Chapter 107: The Raiden Shogun

This could be considered Ye's first real encounter with the Raiden Shogun.

He had only played as her in the game before, then later only dreamed about her, and after that, only seen her through Sen'emon's memories. Now, this was the first genuine meeting.

—Though it was still through Sen'emon's alternate account.

Well, Ye still didn't dare appear before the Raiden Shogun in person.

Before, he didn't appear because he thought it unnecessary. After all, the Raiden Shogun was a difficult deity to deal with, while Ei was much cuter.

Now, he didn't dare appear... because if he did, both the Raiden Shogun and Ei would undoubtedly cut him down without a second thought.

After all, Ye now knew that the dreams he had before were online.

Online!

Naturally, the Raiden Shogun pulling a sword from her chest was something Ye couldn't possibly miss.

He had even played a three-player co-op session in his dreams with both the puppet and the original.

Ahem, in any case, one should know when to back down. There's no shame in being cautious—it's better than getting cut down, right?

Ignorance is a sin, ignorance is a sin.

Thankfully, it's still possible to return to single-player dreams. Otherwise, Ye really wouldn't dare to use dreams to relieve stress anymore.

Let alone play a love triangle with Ei and Makoto like last night.

Huh? What? Makoto's gone, so isn't it a bit inappropriate to dream about her?

It's fine. She'll come back eventually. Consider this a preview.

"Sen'emon, what brings you here?"

The Raiden Shogun looked down calmly at Sen'emon as she approached.

Sen'emon (Ye) didn't bring Shinsuke in with her but entered alone first.

"Keep an eye on him. If he dares to run, break his legs. As long as he's alive, it's fine. Of course, if he dies, that's also fine."

After giving this instruction to the guards, Sen'emon (Ye) entered alone.

After bowing slightly, Sen'emon (Ye) smiled and said, "Your Excellency, I have apprehended a deceitful official who has been deceiving his superiors and exploiting his subordinates. I've brought him here for your judgment."

"The deceitful official you speak of is the Kanjou Commissioner?"

The Raiden Shogun naturally knew who was standing outside.

"How has he deceived his superiors and exploited his subordinates?"

"The Kanjou Commission is now riddled with corruption, causing great suffering to foreign merchants stranded in Inazuma, who are barely surviving. Many Inazuman citizens have also been oppressed. The Kanjou Commissioner himself has colluded with the Fatui, using his authority to conspire with foreign forces for personal gain. This cannot be ignored."

The Raiden Shogun closed her eyes slightly. "Bring the Kanjou Commissioner in."

Soon, Shinsuke entered, his face filled with fear.

"Your Excellency, I've been wronged!"

The Raiden Shogun asked indifferently, "How have you been wronged?"

"I..."

Shinsuke was momentarily speechless. He didn't even know which of his crimes Sen'emon had accused him of, as he had committed quite a few.

Wait, earlier, Sen'emon mentioned deceiving his superiors and exploiting his subordinates. Could it be that his collaboration with the Fatui had been exposed?

But does Sen'emon have any evidence?

If there's no evidence, maybe I can still fight back?

—Screw evidence.

Clearly, Shinsuke had forgotten that he wasn't dealing with a mortal ruler but a god.

"It seems everything Sen'emon has said is true."

Without waiting for Shinsuke to respond, the Raiden Shogun directly pronounced him guilty.

Of course, she still gave him a chance.

"However, if you believe you've been wronged, you may challenge Sen'emon to a duel before me. If you win, I will hear your defense."

Shinsuke's face turned even paler. How could he dare to challenge Sen'emon to a duel before the Shogun? Sen'emon was widely recognized as the strongest human in Inazuma—perhaps even in all of Teyvat. Some even speculated that her strength might be enough to challenge the Raiden Shogun's ultimate technique, the "Musou no Hitotachi."

"It seems you lack the courage."

The Raiden Shogun spoke indifferently:

"From this moment on, you are no longer the Kanjou Commissioner."

At this point, Sen'emon interjected, "Your Excellency, may I handle the matter of the Kanjou Commission? Your eternal nation must not be undermined by such parasites."

The Raiden Shogun nodded slightly. "Very well, I leave it to you."

The animated cutscene ended, and after the elements of fire, water, wind, electro, dendro, ice, and geo flashed by, the perspective returned to the Traveler.

"Sen'emon's actions will likely be swift. Now, we should gather some evidence."

Ye said to Lumine:

"With evidence, we can quickly identify the loyal, the corrupt, the good, and the evil within the Kanjou Commission. At the very least, we need a list."

Paimon crossed her arms and tilted her head in confusion. "A list?"

"A list of who should be purged, who is innocent, who can redeem themselves through service, and who, despite their crimes, can be pardoned... After all, we can't just replace everyone in the Kanjou Commission. Doing so would throw all of Inazuma into chaos." Ye spoke calmly. "The Kanjou Commission manages Inazuma's finances. Even the Tenryou Commission and the Yashiro Commission rely on them for their salaries. The workload is immense. If we forcibly hand over all responsibilities to unfamiliar hands, the result would be... me getting cut down by Sen'emon."

Lumine comforted him, "I think with your strength, you could still escape."

"Why should I run?" Ye asked curiously. "As long as I can compile the list and ensure the Kanjou Commission can restructure while maintaining stability, isn't that enough?"

Lumine's expression remained blank. "If you're not going to push this task onto me, I support you."

"Beautiful and kind Miss Lumine..."

"Do you think the same trick will work on me three times?"

"Beautiful and kind Paimon, with your compassionate heart, you wouldn't stand by and watch those in need suffer, right?"

"Huh? Uh, well, yeah, you're right! Lumine, we're not helping him—we're helping those poor merchants!"

Lumine stared at Paimon in disbelief. "Are you really that easy to fool?"

Seeing this, Ye added fuel to the fire. "After resolving this matter, the International Trade Association might reward you handsomely. Maybe something like ten million Mora."

"Fine, where do we find the evidence?"

Of course, Lumine wasn't tempted by the Mora. She mainly thought Paimon made a good point. She wasn't helping this cunning old fox—she was helping the merchants of the International Trade Association!

The reward was secondary. The key was that she, being so beautiful, kind-hearted, and compassionate, couldn't just stand by and watch people in need suffer!