Chapter 108: Ye and Lumine

Under the task assigned by Ye, Lumine first went to Wagner and, together with him, obtained a ledger from a foot soldier named Keijiro.

Ye flipped through the ledger and then took Lumine and Paimon to the Kanjou Commission headquarters.

At the Kanjou Commission, Sen'emon had already installed Chisato Hiiragi as the new Kanjou Commissioner.

Chisato sat nervously beside Sen'emon, completely baffled by how things had turned out so suddenly.

Just moments ago, she had been thinking about how to bypass her father's restrictions to send a letter to her beloved, even considering seeking help from the legendary Traveler. But in the blink of an eye, her father was imprisoned, and she had become the head of the Hiiragi Clan and the acting head of the Kanjou Commission.

Of course, while she was technically in charge, she knew she was little more than a figurehead. Right now, all Chisato wanted to know was whether she could still send that letter.

Shinsuke Hiiragi: "..."

Ahem, although it might seem inappropriate to think about such things while her father was in prison, there was nothing she could do about her father's situation. So, she might as well focus on her own life.

Anyway, as the Kanjou Commissioner, sending a letter should be simple, right? But did she even have the authority now?

What exactly was Sen'emon-sama planning?

Chisato mustered a bit of courage and asked in a relatively calm tone, "Sen'emon-sama, what should I do next?"

"I don't know."

"Huh?"

"Wait."

"Huh?"

Sen'emon replied bluntly, "I can't be bothered to think, so I'll wait for someone who's willing to think to come along. I'm just a blade. Where I strike depends entirely on how someone wields me, right?"

"...Are you waiting for the Shogun?"

The only one who could wield Sen'emon, the blade, was the Raiden Shogun, right?

At least, that was the common understanding.

"Why would the Shogun personally handle such matters?"

Sen'emon smiled faintly.

"I'm talking about another wielder. Though it's only temporary, I'm currently following his will."

"Huh?"

Chisato was completely baffled. Who else besides the Shogun could wield Sen'emon? To speak disrespectfully, even other gods wouldn't have the right to do so, in Chisato's opinion.

So who was it?

What kind of being could it be?

At that moment, someone nervously entered the room to report.

"Sen'emon-sama, Kanjou Commissioner, someone is here to see Sen'emon-sama. They say they have a prior arrangement."

Sen'emon nodded. "Yes, it's as agreed. Let them in."

Soon, three people—two people and one emergency food—entered the room.

Seeing the newcomers—especially the strikingly handsome man—Chisato was momentarily stunned, while Sen'emon smiled slightly. "By the way, I still don't know your name, my temporary master."

Ye replied calmly, "Just call me Lumine (Elysia)."

Lumine's eyes widened as she glared at Ye.

"And these two?"

Sen'emon then looked at Lumine and Paimon.

Paimon puffed out her chest. "I'm Paimon."

Lumine's expression returned to calm.

"I'm also Elysia."

"Call me Ye."

"Ahahahaha." Seeing these two dialogue options, Elysia couldn't help but laugh. "As expected of me. When faced with something like this, I should definitely fight back."

With that, she decisively chose the second option.

Lumine replied softly, "Call me Ye."

"I see. Mr. Lumine, Miss Ye."

Sen'emon stood up and gestured for Ye to take a seat.

"Please, Mr. Lumine, give us your instructions on what to do next."

Ye sat down without hesitation and, without changing his expression, looked at Lumine and said, "Traveler, show the ledger to Miss Chisato."

Lumine calmly handed the ledger to Sen'emon, who then passed it to Chisato.

Still in a daze, Chisato could only flip through the ledger. Although she had no idea what was going on, she decided to just go along with it.

I'll do whatever they tell me to do. There's nothing else I can do anyway.

—Then, as Chisato read the ledger, her expression grew increasingly grim.

"This... this..."

It was a ledger detailing the embezzlement of a man named Keijiro, but the ledger didn't just list Keijiro's name.

It clearly recorded how Keijiro and his accomplices divided the money, who they bribed, and more. The contents were shocking.

Although Chisato had never been involved in managing the Kanjou Commission, as Shinsuke's only daughter, he had never planned to marry her off. Instead, he had raised her as his successor from a young age—which was also the main reason he opposed Chisato's relationship with Kamaji Kujou.

