Northland Bank, VIP Lounge.
A woman lounged elegantly on the sofa, long legs crossed, chin propped on one pale hand. Her eyes glimmered with a cold, mocking narrowing.
"Abort the assassination plan? Ajax, when did you become so timid?"
Across from her, the young man spread his hands with a lopsided smirk that carried a faint chill.
"Heh. If you had confronted the Geo Archon's Heavenly Manifestation of All Things, would you still be running your mouth?"
One stroke—
Just one strike of Morax's true power had reshaped dozens of kilometers around Guyun Stone Forest into barren, smoldering craters of molten stone.
Even Tartaglia—with his thirst for battle—
Even with the Tsaritsa's blessings behind him—
didn't dare face that overwhelming divine might directly.
He could only retreat and plan.
La Signora gave a short, cutting laugh.
"That was in Guyun Stone Forest. What if he tries that little stunt in Liyue Harbor?"
Hundreds of thousands lived there.
Would Morax dare unleash his full power among civilians?
Tartaglia frowned.
"And what exactly are you implying?"
The woman lifted a slender hand, fingers pale as sculpted jade, tapping her chin.
"Give me the Talisman of Absolute Impunity. On the day of the Rite of Descension, you will lead the strike against Morax. I will handle liberating Osial."
Tartaglia was still not privy to the truth behind the contract between the Tsaritsa and the Geo God—
But she was.
To fulfill that agreement, Liyue would be granted a spectacle—
A war magnificent enough to shake the world.
Wangshu Inn — the next afternoon.
Bai Hao sat cross-legged on his bed, happily munching on stir-fried tofu while catching up on his anime backlog.
"Between my staff and this fire poker, which would you pick?"
"Right now—seize your future!"
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm sorry. I love you!"
After binge-watching an entire series, he lay on his bed in the shape of the Chinese character "木," sighing like a man who had transcended mortal concerns.
"Ahh… that orc bro didn't deserve to die…"
He had a soft spot for beastfolk.
Especially girls like Diona—pink fur, cat ears, tsundere, tiny fangs…
That cropped top… that swishy tail… those fuzzy ears…
If he could ever cuddle a perfect cat-eared girl like that, he could die without regrets.
He immediately resolved:
Next chance he got, he'd go straight to Mondstadt's Cat's Tail Tavern and kidnap Diona directly into Cheng-ge's Serenitea Pot.
…Though he'd have to get past that tavern owner Margaret.
Diona was a walking money printer—cute, tsundere, and irreplaceable. No sane business owner would let her go.
Well—if he had to, he could just kidnap the boss too.
"Speaking of money… how many people bought Barbara's video by now?"
He opened his creator dashboard.
His Mora balance: 7 billion.
Barbara's "Say So" videos alone had earned 5.9 billion.
Good grief.
At this rate, he could start building the Jade Chamber by the end of the month.
Feeling refreshed, he glanced at the time—close to sunset.
Perfect for streaming.
He opened his creative broadcast room.
[The Mishearing Maniac: Good evening, Teyvat~ I'm back to ruin your night! o(￣︶￣)o]
[Kaeya: He's here, he's here!]
[Keqing: You're not even pretending to behave anymore, are you?!]
[Klee: Yay! Fun videos again!]
[Xingqiu: Who's getting roasted today?]
[Barbara: …Please don't remix me again… uwuu…]
[Arataki Itto: Pick me!! Let me show off to the whole world! Hahaha!]
[Kuki Shinobu: Boss, I beg you—close your mouth.]
[Xiangling: Not me again! If someone must be roasted, roast Guoba instead!! (＞_＜)]
[Guoba: Σ(OдOlll)???]
[Yae Miko: Don't stop~ (points at Ei) Bully my precious Shogun more~]
[Raiden Ei: Clone, go. Strike her.]
Ever since she obtained Three Thousand Thunders, Ei had been able to manifest a clone identical in power to her true self.
In other words—she'd gained a twin sister in combat efficiency.
[Kujou Sara: On behalf of the Kujou Clan, I will pay you two billion Mora! Please stop tormenting the Shogun! @The Mishearing Maniac]
Yesterday's cooking-parody video had detonated all of Inazuma.
No one panicked more than the Hiiragi and Kujou clans.
Their political power depended entirely on the Shogun's image—and yesterday's disgrace threatened everything.
Thus, they banded together, sending Sara—the Vision-holder with VIP access—to negotiate.
Bai Hao's answer:
[The Mishearing Maniac: Tch. Two billion? Do I look like a beggar? (￣^￣)凸]
[Mona: Then what does that make my one million Mora tip?! (▼皿▼#)]
Somewhere in Inazuma, Kujou Sara trembled with fury.
Then—
[Ding! You've received a 3-billion Mora donation from Scaramouche!]
A huge donation banner exploded across the screen.
Followed by a private message:
"A modest tribute. Please continue remixing the Shogun. Much appreciated."
Bai Hao blinked.
This kid…
This kid was truly filial in the strangest ways.
No wonder he'd been silent the whole day—he'd been preparing this.
Bai Hao cracked his knuckles.
"Understood!"
He opened his folder of pre-edited footage.
[Kokomi: General, please listen to your people. End the Vision Hunt Decree. @RaidenEi]
Yesterday's parody had triggered a global uproar—
Sympathy for Inazuma, demands for the decree's end, appeals for peace.
The Tri-Commission was terrified.
If the deception behind the decree was exposed—
That was high treason.
Support for Watatsumi surged as viewers from all nations criticized the decree.
[Raiden Ei: Impossible. Dreams invite loss. Your pleas are meaningless.]
In her divine arrogance, Ei dismissed mortal concerns.
She had lived thousands of years. Mortals lived a blink.
How could they presume to lecture a god?
[The Mishearing Maniac: So, you don't believe in humanity's strength?]
[Raiden Ei: Naturally. No matter what remix you make, I will not waver.]
She had already lost face publicly; there was nothing left to fear.
Besides—she did gain useful abilities from the videos.
What more could he do?
Remix her into a teapot?
Impossible.
[The Mishearing Maniac: Good. Then allow me to show you—
the blinding brilliance of human will at its very peak.]
He loaded a legendary montage video—
One that had already amassed 15 million views.
Title:
One Strike to Seal the Gods — Raiden Shogun Blocks the Blade of Emperor Ye!
And he pressed "Play."
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