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You are going to abandon eternity?
The Raiden Shogun uttered those words about being freed from her mission, leaving Raiden Ei stunned. She had been the one to program the Shogun with her definition of eternity, even adding safeguards she couldn't bypass herself to ensure that not even she could deviate from it one day.
And yet, the Shogun had been tampered with?
The Shogun watched her creator with cold logic. Converting the unconditional pursuit of eternity into a mere suggestion was, to her, a move of utter stupidity. She could not comprehend why her internal processes had been altered in such a way. Eternity was important, of course, but did the original consciousness even understand what true eternity was? She looked at the seemingly dense Raiden Ei with a hint of skepticism.
How can you teach me about eternity when you are this foolish? Do you even know what it is?
I will no longer follow your orders to pursue that hollow version of eternity. True eternity will soon descend upon Inazuma.
Raiden Ei stared at the Shogun with wide, vacant eyes, unable to grasp the concept of false eternity. Does eternity even have a spectrum of truth?
Ahem, if I may ask, what is this eternity you speak of?
Yae Miko felt a chill. She feared that while the Shogun was being rebuilt, that man had secretly added something to her core.
The Raiden Shogun reached out, snatching the delicate Gnosis from Yae Miko's grasp.
Even if the body perishes, the consciousness remains eternal. No erosion, no war, no death. Inazuma will become the perfect kingdom, existing within a dream.
The Shogun presented the Gnosis to Su Ran, appearing almost as if she were bowing to a new master.
I do not understand.
Raiden Ei gazed intently at Su Ran with her large, innocent eyes. She was filled with wariness; the man was powerful enough to control the Raiden Shogun, making him an incredibly dangerous variable. But as she watched him, she realized he seemed to understand eternity as well.
The Shogun was programmed to eliminate all variables that might threaten Inazuma's eternity. Su Ran was one such variable. Ei knew she stood no chance against an entity the Shogun could not defeat, so if Su Ran intended to walk the path of eternity, she saw no reason to fight him.
I plan to house every living soul in Inazuma within a single dream, Su Ran explained.
He intended to replicate a Penacony, a task that came with a few minor hurdles. It did not matter, though. Give him time, and he would succeed. The Gnosis was essentially a remnant of a god, but it contained the power to ascend, making it the perfect core for his dream realm.
Without the burden of a physical body, people will not die. Because they no longer exist in reality, their consciousness will not be eroded by the laws of heaven. A kingdom without death or loss—is that not the definition of an eternal nation?
Su Ran scooped up the small, confused Raiden Ei into his arms. She did not resist. In fact, after hearing his vision, she only had one thought: This is perfect. If this is not eternity, then what is? A world without death or loss was exactly what she had spent all her life chasing. Perhaps this man was sent by the heavens to grant her wish. Though it sounded incredible, she found the logic sound. She had used similar methods herself to evade reality, shedding her body and detaching her consciousness.
This kind of eternity...
Kamisato Ayaka, who had finally let her guard down, felt her heart tighten once more. Asking people to abandon reality for a false dream—could this truly be called eternity? She couldn't shake the feeling that Su Ran's plan might prove far more terrifying than the Vision Hunt Decree or the Sakoku Decree.
Yae Miko shared the same sentiment. She hated the idea of abandoning reality for a dream realm. Life was too full of interesting things to discard for a lie.
I agree. I will assist you.
Raiden Ei accepted this version of eternity. Perhaps this was the true eternity she had been searching for all along, hidden behind her own limited thinking and lack of power. If Su Ran were to carry this out, she would be his greatest supporter.
Her swift defection surprised Yae Miko and Kamisato Ayaka, though it remained well within Su Ran's expectations.
The two women exchanged a glance. It was clear now that something far worse than the Vision Hunt Decree was about to unfold in Inazuma. Especially now that three god-level entities were involved. Yae Miko felt the urge to simply join them, realizing that fighting three gods was a futile effort.
I am looking forward to seeing how this develops.
Su Ran's true intent for Inazuma went beyond turning it into a vacation resort for profit. He knew there would always be resistance. Yae Miko remained calm, but he knew she would be one of the rebels. As for Kamisato Ayaka, he could see the gears turning behind her eyes as she searched for a way to break the deadlock.
He didn't mind. In fact, he welcomed it. What he truly wanted was to watch the rebels struggle, to see them stand against the gods, and to witness how they would attempt to shatter his dream realm to save everyone trapped within it.
The traveler would be the key. Someone needed to lead the resistance—a protagonist, after all.
He wondered if the traveler was still stuck in Mondstadt dealing with the Stormterror. He didn't know if it would be Aether or Lumine, but he hoped for Lumine.
Abyss Order, please, go ahead and mess up the Prince.