Chapter 129. What is the Price?
Time passed minute by minute in the dark space.
Scaramouche felt a long-lost silence.
Having lost the Gnosis and been defeated by Futsu Mitama, his heart had originally been filled with anger.
But now, he unexpectedly felt a profound stillness, as if he had been meant to return to this damned dark environment.
After an unknown amount of time, Scaramouche felt the restraints on him loosen, and he once again regained freedom and light.
No, this was not light. It was darkness.
When Scaramouche opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Futsu Mitama's annoying face, and the second was Yae Miko's cunning smile.
"..."
Scaramouche remained silent.
He tried to use his power, but as expected, the power within him was completely sealed, making it impossible to use even a shred of it.
In other words, at this moment, aside from being conscious, he could do nothing else.
"You woke up so quickly?"
Yae Miko looked at Scaramouche and teased him.
"To be honest, you woke up faster than I expected. It seems you've become much stronger over the years."
As soon as the seal was lifted, the other party woke up. From this, one could see that Scaramouche was even stronger than they had imagined.
At the very least, Yae Miko could not immediately regain consciousness after briefly lifting a seal.
"He still has residual divine power from when he became an Archon."
Futsu Mitama looked at Scaramouche and said calmly,
"Although he's a false Archon, he did once reach that realm. After losing Shouki no Kami, and the Electro Gnosis, he no longer has Archon strength, but both his mind and body have become much stronger."
Yes, Scaramouche, together with Aila and Black Aila, could currently be called one of the strongest beings below the Demon Gods.
If Scaramouche's seal were removed, his short-term burst power could even briefly contend with an Archon.
Of course, that brief contention meant that Scaramouche still retained the power of the Demon God Realm. Once that power was exhausted, he would no longer be able to contend with opponents of that level.
"Is this Tenshukaku?"
Scaramouche's expression was exceptionally calm at this moment.
He looked around and recognized Beelzebub's residence at a glance.
It was also Inazuma's most majestic building—the Tenshukaku.
Raiden Shogun lived here. The entire Tenshukaku existed for her.
He had once been here before, but what he had faced was not Beelzebub, but the cold Shogun.
At that moment, Scaramouche really wanted to laugh—a self-mocking laugh.
He had never thought he would eventually return to Inazuma.
This truly was fate's cruel twist.
"Signora is dead."
Futsu Mitama looked at Scaramouche and said calmly,
"She was judged by Barbatos and is completely dead. Your life and death are now in Ei's hands. If you want to commit suicide, I can grant your wish."
He "kindly" reminded Scaramouche, because what was coming next... was hell.
Hu Tao's cooking was already terrifying, but now Raiden Ei herself was cooking.
To be honest, Futsu Mitama felt that no matter what sins Scaramouche had committed, if he ate food personally prepared by Raiden Ei, he should probably be considered "innocent."
Yae Miko also nodded slightly, looking at Scaramouche with a rather pleased smile.
"Yes, it's still not too late to commit suicide if you want. The little guy and I can work together to send you on your way, and that would be much, much better than Ei's judgment that's coming."
As she spoke, Yae Miko's smile grew brighter and brighter, and she even leaned against Futsu Mitama.
Futsu Mitama quietly pushed Yae Miko away, signaling her to mind her image.
This was not intentional on Yae Miko's part. Her heart was currently laughing so hard she felt like rolling on the ground.
Because holding back her laughter was too difficult, Yae Miko had leaned against Futsu Mitama, wanting him to support her.
"Hmph."
Looking at Yae Miko and Futsu Mitama, Scaramouche gave a disdainful smile and said calmly,
"Come on, I'll endure everything. I am no longer the me from before, Futsu Mitama!"
His expression was now very serious.
He was no longer the one who had "begged for mercy" earlier.
Before, Scaramouche had felt an inexplicable fear after losing his Gnosis and being judged by Beelzebub.
But now, the disappearance of his "heart" had returned him to his original state of having nothing.
He had nothing left, so what was there to fear from the coming judgment of Beelzebub, Futsu Mitama, and Yae Miko?
Besides, hadn't La Signora already gone one step ahead of him? With her paving the way, what did it matter if he died?
When he thought about it carefully, his life had already been glorious enough: he had traveled through the Seven Nations, visited the Abyss, met Archons, and briefly ascended to godhood.
Perhaps because he had lost his "heart," Scaramouche was now very calm. He seemed to have accepted his fate, and judgment and death meant nothing to him.
"Good, good, good." Futsu Mitama gave Scaramouche a thumbs-up and said very seriously, "I admire you."
After saying that, Futsu Mitama stopped looking at Scaramouche and turned his gaze in another direction—toward the kitchen.
Raiden Ei had been cooking for some time now, and after more than a dozen experiences of "practicing martial arts in the kitchen," she had finally barely managed to avoid blowing the kitchen up again.
So it had been very quiet over there, with no sound at all.
But both Futsu Mitama and Yae Miko knew that this was the calm before the storm.
If the kitchen was very noisy, that meant things were not that serious. But if there was no sound at all—that made them a little nervous.
That was why Futsu Mitama and Yae Miko had "kindly" suggested that Scaramouche commit suicide.
