Villa.
Seeing the highlighted messages flooding his livestream, Luo Chen nodded in satisfaction.
It seemed his evaluation had once again triggered a wave of positive feedback.
However, the evaluation of Ei was not over yet.
What came next was the true core of her character—
and also the most controversial point surrounding her.
Thinking of this, Luo Chen cleared his throat twice before continuing.
"From the previous evaluations, I believe everyone now has a basic understanding of the tragic nature surrounding Beelzebul."
"Remember this well—because these experiences had a profound impact on Beelzebul's future decisions."
"Next, we continue with the serious evaluation."
"Serious Evaluation — Third Item: Eternity."
"In Teyvat, each of the Seven who govern the mortal world holds a corresponding ideal."
"In the previous two evaluations, we discussed the ideals of the Anemo Archon Barbatos and the Geo Archon Morax."
"So now, let us examine the Eternity of the Electro Archon and Inazuma."
"First, let us begin with the people of Inazuma."
"What is Eternity to them?"
"In the world of Inazuma's people, from the moment they are born, there are wind and rain, thunder and lightning."
"There is sunlight and the sea."
"And there is the Raiden Shogun."
"When they grow up and live peaceful lives in Inazuma, the ones they thank are the Raiden Shogun and the diligent Tri-Commission under her rule."
"When they march to war as soldiers, the slogans on their lips are always:
'The eternal way is vast — Narukami endures forever!'"
"And even in death, they believe their descendants will one day witness the same scenery."
"It can be said that the Raiden Shogun's prestige long ago transcended the limits of mortal life, becoming an eternal faith in the hearts of Inazuma's people."
"Under such circumstances, the people continuously construct their worldview around the same belief and pass it down generation after generation."
"This is the 'Eternal Paradise' promised to them by the Raiden Shogun."
"This, is the Eternity of the common people."
Hearing this, the people of Inazuma quietly nodded.
Wasn't that exactly right?
From birth to growth, from growth to death—everything about them changed.
The only thing that never changed
was their faith in the Raiden Shogun.
The same was true of their ancestors.
And it would be true of their children.
All would live beneath the Eternal Paradise promised by their god.
Luo Chen continued.
"Next, let us talk about the Raiden sisters."
"Baal and Beelzebul held completely opposite understandings of Eternity."
"Let us start with the elder sister—Baal."
"Baal possessed a cheerful personality."
"She loved Inazuma's scenery, cuisine, and the stories of its people."
"She would endlessly share these joys with her younger sister."
"With such a disposition, her focus naturally rested on the present."
"In her view, all beautiful things change and eventually fade with the passage of time."
"Therefore, while one lives, one must cherish and enjoy them to the fullest."
"Compared to outcomes, Baal valued the process—
she valued the driving force behind human wishes: dreams."
"That is why she named her unsharpened blade 'Musou Isshin' — One Heart of Dreams."
"Baal wished for it to bear witness to an Inazuma as beautiful as dreams,
and to the noble hearts that would coexist with this world."
"Simply put—Baal's Eternity was dynamic."
"It was a dream."
"It was transience."
At these words, many in the chat—especially those from Inazuma—were stunned.
Because this was completely different from the Eternity preached by the current Shogun.
Yet at the same time—
It perfectly aligned with their own intuitive understanding of Eternity.
The realization left many with bitter smiles.
extraordinary chat group
Venti: Because all beauty changes and fades with time, that's exactly why we must treasure fleeting moments! Baal truly saw through it all!
Zhongli: From a rational standpoint, this is indeed correct. Otherwise, she could not have established the people's pursuit of an "Eternal Paradise" after the Archon War.
Nahida: I've learned something today. This senior Baal truly possessed great wisdom!
Furina:Musou Isshin—what a beautiful name. It's just a pity that it couldn't continue witnessing that dreamlike Inazuma alongside its owner…
Lumine: Which is exactly why we should seize the present and enjoy it! As for the future… Let me handle it! (doge.jpg)
Paimon: Makes sense! I'm grabbing two chicken legs right now—nom nom!
