The martial tournament wasn't really Reisen Riou's concern—he was just eavesdropping for kicks.
After all, Ei's soft life was pretty sweet. While others drooled over divine artifacts, he already had the True-Forged Inazuma Stringlight and a Shadow-Forged version of every other type, like the Mist-Cutter and Thunderstring Harp offered as tournament prizes.
To most, those were rare treasures. To him? Just everyday workout blades.
Worth noting: Reisen had a swordsmanship training plan ready but was too swamped to start. No time for kendo lately.
The banquet wrapped up, and guests trickled out.
Reisen ruffled Yae Miko's fur. "Little Miko, you getting chubby? You're heavier."
"Idiot, I'm in my growth phase—I'm bigger!" Miko snapped, morphing from fox to girl, whacking Reisen's head with a wooden stick she pulled from nowhere.
"You jerk!" she fumed, glaring at his passive barrier. It blocked her every revenge attempt.
"Gotta wait a century to land a hit, haha!" Reisen taunted.
After some playful tussling, he tutored her on spellcraft and ritual protocols. Miko dozed off mid-lesson. Guess even youkai found dry knowledge sleep-inducing, unless they were true nerds.
"Alright, Ei, let's celebrate my One Mind breakthrough. Last time I tried, I got interrupted. Tonight, I'm indulging," Reisen said, smirking.
"Mm!" Ei's face flushed crimson.
…
Reisen tightened his grip, Ei sleeping soundly on his chest.
"Sorry, Ei, woke you up," he said with an awkward grin.
"No biggie. I'm off to drill the Okuzumeshu and conscripted samurai," Ei said, stretching, her figure on full display.
Reisen dressed, then helped Ei with her clothes and hair accessories.
After parting, Reisen mulled over a problem.
His butterfly effect was bigger than expected. Khaenri'ah's moves were clearly ahead of schedule.
Signs started ten years ago. By his estimates, their archaeological prelude should've just begun, but they were already nearing a frenzied digging phase.
Reisen figured he was to blame. Intel from northern networks suggested his learning device had supercharged Khaenri'ah's war machine, like fuel to a car or wings to a tiger, advancing at a pace that stunned even them.
Crucially, Khaenri'ah's king—over a century old, kept youthful by alchemy—still ruled, full of vigor.
Based on current data, Reisen predicted their mad archaeology would kick off within two years, if it hadn't already.
"Reisen, what's with the daze?" Raiden Makoto asked.
"Thinking about Rhinedottir. She's probably smug as hell," Reisen said. "Her faction's gained a big edge in Khaenri'ah's infighting. She's even been named a Sage."
"I reviewed Khaenri'ah's alchemical works. Their bio-alchemical 'Hound' matches the Dark Sea beasts you fought." Reisen scribbled a paper and sketched concepts—stuff he'd planned last night.
The sketches showed Khaenri'ah's bio-alchemical weapons.
Makoto nodded. The beasts did resemble the sketches.
"Those are early works by 'Gold' Rhinedottir. She's a debate lightweight, but her bio-alchemy's top-tier," Reisen said.
"In Teyvat, only that one might outdo her in bio-alchemy," he added, hinting at a mysterious figure.
"So the Dark Sea beasts are tied to Khaenri'ah, but it's not hard proof," Makoto sighed, frustrated.
"Forget that. Let's talk Sumeru scholars. Inazuma's tax growth has slowed these past two years," Makoto said.
"No helping it. Inazuma's hit a long bottleneck. Only time will grind it out. The scholars are trying," Reisen replied.
The current Sumeru Vitalist scholars were second-rate but skilled. Still, Inazuma's soil and seed improvements had plateaued.
Inazuma's tax policies didn't help. Agricultural taxes were mostly grain, with premium vegetables offsetting levies. City taxes were goods, not Mora.
Switching to Mora could spark a tax boom, but Reisen's research deemed it untimely. For now and the future, Inazuma valued resources over Mora. Mora was just a lubricant—strength, for people and Inazuma, needed materials.
Food, ideology, tech, and martial issues were mostly solved. With other problems addressed, Inazuma could rocket forward.
Resource shortages were nearly fixed via Liyue trade. Now, Inazuma just needed time to cash in.
"True, but these past few years, I keep feeling this weird urgency," Makoto griped.
"You're too tense, Big Sis," Reisen laughed. "You and Ei are always hustling, so I can't slack either. Look at this." Makoto handed over a document.
--------------------
Want to read ahead? Early chapters on: patreon.com/ShadowKage