Die, and you would not taste the flavor of pain.
"?"
A huge question mark seemed to appear on Scaramouche's forehead.
He seemed unsure why Futsu Mitama had such an expression.
That made Scaramouche want to ask what exactly was going on—and what, precisely, Futsu Mitama admired about him.
Buzz—!!
At that moment, purple lightning flashed in a distant room.
Futsu Mitama and Yae Miko's expressions became solemn.
"It's out."
The two said in unison, as if they had already anticipated this.
"???"
Scaramouche, however, felt an even stronger sense of foreboding.
Although he did not know what was happening, he felt that something terrifying was about to happen to him.
Soon, crisp footsteps sounded, and Raiden Ei appeared before the three of them, holding a large pot.
Inside the pot was an unknown purple soup, with unknown substances floating on top, and faint purple lightning flickering within it.
—
Futsu Mitama and Yae Miko exchanged glances, confirming with their eyes that it was a dish they had never seen before.
They could not even tell what ingredients were in it.
Futsu Mitama had traveled through all kinds of nations, eaten countless gourmet dishes, had two great chefs—Aila and Kuki Shinobu—by his side, and had even exchanged ideas with Xiangling, the chef from Wanmin Restaurant.
Not to mention that even the Liyue gourmet event, A Bite of Liyue, had featured many master chefs personally preparing dishes.
At that time, Futsu Mitama had seen all kinds of rare ingredients.
Likewise, Yae Miko, as a fox who had lived for over five hundred years and the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, what gourmet food had she not tasted?
Her knowledge was no less than Futsu Mitama's, perhaps even greater, yet under these circumstances, she still could not tell what Raiden Ei had used to brew that pot of soup.
A Great Terror.
In that instant, both Futsu Mitama and Yae Miko knew that this soup contained unimaginable horror.
Even Futsu Mitama, who had reached the Demon God Realm, did not want to drink it.
"I succeeded."
Raiden Ei had a smile on her face at this moment, because she had made many mistakes before, each time blowing up the kitchen.
She had not expected to succeed this time.
It seemed Miko had been right: no matter how many failures one experienced, success would eventually come.
"Congratulations, congratulations."
Yae Miko smiled and applauded Raiden Ei.
"Indeed."
Futsu Mitama also applauded, genuinely happy for Raiden Ei.
At the same time, he also genuinely mourned for Scaramouche. It seemed he was destined to die today.
"Do you want some soup?"
Raiden Ei looked at the pot in her hand and said somewhat confidently,
"This is probably my masterpiece. Although it's for Kunikuzushi, he can't compare to you two."
In Raiden Ei's heart, Futsu Mitama and Yae Miko were far more important than Scaramouche.
If they wanted to drink this soup, she could make another portion for Kunikuzushi.
"No, thank you." Yae Miko opened her folding fan, covered half her face, and said leisurely, "Ei, don't you know me?"
"I'm on a diet recently, so I can't eat too much. Oh dear~ I've even been eating less fried tofu lately."
Yae Miko sighed, as if it were such a pity that she could not eat her friend's cooking while dieting.
Raiden Ei, however, remained expressionless.
It was precisely because she knew Miko so well that she understood Miko was not refusing because of any so-called "dieting."
She was simply genuinely afraid to drink her soup.
Then Raiden Ei looked at Futsu Mitama with some expectation. The light in her eyes made him momentarily unable to refuse.
But his strong willpower stopped Futsu Mitama from agreeing. Instead, he looked at the somewhat bewildered Scaramouche beside him and said,
"Let him taste your gourmet food first. No matter what, he's been sealed for so long. He must be wanting to eat something."
Scaramouche did not speak at this moment.
He felt a strong sense of unease, because even if he had been sealed for hundreds of years, he would not feel hunger.
The reason was simple: he was a puppet.
Although he had his own thoughts and could taste food, his essence was still a puppet, and he would not feel hunger or other such sensations.
And yet now Futsu Mitama was saying he wanted to eat?!
What a joke?!
Scaramouche watched Beelzebub, who was carrying the soup and walking toward him, and his internal alarm bells rang loudly.
"What are you doing?! Beelzebub!!!"
At that moment, Scaramouche had lost his "heart" and become an emotionless puppet, but through his sixth sense he still sensed what terrifying thing was about to happen to him.
"Kunikuzushi, you've awakened."
Raiden Ei set the soup aside and looked down at Scaramouche, her expression unusually calm.
She was not as affectionate as she was with Yae Miko and Futsu Mitama.
Scaramouche's body trembled slightly.
He could not curse Beelzebub like La Signora had.
Because in his memory, Beelzebub had always been a majestic presence. Every word and every action she made carried divine authority.
Unlike the cold Shogun, she was a deity wielding the glorious power of lightning, a victor who had emerged from the Archon War.
Moreover, she was his creator; she had personally brought him into existence.
"I apologize for what happened back then."
But at that moment, Raiden Ei actually took the initiative to apologize.
"?!"
Scaramouche's pupils contracted slightly.
He was shocked, because Beelzebub, who in his eyes was so high and untouchable, had actually apologized to him in person.
