Just as dawn was breaking, the survivors of Tatarasgami gathered on the beach. They gazed eagerly out to sea, waiting for the rescue ships to arrive; not a single moment longer did they wish to linger in this place choked with the pollution of the Tatasgami.
Their condition was somewhat better than before, perhaps owing to the treatment they had received from Fu Li. Yet Fu Li herself harbored a lingering wish that she had possessed a musical instrument, a flute perhaps, to serve as a catalyst for healing others—surely that would have been far more aesthetically pleasing than hurling around a ball of lightning.
Niwa, meanwhile, sat in a state of restlessness. He could not shake the strange sensation that, according to the natural flow of time, he ought to have perished during this period, only to have survived by some miraculous twist of fate.
Seated upon a cliffside, watching the sun gradually ascend, Fu Li suddenly felt a touch of weariness. The lifestyle and biological clock forged in her past life caused her divine God's body to experience a phantom fatigue at this hour.
From behind came the crunch of footsteps. Kunikuzushi approached with cautious steps; ever since the day he gained consciousness, this was the first time he had ever seen his "mother" yawn, behaving so much like a mortal. As for Fu Li, she simply had no desire to keep up the act any longer.
"Have you thought about it? Your new name."
"I... I can't think of one..."
"Haha~ Then Sanbao... no, how about Baiyu?"
She had originally intended to call him Sanbao, but upon catching sight of the white garments draped over Kunikuzushi's shoulders, Fu Li changed her mind.
"Mm! I like this name."
Following their previous heart-to-heart conversation, the barrier in Baiyu's heart toward the "mother" before him began to gradually melt away. He even had the distinct feeling that the "mother" standing before him had completely transformed; there was no longer the slightest trace of that aloof, unapproachable aura.
Thus, many of the misunderstandings from the main storyline were resolved. With his power seal unlocked, Baiyu was no longer helpless in the face of disaster as he once had been, nor would he ever need to endure those unnecessary hardships.
"Baiyu?"
"Mm!"
Baiyu sat very obediently beside Fu Li. Looking at his delicate, tender young face, Fu Li could not resist reaching out to stroke it; the soft, springy texture gave no hint whatsoever that he was a puppet.
"Baiyu... will you forgive my past wrongs?"
Gazing at the heartbreakingly obedient Baiyu, Fu Li felt a sharp pang in her heart. In the game voice lines, Raiden Ei felt merely a sense of indebtedness toward the Scaramouche, utterly devoid of the warm mother-son interactions found in fan creations.
Yet now things were different. Since she happened to look identical to Raiden Ei anyway, she might as well seize this opportunity to make up for that regret.
"Mm!"
Baiyu nodded obediently.
"Where do you plan to go next? Will you come back with me? You are a free person now, and the choice rests entirely in your own hands."
Baiyu was now entirely like a pure child. Even if Raiden Ei refused to accept him, she would hardly do him any harm; at worst, she could simply take him elsewhere to experience the warmth of ordinary human life.
"No, I want to stay with Niwa and continue living like an ordinary person."
He truly was a child yearning for freedom—no wonder he would grow up centuries later to become an Anemo boy.
"Then take my blessing and live a happy life!"
For the very first time—and on behalf of Raiden Ei's very first time—Fu Li gently hugged her newly acknowledged adopted son. His slightly cool body seemed to gradually grow warm.
As the Tatasgami pollution dissipated, the violent storms at sea also subsided. Shogunate ships began to anchor along the coast, sending out small boats one by one to ferry the survivors ashore.
Now it was time to get down to business.
Who knew how much longer Raiden Ei would remain asleep? The real fear was that upon waking up, she might once again yield to despair. As for state affairs, they could all be dumped onto Yae Miko to resolve—after all, it was she who had shoved all the account books and ledgers onto Fu Li's shoulders back at Narukami Shrine.
The Mikage Furnace also required a chance for repairs; after all, Inazuma's heavy industry relied entirely on that great smelting furnace.
Now, all that remained was a single dream, allowing Ei to experience a temporary eternity.
...
"It ought to be right around here?!"
Following the in-game map from her photo album, Fu Li explored the area as she flew. Her flying skills were thoroughly atrocious, causing her to nearly plunge headfirst into the sea on multiple occasions. After fumbling about for goodness knows how long, she finally caught sight of a city's silhouette nestled within a massive tree deep within the vast rain forest.
Sumeru City, which perhaps could also be called the City of Wisdom. Nahida was likely already imprisoned by now, which meant that the governing archon was essentially nonexistent.
Recalling her past life, watching Nahida's tragic experiences on the screen while feeling nothing but helpless fury—well, now, *hehehehe*, Grand Sage, you are about to get what's coming to you.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked toward that iconic piece of architecture—the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
Outside the gates of the Sanctuary of Surasthana, two guards drowsily nodded off. Having likely stood watch throughout the entire night, they paid not the slightest heed to Fu Li as she skulked in a corner, waiting for her moment to strike.
Fu Li slowly gathered a ball of electro energy in her palm, wondering if hurling this direct attack might prove fatal. Perhaps she should... just use her divine pressure to stun them instead?