After all, the second son of the Kujou Clan couldn't marry into the Hiiragi family, and even if he did, who would really control the Kanjou Commission? Wouldn't the Kujou Clan use this as an excuse to interfere with the Kanjou Commission?

In any case, since Chisato couldn't be married off, she had been groomed as the heir to the Kanjou Commission. Through years of exposure, Chisato was far from a naive young lady.

Therefore, from this ledger, she could see the corruption that ran deep within the Kanjou Commission.

The scope of the people involved was vast.

In fact, the number of names recorded in the ledger wasn't that large, but the implications went far beyond the names listed.

The sheer number of people involved meant there were even bigger protectors behind the scenes. The person who kept the ledger could only bribe those within his reach, but those he bribed would also have their own people to bribe.

If the ledger had only four or five names, it wouldn't be a big deal. A small bribe could be covered up by a mid-level official, and it wouldn't involve too many people. But looking at the names and the enormous sums of Mora recorded, and considering this was just one person's ledger...

The more Chisato thought about it, the more her heart raced. A rough estimate suggested that at least 70% of the Kanjou Commission was involved in wrongdoing.

If they were all purged... not only would the Kanjou Commission collapse, but all of Inazuma would be thrown into chaos.

It would take at least a decade to recover.

Realizing this, Chisato could no longer afford to fear Sen'emon. She urgently said, "Sen'emon-sama, we can't act rashly! We also can't just cut everything off at once. We must set clear boundaries, or else all of Inazuma will be affected—the Tenryou Commission is still fighting the resistance army. If this isn't handled properly, it could lead to a catastrophic defeat on the front lines."

Hearing this, Ye couldn't help but look at this "NPC" who he had initially thought was just there to feed players some romantic subplot.

Hmm, she's like those two lovebirds at Starsnatch Cliff in Mondstadt.

But this Chisato isn't entirely a lovesick fool.

Well, Genshin Impact is just a game, but Teyvat is now a real world.

After all, she's the young lady of the Hiiragi Clan, on par with Ayaka Kamisato. She must have some competence as the heir to the Hiiragi Clan.

Thinking this, Ye echoed Chisato's sentiments. "Yes, although the Kanjou Commission is thoroughly rotten, that's precisely why we can't just cut it all down at once."

"Cutting through the mess might feel satisfying, but it would only create more chaos."

"However, we can't just ignore it either. If we choose to let it slide, it will only embolden the criminals to commit even greater crimes. So, we must draw a line—but before we do that, we need to investigate thoroughly to determine exactly how many people in the Kanjou Commission are corrupt. Only with a complete list can we draw a clear line."

Chisato turned her gaze to Ye. She now understood that, although she didn't know how Sen'emon-sama had become this man's blade, at this moment, in this room, the one truly in charge was this man.

"Mr. Lumine, how do you plan to investigate?"

"It's simple. We'll start with a single point and expand from there."

Ye took the ledger from Chisato's hands and handed it to Lumine, saying calmly:

"Traveler, the people in the Kanjou Commission can't be trusted right now. So, I'll need you to bring the person who wrote this ledger here. We'll start with him and gradually uncover the darkness within the Kanjou Commission."

Lumine didn't take the ledger. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and said, "Mr. Lumine, did you forget to say something?"

"...Beautiful, kind-hearted Miss Ye, could you please bring the person who wrote this ledger here?"

"Mhm."

Only then did Lumine nod in satisfaction and take the ledger.

It had to be said, being praised by the Supreme Bishop like this was quite satisfying.

Lumine quite liked it.

So, she went out to capture the person.

She brought Keijiro back to the Kanjou Commission, then used Keijiro to capture his superior, Shigeka, and then used Shigeka to capture his superior, Takasuke...

[After three full days, you've captured dozens of people and finally compiled a complete list.]

After capturing five more people besides Keijiro, the screen went black, and this line of text appeared.

Elysia let out a big sigh of relief and patted her chest. "That scared me. I thought we'd just be capturing people from now on. Even though I could try out Sen'emon, four out of the five surrendered as soon as they saw her."

"There's no way the game would just have you capturing people forever."

"Five captures are enough to advance the plot."

