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Chapter 55 - Oh, So Cool, Huh? @【Gu Chen】 You Think You Can Just Pull That Off?!

The moment the new video dropped, Teyvat exploded.

Gu Chen in the first episode was already shocking enough.

But again in the second episode?!

People were losing their minds trying to make sense of it.

[Kaeya]: You really expect us to believe you don't know what's going on? @[Gu Chen] (Nahida. points accusingly)

[Gu Chen]: Don't frame a good man, alright?

[Venti]: @[Gu Chen] Be honest—do you have memories of another past life? I mean, aside from the one we already saw? (troll emoji)

[Lumine]: @[Gu Chen] Talk. Now.

[Prince Aether]: (Yelan. cold smirk)

[Collei]: (Collei. no response)

[Gu Chen]: What, you remember every detail of your dreams too? After a few days, it's all gone, right? Only when the video plays does it feel vaguely familiar. (Klee. pouty face)

Gu Chen sighed. So this is what Venti deals with all the time…

This group was full of Teyvat's top minds—the kind you absolutely couldn't bluff.

[Venti]: (suspicious)

[Kaeya]: Don't believe him. (troll face)

[Gu Chen]: Fine. Then picture this—I vaguely remember a dream where Kaeya dives into a wine vat, swims around, and starts dancing—then seductively invites Diluc to join him.

[Diluc]: …

[Kaeya]: Really? (grinning emoji)

[Gu Chen]: What do you think? (grinning emoji)

[Raiden Ei]: Forget the others—why was it my sister? (Raiden Ei. threatening)

[Yae Miko]: Fufu~ Gu Chen really does have a fated tie to Inazuma. One life he dies there, and in another, he's the beloved of a god! (Yae Miko. sly smile)

[Heizou]: My instincts tell me—Mr. Gu Chen is far from ordinary.

[Kaeya]: Teyvat's puppet master.

[Venti]: The mastermind who controls everything!

[Furina]: The ultimate villain who seeks to destroy the world!!

[Gu Chen]: ???

[Gu Chen]: Please, stop making up lore about me! (Sucrose. nervous smile)

[Nilou]: Wow… is that really the previous Electro Archon? She looks so gentle!

Then, the image appeared.

Gu Chen stood beneath a lavender sky, wearing a crisp white shirt and a black coat with silver buttons draped over his shoulders. A paper parasol—purple with floral patterns—rested lightly in his hand.

Beside him stood a breathtaking woman with dark-violet hair fading to lilac at the ends, bound with a pink shimenawa braid. A soft breeze lifted her hair as she gazed at him.

Her head was adorned with a folding-fan ornament; she wore a white-and-violet kimono embroidered with intricate motifs, cinched at the waist by a crimson sash.

The short hem revealed long, porcelain legs wrapped in white socks, her feet poised gracefully as she held a small pink fox in her arms—its eyes, like hers, gleaming with quiet mischief.

They stood close together under the umbrella—elegant, intimate, perfectly matched.

[Lumine]: ???

[Paimon]: (Paimon. shocked)

[Raiden Ei]: It really is my sister!! (Ayaka. stunned)

[Ayaka]: (Kokomi. dizzy)

[Zhongli]: So… it truly was her. An old friend indeed.

[Yae Miko]: I didn't expect to see the real elder sister again… but hold on—what's with this episode's title? "Subjugating the Gods"?! (Raiden Ei. menacing glare)

[Gu Chen]: I don't know either!! (shakes head violently)

[Lumine]: You'd better not!

[Prince Aether]: I told you—men like him can't be trusted. So many past lives! You'll never be happy following him! (serious)

[Lumine]: Worry about yourself. (smiles sweetly)

Aether froze. His sister was gone. She was fully rebellious now.

Well, fine—if she's happy, he'd just have to accept it.

[Kaeya]: But the previous Electro Archon died, right? So what are you all even thinking?

[Raiden Ei]: Painful though it is, that's true. (sighs)

Lumine exhaled softly.

Right, the previous Raiden Shogun was long gone. So why was she even getting jealous?

Still…

"A-Chen looks really handsome in that outfit…"

She frowned slightly. That white shirt, that elegance—standing next to such a beautiful, graceful woman…

From an outsider's view, they looked meant to be.

A little pang of insecurity bloomed in her chest.

Maybe she needed to step up her fashion game.

"Paimon! Come on!"

"Huh?" Paimon blinked.

Gu Chen looked up in confusion.

"We're going shopping. You'll see tonight—it's a surprise!" Lumine's face lit with a mysterious smile.

Gu Chen chuckled and nodded, though he had no idea what was coming.

Off they went.

Meanwhile, the video continued.

The camera panned over a chain of vast, wild islands.

Humans were scarce; the lands teemed with feral monsters and violent elemental beasts.

In that ancient era, Inazuma didn't yet exist.

Humanity lived like beasts—eating raw, hiding in fear, knowing nothing of tools or shelter.

Until two sisters arrived.

The Twin Gods of Thunder—Baal and Beelzebul.

With divine might, the younger sister swept across the islands, lightning clearing the way for the elder to rule.

The Tengu tribe with wings bowed their heads.

The Fox Clan of the plains submitted.

And humanity, trembling, raised their eyes to their new protectors.

The twins named the land Narukami Island.

Human worship began.

But even under divine rule, their settlements were few—just a small village by the sea, clinging to survival.

[Kirara]: So Inazuma used to be like that?! (Paimon. shocked)

[Ayaka]: So our ancestors lived this way before the Shogun came… how frightening.

