Sumeru, the desert.
Inside the Eternal Oasis.
"Hah~"
"Finally… it's done."
Looking utterly worn out, Nahida wiped the sweat from her forehead—yet her eyes were bright with excitement.
This crystal had originally belonged to the Nail of the heavens. Later, it became part of the Eternal Oasis that King Deshret Al-Ahmar reshaped.
Now, it had officially changed hands.
It belonged to her—Nahida, the Lesser Lord Kusanali.
A bargaining chip to revive Rukkhadevata: +1.
"God of Wisdom… our Jinn tribe… do we truly have hope of liberation?"
The great Jinn, Ferigees, who had willingly imprisoned herself within the Semi-Eternal Control Matrix to stand guard over the Goddess of Flowers' mausoleum—the Eternal Oasis—spoke with a trace of yearning.
The future King Deshret promised, the future the Goddess of Flowers promised… had both disappeared beyond reach.
This newborn God of Wisdom who had arrived in haste might be her only hope before she faded away.
And it might be the Jinn tribe's only hope as well.
"Yes." Nahida answered with absolute certainty.
"I'm very weak. Immature."
"But Rukkhadevata is different."
"You've seen her before. You know her greatness."
"…"
As a Jinn from the same era as Sumeru's three gods, Ferigees had indeed seen Rukkhadevata.
So she didn't deny Nahida's words.
There was only one problem—
Was there truly someone in this world who could revive Rukkhadevata?
"I have no need to deceive you." Seeing Ferigees's worry, Nahida slowly shook her head. "More than anyone, I want Rukkhadevata to return—to have her lead Sumeru into the future."
"The only reason I took the Eternal Oasis is because it's qualified to become a bargaining chip for reviving Rukkhadevata."
"Next is the Golden Slumber inside King Deshret's mausoleum."
"Once I secure it, I'll find a way to gather a portion of divine authority. When the time comes, you'll protect me as we go to Liyue together…"
"We'll witness a miracle—together."
"…"
Hearing Nahida's explanation, Ferigees suppressed the doubts in her mind once more.
"King Deshret's Golden Slumber… is death. Your Grace… are you confident?"
"I'm not sure." Nahida shook her head slightly. "I inherited the Dendro Archon's authority, but King Deshret's knowledge still surpasses mine."
"My chances of taking the Golden Slumber are less than fifty percent."
"But no matter how difficult it is, I have to try."
Whether Rukkhadevata could be revived—
No matter what desperate hell it took, she would break through it.
"Good." Ferigees steeled herself. "If what you say is true, then even with only a fifty-percent chance, I'm willing to persuade my kin for you—open a path forward for the God of Wisdom."
There were countless Primal Constructs wandering the Sumeru desert.
But most of them were basically useless.
Because the kin sealed inside Constructs of that level had largely lost their minds long ago.
Matrices like the Semi-Eternal Control Matrix that imprisoned her weren't common.
And any that did exist would certainly still possess relatively intact consciousness.
If she could gather and persuade a few, they might actually prove useful.
"Thank you." Nahida spoke with earnest seriousness. "Let's set out for King Deshret's mausoleum right away. We've already wasted quite a bit of time here."
"The sooner we get what we need, the sooner Rukkhadevata can return."
"I'm looking forward to it!" Ferigees replied, her body rapidly reassembling. "God of Wisdom, please—let me take you through the underground desert."
"It'll be faster."
"Alright!" Nahida nodded at once. "Then I'll be counting on you."
She stepped up with her little feet and bounced lightly.
She'd spent a lot of mental energy in the Eternal Oasis.
She really did need to rest for a bit.
Ferigees controlled the Command Matrix, carried Nahida out of the oasis's range—
then plunged straight beneath the sands, racing toward King Deshret's mausoleum.
Inazuma, Tenshukaku.
After a full day of nonstop work, Makoto rubbed her brow.
Then her gaze fell to the Musou Isshin resting across her lap.
"Ei, tomorrow I'll be summoning you and Miko."
"We end this turmoil as quickly as possible."
"Make absolutely sure the people of Inazuma are safe. As for everything else… handle it as you see fit."
Inazuma was riddled with holes.
But the evidence was nearly all collected.
The chain of events had already been sorted out.
Next, Makoto—the "literary" side—would withdraw behind the scenes.
In her place would stand the "martial" side: Kage.
'Don't worry, Onee-san. I'll return with victory.'
'They're nothing but chickens and dogs. Half a day is enough.'
Ei had been suppressing her killing intent for days.
Tomorrow, she intended to let it all loose.
For a warrior, only blood could wash away humiliation.
Those ignorant, arrogant, insolent fools who had tainted the honor of warriors—
would pay with their lives.
"Try not to go overboard." Makoto patted the Musou Isshin.
"Just cleanse the rot. Don't rush Watatsumi Island for now."
"After all, that place… from the very beginning, it was never within Inazuma's borders."
"And now—"
'This time, listen to me.'
Ei cut her off.
'I won't hold back anymore, Onee-san.'
'When Watatsumi first rose to the surface, we gave them a chance. After Orobashi invaded, you and I gave them another chance—autonomy.'
'Even when Qubaitai died because of it, I never blamed them.'
'But now… I won't give them any more chances.'
Makoto and Ei had already given them two chances.
Yet Watatsumi repaid them with no gratitude at all.
What they buried was nothing but hatred.
…
Since they were greedy without limit, and again and again chose to throw away their chance to live—
then Ei could just as well grant them death.
That island had never truly belonged to Inazuma from beginning to end.
It never should have been on the sea's surface in the first place.
If she marched out this time and they were still stubbornly beyond saving…
Then she would swing again—carve it back down, and send the island to the ocean floor.
"You…" Makoto chuckled softly. "Don't keep defaulting to 'stop killing with more killing.'"
Her fingertips brushed the blade.
"My sword's about to be sharpened into readiness."
"Let's wait until Miko comes back first."
"…"
Ei didn't answer.
She'd already made up her mind.
Under Makoto's rule, there would be no more "odd voices" of any kind.
"Makoto~ I'm back."
A faint pink glow flickered.
The silhouette of the fox appeared.
"Mm. How is it?" Makoto lifted her head slightly, a small smile on her face.
If she'd guessed right, it should be bad news.
"Not good, not bad." Yae Miko shook her head helplessly. "Sangonomiya Kokomi, the Divine Priestess, doesn't intend to submit. She only wants peace talks. As for everything else… it's even worse."
"Also, the seal on Yashiori Island has issues. The tatarigami that formed after Orobashi's death has broken free."
"Preliminary judgment says it's Watatsumi's doing—but there may be outsiders stirring the pot. Watatsumi might've been used as a knife."
"And on top of that, the Mikage Furnace at Tatarasuna shows signs of unrest…"
"…"
This is "not good, not bad"?
These are all bad news, you know?!
(End of Chapter)
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