"Authority?" Yae Miko showed no sign of surprise. She corrected him with a faint smile. "That's overstating it. It's not so much authority as it is qualification—the condition that allows one to do something."
"Qualification… that makes sense. Youkai are born with certain qualifications, while humans are not—that's why humans can't use Youkai sorcery. Tengu have the qualifications of tengu, and tanuki have those of tanuki, so they can't use each other's arts. You already knew this?"
"When you've lived for five hundred years like I have, you begin to notice these things. But what good does it do? I know that it's true, but not why it's true."
Because humans are special. Humans are creations of the Primordial One. If they lack these qualifications, it's because the Primordial either couldn't or didn't want to grant them.
The adepti, too, are special. Though they are pure elemental beings, they transcend the forms of slimes or geovishaps that exist naturally on Teyvat. Instead, they take on the appearances of birds, beasts, and even humans—the favored shapes of the Primordial. Moreover, they possess great intelligence.
The forms of the adepti are undoubtedly influenced by the Primordial One. Whether the adepti themselves were created by that being is uncertain—but in essence, their nature grants them the innate qualification to wield elemental power.
Youkai, however… are something else entirely.
"Sister Yae," Victor Wang interrupted his train of thought and asked, "in your view, what's the difference between Youkai and Archons?"
"Heh," Miko chuckled. "If Youkai possess qualifications, then Archons possess authority—even dominion. There's no comparison between the two. Even the weakest Archon wields control over some aspect of reality. It's not about strength—it's about hierarchy."
After saying that, she added, "And keep in mind—divine authority isn't the same thing as elemental power. It's just that the Archons who survived the Archon War happened to rule over the seven elements."
"So divine authority and elemental power aren't the same thing…"
From the knowledge Victor had gained before coming to this world, the best example of that was the first Hydro Archon—Egeria.
The first stage of Egeria's existence—she may not even have been a true Archon.
The second stage—she obtained a fragment of the Primordial One and thus gained the stature of a god.
The third stage—she triumphed in the Archon War, received a Gnosis, and became the Hydro Archon.
Egeria's life was a perfect example of an Archon's evolution.
Her power could be divided into three parts: her innate strength, her divine authority, and the domain of the ancient dragons.
The first part—her own strength—needs no elaboration.
The second—divine authority—most likely originated from that fragment of the Primordial One.
Judging by Egeria's path, one couldn't definitively state that the fragment, divine stature, and divine authority were one and the same—but the likelihood was high.
Which also implied something else: fragments of the Primordial One could be passed on.
Focalors had originally been a spirit of pure water. She likely inherited her fragment from Egeria.
Venti, once a wind spirit—did his fragment come from the King of the Tower? Or perhaps the God of Time?
Given that, Victor mused—could humans, too, obtain a fragment of the Primordial One… and become gods?
First, obtain the qualification equivalent to an adeptus.
Then, acquire a fragment to ascend to godhood.
Finally, receive a Gnosis to command the dragons' domain.
Wouldn't that be humanity's ultimate path of ascension?
Of course, one would have to survive the Archon War first.
The third part—the dragons' domain —had a clear origin.
When Neuvillette became complete, he learned that the Usurper (one of the Thrones or Descenders) had been grievously wounded in the War of Vengeance. Its power waned, and it could no longer suppress the world's native order—namely, the dragons. To subdue the world's resentment, the Usurper and another Throne jointly created the Gnosis.
Venti once said that a Gnosis was a higher-order conduit of elemental control, a symbol of a seat among the Seven.
Those who possessed a Gnosis could channel the power of the divine seats—and within those seats were sealed the authorities that Heavenly Principles had taken from the Seven Elemental Dragons.
After analyzing the sources of Egeria's power, it became clear that the dragons' domain represented ultimate mastery of the seven pure elements, while divine authority represented mastery over broader, abstract forces.
The two were distinct—perhaps overlapping in part—but not equivalent.
That's why, even without their Gnoses, Venti, Zhongli, and the Raiden Shogun still retained their divine authorities and personal power.
But what was curious was this—if the fragments of the Primordial One already contained so many forms of authority, why were the elemental powers taken from the dragons made the main authority of Teyvat?
