Kamisato Ayato moved swiftly.
First, he announced the will of the Raiden Shogun. The Eye Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree—two oppressive edicts—were publicly acknowledged as mistakes. The news sent shockwaves through Inazuma City.
"What? The Raiden Shogun is admitting fault to us?"
"Is this for real?"
It was undeniably true. The people were stunned, even a bit uneasy. This was the Raiden Shogun, after all—a divine figure admitting fault to mere mortals. It was unthinkable.
Next came the announcement of the executions of Kujou Takayuki and Gekishin. Their crimes during the Sakoku Decree were laid bare. The people rejoiced at the downfall of these corrupt officials who had leeched off the nation.
Finally, Kamisato Ayato declared the abolition of the Sakoku Decree and the Eye Hunt Decree. Alongside this, the Inazuma Shogunate began purging the Fatui. Many Fatui operatives held diplomatic immunity, but the Raiden Shogun didn't care. Diplomat or not, if you stirred trouble in her land, you were done for.
The Raiden Shogun's reputation preceded her. She was a pure warrior, one who let her blade do the talking. Caught Fatui operatives barely had a chance to plead before they were silenced. The executioners had no patience for excuses. After all, if the Raiden Shogun could admit her mistakes, what right did the Fatui have to dodge accountability?
In Liyue, things were different. Tartaglia's mood was a mix of amusement and curiosity as he dialed Signora's number. After a few rings, she picked up.
"Hey, Signora, you still alive?" Tartaglia asked eagerly. "Need me to come pick you up?"
"You'd actually come for me?" Signora's voice dripped with sarcasm.
Tartaglia chuckled. Did anyone really think the Fatui Harbingers were best buddies? He'd called just to check if she was dead or not. Picking her up? Yeah, right—he wasn't that free.
"I knew it," Signora said with a dry laugh. She had zero expectations of her fellow Harbingers. They were all cut from the same cloth, each knowing exactly how the others ticked. If Tartaglia was coming for her, it'd only be under the Tsaritsa's direct orders. Without that, he wouldn't lift a finger.
"I'm not like you, all brawn and no brain," Signora said coolly. "I saw this coming the moment Yae Miko set out. I knew what she was up to."
"And?" Tartaglia didn't care about her jab. Words didn't sting him—fists did. If he wanted to hit back, it'd be with a punch, not a quip.
"And my ship's almost back in Snezhnaya," Signora replied flatly.
"You sure know how to run," Tartaglia said, genuinely impressed.
The compliment grated, but Signora brushed it off. "I still owe the Tsaritsa my life. I'm not foolish enough to die in Inazuma."
With that, the line went dead. Tartaglia glanced at his phone and smirked. Signora was something else—arrogant to the core, with a sharp tongue to match. He didn't particularly like her, but he respected one thing: her unwavering loyalty to the Tsaritsa. For someone who'd saved her life, Signora would repay that debt with everything she had. That, at least, Tartaglia could get behind.
"Well, that's that," he muttered, shrugging. Signora had slipped away, so she likely didn't know the full situation in Inazuma. To keep tabs on his fellow Harbingers, he'd have to dig deeper—through Genshin Impact.
"Genshin, launch!"
At Liyue Harbor's southern docks, things were bustling.
"Move it, move it!" Beidou barked at her crew. The new Alcor was gearing up for departure, along with the rest of the Southern Cross fleet. The Alcor alone carried tens of thousands of tons of cargo, and with the other ships, they were hauling fifty to sixty thousand tons in total.
"We're gonna make bank!" Beidou grinned, rubbing her wrists in anticipation.
Yae Miko had streamed a broadcast using Lu Heng's account, and now everyone knew where the real money was. Inazuma, freshly freed from its isolationist policies, was a goldmine of opportunity. Its economy had been stagnant, its resources scarce. Anything shipped there would find eager buyers. This was a no-loss investment.
Liyue had plenty of ships capable of long voyages, but few could brave Inazuma's thunderstorms. Now, with the storms gone, every captain wanted a piece of the action. Beidou's fleet, the largest of them all, was poised to dominate.
"Kaedehara, you'll finally get to step foot on your homeland openly. Any thoughts?" Beidou asked, taking a moment to check on her friend amid the chaos.
Kaedehara Kazuha's face softened with a mix of nostalgia and melancholy. "It's bittersweet," he said, nodding. "Inazuma's my home, but there's no family left for me there. Don't kick me off the ship, Captain."
"Ha! As if!" Beidou laughed, waving off his concern. Kazuha's weather-predicting skills might not be as vital in an age of smartphone forecasts, but Beidou was loyal. He'd been with her through thick and thin, even when he was a wanted man. Now that he was free, there was no way she'd let him go.
"Quit moping like some brooding poet," she teased, clapping him hard on the shoulder. "Go help the crew. Can't you see they're swamped?"
"On it!" Kazuha grinned, heading off to lend a hand.
Beidou smiled as she watched him go. "Big sister's gotta play boss and mom," one of her crew, Hailong, quipped.
"Watch it!" Beidou shot back, pretending to aim a kick at him. But he wasn't wrong. As the head of the Southern Cross, she looked out for her crew like family. If someone was struggling—be it emotionally or financially—she was there to help. That's why her crew respected her and followed her lead without question.
In Inazuma, the day was a whirlwind of activity. The flood of good news made it feel like a festival. But Kamisato Ayato wasn't celebrating. Yae Miko had dropped a bombshell: countless merchant fleets were loading up to head for Inazuma. That meant trade, tariffs, and a mountain of paperwork for the Kamisato Clan, who oversaw the Shogunate's finances.
