"Oh, there's plenty more I could do. Maybe I could even build a time machine to travel across eras."
"Time… travel…"
If there really was a way to save Makoto, then surely this was the only path.
When he had spoken of searching the stars for a way to resurrect her, Ei had felt nothing.
But when she heard of reviving Makoto by rewinding time, her heart shook violently.
If such a machine truly existed, it wouldn't only be Makoto— it could bring back Kitsune Saiguu, Sasayuri!
Even Chiyo wouldn't have succumbed to madness!
The more she thought of it, the stronger the yearning grew.
"Then… why was Makoto in that dream, but not Chiyo and the others?"
Ei suddenly realized something about the strange dream of Inazuma.
If Makoto existed within it, why were the others absent?
Before, she had been too dazed at Makoto's sudden appearance to think clearly.
But now that her mind had cooled, she thought of her other friends.
If there was a way to save them too, how could she not grasp it?
"Because I don't know the others."
"And you know Makoto?"
Had they met before?
Why did she have no memory at all?
"Of course. Didn't she even call me her brother-in-law? Naturally, I have to treat my dear sister-in-law well."
Su Ran ruffled Ei's hair indulgently.
"But wasn't that only because of a misunderstanding?
Before she mistook you as… her brother-in-law, what did she take you for?"
Ei didn't know.
All she knew was that back then, Makoto had been strangely fond of Su Ran.
Had they known each other long before?
"Yes. But is it really necessary to quibble over the order of things?"
Su Ran spread his hands.
"If order doesn't matter, then Kitsune Saiguu and Chiyo could just meet you later, and appear in the dream first."
Ei seized on his words like a cat catching a mouse, refusing to let go.
"Shouldn't you help my friends too? Isn't that the right thing to do?"
This was her chance!
How often in life did one get such an opportunity?
"My Ei is truly clever."
Su Ran ruffled her hair again.
Up ahead, Ganyu glanced back now and then.
Every word of their conversation fell into her ears.
A machine that could travel through time…
Not just Cloud Retainer, but even the Lord of Geo would be tempted.
Still, if such a device were misused…
wouldn't the consequences be dire?
The more Ei learned of Su Ran's abilities, the more she realized she could not leave him.
Without him, how was she supposed to go on?
"When are we going back to Inazuma?"
She really couldn't bear to stay in Liyue another moment.
What fun was there here?
Inazuma was where her dream lay!
There, she could have everything.
And in Liyue, she even had to pay for things.
"Three to five years, perhaps."
Su Ran stroked his chin, then gave his estimate.
Ei very nearly wanted to knock him out and carry him back home immediately!
—
Once more, they arrived at the Jade Chamber.
Nothing much had changed from last time.
Su Ran walked straight to the bulletin board covered in information about himself.
"Miss Ningguang really can't stop thinking about me, can she?"
This time, there was even more detail than before.
Clearly, Liyue's investigation of him had been very thorough.
"It's just a shame their photography is so awful.
It can't even capture my beauty properly."
He took out several handsome portraits of himself, and generously posted them up.
Ganyu, watching at the side, wanted to speak up— but she didn't even know how to stop him.
Surely Ningguang hadn't gathered all this data for his looks, right?
Su Ran picked up a blank sheet of paper and began filling it with even more detailed information.
Even Ei leaned over to peek.
[Name: Su Ran]
[Gender: Male]
[Affiliation: Genius Society, Snezhnaya]
[Identity: Member No. 85 of the Genius Society, Erudition's Messenger, Second Harbinger of the Fatui.]
[Recognized by the Preservation of Erudition as a Messenger of Knowledge—
a peerless genius of the cosmos, master inventor of all things.
Possessing both unparalleled beauty and intellect, a man who could win the world itself!]
Too troublesome to explain further.
All he needed was for people to know—he was a big deal.
After finishing, he posted the sheet on the board.
"What's this?" Ei frowned.
"A marriage profile. My self-introduction's pretty luxurious, isn't it?"
Ningguang had arrived at some point, watching his antics, hearing his words.
"The Genius Society? Erudition's Messenger?
Those are terms I've never heard before."
This information—none of it was in Ningguang's grasp.
But knowing Su Ran as she did, she didn't think he was lying.
"But of course! To you, Teyvat may seem vast, but in the cosmos it's no more than a speck of dust."
Even the Interastral Peace Corporation wouldn't bother much with this world.
The only real value here was manpower.
At most, the Seven Archons were high-level combatants under a Messenger.
"Then… Mr. Su Ran is from beyond the stars?"
Ningguang did not seem overly surprised.
"I am a Descender."
He admitted it outright.
A Descender—an outsider with the power to overturn a world.
To the people of Teyvat, that was no great secret.
"Then you truly are a precious prize."
For the first time, Ningguang felt a pang of regret.
Such a treasure of a man—yet he was a Fatui Harbinger?
Even without knowing what the Genius Society or a Messenger was, that number 85 spoke volumes.
Surely there were eighty-four more like him, all no weaker.
If she could befriend Su Ran, what countless connections might that bring?
Ei frowned, took up the brush, and struck through "Snezhnaya,"
replacing it with "Inazuma."
Ningguang silently watched the Raiden Shogun poach her man with such brazenness.
If only she had Ei's nerve.
But alas, she still had to reckon with Su Ran's identity as a Harbinger.
And not just any Harbinger— the Second Seat.
~~--------------------------------------
To read 30+ future chapters head over to patreon:
patreon.com/YonkoSlayer