"The boy used every last ounce of his strength to protect the two infant girls in his arms."
"But even so… beneath the relentless flames, the entire cellar was consumed by fire. The boy became a human torch, and the infants in his arms could not escape the searing heat."
"A long, long time passed… the demon god that had slaughtered their way through the village finally departed."
"The boy, engulfed in flames, was barely clinging to life. Though unconscious, he remained in the same position, holding the two infants tightly against his chest."
"Fortunately… a heavy rain extinguished the cruel fire and roused the dying boy back to consciousness."
"Enduring the pain of his charred skin, the boy urgently looked at the blackened infants in his arms and tried calling out their names…"
"Baal…"
"Beelzebul…"
"You cannot die!"
...
Li Mo sat cross-legged on the elevated stage, his face hidden beneath his bamboo hat. He spoke slowly, his emotions raw and genuine.
The story he told was the very experience of his first lifetime.
That was not all.
Above Wangshu Inn, the illusory realm projected everything he narrated into vivid scenes.
The audience could clearly see the story unfolding three thousand years ago, as if it were happening right before their eyes.
As Li Mo spoke, more and more people learned of the storytelling. They crowded into Wangshu Inn, and many even squeezed their way upstairs just to listen. To hear better and get a clearer view of the projections above the inn, some pushed forward so recklessly that they nearly caused an accident.
When he spoke of the Archon War, everyone's interest was piqued…
When he spoke of the village massacred by the wicked demon god, the crowd burned with righteous fury… some felt the urge to charge into the illusory realm of three thousand years past and save the village from destruction.
Their emotions ran so deep because Liyue Harbor, like Inazuma City, had only attained lasting peace after countless battles.
When Li Mo mentioned the two surviving infant girls, many hearts clenched in concern.
Burned black like that… could they possibly survive?
Was tragedy on the horizon?
Storytelling is one thing, but don't make it so heartbreaking. Be careful, or you might find yourself on the receiving end of threatening letters!
But then…
When Li Mo spoke the names of the two infants—Baal for the elder sister, Beelzebul for the younger—the audience was stunned.
Everyone looked as if they had seen a ghost, their faces a mask of disbelief.
"What? You're saying the two infants in the story are named Baal and Beelzebul? Do you know the significance of those names?"
"Are these two infants meant to be the former Electro Archon of Inazuma, Baal? And the current Electro Archon, Beelzebul?"
"Storytelling isn't the same as making things up… you can't just fabricate something like this."
"Storyteller, you're wrong. The Electro Archons were born as spirits of thunder and lightning. How could they have been human? And how could they have suffered such a tragic fate?"
"Is it possible… that what he's saying is true?"
"What happened next? A single boy trying to raise two burned infants—that seems impossible."
"And as human infants, how did they come to wield the power of the Electro Archon?"
"Keep going… how did the two sisters survive?"
...
Because the story touched upon the name of the Raiden Shogun and the origins of her Excellency, the once-quiet Wangshu Inn suddenly erupted into chaos.
Many began voicing their objections.
Some even stood up to accuse Li Mo, insisting that he should not spread rumors about the Raiden Shogun. If word of this reached Inazuma and came to her Excellency's ears, it could cause friction between the two nations.
That would be bad for both Liyue and Inazuma.
It might even incite the Raiden Shogun's wrath and spark a war between the two countries.
Fortunately, most of the audience remained level-headed and were not swept up by the dissent.
Storytelling was about telling tales.
As long as it was interesting, that was enough.
Besides… even if the infants in the story were named Baal and Beelzebul, Li Mo never explicitly said they were the Electro Archons.
So how was that slander?
The two sides argued fiercely, the atmosphere growing tense. The pleasant mood of the gathering plummeted to freezing point.
Not only did they interrupt Li Mo's storytelling, but they also adopted a confrontational stance, as if ready to fight.
Just then—
Bang!
A sword slammed onto a table, the impact echoing like an explosion.
