chapter 23

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Chapter 23: These Days, No One Believes the Truth

"Lord God, dinner has been delivered."

"Bring it in!"

Kujo Sara was stunned outside the door. This was the first time in days that she heard a voice other than Kamisato Ayaka or Yae Miko coming from inside. And it sounded... male. Could it be that the god who defeated General Raiden was a man?

Though surprised, she felt a sense of relief. Finally, she had the chance to see what was really going on inside.

When she opened the door, the sight of the Raiden Shogun immediately put her at ease. The worries and panic she had been carrying for days started to dissipate.

"Hmm?"

Kujo Sara noticed something strange—aside from the unfamiliar man, there was another figure. It was a smaller version of Raiden, able to move only through an armed puppet.

She glanced at the commanding, majestic Raiden Shogun standing inside the house and then at the petite little Raiden.

Could the reason the Shogun hadn't been seen outside in recent days be because of this little Raiden?

Gods marrying one another wasn't unheard of. But the thought of such a thing happening to the deity she revered... it felt like her world was crumbling. This wasn't supposed to happen—at least, not until thousands of years after her death!

With a bit of unease, Kujo Sara brought the dinner inside. As she did, Lei Dianying (the smaller Raiden) stepped forward.

"Are there any desserts?"

"..."

Though the whole situation felt surreal, Kujo Sara found herself comforted by Lei Dianying's innocent demeanor.

"Sorry... Young General, I didn't know about your presence, so I didn't prepare any desserts. If you'd like, I can arrange something right away."

Lei Dianying: Young General?

She acknowledged her current smaller form, but still, this title felt strange. And what was with the eager look in Kujo Sara's eyes?

Kujo Sara was restraining herself. Years of living in the barracks and adhering to strict discipline kept her grounded. Otherwise, she might have acted like a normal girl, swept up by her maternal instinct, and pulled the young Raiden into a hug.

"Forget it, I don't really want any."

Lei Dianying shrugged it off. She could always ask Yae Miko to bring something next time. After all, there were more important matters at hand—like eternity! A real, achievable eternity for Inazuma.

Although Lei Dianying didn't seem too bothered, Kujo Sara felt immense regret. How could I have been so careless? Why didn't I think of preparing desserts for the Young General? How stupid of me!

"Sara? How is Inazuma these days?"

Despite being a puppet created by Lei Dianying to manage Inazuma, the Raiden Shogun still cared about the state of the nation. And ever since Su Ran upgraded her thought processes, she cared even more.

Seeing her loyal subordinate, the Shogun took the opportunity to ask about Inazuma's current situation. After all, Yae Miko had a tendency to lie, but Sara would not.

"It must be pretty bad."

Before Kujo Sara could answer, Su Ran, who had been studying the dream machine, chimed in.

His words caught Lei Dianying's attention. She had only left Inazuma's care for 500 years. Could it really be in such bad shape now? General, what have you been doing?

"The Tenryou Commission and Kanjo Commission have been colluding with the Fatui. Plus, with the ongoing war against Watatsumi Island, Inazuma should be in turmoil by now," Su Ran added.

Though Su Ran wasn't familiar with the current state of Inazuma, he remembered it well from the games. If Inazuma's ruler weren't a god, the nation would have fallen apart long ago.

"Impossible! There's no way the Kujo Clan would collude with the Fatui!" Kujo Sara retorted, mustering her courage despite knowing Su Ran was a god. Her family had always been loyal to the Raiden Shogun. How could they ever conspire with the Fatui? It was slander!

"I'm a Fatui Harbinger. Do you really think I wouldn't know who's colluding with us?" Su Ran stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder, offering his personal account.

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. In fact, both the Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree were pushed by the Fatui."

He openly admitted to the Fatui's crimes—something unheard of. No one dared to be so brazen.

Kujo Sara: "..."

At this moment, simple shock didn't begin to describe her feelings. She wanted to ask: Where does Su Ran get the courage to say something like this in front of the General? Is it because they have a 'Young General' together?

And why did the Shogun look so indifferent after hearing the truth? Did she not care at all? Or had she betrayed Inazuma too?

"Fatui Harbinger?"

The Raiden Shogun might not have cared, but Lei Dianying did. Since when did the Fatui gain someone this powerful? What kind of fortune did the Cryo Archon have to recruit someone capable of defeating the Shogun so easily?

Kamisato Ayaka, too, was deeply troubled. The Fatui had already been meddling in Inazuma by colluding with the Tenryou and Kanjo Commissions. But now, this Su Ran wanted to impose an eternal dream on the nation—trapping everyone in a false reality.

And even worse, both Raiden Shogun and Lei Dianying supported him. Kamisato Ayaka had no idea what to do.

The will of the gods was almost impossible to oppose, and now, three gods were involved. Who could challenge such a decree? Even though Ayaka was deeply opposed to this, she couldn't think of any other option but to surrender to the inevitable.

"I don't understand," Lei Dianying spoke up, clearly frustrated. "You obviously have immense power. Why would you choose to be someone else's subordinate?"

Five hundred years have passed, and the Cryo Archon has grown so powerful that she can recruit someone like Su Ran? Lei Dianying had heard rumors that the Cryo Archon sought to defy the natural order. Had Teyvat already changed rulers? Was the Cryo Archon now the new law of nature?

"Because... the Cryo Archon is very beautiful, and she wears white silk," Su Ran responded with a grin.

No one believed this reason.

"These days, no one believes the truth."

"Well, fine. It's actually because the Fatui funds my work. Is that a better answer?" Su Ran added, smirking.

Yae Miko rolled her eyes. "That's even more ridiculous than your first excuse."

"If funding was the only reason, then how much is Snezhnaya paying you, and how much could Inazuma give?"

Okay, fine, Yae Miko thought. Inazuma isn't as rich as Snezhnaya. But Raiden Ei is no less magnificent than the Cryo Archon! And with a wise fox like Yae Miko by her side, what did Snezhnaya even have? A girl wrapped up like a dumpling?

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