The more Kitsune Saiguu spoke, the angrier she became. She no longer looked like an immortal fox or the Grand Shrine Maiden, but more like a shrew arguing on the street.
Yet Ei happened to respond extremely well to this approach.
The Musou Isshin had been tossed onto the beach.
She herself curled up like an ostrich hiding its head.
Everyone could understand what she meant.
As long as you're happy, lecture me however you want.
Kitsune Saiguu scolded her for a full hour. Only when her mouth became dry did she finally stop.
Seeing this, Su Han quickly offered her a freshly brewed cup of tea.
Kitsune Saiguu accepted it with satisfaction.
She thought to herself: As expected of my man, he's considerate enough to bring tea even while I'm busy scolding someone.
The tea from Chenyu Vale was truly excellent. The moment it entered her mouth, she could feel the rich fragrance of tea spreading through her senses.
The taste was mellow, and the aroma lingered pleasantly.
Truly good stuff.
Seeing that her mood had improved slightly, Su Han comforted her, "Alright, Ei is still the Electro Archon after all. At least give her some face."
Hearing someone speak on her behalf, Ei felt immensely grateful. She raised her head, wanting to thank him, but the moment she moved, Kitsune Saiguu's sharp glare frightened her so badly that she hurriedly shrank back down.
"Hmph."
With only a cold snort, the Electro Archon instantly turned back into a quail, continuing to hold her head with both hands.
Kitsune Saiguu sneered.
"You're scared now? What were you doing earlier?"
"Since you knew the things you did would upset everyone, why did you still do them?"
"Was the shrine maiden I appointed incompetent, or was she disloyal to Inazuma?"
While eating her late-night snack, Yae Miko heard Kitsune Saiguu defending her and excitedly raised her hand.
She had held it in for five hundred years. Finally, it was her turn to vent her frustration.
"I was constantly trying to guide her! She just wouldn't listen..."
Ei's expression immediately became even more bitter.
Because everything Yae Miko said was true.
Five hundred years ago, after returning from Khaenri'ah, her heart had completely collapsed. That was why she stubbornly chose "eternity."
During that period, Yae Miko continuously tried to comfort her, but Ei only treated her like a child. The two of them even argued many times because of it.
That was also why the mischievous fox always loved teasing her.
She had truly been angered into it.
Ei lowered her head and stared at the sand, remaining stubbornly silent.
The night wind was cold.
The stars shimmered overhead.
In the distance, soldiers carrying torches were already rushing over.
Seeing this, Su Han said, "Let's talk somewhere else. Otherwise, how are we supposed to explain things once they arrive?"
Ei was still the Electro Archon. Some appearances still had to be maintained.
Yae Miko immediately raised both hands in agreement.
"I agree!"
Su Han looked toward Kitsune Saiguu. Now only her opinion remained.
As a result, Kitsune Saiguu merely snorted coldly, put away her teacup, and flew into the night sky.
It seemed she also did not want Ei to lose face.
After both foxes had flown away, Su Han turned to Ei and said, "Stop standing there in a daze and hurry up. This is the best opportunity to improve your relationship with them!"
"Really?"
Ei immediately stood up, her eyes filled with longing.
In truth, she was actually in an excellent mood right now.
Even though she had been squatting on the ground earlier, that was just an old habit from the past.
Forget getting beaten up. Even if Kitsune Saiguu stabbed her twice, it would not matter.
As long as the other party could calm down, everything would be fine.
Su Han nodded.
"That's right. But making her truly calm down won't be easy."
"Can you teach me?"
Ei was very clumsy.
Even she herself knew this flaw clearly.
Years of experience had taught her that being stupid was not a problem. She could always ask others for help.
Wasn't Su Han in front of her the perfect good guy?
At least in Ei's eyes, the way he had spoken up for her earlier earned massive points.
She had clearly beaten him up before, yet he still defended her.
If that wasn't a genuinely good person, then what was?
Su Han revealed a troubled expression, but seeing the fear and pleading in Ei's eyes, he finally agreed.
"Alright. I'm not sure whether it'll work, but you can give it a try..."
"Okay! Tell me."
The two whispered together on the beach for a while.