Keqing rose from her seat, her expression icy cold. She let out a mocking laugh.
"You want to fight? Try me."
"This is Liyue. This is Wangshu Inn. It's not a place for you to run wild."
"Either sit down and listen, or get out… if anyone makes another peep, don't blame me for being merciless with my blade."
Keqing was genuinely irritated.
She had taken Shenhe's advice and had been trying to listen carefully to the story of Inazuma's Raiden Shogun, hoping to learn more about that land sealed off by thunderstorms.
And then, just as things were getting to the crucial part, these merchants from out of town had to interrupt.
With Keqing's outburst, her commanding presence instantly silenced the entire room.
All those who had been causing a ruckus lowered their heads in fear, quietly sipping their tea to calm their nerves.
They all recognized Yuheng Keqing.
They knew her status in Liyue, and they knew the terrifying extent of her strength.
She was not someone they could afford to provoke.
Everyone obediently fell silent and continued listening to Li Mo's story of Inazuma's Raiden Shogun.
...
Meanwhile, on stage, Li Mo watched the commotion below with a calm expression, his gaze undisturbed.
He carried an air of detachment, as if transcending the mortal world.
Many in the audience were impressed. "Truly a storyteller from afar—someone who has seen the world. Remarkable, indeed."
Just then, a system notification chimed in Li Mo's mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, host. Your storytelling has successfully sparked debate among the audience and stirred strong emotions. You have earned 100 Storytelling Points!]
[Ding! The system has detected that the story you are telling originates from your first reincarnation cycle. A new effect has been triggered—Fusion! You will now merge with your first incarnation's body.]
[Merge now?]
With each reincarnation, he gained a new identity and a new body.
Over his past cycles, he had lived through ninety-nine identities and occupied ninety-nine bodies.
He had also gathered ninety-nine lifetimes of poignant memories.
Li Mo asked the system, "What will happen if I merge with my first incarnation's body?"
[Ding! System notification: Upon merging with your first incarnation's body, you will gain all the abilities of your first incarnation.]
Gain all the abilities of his first incarnation?
That powerful?
If memory served, his first incarnation was the Thunder Demon who had saved the Electro Archon sisters.
Why hesitate? Of course, he would choose to merge.
"Merge now."
No sooner had he spoken than a bolt of lightning as thick as an arm descended from the sky, piercing through the inn's roof and striking Li Mo.
Countless strands of Electro element, as if finding their way home, surged madly into Li Mo's body.
In just a few short seconds, Li Mo's strength nearly doubled.
The sight was so shocking that the audience below was left utterly dumbfounded.
Struck by lightning?
Was this karma? And it came so quickly?
Storytelling has its risks… especially when telling tales about the Raiden Shogun. One wrong move, and zap!
But…
After being struck by such a powerful bolt of Electro, Li Mo appeared completely unharmed.
He continued telling the story of the Electro Archon.
"The boy could barely endure the flames himself, let alone the two infant girls…"
"Dragging his burned body, he brought them goat's milk… coconut milk… fox milk… but the infants were on the verge of death, their lives hanging by a thread. How could they even take milk?"
"In desperation, the boy sought help from a woman."
"The woman sighed and said, 'There is no hope for them. Burned as badly as they are, their internal organs are already destroyed. They will surely die in three days… unless…'"
"The boy latched onto her words like a drowning man grasping at a lifeline: 'Unless what?'"
"The woman could not help but sigh again: 'The first way is to find Celestia and ask the gods above to save them. That would surely restore them to health. The second way is to find the sacred relic of the great Tengu clan—the Feather of the Divine—and use it to heal their burns… but Celestia's whereabouts are unknown, and the Tengu wield terrifying power…'"
"'Give up.'"
"But the boy said firmly: 'Wait three days for me… I will find Celestia.'"
"Before departing, the boy entrusted the dying Baal and Beelzebul to the woman and instructed her: 'You must wait for me to return…'"
...