"Oh my, Ei, you absolute shut-in, you finally deigned to come see me." Seeing Ei herself log on, Miko pounced forward and grabbed Ei by the cheeks.
After all, if she dared to pinch the Shogun like that, the Shogun might actually cut her down.
"Miko, behave." Ei frowned. Though she didn't know what a "shut-in" meant, it certainly wasn't anything good coming out of Yae Miko's mouth.
"Oh come on, don't be so distant, Ei. It's just that something genuinely came up these past two days and delayed me. Look, didn't I rush over to see you the moment I finished?" Miko said. "Oh well, I'm already here—aren't you going to let me in for a seat?"
"Open sesame." With that, Miko purposely blew a puff of air onto the back of Ei's neck, making Ei's face blush for a split second.
Moments later, Youying felt the surrounding space begin to slowly shift with Ei as the center, finally transforming into the Plane of Euthymia from his memories.
Yet much like Ei's current mental state, the Plane of Euthymia right now looked rather dim and gloomy.
Uh... except for the piles upon piles of light novels and desserts stacked up in a certain corner.
Good grief, stacking piles of books was one thing, but taking advantage of the strange concept of time inside the Plane of Euthymia to turn it straight into a dessert warehouse?
Were they planning to open a Plane of Euthymia pastry shop?
As they entered the Plane of Euthymia, the Shogun before them gradually vanished, and then Youying saw a figure identical to the Shogun suspended in mid-air, meditating not far ahead.
It was the exact same posture as in the story: one leg folded, the other hanging naturally.
Though according to Miko later on, Ei actually spent the vast majority of her time in the Plane of Euthymia flipping through light novels and eating sweets. That day, perhaps because she had nearly finished reading all her light novels, didn't want to leave the Plane of Euthymia, and it happened not to be the Shogun's snack time, the Shogun had simply been sitting there meditating, supposedly pondering Eternity.
Once Youying and Miko had fully entered the Plane of Euthymia, Ei also exited her meditative state, flashing right before the two of them.
"Miko, you brought this ordinary person along this time. What is the meaning of this?"
Actually, Ei wasn't all that angry at Miko for showing up two days later than expected; after all, as an utter shut-in, spending a couple more days secluded was no big deal to her, and her sense of time inside the Plane of Euthymia wasn't particularly keen.
What Ei hadn't expected, however, was that Miko would actually bring a man along to see her this time.
He looked... rather ordinary, didn't he? Ei looked Youying up and down.
Yet Ei didn't let her mind wander toward any romantic implications—after all, she herself was a pure maiden of a deity.
"Greetings, Her Excellency, the Almighty Narukami Ogosho, I am Youying." Youying politely said to Ei, heaven knows how long he had searched his brain to come up with that ridiculously long title.
"Oh? Your name and mine both share the character for Ei; we certainly share some affinity." Ei nodded. "Still, that hardly seems sufficient as a reason for Miko to bring you to see me."
"Oh my, this right here is my Yae Publishing House's latest star attraction, you know." Miko chuckled. "Not only was his debut light novel an instant success, but now he's even planning to create a card game to help Yae Publishing House expand its business."
"Hmm... as you know, that reason still isn't enough, Miko." Ei pondered for a moment, then shook her head.
"Aren't you even the least bit curious about the origins of someone who can be called a genius like this? After all, he comes from a world beyond Teyvat, you know~"
Hearing this, Ei's eyes narrowed slightly, arcs of lightning flashing across her palm: "I see. A Descender from beyond this world. It seems you were unable to fully deal with him and could only temporarily seal him, before bringing him here for me to thoroughly dispose of, is that it?"
"Very well, it is convenient for me to act within the Plane of Euthymia. Right now, transient—"
"Miko, save me!" Our friend decisively admitted defeat and hid behind Miko.
