The Northland Bank, in its efforts to recruit Lucian, has been very accommodating toward him.
Venti couldn't help but give Lucian a thumbs-up. You could've just taken what you wanted outright, but you came up with an excuse instead.
However, Venti wouldn't refuse such an amusing opportunity. Scamming the Fatui? Count me in!
I even 'stole' my own lyre; your little wine cellar is no challenge for me!
And so, the current scene unfolded: in Lucian's home, Venti was drinking wine, Zhongli was sipping tea, and Nahida watched from the side.
In this small room sat three Archons—a dragon among men, a phoenix among chicks, and a young unicorn!
It's a pity that the 'tiger' Furina didn't come, and the 'reclusive tiger' Ei was still in seclusion. Otherwise, it would've been a mini Seven Archons conference.
Back to the story, Yae Miko addressed the Traveler's question about the 'previous Electro Archon.'
[Yae Miko said: "Hmm, the truth is this: 'Baal' and 'Beelzebul' were actually a pair of twin demon gods."]
["Together, they won the Archon War. Later, after Baal established the Shogunate, Beelzebul took on the role of her 'kagemusha' by her side, acting as her double."]
["Beelzebul is the Ei we know, while Baal's name was 'Makoto.'"]
["In the eyes of the world, the two were always one and the same. They complemented each other, governing Inazuma together, so there was no need for the people to know the truth."]
The people of Inazuma suddenly understood. Only now did they realize that their familiar Narukami Ogosho was actually two individuals.
This explained why it was accurate to call both of them the Shogun and the Electro Archon.
The distinction between the former and current Archon was simply because only one could occupy the divine seat at a time.
Now it made sense why the records were 'inaccurate.' In the past, the Shogun in the records was gentle, often participating in festivals with her people.
But the current Shogun was emotionally distant and rarely interacted with others—it turned out the person had quietly changed.
Kujou Sara had always revered both Electro Archons: Makoto's wise policies during her rule over Inazuma and Ei's martial prowess on the battlefield.
Upon learning that one of the Electro Archons had died, Kujou Sara was overwhelmed with grief. She had already wanted to cry when she saw that illustration earlier but held back due to the crowd around her.
Now, hearing Yae Miko confirm the previous Electro Archon's death and recalling the image of Ei holding Makoto, she could no longer hold back.
She turned her head away, lowering it to hide her eyes, crying discreetly so no one would notice.
Back to the story, Yae Miko mentioned that Makoto perished in the war in Khaenri'ah. Only then did Ei step to the forefront, taking on the role of Shogun.
Reading this, Zhongli and Venti—one sipping tea, the other drinking wine—fell silent. As survivors of that war, they knew many of its secrets.
The two old-timers exchanged a knowing glance, leaving Nahida, watching from the void, feeling like an outsider.
In the story, the Traveler asked the next question, this time about their brother.
The Traveler explained their experiences and the matter of the 'god' who sealed them, hoping to gain some information from Yae Miko.
Unfortunately, Yae Miko didn't know much about the 'god' the Traveler mentioned.
After all, she was just a fox who had lived for a few hundred years, far less knowledgeable than Zhongli, the old-timer.
However, regarding the search for the Traveler's brother, Yae Miko was eager to help, promising to arrange all available resources to find information about Aether.
Finally, Lumine asked one last question: about her upcoming journey and whether Yae Miko had any suggestions.
[Yae Miko: "After leaving Inazuma, I think… heading to Sumeru would be the most convenient."]
Nahida blinked. Was it time for her nation to take the stage?
The Sumeru F4—except for Alhaitham—instinctively sat up straighter, as if the gaze of a prophet had already fallen upon them.
They were starting to worry that their current misdeeds might be written into Lucian's book.
["Hmm, Sumeru is the nation of the God of Wisdom. Their pursuit of wisdom and knowledge is endless."]
Reading this, the Great Sage nodded. Knowledge is boundless, which is why they needed to create a 'God of Wisdom' to guide them through the sea of knowledge.
Though he had banned the prophetic book, he himself had been reading it all along.
"The Fatui, those fools, still haven't acted," the Great Sage grumbled, dissatisfied.
"I thought Dottore would be smarter, but apparently not…"
When the prophetic book first appeared, the Great Sage had anticipated that Sumeru's story would follow.
To prevent this, he banned the book outright, limiting access to a mere handful of people in Sumeru.
Indeed, his reason for banning the prophetic book wasn't disdain for 'mortal wisdom' but a desire to keep Sumeru's people ignorant of the future it foretold.
He wanted to monopolize this knowledge—commoners didn't deserve it.
Only a few Sumerians could read the prophetic book, and what could such a small number do? Surely, they wouldn't interfere with his plans.
In contrast, the Fatui were dragging their feet. The prophetic book had already depicted them obtaining the Electro Archon's Gnosis, so why hadn't they brought it to Sumeru in reality?
Neither the people nor the Gnosis had arrived. Even if they were impatient, they could only wait, as the Gnosis was the energy source for the Akasha System.
It's like Iron Man without his arc reactor—sure, he could move, but not for long.
Worse, the current situation was that 'Iron Man' himself hadn't even shown up, though the suit was nearly ready for its final compatibility test.
This matter truly depended on Scaramouche, as piloting the 'Akasha God' was dangerous. Ordinary people would be drained dry in no time.
Scaramouche was strong and reckless, a natural vessel for the Gnosis—there was no better tool than him.
Moreover, after Ei created Scaramouche, she never paid him any attention, making him incredibly easy to manipulate.
This was why Dottore targeted Scaramouche. Such a perfect tool, unused by Beelzebul? Let me use him for you, then.
Back to the story, Yae Miko continued introducing Sumeru, explaining some of its 'rules.'
[Yae Miko: "This obsession often gives rise to some perplexing things, such as…"]
["…in Sumeru, knowledge is managed as a unified 'resource.'"]
["It's just unclear whether this decision was made by the 'Sages' or the 'Lesser Lord Kusanali.'"]
Nahida sighed. This wasn't her decision, nor was it Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Kujou Sara: About the Two Shoguns
"If Lady Baal were still here, Lady Beelzebul would surely be very happy…"