"From that time onward, whenever I hit a bottleneck in my thinking, I would unconsciously want to come out and take a look."
Paimon said, "Exactly! Staying in the same place all the time is bound to make anyone feel trapped."
[Yae Miko: Ei, your future self is doing quite well.]
[Furina: Now that I have confirmed Fontaine will be saved, I feel much more relaxed too.]
[Tsaritsa: As long as the Heavenly Principles remain, it is not yet time to relax.]
[Paimon: Your Majesty, what do you intend to do with the Gnoses you are collecting?]
[Tsaritsa: This is not much of a secret. Every Fatui Harbinger knows. I will declare war on the Heavenly Principles.]
[Focalors: The Heavenly Principles defeated Teyvat's elemental dragons, extracted the authority from their bodies, and forged the seven divine thrones. Her power is immeasurably strong. Declaring war will only bring about your own destruction.]
[Tsaritsa: I have a reason to fight that I cannot avoid.]
Ei said very seriously, "Let me reiterate, this is by no means a pastime."
"Recently, I have observed many changes occurring in the outside world from within the Plane of Euthymia. The most serious of these is the Riftwolves attacking the Sacred Sakura."
"I believe this deserves attention. I followed the monsters all the way here and happened to run into you."
Lumine asked, "But shouldn't matters concerning monsters be left to the Commissions and adventurers to handle? Do you need to take care of them personally?"
Ei replied seriously, "If it were the Shogun who had noticed this instead of me, she might have truly left it alone."
[Zhongli: I am very familiar with these monsters. They emerged from beneath Khaenri'ah. Back then, Khaenri'ah was overrun with such creatures. Among them were powerful ones, and many monsters were not weaker than gods.]
[Lumine: The previous Hydro Archon, Egeria, and Ei's sister both fell in the war in Khaenri'ah.]
[Zhongli: Although the monsters of Khaenri'ah could not threaten me, their numbers were immense. Eradicating them was no easy task. Furthermore, a great many monsters left Khaenri'ah and invaded the territories of the seven nations. At that time, it was the Millelith who stood firm against them, willing to sacrifice their lives.]
[Yae Miko: The monsters also invaded Inazuma. Lady Saiguu led the youkai and the Commissions of Inazuma into battle and departed forever...]
[Paimon: It is not just Ei. Other gods would also handle this personally. Except for Furina.]
[Furina: Wait a moment. Why except me?]
[Paimon: Because Furina is just an ordinary person. You cannot fight.]
[Furina: Fine. I am convinced.]
"Because the rules I set for the puppet dictate that matters of this sort should be handled by the Three Commissions. However, the Riftwolves attacking the Sacred Sakura brings back memories of that disaster from the past..."
Paimon repeated, "The disaster from the past?"
Ei nodded. "Yes. Five hundred years ago, Inazuma experienced a catastrophic disaster."
"The land was shrouded in pitch-black mist, and monsters ran rampant. That disaster claimed countless lives. The homes people had worked so hard to build were nearly destroyed."
"The monsters committed many atrocities on Inazuman soil. These Riftwolves have always been the vanguard of the monster hordes. Their role is to use their sharp claws and fangs to tear open spatial passages and summon even more powerful beasts."
[Zhongli: Why are the Riftwolves appearing again? Liyue must conduct a thorough search as well.]
[Xiao: I have not yet discovered any Riftwolves near Liyue.]
[Paimon: This is happening in the future.]
[Zhongli: But we must remain vigilant in advance to prevent irreparable consequences.]
Lumine said, "Five hundred years ago... Khaenri'ah."
Ei nodded. "It seems you have heard of it. That is a chapter I never wish to recall on my own. Perhaps in your eyes, my vigilance against these creatures is excessive."
"But there is nothing wrong with being overly cautious."
Paimon spread her hands. "I cannot quite understand that way of thinking."
Ei extended her hand to Lumine in invitation. "Since you have come for the same purpose, we can work together."