"Oh, don't be in such a rush, Ei. This is one of the very few people who has been able to bring me this much amusement in a long time." Miko quickly interrupted, watching Ei, who had already begun her wind-up animation to draw her blade. "He should just be an ordinary person, and I haven't placed any seals or anything on him. I've kept an eye on him ever since he descended into Teyvat, so there shouldn't be any problems."
"Just an ordinary person? Then how did he come to Teyvat?" Hearing Miko's words, Ei stopped drawing her blade, instead reaching out to grab Youying's wrist as Electro energy surged into Youying's body to begin probing.
Well, it felt somewhat like an electrotherapy session—tingly and actually quite comfortable. So Youying thought to himself.
"He does indeed appear to be an ordinary person." After personally conducting her probe, Raiden Ei let go of Youying. "Speak, how did you come to Teyvat?"
"That's a rather long story..." And so Youying carefully recounted the whole affair of falling from the sky right into the Grand Narukami Shrine and meeting Yae Miko.
"So that's how it was..." After listening to Youying's explanation, Raiden Ei nodded. "Since that is the case, we shall set this matter aside for now. What, then, was your purpose in bringing him here, Miko?"
"To him, we are also much like characters in a light novel, you know?" Miko said. "And the story naturally is much more complete, wouldn't you say?"
Hearing Miko say this, both Raiden Ei and Youying understood why Miko had arranged this meeting today.
After all, for Raiden Ei, the ability to comprehend the past and future was something even she, as one of the Seven Archons, could not achieve. From the Youying before her, she could learn what the future of Inazuma would be—for someone who had inherited Inazuma from her departed dearest friends and elder sister, this was undoubtedly a fatal temptation. And Yae Miko, naturally, hoped that Youying would say something to prompt the Electro Archon to change her ways, out of a desire to prevent her dear friend and deity, Raiden Ei, from walking down the dark path of the Vision Hunt Decree and other such things that Youying had mentioned.
Just as Ei was contemplating how to broach the subject, Youying spoke up first: "Miko, Lord Shogun, I do know a thing or two about matters in Teyvat. But as you surely know, the destiny of Teyvat is predetermined. Although Descenders from outer worlds can influence Teyvat's fate to a greater or lesser degree, we are talking about the future of an entire nation here. Altering a trajectory of such magnitude... I worry that even if the Heavenly Principles are slumbering now, they might still be awakened."
"Mm, these are indeed all factors that must be considered." Ei nodded. When she heard Youying mention the words "Heavenly Principles," her trust in what Youying had said increased considerably.
"Let's sit down and talk." Seeing that the rhythm was gradually shifting toward serious business, Miko waved her slender hand, and a table with several cushions materialized before them.
After all, channeling consciousness into physical objects was something Miko had taught her; it was entirely reasonable for Miko to pull a few small items out inside this Plane of Euthymia, right?
"Youying, it seems you truly do possess an extraordinary understanding of Teyvat," Ei said. "I have only one question—
Within the scope of what you feel you can share, tell me about the future of Inazuma."
"Lord Shogun." Youying looked at Raiden Ei before him, his gaze somewhat dazed, for he could sense how intense and sincere Ei's feelings for Inazuma were at this very moment.
"No need for such formalities. Just call me Ei. Since Miko here chose to trust you and even let you address her by name, I am willing to choose to trust you as well."
"Uh... very well, Ei." Youying nodded. "Regarding the future of Inazuma..."
"In the Inazuma of the world I know, though it suffered through great calamities, it ultimately weathered the storm." Youying's gaze drifted into the distance as he gradually sank into deep thought. "The Inazuma at the end welcomed a new beginning, and you, Ei, will gradually discover what true eternity is."
"Calamities..." Ei mused. "Specifically, what kind of calamities will there be?"
"The exact causes are probably difficult to explain clearly for the time being." Youying shook his head. "Suffice it to say, it will feature both internal troubles and external threats, natural disasters and man-made catastrophes alike."
"Is that so..." Hearing that the future Inazuma would face such a multitude of disasters, Ei's expression inevitably dimmed a fraction.