Time passed swiftly, and in the days that followed, the world continued to turn. There was no longer such a thing as "eternity"...
Lumine took Paimon to Tsurumi Island for an adventure, collecting many precious memories—and treasure chests.
They encountered tales such as that of Ruu, and even sent wandering spirits onto ships bound for the afterlife.
Shao Yun, on the other hand, chose to remain in Inazuma City.
For both Shao Yun and Lumine, everything finally felt like the warm, ordinary days of adventure they once experienced in Mondstadt and Liyue.
Meanwhile, Narukami Island was undergoing earth-shaking changes.
With the strong support of the Watatsumi Island resistance, the once-lawless Treasure Hoarders and Nobushi who had disturbed the peace were brought to justice one after another.
Though they had not been completely eradicated, the security of the region had greatly improved.
The people of Narukami Island gradually returned to peaceful lives, and the island regained its vitality.
...
The problem of the Mikage Furnace's divine corruption was also resolved through the joint efforts of the shrine maidens from the Grand Narukami Shrine and Sangonomiya Shrine.
However, the island's vegetation would still need a long time to recover.
...
As Inazuma's situation gradually stabilized, Yae Miko led the shrine maidens of the Grand Narukami Shrine in preparing and hosting a solemn, grand funeral ceremony. Using the puppet "Raiden Shogun" as Beelzebul's remains, the ceremony was unprecedented in its magnificence, attracting the entire population of Inazuma City to pay their respects.
Yet one question lingered in the minds of the ordinary people: Why had their Archon passed away?
Due to Kujou Takayuki's and the Fatui's lies, many had believed the Raiden Shogun still lived.
But now, with the sudden news of her death, the people were left deeply confused and uncertain.
The life-and-death battle between Shao Yun and Beelzebul had taken place within the Plane of Euthymia.
Apart from Yae Miko, Kamisato Ayaka, and a few core figures of Inazuma, no one else knew the truth.
After the funeral ended, Yae Miko stood before the majestic Statue of the Omnipresent God in front of Tenshukaku, and solemnly declared before all of Inazuma City that she would become Inazuma's third Electro Archon.
At that moment, the entire city was steeped in an atmosphere of grief, confusion, and hope all at once.
The people's hearts were filled with expectations for the future, endless remembrance for their former Archon, and unanswered questions.
...
The first major act Yae Miko undertook as the new Archon was to publicly expose the crimes committed by the Fatui in Inazuma.
Borrowing from how Mondstadt and Liyue had handled such matters, she declared the Fatui an illegal organization.
She then decisively cut diplomatic ties with Snezhnaya, maintaining only necessary commercial exchanges.
Her second act was to sign a historic formal peace treaty with Watatsumi Island.
This treaty not only marked the end of long-standing hostilities, but also brought long-awaited peace to the people of both islands.
In secret, Yae Miko also fulfilled the clandestine agreement she had made with Sangonomiya Kokomi.
She then began a sweeping reform of Inazuma's domestic affairs.
Most notably, she carried out a large-scale personnel reshuffle within the Commission of Review, replacing many entrenched powers and revitalizing the institution.
At the same time, the Commission of Rituals saw its influence and prestige greatly increase.
However, for those clans that had once depended on the Hiiragi family head, this was nothing short of a nightmare.
When they learned they had lost their power, they collapsed in shock—some even fainting on the spot, making for quite the spectacle.
As for the Tenryou Commission, most of its duties in maintaining public order had been handed over to the resistance, and it was all but forgotten.
...
Although Yae Miko was now the Archon, she still preferred to live in the peaceful Grand Narukami Shrine.
The once-glorious Tenshukaku was now a silent memorial hall housing the remains of the Raiden Shogun, bearing witness to the passage of time.
The death of the second Electro Archon, Beelzebul, gradually became a forbidden subject in Inazuma—no one dared speak of it openly.
Still, in certain hidden corners—for instance, late at night in taverns—drunken patrons would sometimes dare to bring it up.
Some would vividly claim the Raiden Shogun had fought a bloody, world-shaking battle against the resurrected Orobashi, ending with both perishing together.
Others swore the Fatui had secretly assassinated her.
And there were those who insisted it was all part of a grand scheme carefully orchestrated by Yae Miko herself.
Of note was one famous "prophecy" novelist who, gathering every conspiracy theory from the streets, secluded himself in a dark, quiet room of the Yae Publishing House, pouring all his energy into writing the third volume of his series.
...
Kujou Sara's body was buried by the Arataki Gang under Arataki Itto's lead, in the tranquil Byakko Plains.
On the day of her burial, the sky was bright and sunny, the warm sunlight in stark contrast to the somber air before her tombstone.
Shao Yun attended the ceremony. Few came to pay their respects—aside from the Arataki Gang and Shao Yun, there was no one else.
Even Shikanoin Heizou, who had been on good terms with Kujou Sara, could not attend, much to Kuki Shinobu's puzzlement.
(Shikanoin Heizou was trapped on Watatsumi Island, imprisoned by the Nobushi—see his hangout quest for details.)
