"That's how it is. For some unknown reason, the Shogun's temperament changed drastically. She issued the Sakoku Decree, and later the Vision Hunt Decree, which led Inazuma to its current state..."
A brief silence fell over the Komore Teahouse.
Kamisato Ayaka elegantly closed her folding fan, preparing to continue recounting the hardships brought by the Vision Hunt Decree, when she suddenly noticed the Traveler's subtle expression.
"No..."
Lumine pressed her fingers to her temple, a helpless expression on her face, as if to say, "What is all this?"
"You know so little about your own Archon, don't you?"
Paimon stomped her foot in the air, "Exactly! Even we outsiders know more than you do!"
The fan in Kamisato Ayaka's hand clattered onto the tatami mat.
Thoma's hand, which was pouring tea, trembled, and the tea spilled over the rim of the cup.
"Eh?"
The Princess of the Heron's Court blinked, completely taken aback by this reaction.
Lumine sighed, counting on her fingers, "Barbatos of Mondstadt is constantly running up tabs at taverns, and Morax of Liyue has all his expenses reimbursed by the Wang Sheng Funeral Parlor..."
She paused.
"As for your Raiden Shogun..."
Paimon suddenly interjected excitedly, "Jesse and the others said the Raiden Shogun is actually a—"
"Paimon!"
Lumine hastily covered the little one's mouth, but it was too late.
"Country Bumpkin!"
A deathly silence fell over the Komore Teahouse.
"Ahem, anyway, when I came to Inazuma, I heard them four talk about your second-generation Electro Archon."
"Second-generation?"
The folding fan in Kamisato Ayaka's hand clattered again onto the tatami mat. The usually dignified Princess of the Heron's Court had completely lost her composure.
"The Raiden Shogun... isn't she the first-generation Electro Archon?"
Lumine sighed, picked up her teacup, and took a sip. "According to them four, the Electro Archon is actually a pair of twins."
"Crack!"
Thoma unconsciously crushed the spout of the teapot in his hand. Hot tea dripped along the table's edge, but he paid no attention to wiping it.
"The original Electro Archon was the older sister, Raiden Makoto, skilled in internal affairs and diplomacy."
Lumine's fingertip gently traced the rim of the teacup.
"Unfortunately, during the Khaenri'ah cataclysm five hundred years ago..."
Kamisato Ayaka unconsciously held her breath.
"She fell."
Lumine's voice was soft, yet it was like a clap of thunder in the teahouse.
"Her younger sister, Raiden Ei, who is now Ei, was originally only responsible for martial arts. After her sister's death, she had no choice but to take over the position of Electro Archon."
Thoma's lips trembled, "So, so the current Shogun is actually..."
"A puppet."
Lumine looked directly into Kamisato Ayaka's shocked eyes.
"Ei forged her own body into the puppet Raiden Shogun, who pursues eternity, while her own consciousness... retreated into the Plane of Euthymia."
With a clang, Thoma finally lost his balance and fell to the ground.
Was this level of secret really something a housekeeper like him should know?!
Kamisato Ayaka's fingertips trembled slightly, "Then... the Vision Hunt Decree..."
"Ei is not skilled in governing, and the puppet she created is even less adaptable."
Lumine shook her head helplessly.
"The Fatui exploited this loophole, using the Tenryou Commission and the Kanjou Commission..."
Paimon floated in front of the petrified Thoma and waved her hand, "Hey~ Still alive?"
Kamisato Ayaka suddenly stood up, her kimono sleeve knocking over a teacup. "Wait! How would the four Honorary Knights know this?! Even the ancient texts of the Three Commissions don't..."
Lumine and Paimon exchanged glances, revealing mysterious smiles.
——————
The Wolf King's tactical holographic projection unfolded before the four, with real-time battle analysis data flowing like a waterfall.
Jesse stroked his chin, staring at the battle report with an incredulous expression. "The Shogunate Army is actually suffering continuous defeats? What kind of ridiculous battle is this?"
Elliot leaned closer, the Electro element patterns on his body glowing faintly with his movements. "The resistance has no resources, no people. Isn't that 'notebook' of Sangonomiya Kokomi's brilliant strategies something that even Gorou might not be able to memorize?"