Yet the glow within her palm felt somewhat wrong. Glancing down, she realized it was actually a luminous sphere of Dendro element!
Lowering her gaze further, she saw that her purple imperial robes had transformed into an outfit predominantly white, accented with green. That meant she must have instinctively shifted her form once before, merely to keep up appearances.
What was her name now? General Kamiki?
Just as Fu Li hesitated, a sudden shriek pierced the air.
"It's... It's Greater Lord Rukkhadevata! Lord Rukkhadevata has returned!"
"Huh?"
The passing guards had spotted Fu Li, but upon beholding her flowing white hair, her white-and-green attire, the Dendro energy sphere in her hand, and especially upon catching sight of her emerald-green eyes, their perception of her instantly linked with the image of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
With the situation suddenly changed, she would simply have to storm in and snatch Nahida by force! What you fail to cherish properly, I shall cherish in your stead.
Fu Li flashed swiftly to the main gates, reached out to push them open, only to be blocked by an energy barrier.
...
"Have I been giving you all far too much face?!"
Flustered, Fu Li channeled Electro in one hand and Dendro in the other, directly shattering the barrier with a simultaneous strike. At that exact moment, within the Sanctuary of Surasthana, inside a massive, exquisitely crafted birdcage, a tiny deity sitting quietly upon a swing snapped her head up toward the entrance with sudden wariness. She sensed a familiar aura—an aura carrying the exact same authority over the Dendro element as her own.
A purple Engulfing Lightning plunged directly into the iron gate, trailing sparks and lightning as it carved a massive opening through the metal like a hot knife slicing through butter.
And thus, two pairs of emerald-green eyes locked gazes across the space: one filled with pampering affection, the other with intense curiosity.
At the very moment of their meeting, Nahida had nearly mistaken Fu Li for Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, but upon spotting the Electro element crackling along the Engulfing Lightning, she dismissed that expectation.
With a few crisp sounds of snapping metal, the metal birdcage imprisoning Nahida was torn wide open by Fu Li's bare hands.
"Apologies, I'm a little late, Nahida~ From this moment on, freedom returns to your hands. Would you be willing to come outside with me and see the world?"
Nahida gazed at her in puzzlement, yet the aura of shared elemental authority reduced her wariness toward the person before her to virtually zero.
Under Fu Li's gentle gaze, Nahida followed almost purely instinct and inner longing as she reached out and grasped the large hand extended toward her, feeling the reassuring warmth radiating from the other's body.
"I am willing! But... might I know who you are..."
Nahida asked cautiously and timidly. Fu Li gently stroked her smooth white hair and answered in a soft voice. Unlike her in-game five-heads-tall proportion, the real-life Nahida genuinely looked like nothing more than a child; compared to the Shogun's seven-heads-tall proportions, she was truly small enough for one hand to pick up two of her. (The playable adult female characters in the game only have six-head proportions, which is why their heads tend to look large.)
"Me? You can call me Fu Li, or simply by a single character: Fu."
The two white-haired figures, hand in hand, stepped out from the gloomy Sanctuary of Surasthana and into the morning sunlight. For a moment, Nahida's expression was a tangled web of bewilderment, excitement, and helplessness.
Although the Akasha Terminal had not yet been invented during this era, such a massive commotion had inevitably drawn a crowd. Among them, an elderly man guarded by a throng of soldiers seemed to witness the most stirring spectacle of his entire life; he broke straight through the throng of people and knelt trembling upon the ground.
"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata! Our deity has returned!"
As the Grand Sage's trembling voice fell, the crowd behind him dropped to their knees one after another.
"O Great God of Wisdom and Knowledge! Please lead Sumeru toward the light once more!"
Fu Li felt somewhat dazed. Although they both had white hair and green clothing, her appearance and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's were not even alike—especially not those elf-like ears...
*Ah? What's wrong with my ears?*
Panicking slightly, Fu Li rubbed her ears, only to find they had transformed into Nahida's exact replica. Watching the crowd bowing before her, she felt a mixture of laughter and tears; at this rate of progression, she would probably be mistaken for the Geo Archon upon reaching Liyue, and the Anemo Archon upon arriving in Mondstadt.
Yet very quickly, Fu Li slipped back into the persona of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, casting a look of disappointment down upon the gathered throng.
"Why on earth did you imprison the deity of your own nation!?"
"Lord Rukkhadevata, strictly speaking, you are the true deity of our land! The current Lesser Lord Kusanali is simply not yet capable..."
"Shut your mouths! Since you refuse to cherish the deity of your own nation, I shall take her away. The lot of you can stay right here and reflect on your actions!"
Fu Li had no intention of slaughtering these higher-ups. Perhaps the current Grand Sage was unworthy, but compared to Azar from the storyline, he was not entirely beyond redemption.
And so, Fu Li scooped Nahida up in her arms and, amid the astonished gaze of the crowd, vanished on the spot as a streak of green light...
"Nahida, I seem to have run into a bit of trouble... We're falling fast."
"Your elemental energy release is completely chaotic, just like a fledgling bird learning to fly, flapping its wings at random... Do as I say..."