...
After the funeral ended, Arataki Itto stood silently beside Shao Yun.
He clenched his fists, barely containing his rage, and said through gritted teeth: "Shao Yun, Kuki explained it all to me, but that doesn't mean I can easily let go of this blood feud."
"You killed Kujou Sara—I'll find a way to kill you and avenge her!"
Hearing his resolute words, Kuki Shinobu thought to herself, All my psychological counseling for him went to waste!
She hurried forward to intervene: "Boss, please calm down!"
But before Itto could respond, Shao Yun raised a hand to stop her, signaling her to let it be.
He looked Itto over and said, "I understand how you feel. But if you want revenge, your target should be me alone."
Itto nodded firmly. "Of course. A debt has its debtor—I, Arataki Itto, have always acted openly and with a clear conscience."
"I'll train myself, and one day, I'll challenge you fair and square and kill you with my own hands!"
Shao Yun's lips curved into a faint smile. "Good. I'll be waiting for you to come collect your blood debt."
"Revenge may be a fool's game—but clearly, neither of us are particularly smart."
Itto stood before Sara's grave, fists clenched. "I will find a way to kill you. I'll offer your head to her spirit! Just wait for your death!"
Shao Yun turned his head, meeting Itto's gaze with a calm, death-seeing tone. "I look forward to it.
"If that day comes and I fall by your hand, let me face west—so I can watch the sunset and savor the memories of my life."
Itto wiped his nose with his thumb and replied decisively: "Deal. Wait for that day."
With that, he turned and left, his figure growing smaller as he went in search of whatever power could fulfill his revenge.
Kuki Shinobu quietly stepped up beside Shao Yun. "Mr. Shao Yun, the Mora you gave me—I used it all to build Miss Sara's grave. What do you think?"
Shao Yun looked at the finely crafted tombstone, then at the offerings before it.
"Kujou Sara's tombstone is well made. And... egg rolls as an offering?"
Kuki Shinobu pulled out a slightly crumpled flyer. "Back when I was studying law in Liyue, I was strolling in Feiyun Slope with my senior when a girl claiming to be the Hall Master of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor appeared out of nowhere."
"She shoved this flyer into our hands, promising a half-price discount on tombstones with it."
"At the time, I thought it was just a joke. I never imagined it would actually come in handy today."
Shao Yun looked at the flyer, thinking, I didn't expect Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to expand to Inazuma.
Looks like Hu Tao was right—the Hall and I really are a match made in heaven.
Kuki Shinobu glanced at the bird egg sushi. "Sara always claimed she didn't like sweets, but deep down she loved them more than anyone. I used to tell her not to be so hard on herself—that a treat once in a while was fine."
Her eyes drifted to the tombstone. "Now that she's gone to another world, I hope she can enjoy all the sweets she wants there."
Shao Yun had another take. "Even in another world, I think she'd still stick to her discipline."
Kuki Shinobu sighed. "That does sound like her."
Then, turning the subject, she said firmly, "As for Boss, I'll do my best to persuade him to give up his grudge."
Shao Yun replied casually, "If you can convince him, all the better. If not—then help him. Help him come for me."
Kuki Shinobu frowned. "I don't understand—why would you say that? His grudge against you has no basis!"
She began analyzing it logically. "You were a general of the resistance, and Sara was a general of the shogunate. In war, killing her was justified. Now that there's peace, Itto has no grounds to seek revenge."
"In fact, it's obvious to anyone with sense that the shogunate lost the war."
"From both the outcome and the moral standpoint, the shogunate lost completely. The fact Sara wasn't labeled a war criminal is already a blessing."
Shao Yun shook his head. "People can't be perfectly rational. Itto's like me—a fool. All he knows is that I killed Sara."
Kuki Shinobu felt a headache coming on. She'd seen Itto thrown in jail more times than she could count, but never had he been such trouble.
Finally, she asked, "Then... could you at least spare his life if he does come for revenge?"
Shao Yun smirked. "What if he kills me instead?"
Kuki Shinobu froze. That's the coldest joke I've ever heard.
"This kind of thing... I only ever see it in light novels! Almost no one succeeds at revenge in real life."
Shao Yun laughed aloud. This absurd world made anything possible.
"Hahaha—as long as he doesn't target Lumine or Paimon, and doesn't insist on becoming some martyr like Kujou Sara, I'll let him go."
Relieved, Kuki Shinobu exhaled, bowing respectfully. "Then I thank you in advance."
She then left with the Arataki Gang to find Itto.
Shao Yun stood before Sara's lonely grave, his gaze complicated.
Death is the fairest thing—it comes for everyone equally.
He reached into his Legend of the East satchel and pulled out a notebook.
Opening to a blank page, he took a pencil and began carefully sketching the tombstone, capturing every detail.
When he finished, Sara's grave was vividly alive on the page.
He paused, then wrote in the corner:
A martyr who died for her beliefs—Kujou Sara.
Closing the notebook and tucking it away, he looked at the grave one last time.
"Good night, martyr."