that moment, the sea surface near Liyue Harbor suddenly erupted violently, sending a massive tidal wave crashing directly into the pier's retaining wall.
From behind the rolling, pitch-black waves, five massive water dragon heads shot high into the air, piercing through the gray clouds. An intensely thick and suffocating aura of ancient menace instantly engulfed the entire city. Osial, the Overlord of the Vortex, had officially arrived to bring destruction.
The roar of the ancient sea god thundered with tremendous force, shaking the foundations of the stone buildings throughout Liyue Harbor.
"MORAAAX!!! COME OUT!!!" Osial bellowed, his deep, echoing voice tearing through the night sky, filled with hatred that had festered for thousands of years at the bottom of the sea. "For two thousand years I've been trapped beneath the darkness of your damned stones! Today, I will reduce this entire city you've built to a blood-soaked heap of rubble! I will exact vengeance for every suffering I've endured!!!"
*Beep! Beep!*
The city's emergency sirens immediately wailed piercingly, shattering the fear. Witnessing the ancient sea god, as massive as a mountain, standing right before their eyes with a tsunami wave poised to crash onto the shore, all the residents of Liyue instantly panicked and were overcome with fear.
"T-The ancient sea god has been unleashed!!" shouted a street vendor as he dropped his wares.
Thousands of city residents, from the elderly to the very young, scrambled in all directions, filling the marble streets as they jostled to enter the evacuation zones. Screams of terror and hysterical cries echoed in every corner of the harbor, which now stood on the brink of mass destruction.
While mass chaos engulfed the harbor below, the perspective shifted to the roof of a tall building located quite far on the outskirts of the city. There, a young man with orange hair and a red scarf fluttering in the stormy wind stood tall, his arms crossed over his chest.
He is Tartaglia.
His cold blue eyes stare straight at the terrifying manifestation of Osial in the distance with a look of deep satisfaction.
A cunning and cruel smirk was clearly etched on his handsome face. As I mentioned earlier, he is the mastermind who released the seal using a copy of the Sigil of Permission.
Yesterday, he had met Morax in his human disguise (Zhongli) and struck a deal with him.
The terms of that deal allowed him or the Fatui led by Tsaritsa to easily obtain Geo Gnosis from Morax.
But for that to happen, what happens next will determine whether Morax will relinquish his Gnosis or not.
"Good work, Osial," Tartaglia muttered, his voice sounding remarkably calm amid the roar of the stormy sea.
He adjusted the Fatui mask on the side of his head, then let out a small laugh laced with political manipulation.
"Now… let's see together whether the mortal humans of Liyue Qixing and the Adepts can protect Liyue with their own strength… or if you'll be forced to step in personally from your hiding place to reseal Osial… Morax."
"I hope it's the former."
If Morax didn't have to intervene, he would willingly hand over his Gnosis to the Fatui and truly retire as the God who protects Liyue. That's because, even without him, Liyue would still be just fine.
That was the purpose of the agreement they made.
Still, Tartaglia suddenly shuddered and immediately turned his gaze toward the sky. To be precise, he sensed something even more terrifying than Osial of the Jade Chamber.
"That's not possible, is it? Have the adepts gathered in the Jade Chamber, or is there someone else capable of giving me such a terrifying feeling?"
Not only that, but he felt that the Jade Chamber's owner, Ningguang, was far too calm. She and the other Qixing had merely ordered the soldiers to evacuate the citizens even though Osial had already surrendered.
"What is that woman planning?"
Tartaglia wondered curiously. At the same time, before Osial unleashed a water attack—or a Hydro element—that could easily destroy the pier walls and buildings.
At that moment—
"!!!"
Tartaglia and everyone in Liyue Harbor, including Osial, heard something coming from the direction of the Jade Chamber.
From there, they also saw a black shadow spreading to cover the entire sky above the city.
An oppressive force capable of sending chills down the spine of even a god like Morax spread throughout Liyue.
What's happening?
What is that?
Who?
Those were the questions on many people's minds. If Osial's presence filled them with fear, this presence made their bodies tremble so violently they were temporarily unable to move.
It feels as though something even more terrifying than the ancient Sea God is now looking down on them from the sky.