"However, some time ago, I acquired eight pieces of the finest Archaic Stone at an extremely high price. Now, I want to give them to Akio," Ningguang said seriously.
"That's great! Ningguang, you're really something," Keqing gave Ningguang a thumbs-up. "What you're doing is so impressive. A beautiful, wealthy woman giving her all in pursuit—if I were a man, I wouldn't be able to resist either."
"If it were really that easy, I'd be very happy," Ningguang smiled.
"By the way, Ningguang, tell me, how much did you spend on these Archaic Stone?" Keqing asked in a low voice.
"1.6 billion Mora," Ningguang said calmly.
"How… how much?" Keqing was stunned. "1.6 billion?"
1.6 billion Mora! That's 200 million Mora per piece of Archaic Stone?!
"And that's still considered a bargain. If it weren't for my reputation, 1.6 billion Mora wouldn't have been enough," Ningguang shook her head.
"Tsk tsk tsk, you truly are the richest woman in all of Teyvat," Keqing had always thought her family was quite wealthy, but compared to Ningguang, they were far behind.
Her family would never spend 1.6 billion Mora on eight pieces of stone. Besides, even coming up with 1.6 billion Mora in cash wasn't easy.
"Since you're so sincere, think carefully about how you'll approach Akio," Keqing patted Ningguang's shoulder. "I believe in you. I'll head out now. Before we leave for Inazuma, I need to arrange all my affairs."
"Go ahead," Ningguang nodded. Although she had a lot of work, her three assistants—Baiwen, Baishi, and Baixiao—could handle many non-urgent matters. Urgent matters could be handed over to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, so it wasn't too difficult.
Meanwhile, the other five nations were also preparing for the Divine Coronation Ceremony.
---
Flying back to the Grand Narukami Shrine with Murata Himeko in tow.
At the Grand Narukami Shrine, only Raiden Ei was practicing her martial arts. The Raiden Shogun had gone to Tenshukaku, while Yae Miko and Kitsune Saiguu had taken Ayaka and the others to practice the Taihei Kagura Dance.
Flying slowly into the Grand Narukami Shrine, Akio let go of Himeko.
"Is this the Grand Narukami Shrine you mentioned? It's truly beautiful," Himeko marveled. "A world without Honkai is really stunning."
"Indeed," Akio nodded, leading Himeko inside.
"Lord Akio!" Kuki Miyuki saw Akio return, bringing along a beautiful red-haired woman, and quickly approached.
"Miyuki, this is Murata Himeko. She'll be staying at the Grand Narukami Shrine from now on. Please arrange a room for her," Akio said with a smile.
"Understood," Miyuki nodded, then turned to Himeko. "Hello, Sister Himeko. I'm Kuki Miyuki. You can call me Miyuki."
"Hello, Miyuki," Himeko nodded.
"Akio, who is she?" A cool voice came from behind them.
Hearing the familiar tone, Himeko quickly turned around. Seeing the familiar face, she was momentarily stunned.
"Mei… Mei?"
"Mei? No, my name is Raiden Ei. Nice to meet you," Raiden Ei shook her head.
"Raiden Ei?" Himeko quickly realized that, although this purple-haired woman's voice and appearance were very similar to Mei's, she definitely wasn't Mei. Mei was gentle, while this woman seemed somewhat cold and reserved.
Moreover, this woman had a long braid, while Mei never wore her hair like that. Mei usually let her hair down or tied it up loosely.
"Ei isn't Mei. They just look… similar," Akio explained with a smile. "This is Raiden Ei, the Electro Archon of Inazuma."
"I see. They really do look alike," Himeko smiled. After all, Mei was the Herrscher of Thunder in her world. It was interesting that the Electro Archon of this world resembled her so much, even sharing the same elemental power.
"Ei, this is Murata Himeko. She's a visitor from another world with immense strength. I've brought her here," Akio said. "From now on, she'll be a part of Inazuma."
Raiden Ei nodded. "In that case, welcome."
After chatting with Himeko for a bit and learning the full story, Raiden Ei returned to her martial arts practice.
"Although she looks like Mei, she's much colder," Himeko remarked.
"True, but Ei has an older sister named Raiden Makoto, who's very gentle," Akio smiled. "I think her personality might be more similar to Mei's."
"Oh? Is that so? Could they be the temporal counterparts of Mei in this world?" Himeko asked, intrigued. The technology in the Honkai world was highly advanced, so Himeko was familiar with the concept of temporal counterparts.
"Who knows?" Akio shrugged.
"If that's the case, do I have a temporal counterpart in this world too?" Himeko asked with interest. "I'd really like to see what my counterpart in this world is like."
"In some ways, the two worlds are quite similar," Akio mused. "The Anemo Archon, Barbatos, has a human name—Venti."
"Tsk, one of my former students, the Herrscher of Wind, was named Wendy. What a coincidence," Himeko smiled.
Wendy? Akio knew her—the most humiliated Herrscher in Honkai Impact 3rd, who was beaten up by three B-rank Valkyries.
"It's amazing how much we've experienced," Himeko sighed. "I really wish I could see that world again, to see Kiana's efforts to turn that imperfect story into something beautiful."
"Lord Akio, Sister Himeko, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll prepare something for you," Kuki Miyuki, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke up.
"Thank you, Miyuki," Akio nodded.
"Hehe," Miyuki smiled and left.
"Tsk, your charm is truly unstoppable. That girl seems to have special feelings for you," Himeko said, watching Miyuki's retreating figure. "Is she your lover?"
"Uh… not yet," Akio was momentarily stunned. Miyuki had always been so good to him, and he had taken her efforts for granted.
No matter when he needed something, Miyuki was always there—helping him wash and dress, serving him hot meals, and managing his affairs meticulously.
It all felt so natural. Without Himeko's question, Akio had almost forgotten that Miyuki wasn't yet his woman.
And Miyuki always saw the other girls being affectionate with Akio, but she never said anything. She just continued to treat him with unwavering kindness. Sometimes even Yae Miko got jealous—Miyuki had never been this gentle before!
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