"My lady, should we go after them?"
Smack.
The response the Electro Cicin Mage received was a sharp slap across the face.
An icy gaze shot towards her.
The Cicin Mage quickly knelt on the ground, trembling with fear.
"Do I need you to teach me how to do my job?"
"My lady, I'm sorry! It was my mistake."
"Hmph. If you forget your place again, you won't need to stand before me in the future."
La Signora withdrew her cold gaze, her fingers slowly tapping on the tabletop.
She was thinking.
If Liyue's train were to arrive in Mondstadt, would it affect her plans?
Perhaps she should intervene and stop it.
"Get up. Take some people and destroy the railway being built within Mondstadt's borders. The train is not permitted to reach the city, at least not before I obtain the Gnosis."
"Yes, my lady."
Having received her orders, the Electro Cicin Mage let out a sigh of relief. It seemed she wasn't going to be killed today.
Meanwhile, in the lightning-shrouded nation of Inazuma, at Mt. Yougou, beneath the giant Sacred Sakura of the Grand Narukami Shrine, a breathtakingly beautiful woman was yawning out of boredom.
"Oh, my… how dull. The stories from Yae Publishing House have been dreadfully boring lately. Why must life always be so stagnant?"
Yae Miko stretched lazily, preparing to get up and take a walk.
As the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, she was supposed to be dignified and sacred, but you couldn't find the slightest connection between her and the word "dignified."
As Yae Miko stood up, her long, pink hair swayed in the wind. The nearby shrine maidens who were serving her looked on with infatuated expressions.
"Lady Guuji is as beautiful as ever."
"That goes without saying! Her Ladyship is the very symbol of beauty and wisdom."
The two shrine maidens debated in low voices, while Yae Miko just smiled faintly, thoroughly enjoying the praise.
Just then, the cry of a bird was heard.
She looked up at the sky and saw a strange little bird piercing through the clouds and flying towards her.
"Hm? Could it be that something interesting has happened in the outside world?"
Watching the bird fly closer, a flash of pleasant surprise appeared in Yae Miko's amethyst-like eyes.
She held out her finger, and a wisp of lightning flashed. The bird was quickly guided into her hand.
Opening the small capsule attached to the bird, a stack of intelligence reports appeared in Yae Miko's hands.
"Let's see what interesting things have happened. Mm, Mondstadt is the same as always, still being harassed by Stormterror? How boring. Hm? What's going on with Liyue?"
Yae Miko, who had just been reading the intelligence with a playful look, suddenly had an expression of utter shock after seeing the Liyue report.
In less than a month, Liyue had undergone a world-shaking transformation.
And the cause of it all began when Rex Lapis appointed a National Treasure.
Cracking down on the Treasure Hoarders within the country.
Establishing a large-scale laboratory.
Even building a city from the ground up on what was once ruins!
This kind of cohesive power left Yae Miko deeply shaken.
Compared to the single-minded efficiency of Liyue, Inazuma could only be described as chaotic.
The General was a shut-in, and the one in charge of the country was a puppet. The three Commissions all acted independently. And they still had to play "resistance army games" with the people of the other islands.
Just look at Liyue, alright? This is what a country should look like!
Yae Miko complained internally for a long time, then continued to read. It wasn't just that the Treasure Hoarders had been driven out; they had even been recruited.
Refuse to obey? Fine, you'll be executed on the spot!
And the Fatui had suffered as well, all because they had touched someone close to the National Treasure, leading to the destruction of many of their strongholds.
"What an intriguing man. But provoking the Fatui like this might not be a good idea," Yae Miko mused, her face full of curiosity.
Soon, her expression turned to one of shock again as she saw Ningguang's follow-up move.
The Liyue Bank, in coordination with the train and the electric lamps, was a direct psychological attack, and there was nothing the Fatui could do about it.
Yae Miko nodded repeatedly as she read, sighing in admiration. "What a brilliant move. As expected, Liyue is still the most interesting place. The train, instant noodles, hot pot, the black ooze in The Chasm being resolved, and even the adepti who haven't shown their faces in a long time have come out to help. To say that all of this has nothing to do with that man named Su Han… I refuse to believe it."
"I really want to recruit him. That way, the problems in Inazuma could be solved. Unfortunately, that woman Ningguang would never let him go."
Zzt. A wisp of electricity sparked, and the intelligence report turned to ash.
Yae Miko gave an order to the people beside her. "You don't need to follow me today. Go on about your business."