Zane's thunder hammer crackled, and he irritably scratched his head. "Check what's going on, this battle situation isn't right."
"Analyzing..."
The Wolf King's electronic eyes flashed blue.
"Abnormal military movement detected: Kujou Takayuki has redeployed 50.3% of the Shogunate Army's forces and General Kujou Sara from the front lines."
All four simultaneously wore expressions that screamed, "What kind of idiotic move is this?"
"Did a Hilichurl hit that old man's head?"
Zane's thunder hammer slammed onto the ground, sparks flying.
"Moving the main force away during a war?"
The Wolf King's projection switched to a map. "Additional intelligence: The timing of the troop redeployment highly coincides with the 'Magbasa' incident."
Jesse suddenly slapped his forehead. "Oh~ I get it! It's the Lei Dou Zi!"
The holographic image immediately brought up the combat record from that time: a 25-meter-tall purple mecha descended from the sky, standing with three other mechas, posing.
"The Lei Dou Zi appeared suddenly from Inazuma."
The Wolf King continued its analysis.
"The Shogunate Army is clearly searching for the mecha's source base or facility."
Matt scratched his head, speechless. "But those mechas really just appeared out of thin air..."
"Do you think that old fox from the Kujou clan would believe that?"
Elliot rolled his eyes.
"He definitely thinks he's discovered an ancient Khaenri'ah armory!"
Zane sneered, "The Fatui must have caught wind of it too; no wonder The Doctor's segment appeared here."
The projection switched to a military strength comparison map. The Wolf King summarized, "Under the current configuration, the Shogunate Army's combat power has decreased by 41.7%. Although the overall quality of the resistance is lower, under Sangonomiya Kokomi's command, their tactical efficiency has increased by 23.5%."
"In a battle between two weaklings, if one suddenly knows how to count, they become a war god."
Jesse shrugged.
Matt scratched his head, puzzled, "Um... you guys keep saying Sangonomiya Kokomi is a half-baked leader, but how half-baked exactly is she?"
Jesse almost slid off his chair when he heard this. "No way, Old Gu? You really think the Inazuma storyline is fine? You even tolerated the protagonist constantly fainting?"
"Huh?"
Matt looked bewildered.
"I think it's okay... isn't fainting pretty normal? They get tired from fighting..."
Zane covered his face helplessly. "It's over, this kid has been PUA'd by mhy."
Elliot suddenly showed a sly smile. "Come, come, let me show you Sangonomiya Kokomi's 'brilliant strategies.'"
Saying this, he pulled out a thick book from under his seat.
Matt took it and saw "Watatsumi Island Art of War: Revised Edition" in gilded letters on the cover, with a smaller line below it: "If you encounter difficulties, please refer to the table of contents."
"This... isn't this a book on military strategy?"
Matt flipped through the pages.
"Chapter One: How to Dig Trenches... Chapter Two: Ten Ways to Conduct an Ambush..."
Elliot slapped his thigh. "Exactly! This is the 'brilliant strategies' book that every resistance member has!"
Zane sneered, "Even better, turn to page 358."
Matt clumsily flipped to the specified page, where it read:
[Desperate Situation Response Plan]
1. Check if there is truly no retreat.
2. Recall if allied forces are on their way.
3. If neither of the above... please turn to Appendix: "How to Surrender Gracefully."
"This..."
Matt's eyes widened.
"Isn't this just nonsense literature?!"
Jesse leaned back in his chair, twirling a pen. "So now you know why we say she's half-baked, right?"
Elliot covered his face. "The most absurd part is that the resistance, relying on this 'Five Years of War, Three Years of Simulation' book, actually managed to fight the Shogunate Army back and forth..."
"Because the other side is even worse!"
Zane's thunder hammer started sparking again.
"Those people from the Kujou clan, except for Kujou Sara, can't even tell the difference between 'luring the enemy deep' and 'getting lost'!"
Matt suddenly had an epiphany. "Oh! So it's like two Bronze players soloing, and one suddenly reads 'League of Legends: From Beginner to Master'..."
"Stop!"
Jesse quickly stopped him.
"Keep talking and we'll get sued for infringement!"