Ying didn't go into detail about why Jiang Yan suddenly became angry earlier.
Truth be told, she didn't understand half of it herself—
world will, Heavenly Dao covenant, all that complicated stuff.
What mattered was simple:
Nothing bad happened.
Teyvat didn't explode.
Everything was fine.
Ayaka and the others could clearly sense she didn't want to say more,
so they didn't press her.
Everyone returned to the banquet hall. Ying rested her cheek on her palm, lazily sighing:
"After today's little… episode, I bet the whole of Teyvat is terrified.
Things are going to get chaotic for a while."
"Not 'going to.'"
Kokomi chuckled softly.
"It started the moment the Sect Master appeared."
"In the foreseeable future, the entire world's attention will revolve around Shushan.
And you, Ying—
your every move will be watched by countless people."
Ying waved dismissively.
"Let them watch. It's not like anyone dares to try something against me."
"Never underestimate desperate people," Gorou reminded gently.
"Even with your strength—and Shushan behind you—you should still be cautious."
Ying nodded.
They didn't understand what it meant to be a cultivator.
With awakened divine sense, she could tell instantly
if anyone harbored malicious intent toward her.
And if they did?
She'd kill them.
Jiang Yan had taught her clearly:
A cultivator stands above the mundane.
If mortals dare plot against you—kill them without hesitation.
"Right, I need to warn you all about something."
Ying clapped once, straightening her posture.
"Just now, the Sect Master sent me a message.
Ganyu has successfully transcended tribulation and become a Divine Transformation–stage core disciple."
"That's excellent news—we should prepare gifts," Yoimiya said brightly.
But Ying shook her head.
"It's good news for Shushan and Liyue.
For you… not so much."
"Ganyu's breakthrough intensified Teyvat's spiritual recovery.
At the current pace, in under three months,
spiritual energy will cover the entire world."
"That means spiritual beasts will appear everywhere.
And Jueyun Karst already has beasts at the Refined Essence–Condensed Qi stage."
"In short—
if you stay as you are now,
in three months you'll be facing an extinction crisis."
Ayaka and the others instantly turned pale.
"A beast of that level… that means—"
"Exactly," Ying said solemnly.
"Without a cultivator, only a martial artist at the level of a land-immortal can fight such a creature."
"Sure, Raiden Shogun might handle it,
but you can't count on her to save all of Inazuma forever."
"The best path is still cultivation.
And you all missed your first opportunity."
Everyone fell into heavy silence.
Ayaka whispered bitterly:
"If we'd known earlier… we should've left a few people in Liyue to cultivate."
Kujou Sara sighed, frustrated.
Ayaka composed herself.
"Now the only option is to resolve the Shogun's inner conflict as soon as possible,
then ask Yae Miko to help us get an audience with the Sect Master."
"If we can resolve the Shogun's problem and send her to Shushan to cultivate—
with her strength, she should reach Divine Transformation quickly."
"Her sword talent fits martial cultivation perfectly.
That's the only way to save Inazuma."
"So… Ying, when can we act?"
Ying scratched her cheek.
"A few days. I just arrived—I need to understand the situation first."
"From what you said, the Shogun is extremely strong.
Even Kazuha almost couldn't resist her."
"I'm confident, but my cultivation is still only late Refined Essence.
If I use the Sect Master's spiritual power, the Shogun might… die."
"So let me assess things first.
Three to five days at minimum,
seven to eight at most—
I'll step in."
"I want to go back and cultivate too, you know."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Ayaka bowed slightly.
"Thank you. And… sorry for troubling you, Ying."
"It's fine! I'm a genius, remember?"
Ying grinned, stuffing more food into her mouth.
She did enjoy Inazuman cuisine—
except the raw stuff.
That was too much, even for her.
Sumeru
Scaramouche slowly regained consciousness in the Fatui base.
He stared blankly at the ceiling for several seconds
before the memory of that colossal figure tearing open the sky
slammed back into his mind.
He bolted upright, marched outside,
grabbed a random soldier by the collar, and snapped:
"You saw what happened in the sky earlier, didn't you?!"
The soldier trembled violently.
"Y-yes, Scaramouche-sir! We saw it!"
"So it was real… a true immortal cultivator!"
Scaramouche's eyes burned with manic intensity.
His grip tightened—
the soldier could barely breathe.
"S-Sir—spare me—!"
Scaramouche tossed him aside like trash.
"Useless."
He turned sharply to another soldier.
"What intel do you have on Shushan?
Anything. Everything."
"This—"
"If you don't talk, you'll all die today."
Dozens of Fatui dropped to their knees in terror.
"Spare us, Scaramouche-sir!
We truly don't know!
Headquarters told us nothing!"
"Useless. All of you!"
Azure wind surged around him.
He was seconds from slaughtering them all—
"Why waste your temper on them?"
A light, lazy voice drifted from behind.
Scaramouche stiffened.
He turned—
and saw a masked man leaning casually against the wall.
The Doctor.
Dottore.
"I thought you were in the lab," Scaramouche said coldly.
"Relax. Azar is arrogant, but obedient enough."
Dottore shrugged.
Scaramouche stepped closer.
"What do you know about what happened in the sky?"
"If you're asking about what headquarters told me—nothing."
Dottore's smile deepened.
"But if you're asking what I learned…
that's another matter."
Scaramouche narrowed his eyes.
"…Explain."
Honestly, Dottore wanted to smack him.
But he still needed Scaramouche alive.
"That giant figure?
That was the Sect Master of Shushan—the same legendary cultivator everyone's been whispering about recently."
"Oh, and by the way—
Her Majesty the Tsaritsa, along with La Signora and the Servants,
has already joined Shushan."
"And Tartaglia became a disciple long ago."
"What?!"
Scaramouche exploded.
"Why didn't I know any of this?!"
Dottore rolled his eyes.
"Isn't it obvious?"
Realization dawned—
and Scaramouche's expression twisted.
"…We were abandoned?"
"I expect so."
Dottore's tone was calm,
but the cold gleam in his eyes made even Scaramouche uneasy.
"Why?" Scaramouche growled.
"We served her. We fulfilled her goals.
And she abandons us?"
"Let's not pretend, shall we?"
Dottore lazily twirled a Delusion in his fingers.
"You and I both know why we joined the Fatui.
We were never loyal.
We were never on the same rope to begin with."
"Your little dream of becoming a god?
Your plan to start a god-war?
Did you think the Tsaritsa didn't notice?"
"Now that Shushan has shown the true path of immortality—
why would she keep liabilities like us?"
Scaramouche clenched his teeth.
"And Rosalyne?
She's bathed in as much blood as I have.
Why does she get to join Shushan?"
"Because she's a good dog," Dottore said bluntly.
"And because—"
He patted Scaramouche's shoulder.
"You, my dear colleague,
make a perfect scapegoat."
Scaramouche froze.
And for the first time in a very long while—
he felt a chill crawl down his artificial spine.
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