The word miserable barely covered it.

Still—hope had come, in the form of the Narukami Gods.

[Raiden Ei]: Hm…

[Yae Miko]: Feeling emotional, are we?

[Raiden Ei]: Not quite… The memory is too distant—blurred. (shakes head)

Even gods can forget, when the ages stretch too long.

Ei's gaze softened as she watched.

On-screen, every time Ei went to war, her sister would see her off with gentle concern.

And every victory was met with a warm smile.

"It's been so long since I heard your voice, sister…"

Ei whispered under her breath.

Her sister had believed in cherishing the present—her gentleness, her warmth, her love for life…

Ei missed all of it.

She envied her own image in the video—still surrounded by that warmth she'd long lost.

"Hmm? I see  Kitsune Saiguu."

Yae Miko narrowed her eyes.

It made sense—back then, the twin gods had subdued the islands' spirits and yokai alike. The Kitsune Clan among them had pledged loyalty, and at its head stood the Hakushin line—Saiguu herself, the Great Fox Matriarch.

Even now, her name carried weight.

A trace of nostalgia flickered through Miko's expression.

"Mm." Ei simply nodded, eyes still fixed on the screen.

[Kaeya]: Inazuma sure had a diverse ecosystem. Haha. But uh, where's Gu Chen? Has he been born yet?

[Venti]: Just wait! On a fateful day, nine thousand miles of violet light filled the skies—then a child was born among the people of Inazuma. Thus began a new golden age!

[Yae Miko]: What kind of light novel nonsense is that?! (laughing)

[Gu Chen]: Sounds about right to me! Clearly I was born under the sign of a great emperor! (confident)

[Venti]: (troll grin)

[Kujou Sara]: I recognize so many legendary names…

[Itto]: AHAHA! Look! Oni clan! That's my ancestors!! (laughs)

[Jean]: The islands were still in chaos—Narukami's power hadn't unified the land yet.

[Ningguang]: Exactly. The goddess focused on balancing the factions. The yokai might have bowed to her, but their internal ties were tangled. She had to manage them carefully for the future to flourish.

On screen, Raiden Makoto—the elder sister—was doing just that.

Gentle, patient, diplomatic—yet burdened.

Compared to her stoic, martial sister, Makoto was the mind of Inazuma.

But diplomacy was never simple.

Even as she struggled with yokai politics, another problem weighed on her—humans.

They were too fragile, too primitive. She didn't know where to begin helping them.

Gazing into the distance, she murmured to herself:

"The Geo Archon has his adepti. The Anemo Archon has his own. But I… have none."

"If only the heavens would bless me with a companion who could do everything…"

[Paimon]: Wait—gods make wishes too?!

[Zhongli]: You misunderstand. Gods are not omnipotent.

[Venti]: Yeah, we even hit walls sometimes. (shrugs)

[Furina]: Hmm~ what if that wish was summoned by Gu Chen?

[Collei]: So the Narukami God wanted an all-capable attendant… Is Mr. Gu Chen really that skilled?! (Collei. shocked)

[Gu Chen]: Well, you said it yourself—I'm a man of many talents.

[Kaeya]: No one asked you! (Nahida. points accusingly)

[Gu Chen]: (grinning)

[Kokomi]: Judging from the first video, even with his limited appearances, Mr. Gu Chen displayed remarkable mastery in everything he did.

[Paimon]: So he really is all-powerful?! (Paimon. shocked)

Time flowed.

Narukami's progress was slow—Makoto's village had grown, but not by much.

Most new residents were people Ei had rescued; births were rare, life harsh.

Then—

Autumn.

Makoto stood atop a cliff, gazing at the settlement below, worry softening her perfect face.

Even a god had limits. Her wisdom could guide, but her hands alone couldn't change the world.

A sudden gust swept past.

She turned.

Crimson maple leaves spun wildly, drawn into a miniature whirlwind—no, a living one.

The leaves gathered, swirling tighter and tighter, until a figure began to take shape within.

Step by step, the storm condensed into flesh and form, the final leaves fluttering down and transforming into a flowing coat.

When he stopped beside her, he was no longer a phantom but a man—tall, graceful, with eyes calm as still water.

"My apologies for the intrusion, fair lady," he said, bowing slightly with elegant courtesy. "But may I ask—where exactly am I?"

[Venti]: ??? That entrance!! I don't even look that stylish when I show up!! (Venti. shocked)

[Kaeya]: Okay, okay, @[Gu Chen]—so you are this cool, huh?! Teach me your entrance technique!! (excited)

[Paimon]: No fair! That's totally cheating—appearing like a gentleman out of a swirl of leaves?! (Paimon. flustered)

[Lumine]: (alert emoji)

[Kaeya]: No seriously, this is advanced-level flirtation. I need to learn it!

[Gu Chen]: Oh, that? Simple. I'm a magician. (grinning)

[Kaeya]: …A magician?

[Childe]: Wait—did you say magician? @[Lyney] Coach! Teach me that trick!

[Lyney]: ???

[Lyney]: I'm a magician, not a sorcerer! (panicking)

[Childe]: What's the difference?! You both do flashy impossible stuff, right? You can manage it! (hopeful)

[Lyney]: I—can—NOT!!

Poor Lyney was losing his mind.

He was just a stage magician, not some world-bending spellcaster!

"So even you can't do it, brother?" Lynette asked, curious.

Lyney threw up his hands helplessly. "Nope! Not even close!"

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