"And this part of the story really shows just how famous and terrifying Sen'emon is in Inazuma."

During the capture missions, aside from the first one where Lumine captured Keijiro, the next five could be done from either Lumine's or Sen'emon's perspective.

From a story perspective, the two were splitting up to capture people separately.

Naturally, Elysia chose Sen'emon, mainly because she wanted to try her out.

As a result, when using Sen'emon for the missions, four out of the five targets surrendered immediately. Only the last one was stubborn enough to fight, so Elysia only got to experience the thrill of combat once.

According to the chat, choosing Lumine would let you fight all five.

It seems this mission was mainly meant to showcase Sen'emon's reputation and influence in Inazuma.

—And also to showcase her combat strength.

"Sen'emon is really impressive. I don't know what artifacts she's using in the trial, but dealing 500,000 damage in one hit is insane for a trial character. Trial characters are at C0, but... her Elemental Burst energy requirement seems a bit high."

Not just a bit high—it's extremely high.

Sen'emon's Elemental Burst has a 15-second cooldown, which is normal. Generally, if you can keep up with energy recharge, dealing 500,000 damage in one hit is really, really impressive, especially for a trial character—but Sen'emon's Elemental Burst costs 200 energy! 200!! 200!!!

That's a whole tier above everyone else, with at least five or six tiers in between!!!

A 15-second cooldown and a 0-second cooldown make no difference if you can't generate enough energy.

What's more, Sen'emon's Elemental Skill is a self-buff that increases her Crit Rate. It doesn't deal damage and doesn't generate energy particles. Her Elemental Burst description reads:

"Activates the body's potential with Electro energy, pushing the physical limits of the user."

In simpler terms, her Elemental Skill boosts her Crit Rate, ensuring her next attack is a guaranteed crit. Her Elemental Burst enhances her Normal Attack damage, but it doesn't deal damage itself. Instead, it transforms her Normal Attack into a powered-up version called "Heavenly Sword."

Elysia confirmed that in the trial, this attack could deal over 500,000 damage.

Is it strong? Is it strong? Is it strong?

Very strong.

Is it satisfying? Is it satisfying? Is it satisfying?

Very satisfying.

—But her Elemental Burst costs 200 energy.

So, in short, Sen'emon is a sub-DPS who doesn't need any Crit Rate on her artifacts. Instead, she focuses on Energy Recharge, with Attack and Crit Damage as secondary stats.

And she's a physical damage sub-DPS.

Because the way to use Sen'emon is to switch her in when her Elemental Burst is fully charged, have her unleash her powerful attack, and then switch her back out to wait for her energy to recharge again.

Although this one attack might deal more damage than a main DPS's full rotation—or even two rotations—and could potentially deal even more with the right artifacts, she's still a sub-DPS.

However, if you can build a team that generates energy quickly for her, allowing her to use her Burst every 30 seconds instead of 15, her value could rival that of Hu Tao, the current meta DPS, and Themis, the must-have support.

Elysia thought back to the Raiden Shogun's kit that Kiana had revealed during the company meeting. The Raiden Shogun is an Electro character, and so is Sen'emon. The Raiden Shogun's kit is all about generating energy for the team.

What if you added the Electro Traveler?

Before the Inazuma update, Kiana had revised the Electro Traveler's C6 effect, allowing their "Falling Thunder" to generate energy for the entire team and significantly boosting their energy generation capabilities. If you paired the Raiden Shogun with the Electro Traveler to support Ayaka's Superconduct damage, and then had Sen'emon deliver the finishing blow to enemies affected by Superconduct... Wait!

At this point, Elysia suddenly realized something.

Wait! Wait!

Thinking about it carefully, could it be... that I (the Traveler) am finally going to shine?!

Has Kiana finally shown some mercy?! Is the protagonist really going to shine?!

Even if it's just as a support, this is really going to shine!!

Not just the protagonist, but Electro characters and the Superconduct system are going to shine too!

Wait, no, hold on. If that's the case, is Sen'emon a main DPS or a sub-DPS?

Calling her a main DPS doesn't seem right, since she can't stay on the field for long. But if she's a sub-DPS, even if her energy recharge is slow and she can only attack once, that one attack could still deal more damage than a main DPS in a Superconduct team! After all, the main DPS in a Superconduct team doesn't deal much damage, as the focus is on boosting the sub-DPS's damage.

