Before long.
Yae Miko stepped into the solemn and majestic hall of Tenshukaku, where the Puppet Shogun sat at the head, her purple eyes calm and rippleless.
"Lord General, why such an urgent summons? I wonder what important matter has arisen?" Yae Miko bowed slightly, her posture impeccable, yet carrying her usual lazy, teasing tone.
The Puppet Shogun did not answer directly, only saying indifferently, "She is looking for you."
As the words fell, the surrounding scenery shifted abruptly. The barriers of space rippled like water, and in the next moment, Yae Miko found herself within that Plane of Euthymia, permeated with an aura of eternity and loneliness.
Under the dark purple sky lay an infinite desert. In the center of that desert, Raiden Ei stood alone with her back turned, her long purple hair hanging quietly in the windless environment.
"My, my~" Yae Miko chuckled and walked forward with light steps, her heels making a slight sound on the ground, breaking the long silence of this place. "Our noble Lord General, why do you have such leisure today to pull me in here?"
Ei slowly turned around, her cold face showing little emotion, but deep within those purple eyes gazing at Yae Miko, there was a swirl of emotions a thousand times more complex than the Puppet Shogun's.
She did not speak immediately, but simply raised her hand, and the book 'the various affairs of the raiden shogun and the guuji' appeared out of thin air, floating between the two of them.
"Miko." Ei's voice was steady. "I need an explanation for this book."
"An explanation?" Yae Miko tilted her head and blinked innocently, her fox-like eyes shimmering. "Isn't this the latest best-selling book introduced by the Yae Publishing House? It's by a famous author from Liyue named 'Hanabi.' The writing is delicate, the plot is moving, and it's been widely acclaimed in Inazuma."
"I thought you, Ei, would also be interested in stories depicting the 'deep friendship' between us~"
"Absurd!" Ei's brow furrowed, and the tips of her ears seemed to heat up again. "These... these ridiculous contents! What 'disguising as each other,' what 'insubordination,' and..."
She paused, seemingly finding it hard to speak of the more explicit descriptions, and finally said in a deep voice, "Especially those details regarding the Archon War period... Yae Miko, what exactly are you trying to do?"
The playfulness on Yae Miko's face subsided slightly. She took a few steps forward until she was only inches away from Ei.
She stared into Ei's eyes, her voice softening a bit with an indefinable meaning: "Ei, those experiences of fighting side-by-side, those past moments of supporting each other—even if the details are fictional, are they really... entirely just 'ridiculous'?"
Ei's gaze shifted slightly as those descriptions in the book about the battlefield, the planning, and the sharing of sake after victory resurfaced clearly in her mind. Those experiences she shared with Makoto had been cleverly transplanted, adapted, and applied to her and Miko.
This caused her a sense of discomfort from being tampered with, yet deep in her heart, there was a strange touch of emotion.
"Those... are very much like my past with Makoto." Ei's voice lowered. "You shouldn't have used this way..."
Yae Miko's expression suddenly lightened, and she even let out a small laugh, sounding somewhat dismissive. "Oh, my dear Lord General, you are overthinking it."
She paced slowly around Ei, her fingertip lightly tapping her chin, wearing the cunning look of one analyzing a story. "First of all, the author of this book is Hanabi, a creator from Liyue. She has never set foot in Inazuma, let alone known the secrets of the twin deities."
"What's written in the book are just popular tropes like 'identity swap' and 'fighting side-by-side.' They are commonplace in current light novels and are deeply loved by readers."
She stopped and faced Ei again, her fox-like eyes shining with confidence. "As for the details you find 'familiar,' they are merely coincidences, or rather, a kind of writing power common to excellent authors that can touch people's hearts. After all, sincere feelings between comrades or sisters always have similarities when depicted."
Ei listened in silence, her brow still slightly furrowed.
Yae Miko struck while the iron was hot: "You live in the Plane of Euthymia year-round and rarely come into contact with these popular street readings, so you don't know. This kind of setting is, to put it simply, a creative 'trope' used to increase the fun of the story and the sense of connection between characters."
"When ordinary readers see it, they will only think 'the Lord General and the Shrine Maiden have a really good relationship' or 'this identity swap setting is so interesting.' Who would be like you, immediately associating it with such distant and hidden truths?"
She leaned in closer, her voice lowering with allure: "Those in the know, like you, will be touched by the similar outlines, but that's because that past is already hidden in your heart. Those who don't know will only treat it as a wonderful story, an anecdote about the two lords they admire, filled with a bit of romantic imagination."
"After all, who would truly believe that the majestic Lord General and the mysterious Shrine Maiden actually swapped identities hundreds of years ago and experienced everything written in the book? Who would associate it with the fact that the gods of Inazuma are actually twin deities? Moreover, this author did not explicitly mention the matter of 'twin deities'."
"So, they won't."
Ei's gaze fell upon the book once more.
Yae Miko's words did seem to have some merit.
Was she overreacting because she knew the internal truth?
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"