The general content is that the "Heavenly Kingdom" collapsed and fell beneath the bottomless Abyss. Here lived the subjects of seven great kings. In total darkness, humans who came here could only become their prey.
People prayed to the very first one and the three glowing shadows, but received no response.
The only one who did not abandon humanity was the "God of Time." She was the moment, the ever-present, the measure of the thousand winds and the sun and moon.
She was every moment of joy, every moment of anger, every moment of longing, every moment of frenzy; she was every delirious instant.
This era without light was called the "Year of Blinding" by the people of Byakuyakoku.
Then one day, the sage Aberaku (Abe no Nakamaro) had his mind opened by Khaios (Istaroth) and built Helios (Dainichi Mikoshi).
In the illustration, Dainichi Mikoshi stands at the center of Byakuyakoku, radiating sunlight-like brilliance that calms the heart.
After Dainichi Mikoshi was built, the "Year of Clear Sight" arrived. With its light, the photophobic bathysmal vishaps no longer attacked on their own, and humans finally had the means to stand against them.
When the threat to life vanished, humanity's filth began to show. Some started "creating gods," placing Dainichi Mikoshi on a divine altar.
They then propped up children as the Child of the Sun (Phaethon) to serve as their puppets.
Fearing that the children would grow up and become uncontrollable, they even sacrificed the Child of the Sun at the age of ten, throwing them into Dainichi Mikoshi to be burned alive.
The pain and struggle as they burned to death looked almost like dancing—this was the "Phaethon Full Dance."
Lucian very kindly drew this scene for everyone: children "dancing" amid flames.
Fortunately, because the fire's light was dazzling enough, the children in the picture were only black silhouettes, so the image wasn't too cruel.
The original sage Aberaku was also arrested and imprisoned until the end of his life.
While imprisoned, Aberaku perfected Before Sun and Moon, which had been written by his assistant. As expected of Istaroth's scribe—he really dared to write anything!
In the time that followed, the people of Byakuyakoku were exploited and controlled by "them." Though they had obtained light, they had instead entered an age of darkness.
There were rebels during this period, but all failed.
Thus, after who-knows-how-many years, a young child, due to a bet, went alone in search of dragonbone flowers. In a certain cave, he encountered a giant serpent he had never seen before.
In the picture, the serpent is enormous; just its vertical pupils are taller than the child, and its body is covered in blood-red coral—utterly bizarre.
In the corner on the right side of the image, the child looks up at this colossal creature, yet there is no fear in his eyes. He even raises his hand, as if wanting to touch it.
He is unafraid—perhaps because Byakuyakoku itself has a culture of serpent worship.
The people of Watatsumi Island are very familiar with this: it is their god, Orobashi no Mikoto, the Great Watatsumi Omikami!
Zhongli and Ei are also familiar with this serpent—they fought it once, though it looked different from when they fought it.
The God—Orobashi. The coral on its body was a "gift" it received in the dark outer sea; it was power.
Zhongli and Ei rarely saw it in this form because when it was in Liyue, it had not yet acquired the coral branches, and by the time it reached Inazuma, it had voluntarily shed most of them.
In the picture, Orobashi does not attack the tiny human before it. Instead, it speaks:
[ "I am the serpent god who has defiled body and name. Though I once had thousands of kin, not one remains under my protection." ]
[ "Today I have fallen into this realm and met you—this must be fate. Though you are not my people, you are still a child of man. Speak your wish; I will hear it." ]
The terrifying great serpent speaks with surprising gentleness. Even though the child is not its subject, it is willing to grant his wish simply because he is human. The saying that Archons love humanity is no lie.
The child shows no fear at all. Full of expectation, he looks at the serpent and tentatively says:
[ "May I ask… can you become the god of us, the people beneath the deep?" ]
The serpent with no one left to shelter finds subjects once more. The people of Byakuyakoku, who had lost all protection, welcome their god—their "light."
The appearance of the great serpent Orobashi is like a heaven-sent warrior turning the tide.
It repels the invading bathysmal vishaps from beyond, shatters the corrupt higher-ups' false "god," and brings Byakuyakoku a true "Year of Clear Sight."
In our era, darkness does not exist!
Thereafter, Orobashi creates its first familiar, the Watatsumi Goushou, hoping she would become a bridge of communication between humans and bathysmal vishaps, putting a complete end to the calamity.
Then, using the power of its second familiar, it curbs the "sacred soil-ization" and cultivates bloodbranch coral.
Finally, Orobashi sheds the coral branches on its body and, for the people of Byakuyakoku—for its "children"—builds a path, a stairway to "ascend," allowing them to return to the surface and see sunlight once more.
Coral symbolizes "power." It casts aside all power solely so its "children" could return to the surface.
Given everything Orobashi did, it is no wonder the people of Watatsumi Island still worship it to this day.
During the migration of Byakuyakoku's people, that shit-stirrer Khaenri'ah did try to send people to steal Before Sun and Moon, but they were stopped.
After reaching the surface as Watatsumi Island, the great serpent Orobashi and the Narukami Baal coexisted peacefully.
The two gods divided the land at the western border, each governing their own subjects.
This lasted until Orobashi read Before Sun and Moon and was sentenced to death by the Heavenly Principles.
Heavenly Principles: Down in Enkanomiya I didn't bother with you, but once you're in Teyvat you have to call me what?
Orobashi knew it would surely die, because the Heavenly Principles only wanted seven rulers—and even its people would die, for they were not part of the sacred plan.
So Orobashi made a gamble—on Before Sun and Moon, on Narukami.
Having shed all its coral, Orobashi went to its death. It was slain by Narukami, perishing on Yashiori Island. The scars of that great battle formed the Musoujin Gorge.
Orobashi died, yet because of its death, its people were allowed to live.
Narukami Baal accepted its people; from then on, its people became part of the sacred plan.
Originally, the humans of Enkanomiya and Orobashi had nothing to do with each other—not even a close relationship.
Yet for the sake of these unrelated humans, Orobashi gave everything it had.
Power, life—only because of that one sentence long ago.
"Speak your wish; I will hear it."
"May I ask… can you become the god of us, the people beneath the deep?"
Orobashi fulfilled it. It was a qualified god—even thousands of years later, the people of Watatsumi Island still offer it worship and faith.
After reading this story, the people of Watatsumi Island no longer hated the Shogunate quite so much.
Fundamentally, the death of the Great Watatsumi Omikami should not be blamed on Narukami. In fact, Narukami even sheltered them without holding past grudges.
Having found the real "enemy," the people of Watatsumi Island successfully shifted their hatred.
If things continue like this, it won't be long before Watatsumi Island and Narukami Island "make dumplings together."
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Character Voice-Over · Raiden Ei: About Orobashi
"Everything he did was for his people; everything I did was for mine. I feel no guilt toward him.
I imagine he would feel the same—he has no need of it."