Sacred Flame Arena.
Caelus slowly descended from the sky, landing steadily at the center of the arena.
Now that he had ascended to godhood, flight posed no difficulty for him.
Likewise, when soaring high above, firing flame-forged arrows across vast distances required minimal effort.
Ever since he dismissed Mavuika, Kinich, and the others from frontline combat duties, Caelus had personally taken on the responsibility of eliminating Natlan's Abyssal creatures.
He no longer remembered how many he had slain—just as a person would not remember how many grains of rice they had eaten in their lifetime.
What he did know was this: not a single Abyssal creature had survived one of his arrows.
"Lord Pyro Archon."
A secretary from the Affairs Office approached him.
"Xilonen has completed the new weapons. Would you like to inspect them?"
"Let's go take a look… No, actually, I won't."
Caelus reconsidered.
"Inform Mavuika. Have her test the new equipment."
Although Mavuika was no longer fighting on the front lines, she was far from idle.
As the Pyro Archon from five hundred years ago, she possessed valuable experience in governance. Caelus had therefore assigned her the position of Pyro Archon's Assistant.
And what did that position entail?
Handling all of the Pyro Archon's administrative paperwork.
Caelus had no intention of spending his days buried under documents while simultaneously serving as Natlan's highest combat authority.
With a capable and experienced former Pyro Archon at hand, it would have been wasteful not to put her to use.
As a result, Caelus's recent days had been rather pleasant.
He traveled among Natlan's six major tribes, handing out mass-produced Pyro Visions to individuals he found promising, while enjoying generous hospitality along the way.
The only regret was that during his visit to the People of the Springs, Mualani happened to be away.
Aunt Atea had urged him to stay longer, but Caelus insisted he still had other tribes to visit, leaving before Mualani returned.
"Understood. I will inform the Assistant."
The secretary nodded, then hesitated before continuing.
"Lord Pyro Archon… the major tribes appear to be privately preparing to resume the Holy Night of the Return of Flame."
As she spoke, she lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes.
"Privately preparing?" Caelus chuckled. "While I was visiting the tribes, I heard about it so often my ears nearly went numb."
Although the Pyro Archon had officially suspended the Holy Night of the Return of Flame, the tradition had endured in Natlan for generations.
It was deeply rooted in the people's identity.
Even if the Sacred Flame no longer required the competitive blaze generated by the festival…
Even if there would be no Night-Warden War following it…
The people of Natlan still longed to hold the event.
Otherwise, they felt a restless emptiness.
"If they want to hold it, let them."
Caelus had initially suspended the Holy Night of the Return of Flame to harvest emotion points from the people of Natlan.
Now that the steady stream of emotion points had stabilized, he needed fresh stimulation.
"What a shame Teyvat doesn't have a certain famous provocateur."
"If I could borrow some of his methods, I'd be swimming in emotion points daily."
He sighed inwardly at the missed opportunity.
The secretary, however, interpreted his words differently.
"Lord Pyro Archon… are you restoring the Holy Night of the Return of Flame?" she asked in surprise.
"I did not say that," Caelus replied decisively. "If they choose to organize it privately, that is their matter."
"As Pyro Archon, I will not preside over it. There will be no official address, and there will be no Night-Warden War afterward. Without the war, there will be no formal honors."
He emphasized this clearly.
Natlan's Ley Lines—its Night Kingdom—remained unstable.
If casualties occurred in a Night-Warden War, resurrection through the Ode of Resurrection could not be guaranteed.
Even for the sake of emotion points, he would never permit that risk.
"Understood."
The secretary's voice carried a trace of disappointment.
For Natlan's people, the Holy Night of the Return of Flame was merely the prelude.
The true highlight had always been the Night-Warden War.
Participants earned immense honor.
Although only ancient name bearers could formally fight in the war, their teammates in the festival shared in that glory.
If only the festival were permitted without the war, satisfaction would inevitably be incomplete.
Still, the people of Natlan were adaptable.
Had both events remained banned indefinitely, resentment would have festered.
Now, with at least the festival unofficially allowed, it was an improvement over total prohibition.
"Is there anything else?" Caelus asked.
"Yes, Lord Pyro Archon. The Traveler you instructed us to monitor has departed Fontaine."
"She is expected to arrive in Natlan soon."
Caelus nodded slightly.
"So she's finally coming."
Once the Traveler set foot in Natlan, the region's main storyline would officially begin.
"If I want maximum emotion points, I'll need to make a strong impression from her perspective."
Most players experienced the narrative through the Traveler's viewpoint.
In other words, the more he performed before the Traveler, the more emotion points he could potentially generate.
"Come to think of it… when the Traveler first arrives in Natlan, she hasn't yet resonated with the Pyro element."
"If I grant her a mass-produced Pyro Vision, that should generate some emotion points."
"It would be even better if I could personally design the Pyro Traveler's abilities."
In an ideal scenario, there would be two versions of the Pyro Traveler.
The first: awakened through the Pyro Vision granted by Caelus.
The second: obtained after completing Natlan's main quest.
If the version he designed turned out stronger than the official one… whether players liked it or not was another matter—but it would certainly stir reactions.
[System Response to Host]
[The Host may grant the Traveler a mass-produced Pyro Vision, allowing players to unlock the Pyro-element Traveler (hereafter referred to as "Pyro Traveler") ahead of schedule.]
[The Host may also design the Pyro Traveler's combat mechanics.]
[The Pyro Traveler will exist in two versions: the Host-designed version and the official version.]
As Caelus pondered this, the system's voice echoed in his mind.
"Excellent."
He still had several mass-produced Visions remaining. Giving one to the Traveler would be a fitting gesture.
[The Traveler is about to arrive in Natlan.]
[The Natlan version promotional preview is entering production.]
[Would the Host like to participate?]
"Participate,"
Caelus answered without hesitation.