Seeing that the Guuji still gave this kind of answer, Ayaka grew anxious.
"But then… what should we do? Are we just supposed to keep dragging this out?"
The Guuji cast a faint glance at Ayaka and spoke softly:
"Don't worry. I'm thinking of a way, aren't I?"
After speaking, she took a deep breath to calm herself.
The news Ayaka spoke of was indeed shocking and had shattered the Guuji's worldview.
But at times like this, panic was the least useful reaction.
If one couldn't steady their mind, how could they think of a solution?
Not getting herself caught up in it would already be good enough.
Ayaka fell silent for a moment, exchanged a glance with Lumine, and then decided to use her old, familiar tactic.
She drew a contract from her sleeve and pushed it in front of the Guuji.
As one closely tied to a god, the Guuji naturally recognized what this was.
The thick divine power of the Geo Archon infused within it was no illusion.
The last bit of hope in the Guuji's heart was wiped away.
Shaking her head, she said helplessly:
"So you want to bring me aboard your ship? You've really learned how to calculate people, haven't you, little Ayaka?"
Ayaka pursed her lips and said softly:
"I'm sorry, Lady Yae Guuji. I wasn't trying to manipulate you.
It's just that so many things involve the secrets of Liyue and the other two nations.
If I spoke rashly, the three gods might personally come…"
Hearing this, the Guuji raised an eyebrow and took a look at the contract.
There weren't any terms written on it — it was the same as the one Kamisato Ayato had signed.
It simply required that, until Inazuma officially joined the alliance, she would act as an individual and guarantee not to leak the secrets of the three nations.
Otherwise, she would become the common enemy of all three.
Thinking it over carefully, it was clearly a transitional contract.
The divine power infused in it wasn't just from the Geo Archon, but also from the Anemo Archon and the Cryo Archon.
This alone proved the contract was genuine and extremely binding.
"If I sign it… what do I get?"
The Guuji didn't rush to make a move. She looked at Ayaka thoughtfully.
Ayaka and Lumine exchanged another glance, then took out something the Guuji had never seen before and solemnly placed it in front of her.
"An Immortality Totem!"
"And a brand-new future!"
The Guuji's pupils contracted as she carefully examined the item before her.
It looked unremarkable, but the law-like power it contained shocked her deeply.
"Immortality… what does that mean?"
"Exactly what it says. It can shield you from one fatal blow. After it activates, it forcibly restores you to your peak state," Lumine explained softly.
"In other words, it gives you a second life."
The Guuji chuckled lightly.
"It really is like one of those astonishing treasures in light novels."
"Lady Yae Guuji, will you sign it?" Ayaka asked patiently.
The Guuji nodded.
"With a treasure like this, why wouldn't I sign?"
The Guuji no longer hesitated and signed her name straight away.
In that moment, three divine powers swept over her, making her body stiffen involuntarily.
A moment later, the divine presence faded, and the Guuji let out a breath of relief.
With a wry smile, she muttered:
"The Three Archons… truly generous."
The Guuji had met the Anemo Archon and the Geo Archon, though she had rarely encountered the Cryo Archon.
But whether it was Barbatos or Morax, as the original sovereigns, their strength was among the finest in Teyvat.
Judging by the divine power left behind on the contract, that was indeed the case.
If the three Archons were to join forces…
At their level, the only existence worth uniting against would be Celestia's Heavenly Principles.
Thinking of this, the Guuji couldn't help but want to complain.
Why insist on clashing head-on with the Heavenly Principles?
As for the contract, the Guuji no longer bothered with it.
She simply put away the Totem of Undying, asking curiously:
"So… how do you use this thing?"
Lumine rested her chin on one hand and spoke softly:
"Just make it into a pendant and wear it at your waist. When you take a fatal blow, it will trigger automatically."
"After it's triggered, for a certain period of time, you'll be immune to Pyro damage, your defense will skyrocket, and your health will continuously regenerate."
The Guuji arched a brow, her gaze shifting thoughtfully toward Paimon.
If she wasn't mistaken…
That little flying companion at her waist… was wearing five Totems of Undying?
Wasn't this supposed to be an incredibly rare treasure?
Naturally, Paimon noticed the Guuji's stare.
She immediately puffed out her chest proudly.
"Hmph! As Ryen's most beloved little cutie, Paimon has over seventy Totems of Undying!"
"Seventy?!"
The Guuji froze. She had expected Paimon to have many, but this was far too much!
What was this? Everyone else in Teyvat had only one life, and suddenly this little one had seventy more like it was some kind of game cheat?
Thinking about it like that, it didn't seem impossible for Rex Lapis and the others to rebel against the Heavenly Principles after all.
With dozens of extra lives, their margin for error was practically infinite!
If they lost once, they could just revive and try again.
Even the most exaggerated light novels in Yae Publishing House had never written about such a broken cheat!
"Guuji, have you thought of a way yet?"
Lumine asked curiously. Since the contract had already been signed, the Guuji was one of their own now.
In Lumine's eyes, she already felt a lot closer to them.
The Guuji shrugged.
"As I said before, that one has shut herself away, refusing to come out. I can't even see her."
"As you already guessed, the only real solution to Inazuma's turmoil is to change her heart."
"If we can't even meet her face-to-face, how could we hope to resolve the chaos?"
"The Shogun… she's really not the type who understands emotions."
"Even if you talk until the heavens fall, it won't matter."
The Guuji muttered these words with a deeper meaning, and Ayaka's eyes suddenly flashed.
The doubts she had gathered in Liyue—listening to Zhongli and the others discuss the Raiden Shogun—were starting to peel back a curtain of mystery.
~~----------------------
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