Thinking about it this way, Sen'emon is a rather unique character.

Of course, whether she's considered a main DPS or a sub-DPS doesn't really matter. What's more important is that Sen'emon is a blessing for free-to-play players!

You see, dealing one million damage in one hit is something free-to-play players can only dream of. Even many paying players can't reach that level of damage. Those one-shot nuke videos are only possible for the truly wealthy.

But Sen'emon gives free-to-play players a chance to achieve that kind of damage. With the right artifacts and careful investment, dealing one million damage in one hit is no longer just a dream for free-to-play players—especially since Sen'emon's best artifact set is the Gladiator's Finale!

Although nuke builds aren't practical for Spiral Abyss or exploring the open world, people who play nuke builds do it for the thrill. So Sen'emon's popularity is destined to be high.

Elysia had to admit, Kiana knows how to design characters.

Of course, all of this was just in Elysia's thoughts. She didn't say it out loud, since the Raiden Shogun hasn't been released yet.

And without the Raiden Shogun, Sen'emon is just a T1 sub-DPS, not quite reaching T0—unless you have her at C4 or C6.

With C4 and C6, she becomes self-sufficient.

But that's a world for the whales.

Elysia refocused her attention on the game's story.

"With this, the Kanjou Commission's issues are resolved."

Ye, Lumine, Paimon, Sen'emon, and Chisato—five people... four people and one mascot gathered in the room once more.

Ye handed a book to Chisato and said calmly, "I've marked the people who need to be dealt with, those who can be pardoned and redeem themselves, and those who can fill the vacant positions... As long as you follow the instructions in this book, the Kanjou Commission and Inazuma's operations will continue without any issues."

Chisato accepted the book with both hands, her admiration for Ye evident. "Mr. Lumine, you managed to bring order to the Kanjou Commission in just three days. I'm truly in awe. I've never seen anyone like you..."

She paused, unsure how to describe the genius before her.

Three days! Just three days!

Although it might sound bad, the mess that was the Kanjou Commission gave Chisato a headache just thinking about it. She had no idea where to start to minimize the impact or who to appoint to fill the vacancies without disrupting Inazuma's finances.

But in just three days, everything became clear to her.

All thanks to Mr. Lumine.

A true genius! A once-in-a-lifetime genius! Not only had Chisato never met anyone like him, she had never even heard of such a person—unless you count the legendary Supreme Bishop of Fontaine.

As for Kamaji Kujou, the man she loved... well, it was best to spare him some dignity.

Thinking about it, Chisato felt a bit relieved. Thankfully, Mr. Lumine would be leaving after just three days. If they spent any more time together, she might actually develop feelings for him.

After all, while she wasn't the type to fall for someone based on their abilities, having such a handsome and capable man around every day would make it hard not to compare him to her current lover. And once you start comparing... would she still feel the same?

If her lover had some redeeming qualities compared to this man, that would be one thing. But the problem was that, in every aspect, her lover fell short.

To be honest, if she spent too much time with Mr. Lumine, Chisato wasn't confident she could remain loyal.

After all, rationally speaking, she knew her relationship with Kamaji wasn't unshakable.

Ye didn't know if he could see what Chisato was thinking, but he was quite satisfied with this NPC, who had far exceeded his initial expectations.

If Chisato hadn't been so capable, Ye wouldn't have dared to hand things over after just three days.

"I believe in you. Under your leadership, the Kanjou Commission will once again become a true pillar of Inazuma."

Huh? Mr. Lumine said he believes in me?

Huh? Does that mean... he's subtly expressing interest in me?

This... this won't do. He probably wouldn't agree to marry into the family, right?

Should I ask?

No, no, no, that's not right. I mean, I can't betray Kamaji!

As Chisato's thoughts began to spiral, Ye turned to Sen'emon.

"Now that I've fulfilled my promise to you, I'll take my leave."

"Is that so? Good." Sen'emon smiled. "In that case, I can ask a question that's important to me—when will the 'right time' you mentioned arrive?"

Ye replied indifferently, "Soon. It won't be long."

After answering, he turned and left the room.

Sen'emon nodded, her sharp smile gleaming.

"I'll be waiting."