Reisen Riou was so frustrated he could spit blood. If he'd known, he'd have specialized in one law. But that was just a fleeting thought—actually doing it? He couldn't bear to give up his breadth.
Still, the news wasn't all bad. Teyvat's laws might be dormant, but they weren't gone—just harder to sense.
Boost your perception, and you could still tap into them.
The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles' message was clear: as long as you could sense Teyvat's corresponding laws, their shackles would weaken.
"So, I need to amp up my perception," Reisen mused. "Guess I'll have to cozy up to Dottore for a while."
"Painful to admit, but that guy's a genius. In no time, he's mastered my research and started innovating."
"What're you scheming now?" Raiden Ei asked, catching Reisen's distant look. He wasn't moping, so she knew he was plotting.
"Just thinking how to boost my perception," Reisen said honestly.
Meanwhile, Alice confirmed the shackle's reality through astrology.
She twitched at Ei's move—straight-up calling Celestia like it was nothing.
That was a dimensional gut-punch to them.
Reisen shared the info with Alice.
"Matches my divination," Alice said. "The number of powerhouses will plummet soon."
"Human powerhouses too?" Reisen caught on instantly.
Only if humans were affected would this happen.
Top human powerhouses breaking life energy limits could boost vitality, living past 150 at LV80+.
But compared to long-lived species—yokai, immortal beasts, elves, all with 1,000+ year lifespans—that was nothing.
If human powerhouses were shackled, the drop in strong fighters would be drastic.
Without Celestia loosening up, this generation of powerhouses would die out in under a century. Only LV70+ boosted vitality, extending life. The youngest LV70+ fighters were in their thirties or forties. Once they died, new ones would be scarce.
That was grim.
"Yeah," Alice nodded heavily. "This shackle hits all of Teyvat—humans, yokai, immortal beasts, elves, everyone."
Reisen rubbed his chin, weighing a plan.
It could preserve Inazuma's top fighters but would sharpen internal conflicts, pushing nobles toward entrenched clans.
He'd table that for now—Alice was here.
They chatted more about the shackle's impact on Teyvat. Alice, sensing private talk, excused herself.
Alone with Ei, Reisen hesitated. "Ei, should we kick off that plan?"
"You're the one to decide," Ei said, scratching her head sheepishly. "You know my big-picture sense sucks. Go for it—I've got your back."
"Let me think it over," Reisen said. He and Ei had long toyed with extending Inazuma's top fighters' lifespans.
It wasn't just humans—yokai faced lifespan limits too.
Inazuma's yokai life-extension plan was already rolling. The old oni clan chief and tengu clan chief, set to retire years ago claiming they were "dying," were now spry, hassling Kagei Tengu and Miyushi Chiyo with speeding tickets or marriage nagging.
That was Reisen's work.
He'd personally performed Longevity Alchemy and Sealing Rituals for them.
Barring major battles draining their lives, they'd last another four or five centuries.
Why not humans? Simple—Reisen wanted to avoid class solidification.
Longevity Alchemy and Sealing Rituals demanded high alchemical and sealing knowledge, but others could replicate them.
Reisen held back to prevent Inazuma's classes from locking up.
Class solidification was a scary social trap.
In Teyvat's supernatural world, it existed in Inazuma but wasn't severe.
Beyond yokai and the three Commissions, noble and job turnover was frequent.
Low-tier samurai nobles, thanks to Inazuma's militaristic culture, rose yearly.
The three Commissions—Tenryou, Kanjou, Yashiro—weren't immune to change. Their stability came from generational effort. Every head, if not a titan, was at least competent. The Kujou, Kamisato, and Hiiragi families seemed average but were fiercely competitive internally.
No talent, no headship.
Their other edge? Unbroken lines of powerhouses.
Except Kanjou's Hiiragi family, who rose through smooth talking and diplomacy. Their real power was limited to Ritou, but over time, they'd produced a few LV70+ elders.
The Kujou family, running military affairs, had the most powerhouses. With many branch families, ample education, and resources, they boasted over a dozen LV70+ fighters and one LV80+.
The Kamisato family had fewer LV70+ but also one LV80+.
Beyond them, the Grand Dojo's Sword Saint, an LV80+ powerhouse, rose from humble Okuzumeshu roots. A disciple of Ei, he retired to become the dojo's master.
Kombumaru, secluded at the Tengu Annex: Thousand Boats Void Gate, was LV80+.
A lowborn samurai family from the Tenryou Commission produced one LV80+.
An Okuzumeshu commoner turned LV80+.
The Grand Narukami Shrine hid an old shrine maiden, also LV80+.
Plus, a few LV80+ recluses on other islands and two or three LV80+ on Watatsumi Island.