Ultimately, their Mondstadt was going to have to rely on a big shot for a living.
Don't let the big shot take one look and exclaim, 'Good heavens!'
If it's full of drunkards and freedom (laziness), what will the big shot think?
After all, the big shot expended great effort to salvage Teyvat, not for them to freeload!
Hearing this, everyone exchanged glances.
Then, Diluc took a deep breath, his anger flaring, and furiously retorted, "What other reaction could there be?"
"Mondstadt, as it is now, is beyond saving!"
"I suggested reforming the Knights of Favonius long ago, but you all kept procrastinating. Now look! When the new world arrives, where will Mondstadt have a place to stand?"
Facing the enraged Diluc, everyone was somewhat speechless.
After all, a new boss was coming, and the new boss wouldn't be like the old days, allowing them to slack off all day... However, Lisa, the Witch of Roses, felt a longing in her heart upon hearing about the Genius Society.
Once hailed as a genius appearing once every two hundred years, it was a pity that her Constellation was the Hourglass... The more she pursued knowledge, the heavier the price she had to pay for it.
If only this curse of knowledge could be resolved... A slight smile played on the Witch of Roses' lips.
How could someone cursed by knowledge possibly suppress their thirst for it?
...It is said that where there is a Sleeping Dragon, there must be a Young Phoenix.
While Mondstadt was holding an urgent meeting, Raiden Ei, who had returned to Inazuma and was preparing to convene a meeting of high-ranking officials, stood above Inazuma, observing its current state.
Upon seeing it, the entire Inazuma instantly exploded!
Boundless thunderclouds surged, and thunder dragons pierced the sky, manifesting the Raiden Shogun's infinite rage.
"Shogun! Is this the prosperous Inazuma you governed for five hundred years?!"
Raiden Ei's hand, gripping Musou Isshin, trembled.
The grievances throughout Inazuma were so thick they were choking. Her eyes reflected the land of Inazuma, and the population of its citizens was so sparse that it startled Raiden Ei!
As Raiden Ei possessed the means to collect and utilize ambition, she didn't need to observe and gather information bit by bit.
She only needed to glance at Inazuma from above to discern many things.
Not to mention, she hadn't emerged for several centuries.
Directly comparing the current Inazuma with Inazuma five hundred years ago... Raiden Ei's heart sank!
"Inner, this is the governance strategy you set for me, perfectly aligned with the Path of Eternity. What is wrong with it?"
The Raiden Shogun responded indifferently, "I merely followed the Path of Eternity you left for me, guiding Inazuma along an unchanging path for all ages."
Closing off the nation, severing physical contact with the outside world, forcibly freezing social development to achieve static eternity—this was the Path of Eternity she had deduced from the principles left by her inner self!
Listening to the Raiden Shogun explain her governance strategy little by little.
If she hadn't seen the current state of Inazuma with her own eyes, she probably wouldn't have realized the problems within it.
But the problem now was that if things continued this way, the probability of Inazuma falling was far greater than the probability of maintaining eternity!
And it was much, much greater!
Thinking of this, the furious Raiden Ei suppressed the intention to continue maintaining the [Path of Eternity].
Then she tightened her grip on her sword and, with a cold expression, began to review the information recorded in the ley lines.
As one of the Seven Archons, she still had this much authority.
Soon, Inazuma's development during her five hundred years of seclusion flashed before her eyes.
For the first hundred years, although the entire Inazuma was severely damaged, at least the survivors diligently worked to rebuild their homes. This was largely irreproachable; they perfectly fulfilled the duties assigned to them.
But after a hundred years, the conduct of the Three Commissions and the nobles began to subtly shift.
They tentatively started manipulating prices to reap exorbitant profits. However, at this time, their actions were not yet significant; although the citizens' burden of living increased, they could still get by.
But it seemed that this arbitrary exercise of power made them bolder and bolder, and their reach grew longer and longer... Things began to spiral out of control!
Two hundred years later, their audacity finally soared to a peak.
By then, they hadn't done a single proper thing, but they hadn't held back from oppressing the common people and dispatching troops to suppress citizens!
From this period onwards, Inazuma's population began to experience negative growth... However, thanks to the shrine system under Yae Miko's control, at least the suppression of ley lines in various places was maintained, and the Archon's resentment was also properly suppressed.
But in the last century or two, these factions actually extended their hands to the supply of materials for maintaining seals in various places.
This caused the shrine maidens dispatched by the shrines to construct and maintain the seals to be somewhat overwhelmed, leading to frequent problems with the seals and the rampant rise of evil spirits everywhere.
And then, it came to the most recent decades.
Raiden Ei looked at the commission to [Rescue Kanna Kanna Village] recorded in the ley lines, and the subsequent series of actions taken by the Shogunate.
First was the reply: [Residents of Yashiori Island, please do not panic, the Kujou Tenryou Commission...]
...Finally, Raiden Ei's eyes turned red, almost dripping blood, as she stared intently at the final record of this incident:
[...If there are sick refugees on the island, do not show leniency; quickly gather them at the ferry, sink their boats midway, and claim it was the work of rebels...]
Looking at the last memory in the ley lines, watching the citizens' boats being destroyed by Shogunate soldiers, ultimately sinking into the water, dying amidst tragic wails... Raiden Ei could not bear to look further.
The thunderclouds above Inazuma rioted, lightning rolled within them, and the almost berserk Raiden Ei swung her sword towards the sky... A single strike, manifesting the Musou no Hitotachi, split the sky and earth, symbolizing the almost frenzied emotions of the Archon Beelzebul!
The Archons of Teyvat are inherently loving, there is no doubt about that.
Perhaps Raiden Ei's immersion in the deaths of her sister Raiden Makoto, her friend Kitsune Saiguu, and others led to her reclusiveness... Yet, Raiden Ei was ultimately the Archon of Inazuma; her heart still loved the nation of Inazuma!
She regarded the citizens of Inazuma as her treasures.
Even though she was heartbroken to the point of death five hundred years ago, she still poured her efforts into creating the Raiden Shogun to protect her citizens in her stead... But now, in the ley lines, countless citizens throughout Inazuma's centuries had died in pain and helplessness!
One, a hundred... even millions and tens of millions of citizens, thus, died helplessly before her eyes!
Perhaps mortals could not see how many innocent people had died in previous eras.
But Archons were different; if they wished, hundreds or thousands of years of history could be as clear as yesterday!
Looking at the land of Inazuma, everywhere was ravaged by famine, piles of corpses, rampant Archon's resentment and evil spirits, and the citizens' grievances were so dense they were almost tangible!
----------------------------------
I've already posted 70 new chapters on Patreon!
If you like the story and want to reaad more, please visit my patreon. Every support is very meaningful!
[patreon.com/Kazenova223]
Thank you very much!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"