Furina: Oh? Friends, raise your glasses! If you don't have one, raise your arms instead!
Kaeya: Drink today, worry tomorrow—cheers!
Neuvillette: Using water as wine—cheers.
Tartaglia: Cheers~ (arm.jpg)
Seeing these messages, Ayaka and many other Inazumans felt the urge to speak up—
but years of reverence toward the Shogun made them hesitate.
Ei herself didn't notice,
but Yae Miko did.
With a smile, she typed into the chat.
Yae Miko: The Shogun of today is not the Shogun of yesterday anymore~
If you have something to say, speak freely. Everything is for Inazuma.
Ei immediately understood and followed up.
Ei: Indeed. This is all for Inazuma. Speak freely—I will not hold it against you.
With that reassurance, the tension lifted.
The people finally spoke their hearts.
Kamisato Ayaka: Your Excellency, I believe Lady Makoto's way of thinking may be more suitable for us humans.
Yoimiya: Exactly! Because we are fleeting beings, we should treasure fleeting beauty—just like fireworks lighting up the sky, meant to be seen by all.
Kaedehara Kazuha: I once resented the Vision Hunt Decree. No one has the right to strip away another's ambition—not even a god.
Thoma: I don't resent Your Excellency for nearly taking my Vision in the original future. I just couldn't understand what kind of eternal nation would require sacrificing its people's wishes.
Kujou Sara: Ahem… Your Excellency's past actions may not have been entirely wrong. But perhaps the method of pursuing Eternity should change—maybe by learning from Lady Makoto's ideals.
Reading these messages, Ei fell silent.
"So… these are the wishes of the people."
For a long time, she had remained in the Plane of Euthymia, meditating alone.
She had never truly listened to the voices of her people.
Even when Miko urged her to go out, she had been too busy suppressing the puppet.
This was the first time she had properly heard the will of the people.
Her heart stirred.
And it wasn't just Ei—
The Raiden Shogun puppet reacted as well.
Faced with words that defied "Eternity," it grew restless.
Ei immediately suppressed it.
Soon, the puppet's will echoed within her.
"These are all those who defy the laws of Eternity."
"You protect them—do you intend to betray the law?"
"You have been acting like this for some time now."
"Have you developed new thoughts… or have you been eroded by corrosion?"
While continuing to suppress it, Ei smiled faintly.
"I may be controlling the body now, but you can see the light screen too, can't you?"
"If that's the case, then you should understand why I'm doing this."
The puppet fell silent.
After a moment, it responded.
"If you violate the law due to corrosion, then you are my enemy."
"Corrosion?"
"Keep watching, and you'll understand."
Ei replied softly.
With that, the resistance vanished.
"Whew… it's fine for now."
Ei let out a breath of relief.
But thinking of the troubles ahead, she couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
"…Why was I so foolish back then, cutting off my own retreat?"
Regret surfaced—but regret was useless now.
She shook her head and looked back at the light screen.
Villa.
Luo Chen continued.
"Having spoken of Baal, let us now speak of her younger sister—Beelzebul."
"Her understanding of Eternity fundamentally led to Inazuma's present turmoil."
"Let us examine it in detail."
"Beelzebul's understanding of Eternity can be divided into three stages."
"The first stage spans from over two thousand years ago, during the Archon War, until the Cataclysm of Khaenri'ah five hundred years ago."
"During this period, her understanding was not yet extreme."
"It was a literal interpretation."
"She believed Eternity meant absolute stillness—
freezing everything at its most beautiful moment."
"To put it bluntly—this surface-level understanding was rather childish."
"Beelzebul truly suffered from… a lack of education here."
"This also shows that Baal didn't put enough effort into educating her younger sister."
"And this indirectly led to Beelzebul's confusion and helplessness after formally inheriting the title of Electro Archon."
Tenshukaku
"Childish understanding…"
"Suffered from a lack of education…"
Yae Miko's smile bloomed brilliantly.
"Didn't I tell you long ago?"
"You've always been the childish one, from start to finish."
"Now the light screen has certified it for you."
