Moreover, Celestia had already sealed the path between Enkanomiya and the surface, so how did Orobas manage to get in during the Archon War?
The book said that the seal weakened over time, but if the goal was to prevent the people of Enkanomiya from returning to the surface, shouldn't Celestia have regularly maintained the seal?
Based on this question, Ryougi had a new idea: the seal was indeed set by the First Throne.
However, the purpose was not to prevent the people of Enkanomiya from returning, but to prevent those on the surface from going down.
Based on the speculation that the Second Throne won the war, the First Throne's purpose in sealing the path was to preserve its own embers, or perhaps, the truth?
That's why Enkanomiya has the book 'before sun and moon,' because the people of the Seven Nations on the Teyvat continent currently know nothing about the events during the Archon War.
They believe that Heavenly Principles is absolute order and do not know that they are actually outsiders.
After their defeat, the First Throne sealed the path and sent one of their sinshadows, the Archon of Time, Istaroth, to help the people of Enkanomiya.
But they were defeated after all, and their power gradually weakened, so the seal could not be maintained, eventually allowing Orobas to enter.
This is a current speculation made by Ryougi based on 'before sun and moon,' and its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. She didn't personally experience that great war, so how could she guarantee accuracy?
Putting 'before sun and moon' into her sleeve, Ryougi teleported to Serpent's Heart. She was ready to retrieve the second fragment.
The altar at Serpent's Heart was easy to find, as its footprint was simply too large. It occupied a quarter of the total area of Serpent's Heart.
The puzzle here was truly simple; one only needed to touch the barriers in the order marked on the ground, so Ryougi, for once, followed the process through.
After a simple circuit, a fragment dropped from mid-air.
"Now, only the one from Evernight Temple is left."
As Ryougi, who had just obtained the fragment, was about to leave, she saw a spirit floating at the base of a statue.
Upon seeing this, Ryougi went over without hesitation. This was a good opportunity to learn history.
"Hello, I presume you are the brave one undertaking this trial? My name is Ebisu, but you can also call me Eboshi, that's my Inazuma name."
"I am one of the Coral Palace shrine maidens. The story I am about to tell may be a bit complex and might take a considerable amount of time. If you have urgent matters to complete, please go complete them quickly."
"No rush, you can start from the beginning and take your time," Ryougi said.
She wished it were complex, as complex meant more content, and she could learn more things from it.
"Thank you. This story begins with Watatsumi Omikami arriving in Enkanomiya. Through that natural cave, we ascended to the surface with the help of Watatsumi Omikami's bloodbranch coral and established diplomatic relations with Narukami's Inazuma."
"They also said that our Watatsumi people have smooth and fair skin…"
"Hey, stop, stop, stop! Get to the point!"
Ryougi interrupted Eboshi's words. Are you a shrine maiden or a tour guide? If she didn't speak up, where would this topic stray?
She probably would start introducing Coral Palace's specialties in the next second!
"Cough, cough, my apologies. After establishing relations, I've been busy introducing Watatsumi Island to Narukami's people, so I accidentally got carried away…"
"Speaking of which, the brave one's skin is also very good, almost on par with Lady Coral Palace, and even smoother and more delicate."
"Is that so?" Ryougi subconsciously touched her face upon hearing this. Being praised for one's beauty is always pleasant, especially for a girl.
She was just a bit dense when it came to emotions, it wasn't that she couldn't feel happy.
Beneath the facade of a yuri and a Archon, she was just an ordinary girl, alright? What girl wouldn't be happy when praised for being beautiful?
"Of course, we Watatsumi people have lived underground for many years, you must trust our judgment…"
"Stop! That's enough, alright? Don't get off topic."
Ryougi made an 'X' with her hand. She was almost led astray by this shrine maiden.
"Uh, my apologies. Back to the main topic, Lady Coral Palace and I had a disagreement, so under Watatsumi Omikami's mediation, we came up with the current plan."
"Because of the abnormal Ley Line phenomena in Enkanomiya, sinshadows will appear. Things like 'the past,' 'truth,' and 'history' will last forever even if left untouched."
"So, our painstaking efforts are not for remembrance, but for forgetting. That's what Lady Coral Palace thinks."
"The trial is precisely for this, to prevent the truth from being known to the public."
"But I believe that the brave one who comes to undertake the trial should know all of this truth. Therefore, Watatsumi Omikami has allowed me to add an additional trial here. If you pass it, you can know the history."
"So, do you wish to undertake the trial named 'Truth'?"
Although the spirit could not manifest Eboshi's face, from her serious tone, Ryougi imagined a solemn shrine maiden.
"Actually, I've always been curious about one thing: why do you go to such lengths to forget this history? Shouldn't history be remembered?"
Ryougi did not accept the trial but instead posed her question to Eboshi.
"'before sun and moon,' which records many things, has been sealed away as a forbidden book. Even the Watatsumi Misogi Festival, which occurs only once every few centuries, has to hide the truth through a trial."
"Why do you do this? Or is that period of darkness truly so unacceptable?"
Facing Ryougi's questioning, Eboshi fell silent. After a long while, she slowly said:
"Regarding these matters, I have all the answers and can tell you, but you must complete the trial and prove that you are capable of guarding all of this."
"Alright, I will complete the trial, and of course, you must tell me everything. This is a trial, and also a contract."
"One who breaks a contract shall be punished by the stone."
Ryougi never feared any challenge; she was confident she could complete a mere trial.
The idea of going to great lengths to forget history greatly puzzled her. One should know that whether it was Liyue or Inazuma, both held an attitude of recording and exploring history.
Especially a certain country on Earth, in order to enrich its own history, it even specifically stole other people's history, claiming it as its own as long as there was a slight connection.
"I understand. Once you complete the trial, I will tell you everything without reservation."
"The content of the trial is to unseal the three seals in the outlying lands. They are located in the dim Evernight, beyond the rushing Undercurrent, and where the innocent heavenly light pours forth."
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