When Ryen and the others re-entered the Twilight Forest for exploration, Lumine and Ayaka also set out for the Grand Narukami Shrine.
They had originally planned to ride a dragon there, but with the perpetual thunderstorm in the skies above Inazuma, what if the Raiden Shogun suddenly had the whim to strike them down with lightning?
That would be… more than a little awkward.
Kamisato Ayato had already dispatched people to contact the Resistance. If they wanted to succeed in changing the Raiden Shogun's mind, he believed that Yae Miko and Lumine were the most crucial factors. At the same time, however, the voice of the Resistance could not be ignored.
Friends and subjects—only by uniting both could the Shogun truly be moved.
So saying Ayato was "gathering public opinion" wasn't wrong.
As for actually resisting the Shogun… any Inazuman with a brain wouldn't think that was possible.
No matter how loudly the Resistance shouted, their real aim was simply to overturn the Vision Hunt Decree, to make the Raiden Shogun rescind her order.
No mortal could hope to stand against an Archon.
At least… not with Inazuma's current power.
Ayato also needed to have a word with Kujou Sara.
If Kujou Sara insisted on supporting the Vision Hunt and the Sakoku Decree, things would become truly troublesome.
Lumine and Ayaka, by contrast, had taken on the simpler task.
But before they could even get far, they were stopped by a shrine maiden named Yuki, sent by Yae Miko.
The three of them stood beneath a cherry blossom tree on Narukami Island, exchanging glances.
"You're looking for the Guuji?"
"Yae Miko is looking for us?"
The three stared at one another, a strange sense of mutual understanding welling up between them.
After a brief silence, Yuki spoke softly:
"It is indeed quite the coincidence, but it's also a good thing. Since it's so, I ask the Traveler and Lady Kamisato to accompany me."
"Lady Yae is waiting for you both at the Grand Narukami Shrine."
Lumine grinned cheerfully and nodded.
"Just call me Lumine!"
Yuki let out a small smile, finally relaxing a little.
She hadn't had much direct contact with Lumine before. At most, she had caught a distant glimpse of her while stationed on Ritou.
Knowing Lumine's formidable background, Yuki had worried that she might be difficult to approach. After all, her brother was none other than the leader of the Abyss Order. Logically speaking, she should have carried some of the Abyss Order's tendencies with her—hatred of the Seven Nations, a constant drive to see them destroyed.
But now, Lumine seemed surprisingly easy to get along with. At the very least, she looked every bit the harmless, adorable young girl.
The path to the Grand Narukami Shrine wasn't long. None of the three were ordinary people, and with urgent matters on their minds, they moved swiftly. By their reckoning, they would arrive around noon.
Lumine glanced at Yuki, who was leading the way, and asked curiously:
"By the way, how did your Guuji even know about me?"
Yuki pursed her lips with a smile and answered gently:
"What happened on Ritou… the higher-ups of Inazuma are all aware of your existence by now, Lady Lumine."
"Although the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine may seem to be just the shrine's administrator, in reality, the Guuji is also a retainer of the Shogun."
Hearing this, Lumine suddenly understood, and said with a grin:
"So, it's because of my identity then!"
Yuki pursed her lips slightly and gave a small nod.
"Please rest assured, Miss Lumine. Although the Guuji's personality is… well, a bit playful, she bears no ill will toward you."
Lumine waved her hand with a laugh.
"Why would she have ill will toward me? I'm just an ordinary traveler!"
Ordinary?
Yuki's feelings grew complicated.
For Lumine to call herself "ordinary" was about as laughable as Yae Miko saying the food she hated most was fried tofu.
What kind of "ordinary traveler" counts the three Archons among her friends, while her brother happens to be the ruler of the Abyss Order?
There was no one else in all of Teyvat with a background stronger than Lumine's.
"Is it because of my brother?" Lumine asked thoughtfully.
Yuki didn't answer.
Lumine waved her hand again and said softly:
"Don't worry. I'm nothing like him. I don't know what madness has taken over that guy, but now he won't even see me. You don't have to worry—I have nothing to do with the Abyss Order."
Yuki froze for a moment. Seeing that Lumine didn't seem to be lying, she finally let out a small sigh of relief.
After a pause, she asked softly:
"Miss Lumine, did you come to Inazuma purely for your journey?"
Lumine nodded, speaking casually:
"Something like that. People like Zhongli and the others—they all keep talking in riddles, saying I have to continue my journey until my eyes have taken in the essence of this world."
"Weird talk if you ask me. But since I was already planning to travel all of Teyvat, Inazuma just happens to be my third stop."
Yuki nodded in thought.
"Then I wish you a smooth journey through Inazuma, Miss Lumine. If you ever run into trouble, you're welcome to come to the Grand Narukami Shrine and find me."
"The shrine can even offer you blessings!"
Almost instinctively, Yuki began promoting the shrine's blessing services again. But when she thought about Lumine's situation, she realized that blessings probably didn't matter much to her.
Just from this short time together, Yuki had already seen that Lumine commanded three elemental powers—and without even possessing a Vision. Her strength spoke for itself; unless she came across an Archon, there probably wouldn't be a problem.
And if she did run into an Archon… well, then it would be a matter of drawing the unluckiest of fortunes.
But… in that case, who could say whether it would be the Archon's misfortune, or Lumine's?
If she couldn't deal with the enemy, who knew if Lumine would simply "call in reinforcements"?
With three Archons as her friends, and her brother as the Abyss Prince—if even one of them showed up, it wouldn't be something an ordinary Archon could handle.
The God of War, Morax.
The Anemo Archon, Barbatos. Their primordial ruling powers were beyond question.
The Cryo Archon was equally formidable.
As for the Prince of the Abyss Order…
If he didn't have power surpassing even that of most Archons, how could he rule the Abyss?
The three of them chatted idly. With Paimon's chatterbox nature, and Lumine herself being quite talkative, the conversation flowed easily.
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