"Do you believe it now?"
Well said.
Truly well said.
Miko sincerely hoped the light screen would turn the heat up even more.
Lumine and Paimon were barely holding it together.
Calling a god childish and uneducated—this was absurd.
They didn't have Miko's nerve,
so they could only laugh silently.
But their shaking shoulders gave them away.
Ei twitched.
Again with dense.
Again with childish.
Now uneducated too?
Wasn't this supposed to be a serious evaluation?
Why did it suddenly feel like targeted harassment?
Before she could recover, the chat exploded.
extraordinary chat group
Alice: Hahahaha—childish and uneducated grumpy Shogun, that's a good one! (laugh.jpg)
Alice: My Klee must never turn out like this!
Alice: Jean, education has to start early. I'll leave Klee to you—use whatever methods you want, I'll back you up!
Alice: Doesn't need to be super cultured—just smarter than the grumpy Shogun is enough! (evil grin.jpg)
Ei: ...
Jean: No problem. Leave it to me.
For once, Jean fully agreed with Alice.
She'd been struggling with Klee's education for ages.
Now that her mother had personally approved?
There would be no more excuses.
Jean: Klee, starting tomorrow, you'll study properly in confinement. Only after that can you go out and play.
Jean: And Kaeya—you're not allowed to help. Same goes for everyone else.
Kaeya: ...
Kaeya: Ahem, sorry, little Anemo Archon~ You'll have to study hard now. (doge.jpg)
Lisa and Amber silently mourned for Klee.
It wasn't that they didn't want to help—
Jean was just too terrifying.
Klee was completely stunned.
Klee: No! Klee wants to play! Klee is the new Anemo Archon—Jean has to listen to Klee!
Jean: ...
Alice: Hmph, so what if you're the new Anemo Archon? Ask the old one!
Venti: Ahem… Klee, you should study. Otherwise Mondstadt really won't survive…
With both Kaeya and "New Anemo Archon" cards sealed,
Klee fell into despair.
Waaah—she just wanted to play!
Seeing this, many parents in the chat quietly took notes.
Time to increase cultural education.
Villa.
Luo Chen was slightly surprised by the chaos in chat.
He hadn't expected an offhand joke to doom poor Klee.
But honestly—
This was probably for the best.
Klee's literacy was… questionable at best.
In certain island events, she couldn't even read letters properly.
Basic education was clearly necessary.
After that brief digression, Luo Chen refocused.
"Although Beelzebul's early understanding was childish, it wasn't a problem in the first stage."
"Because Baal was still ruling."
"But later… as you all know, things changed."
"The second stage spans from the Cataclysm five hundred years ago until the arrival of the Traveler Lumine in Inazuma."
"From the previous evaluations, you already know what Beelzebul experienced."
"She lost her twin sister thousands of years ago."
"She lost her closest companions."
"She lost countless loyal subordinates."
"She lost vast numbers of believers."
"She nearly lost the nation she had protected for millennia."
"Everyone around her died—only Beelzebul survived."
"Very often, it is the survivors who suffer the most."
"Because they must bear everything."
"Emotionally. Realistically."
"Because there is no choice."
"Because as the living, you carry all that the dead once hoped for."
"Morax and Beelzebul were the same in this regard."
"But the paths they chose were different."
"One was rational."
"Every thought, every word, carried his Dao."
"You can tell just from his habitual phrasing."
Hearing this, Ei felt something stir within her.
Others in the chat nodded along.
After all—
Nine out of ten of Morax's sentences started with
'From a rational standpoint…'
Luo Chen continued.
"Because of this rationality, Morax did not flee from tragedy—whether it was the deaths of his friends or the assassination of the Salt God."
"He carried the wishes of the dead and continued forward."
"But Beelzebul was different."
"She was overly emotional—gentle to a fault."
"Combined with even heavier trauma than Morax endured…"
"And witnessing a flourishing nation lose everything before the Heavenly Principles…"
"And the corrosion she endured for thousands of years…"
"Layer upon layer of pressure…"
"In the end—"
"She chose to escape."
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