Reisen Riou and Yae Miko lingered in Liyue for five months before the smiths were finally released.
Their task was simple: forge enough White Tassel and Black Tassel spears for the Thousand Rock Army while maintaining quality.
Some master smiths were even pulled to craft Dragon's Bane and Prototype Crescent.
The relentless forging left the senior smiths and masters exhausted, practically collapsing.
Thankfully, Liyue's counteroffensive at the Chasm was nearing its end. The frontline had pushed into the Chasm's interior, close to clearing the main mining area of monsters.
The two-hundred-mile frontline still had roaming beasts, but with updated weapons and reduced erosion, Liyue's local smithing clans could handle the rest.
So, the Inazuma smiths were finally free.
Meanwhile, Wangshu Inn announced the imminent resumption of ore mining. Weapon prices dropped, though not by much—arms remained precious for the foreseeable future.
"Finally heading back! Bye, Sister Ganyu!" Miko waved, craving Inazuma's fried tofu.
"Bye, Miko. Bye, Reisen," Ganyu called, waving from the harbor.
"Take care, Sister Ganyu," Reisen said, waving back. "Man, this Liyue trip's got me infected with their workaholic vibe."
"Then show some enthusiasm," Miko teased, eyeing his lazy demeanor.
"Isn't their diligence what lets me slack off?" Reisen shot back shamelessly, always ready with a bold quip.
…
Miyushi Chiyo, lashed a few more times by an energy whip, sobbed with joy when Raiden Ei emerged from her pocket dimension.
She clung to Ei, refusing to let go.
"Ei, you're finally back! You don't know the hell I've been through!" Chiyo wailed.
A cough came from behind Ei. Chiyo looked up.
"Two Eis?!"
"This is the Raiden Shogun. I'm Raiden Ei. From now on, the Shogun handles state affairs," Ei explained.
The Shogun lived up to her reputation as a paperwork machine, clearing thousands of pending duties in thirty minutes.
Her speed rivaled Reisen's and outstripped Ei's by a mile.
A few documents remained. The Shogun handed two or three to Ei, who was comforting Chiyo.
These were flagged as unusual—one possibly tied to corruption, the others to Khaenri'ah's remnants.
"You handle them," Ei said, testing the Shogun's intelligence.
Ei didn't notice the Shogun's lips twitch as she turned. The Shogun's intellect grew far faster than Ei expected, though Ei was oblivious.
Born a sentient AI, the Shogun's growth was beyond ordinary comprehension.
For such issues, protocol was to dispatch a joint investigation team from the Tenryou and Yashiro Commissions. The Shogun followed suit.
If mishandled, accountability would follow.
No one dared slack off. The Shogun explained her decisions—why she handled it this way, why she chose those investigators.
Ei nodded repeatedly, feeling like a failure.
Reisen had explained these methods before, but Ei always agonized over choices. The Shogun? She picked flawlessly, with clear reasoning.
Ei wondered why she'd ever hesitated.
"Ei, I'm back—uh…" Reisen froze, choking. "Two Eis?!"
They looked identical.
"As you wished. Guess which is me," Ei and the Shogun said in unison, teasing playfully.
"?!"
Reisen recalled Ei's post-erosion talk about crafting an identical puppet to govern and dodge erosion. She'd asked if he minded, and he'd given a vague answer.
Hadn't she scrapped that idea? What was this?
Even with Reisen's keen eye, he couldn't tell them apart.
One wore a kimono, the other casual clothes, but beyond attire, they were the same.
Even telepathy and divination screamed they were identical.
"Alright, spare me. I can't tell who's the puppet," Reisen admitted.
Ei, in casual clothes, laughed, patting the other's shoulder. "Meet the Raiden Shogun."
"By the way, since you're back, how'd Liyue go?"
"All done smoothly. The smiths are back, but they're wiped from intense forging. No tasks for them for a while," Reisen said.
"Got it. I'll notify the Yashiro Commission," the Shogun said, scribbling a directive and handing it to a Doushin for delivery.
The Doushin, spotting two "Shoguns," was briefly stunned but quickly adjusted.
Reisen shook his head. "You two are trouble. Can anyone tell you apart?"
"Of course! Sister Makoto can," Ei said.
Makoto hadn't told the naive Ei she distinguished them by power level.
"Speaking of Makoto, Reisen, she wants you to visit her when you're back. She's got something for you," Ei said, gesturing.
The Shogun handed Reisen the Gnosis. "Take this."