Before the Archon War, the Gnoses didn't even exist—yet the Archons did.
It seemed that the weakened Usurper, unable to act directly, granted the seven elemental authorities to the strongest gods, so they could help suppress "the original order of this world."
But… must they have fought each other for it?
Wasn't that the same as raising gods like insects in a jar, forcing them to devour one another?
Then again, to an upper being seeking only the strongest survivor, such cruelty was merely selection. No wonder the Seven's attitudes toward Celestia became so ambiguous once the Heavenly Principles fell silent.
Victor exhaled softly.
"All off track again. Yae, do you know how to make an elemental construct real—as in, one that doesn't vanish?"
"How to make elemental constructs real? You're asking the wrong person," she said with a lazy smile.
"Lightning conjured with elemental power vanishes instantly—just like natural lightning. So, there's no such thing as a 'real' or 'fake' Electro construct. In fact, whether they even exist is debatable."
"Then… what's the difference between lightning conjured by sorcery and lightning produced by elemental power?"
"You know those Treasure Hoarders who throw bottles? For us, casting spells is like tossing one of those bottles—except ours are invisible, and we don't need to make them by hand. Compared to that, a Vision is simply more convenient—no rituals needed, just a thought."
"There's no cost to using sorcery?"
"Of course there is—it consumes mana," Yae Miko said, rolling her eyes. "And I don't mean the qualification to cast spells. I mean actual mental energy. The longer a Youkai lives, the stronger their mana becomes."
So, it does consume mental energy… "Then what do you think is the difference between Youkai and elemental beings?"
"You already know the answer, don't you?" Miko countered.
"I suppose it's still about qualification… Youkai possess the qualification to use sorcery. Elemental beings possess the qualification to use elemental power."
A complete hierarchy of Teyvat unfolded in Victor Wang's mind:
1st layer: The Heavenly Principles command all authority.
2nd layer: The Seven Archons wield the authority of pure elemental forces and other divine powers.
3rd layer: The Dragons hold the seven primal elemental powers drawn from heaven and earth.
4th layer: The Gods wield authorities derived from the fragments of the Primordial One.
5th layer: Elemental beings possess the qualification to use elemental power.
6th layer: Youkai possess the qualification to use other forms of mystical authority.
7th layer: Humans—who have nothing… except perhaps alchemy as a universal safeguard.
And yet, humanity never submitted.
The Treasure Hoarders use elemental potions and enchantments to manipulate elemental energy.
The Nobushi use talismans invented by Kamuna Harunosuke.
The Eremites use cursed spirits sealed within their weapons.
The Fatui use Delusions forged from the remnants of slain gods.
Among them, the Fatui's method is the closest to true elemental control—eerily similar to how Archons gain authority through fragments of the Primordial.
Still, none of these—bottles, talismans, spirits, Delusions, even the Consecrated Beasts or Abyss Mages who wield corrupted elemental power—can generate elements on their own. They must rely on an external medium. That is the key difference between them and true elemental beings.
Even the Vision is such a medium.
Perhaps the Vision is not such a blessing after all. The Primordial One could create Seelies, Youkai, and Archons, grant them power—yet left the most numerous beings, humans, with nothing.
Then, it granted a tiny handful of humans these Visions, making them "Originals"—those qualified to ascend to Celestia.
But to what extent must one reach to ascend?
And what happens after one arrives?
Since Victor had promised Venti he would reach Celestia, such questions were worth pondering—though no further clues had surfaced.
Still, it seemed clear—the Primordial never wanted humanity to truly wield elemental power.
Which begged the question: were the Fatui, in their defiance, committing blasphemy?
That much needed no speculation—after all, the Cryo Archon herself was collecting Gnoses.
"What are you thinking about again?" Miko asked curiously, seeing him fall silent.
"I was thinking… oh… just wondering—if humans could all use sorcery or alchemy to command elements, wouldn't Teyvat basically become a world of magic?"
"Isn't that exactly what Kamuna once researched?" she replied with a teasing grin. "His old domain in Araumi has resurfaced. Why don't you go take a look?"