"My lady!"
"My lady, we…"
Before the two shrine maidens could finish, Yae Miko's figure had already vanished. The two of them looked at each other and gave a bitter smile. Lady Guuji was wonderful in every way, but her habit of disappearing was a bit of a problem.
Inside the Kamisato Estate, Kamisato Ayaka was at her desk, handling official business. Although her brother was in charge of the household, she still hoped to help him in any way she could.
"My, my, I didn't expect our Shirasagi Himegimi to be so diligent every day."
The sudden voice instantly put the young woman on alert, but when she recognized the speaker's voice, she couldn't help but show a look of pleasant surprise. "So it is Lady Yae Guuji who has come. What is your business here?"
The other party did not answer her question. Instead, she gently tapped Ayaka on the head with her fan.
"I've told you countless times, when there's no one else around, you can call me Sister Miko. You, why do you never learn?" Yae Miko said with a feigned look of anger. This girl, why doesn't she ever change? She's become so stiff and foolish.
"Lady Guuji… uh, Sister Miko. I'm sorry. It's just a habit from being in front of outsiders," Ayaka said with a bitter smile.
She knew this wasn't good, but when you wear a mask for so long, it's not easy to take it off. And in front of outsiders, she had to maintain the grace and dignity of the Shirasagi Himegimi, without the slightest breach of etiquette. This was completely different from Yae Miko, because that sly fox only ever did as she pleased.
"Alright, alright. I came to find you this time to ask you for a favor."
"Please, speak."
"Liyue has undergone a dramatic change, and a trusted subordinate of that Ningguang woman may be coming for trade soon. When she arrives, I want to discuss some things with her. I'd like you to make the introduction. Let's choose the Komore Teahouse as the location."
Yae Miko controlled all the intelligence in Inazuma. You could say that she was aware of every single thing that happened in this land. For example, she knew that the Kaedehara clan's boy was currently working on Beidou's ship, and that every time they came to liaise, it was the people of the Yashiro Commission who helped.
Kamisato Ayaka nodded. "Mm, I will keep an eye out for her. By the way, Sister Miko, what happened in Liyue?"
"I heard that during the recent Rite of Descension, the Geo Archon of Liyue appointed a man to be their National Treasure, and then…"
"A train? Instant noodles, a delicacy that can be eaten just by soaking it in hot water? And it only costs a little Mora? How magical," Ayaka exclaimed, her eyes full of yearning. It was a pity she could not leave Inazuma. Otherwise, she would have really wanted to cross the sea and see it for herself.
After chatting about the affairs of Liyue, Ayaka's face turned sorrowful. "Lady Guuji, the Sakoku Decree has been going on for a long time. The Vision Hunt Decree has also made the people live in constant fear, forcing them to flee overseas. Is there really no way to change all of this?"
"Even if I am her familiar, there are some things I cannot stop. Unless you can defeat the unbeatable General, perhaps there might be a glimmer of hope."
"That… I cannot do." Defeat the Raiden Shogun? What a joke. For her to go would just be suicide.
Yae Miko, not wanting to see the young woman's sad face, disappeared in a flash of lightning.
But no one knew that she was more anxious than anyone else. Unfortunately, that woman Ei was just too stubborn, always insisting on her "eternity," not realizing that someone was taking advantage of this obsession to bring calamity to the nation she so loved.
At Windrise, a certain bard had also received the intelligence from Liyue. Looking at the words on the page, his face was full of surprise.
"Electric lamps? A train? Isn't this technology?"
"Hmm, since when did that stubborn old man allow Liyue to research technology?"
"Incredible, truly incredible."
"Mm, Dvalin has been quite well-behaved recently. Should I go over and take a look?"
"If I bring a few bottles of vintage wine, I probably won't get blown away, right?"
It had been a long time since they had caught up. It would be fun to go and see him. And he was also very interested in Liyue's cuisine and that new city of alchemy.
After a moment, the roguish bard smiled. "I've decided! I'll go and take a look. I also have some questions about The Chasm that I want to ask him."
He waved his hand towards a certain spot in Windrise. A gentle green current of air slammed into the ground. With a burst of earth, ten bottles of vintage wine rose from the ground. They floated on the current and quickly arrived before Venti.
"Mm, I'll drink these this time. I'll save the rest for later."
Swish. The current of air appeared once more, and he rode the wind, flying towards Liyue.
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