For a moment, Scaramouche felt a sense of dread and unease.
Although he had always muttered about making Beelzebub regret it and realize the consequences of abandoning him, now that Raiden Ei had actually spoken an apology, Scaramouche felt an unknown sadness and anger in his heart.
The sadness was that what he had long awaited had arrived so easily.
The anger was that it was too late now!
What was the point of an apology?!
Raiden Ei looked at Scaramouche and continued,
"I created you for eternity back then. You were not a failure; it was only that you developed emotions, which I could not accept, so I sealed you away."
"Simply put," Yae Miko added,
"Ei did not want to create an emotional puppet back then, but you turned out to be an anomaly and developed emotions after your birth. For Inazuma's grand plan of eternity, she should have eliminated you. But the reason you survived was entirely due to her mercy."
Scaramouche remained silent, clenching his fists without speaking, because he had already known this since the Shogun took power.
What he could not accept was that the high and mighty Shogun had turned a blind eye to the lives and deaths of her citizens, which eventually led to tragedy.
From that moment on, Scaramouche felt that if he became the "Shogun," such tragedies would never happen.
That was also why Scaramouche always disparaged the Shogun and always insisted that he was the best.
"The Tatarasuna incident you experienced back then had other hidden circumstances."
Raiden Ei looked at Scaramouche and said in a calm tone,
"I have discovered the truth of that year through certain means."
"Truth? Other hidden circumstances?!"
Scaramouche laughed, feeling that Beelzebub was deceiving him.
But looking at Raiden Ei's calm expression, Scaramouche's smile suddenly faded, because he felt that she was not joking.
The Tatarasuna incident had other hidden circumstances back then? Was that true?! What hidden circumstances?!
"What's the price?"
Scaramouche put away his smile, and his expression became very serious. He wanted to know the truth.
But the fact that Beelzebub did not reveal the truth immediately meant he would have to pay a price.
Now Scaramouche had nothing left, so he did not care about the so-called "price" at all.
"Drink it."
Raiden Ei placed the pot of purple broth, brewed from unknown ingredients, in front of Scaramouche and said calmly,
"This is my compensation. My compensation to you before judgment comes."
Just as Venti felt he owed La Signora, Raiden Ei also felt she owed Scaramouche something.
If she had kept him by her side back then, the Fatui's schemes would not have befallen him, and Inazuma might have gained another strong individual.
But because of a single thought, Scaramouche had walked down a path where his fate was manipulated by others.
To be honest, there was guilt there, but Raiden Ei was clear about debts and favors. Brewing soup for Scaramouche was her expression of guilt and obligation.
But once this bowl of soup was finished and the truth of that year was revealed, then the time for judgment would come.
The judgment of lightning was not something an ordinary person could withstand.
—
Looking at the purple broth in front of him, Scaramouche's eyes were full of struggle, because he could clearly feel that Futsu Mitama and Yae Miko were very wary of it, and neither of them was willing to drink this bowl of soup.
Yet Beelzebub said this was compensation? Was she sure this was not punishment?
But in order to learn the truth of that year, Scaramouche gritted his teeth, decided to ignore everything, and picked up the pot, intending to gulp it down in one go.
Clang!!
At that moment, an invisible hand in the void seemed to grab him.
That made Scaramouche sharply turn his head, and he saw a phantom figure as if trying to pull him back. The other party was shaking his head frantically, as though trying to stop him.
"Niwa Hisahide?!"
Scaramouche cried inwardly in shock.
He could clearly see that the phantom was Niwa Hisahide, the one who had betrayed him. The other party had once been his closest friend.
But during that incident, he betrayed him and even dug out the hearts of innocent people to give to him.
But in the next second, he realized that Niwa Hisahide had vanished, as if it had all been an illusion.
Then Scaramouche looked up and saw that somehow Futsu Mitama and Yae Miko were now even farther away from him.
"..."
At this moment, Scaramouche felt immense fear.
That phantom just now must have meant something.
Was it warning him not to drink? Or was it a trick by Beelzebub, Yae Miko, or Futsu Mitama?
Now that Scaramouche's strength was sealed, if the three of them wanted to play tricks, he naturally would not be able to sense anything.
"What's wrong?"
At that moment, Raiden Ei spoke.
She looked directly at Scaramouche and said calmly,
"Don't you want to drink?"
Raiden Ei had actually wanted to say that if he did not want to drink, then he did not have to, and they could simply get to the point and tell him the truth about what had happened back then.
But she did not know that her words carried a different meaning in Scaramouche's eyes.
It sounded as if, if he did not drink this, he would not be able to learn the truth about what had happened back then.
"Drink, I'll drink!"
A trace of ruthlessness flashed in Scaramouche's eyes.
After so many years and so much suffering, was he still afraid of this bowl of soup?!
He picked up the pot and brought the thick soup, shimmering with purple Electro light, closer to his eyes.
Like a kitten drinking water, Scaramouche gently licked it.
Buzz—!!!
At that moment, purple Electro light flickered in Scaramouche's eyes, and a series of images from things he had done in the past appeared in his mind.
This phenomenon is called... a life review.