With the Sakoku Decree lifted, Inazuma needed policies to jumpstart its economy. Ayato stared at the stacks of documents on his desk, his head throbbing. He'd learned from Yae Miko that the outside world used computers for work, boosting efficiency several times over. Meanwhile, he was stuck handwriting everything.
"Yae Miko, you cunning fox," he muttered. "Couldn't you have brought back a few computers?"
To make matters worse, she was lounging nearby, smirking as he toiled. Was this fair? Was this right? Her amusement only grew as his frustration mounted, the air around him practically crackling with resentment.
Why was Yae Miko tormenting him? Simple: Inazuma had a shortage of capable leaders, and Ayato was one of the best. But he was also too clever for his own good, and he'd gotten the better of her a few times in the past. This was her payback—putting him in a critical role while subtly making his life miserable. Two birds, one stone.
"Keep it up, Ayato," she said cheerfully. "Inazuma's future rests on your shoulders."
With a spring in her step, she left. Behind her, Ayato snapped his pen in half.
This was torture.
"Brother…" Kamisato Ayaka looked at him with concern. "Let me take on some of your work."
Ayato sighed. "Take over some of the Yashiro Commission's duties. You're familiar with those."
"Alright," Ayaka nodded. Then, curiosity got the better of her. "Is the outside world really as transformative as Lady Yae says?"
"Yes," Ayato replied, his tone heavy. "Maybe even more than we can imagine."
"More than we can imagine?" Ayaka echoed, stunned.
Ayato took a deep breath. "Even the Shogun herself is drawn to it. If a god can't resist the outside world's allure, what chance do we have?"
Ayaka's eyes sparkled with longing. "I wish we could see it for ourselves."
"Focus on the work at hand," Ayato said, rubbing his temples. "She gave us those devices and phones. For now, we'll have to settle for browsing online."
At the Grand Narukami Shrine, Yae Miko had finished her stream and was now discussing a card shop with the Raiden Shogun.
"The nearest branch is in Liyue Harbor," she said. "It's a bit of a trek for our people."
The distance was nothing to the Shogun, but for Inazuma's citizens, it was a hassle.
"Nothing we can do about it," Yae Miko sighed. "I've done what I can. It's up to him now."
The Shogun nodded. She understood. Yae Miko handed her a device and a phone, which the Shogun took to immediately. The internet was a revelation—she could browse novels and order food without leaving her sanctuary. For someone who cherished solitude, this was a dream come true.
"You can hole up in your Plane of Euthymia and still surf the web," Yae Miko teased.
The Shogun's face lit up. Who said eternity was the only thing worth pursuing? This phone was incredible. Following Yae Miko's guidance, she dove into the online world, marveling at the news and updates from across Teyvat. Everything was new, everything was fascinating.
"General!" Kujou Sara interrupted, bowing. "We couldn't find the Fatui's Signora."
"Let it go," the Shogun said dismissively. She'd probably fled already.
Yae Miko chimed in. "Focus on other matters. That Evil Eye factory needs to be shut down."
"Understood, Lady Yae!" Sara saluted, accepting a device and phone to streamline communication.
After Sara left, the Shogun turned to Yae Miko. "I want to go to Liyue now. How much Mora can the Shogunate spare?"
"Not much," Yae Miko admitted. "With trade resuming, we'll need to purchase essential goods. The economy's been rough these past few years."
The Shogun sighed deeply. She regretted the Eye Hunt and Sakoku Decrees now more than ever. The former hadn't hurt the economy much, but the latter had gutted it. If she could go back, she'd slap some sense into her past self. The chance to revive her sister was within reach, but Mora was scarce. The frustration was maddening.
"What do we do?" she asked, turning to Yae Miko.
"What else?" Yae Miko rolled her eyes. "We pinch pennies here and there. We'll scrape together what we can."
"Make it happen," the Shogun said firmly.
"One more thing," Yae Miko added, her tone serious. "We need to pick a prime spot in Inazuma City for him."
"Handle it," the Shogun said. "I'd mess it up."
"Obviously," Yae Miko replied with a nod.
In the Serenitea Pot, Lu Heng was in high spirits. Inazuma's mess was being cleaned up, which meant more customers for his shop. The more customers, the stronger he'd become—and who ever complained about having too much power?
Another piece of good news: the Great Mercy Tree King was recovering well. From a small sapling to a budding young tree, her growth was remarkable. Lu Heng had witnessed every stage of her development, and it thrilled him.
"Keep growing, little one," he said, watering her roots with a smile. Afterward, he plopped down in a chair to bask in the sun.
With a thought, he summoned his system panel. Without opening a new shop, his income wouldn't skyrocket, but the steady flow of revenue was reliable. His balance had climbed to millions of pulls.
"Let's see what's in store," he muttered, excited for his exclusive card pool. Even at his current strength, the thrill of a good draw never faded. "Exclusive pool, show me what you've got!"
He started with a hundred thousand pulls. A burst of color flashed across the screen.
His pool's highest tier was six-star red, but this—this was something else. A rainbow glow meant only one thing.
"A full-function shop coverage card?" Lu Heng rubbed his chin. It had been ages since he'd pulled one. The last time, it had led to opening a branch in Liyue. Now, it was back.
He examined the card. "This one's for Mondstadt."
He'd promised to open a shop there, and Lu Heng was a man of his word. Inazuma would have to wait. He tapped for another hundred thousand pulls, and at the seven hundred thousand mark, another rainbow flashed.
"Whoa," he said, sitting up straight. "Today's my lucky day."
He kept going, but after the final pull, he paused. No six-star reds, but two rainbow shop cards. The handful of five-star golds barely registered.
"Two shops at once?" he mused, grinning.
--------
T/N:
You'll also get 5 extra chapters just for being a free member!
Access 50 chapters in advance on my Patreon : [email protected]/furinaimpact