Only after Kitsune Saiguu's dissatisfied voice descended from the sky did they hurriedly fly away.
A moment later.
Kujou Sara arrived with a squad.
Looking at the devastated scene before her, she understood that the Shogun and Mister Su Han must have fought here earlier.
But since nobody remained, things were probably fine.
The nearby soldiers looked at the enormous sword scar in the distance and could not help smacking their lips in amazement.
"Who exactly was fighting here? They actually created a scar over ten thousand meters long."
"Could it have been that great swordsman?"
"That's possible."
Seeing the soldiers beginning to gossip again, Kujou Sara coldly said, "Did I bring you here to watch a show? Get moving immediately."
"Yes, ma'am."
Everyone was startled and instantly stopped chatting.
They quickly dispersed.
Some began assessing the damage while others checked for injured people.
Meanwhile, Kujou Sara looked toward the Grand Narukami Shrine and muttered softly, "I hope everything goes smoothly."
Mt. Yougou.
The shrine maidens of the Grand Narukami Shrine had already gone to rest, completely unaware of Ei's arrival.
The four of them headed straight toward the shrine's backyard.
Yae Miko saw the heavy atmosphere, her eyes turning slightly before she smiled and said, "I'll go prepare some food. You three can talk."
With that, the fox immediately slipped away.
However, she did not go far.
She merely hid by the courtyard entrance to eavesdrop.
Kitsune Saiguu glanced at her and lightly flicked a finger.
A pale purple burst of spiritual energy transformed into a projectile and accurately struck the pink-haired fox on the head.
"Ow!"
A cry of pain came from the doorway.
Kitsune Saiguu snorted coldly and reminded her, "Su Han has been busy all day. Are you trying to make him go hungry?"
"Got it..."
Yae Miko answered unwillingly.
After she completely left, Ei seized the opportunity and quickly walked in front of Kitsune Saiguu. She spread her hands apart and instantly assumed a flawless dogeza posture.
"I was wrong!"
"I know I made many mistakes during these five hundred years!"
"But please don't be angry. If I've done something wrong, please point it out directly!"
Su Han's first teaching method: admit your mistakes first.
No matter what the other person thinks, the attitude of admitting fault must be displayed.
And it had to be sincere and serious.
Ei no longer cared about dignity. She decisively combined dogeza with a heartfelt apology.
Kitsune Saiguu spat out a grape skin. Looking at Ei kneeling on the ground, the amusement in her eyes was almost impossible to suppress.
"Oh? You were wrong? Then where exactly were you wrong?"
Hearing that the other party was willing to respond, Ei's nervousness eased slightly.
If Kitsune Saiguu had ignored her completely or simply cursed at her, she truly would not have known what to do.
It seemed Su Han's method really worked.
Ei raised her head and carefully recalled her mistakes before saying:
"I was wrong for being too stubborn and insisting on doing things my own way."
"I was wrong for implementing the Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree."
"And I was also wrong for creating the Shogun puppet."
Cherry blossoms drifted through the air.
Under the night sky.
Within the courtyard.
Other than the sound of Kitsune Saiguu spitting grape skins, there was no other noise.
Ei gradually became nervous.
She even started wondering whether she had said something wrong again.
The atmosphere turned somewhat stiff.
Kitsune Saiguu put down the fruit and looked at the extremely nervous Ei before asking a question she had never expected.
"What is a god?"
Ei looked at her in surprise.
Kitsune Saiguu pointed toward the earth beneath them and spoke earnestly:
"A god is a leader who guides their people forward and opens a path for them. Not only must they take responsibility for the land beneath their feet, but they must also take responsibility for their people!"
"You love reading manga so much. Have you seen the Debate of Kings in Fate/stay night?"
"Although Gilgamesh was cruel and violent, he cared deeply for his people!"
"If you are truly a god, then why do your eyes only focus on the land beneath your feet?"
"I can understand not handling political affairs personally."
"But handing every matter, big and small, to a puppet, do you think this is some child's game?"
Kitsune Saiguu did not curse at her, but every sentence she spoke struck directly at Ei's heart.
This had already entered the second phase.
Even when admitting mistakes, one still had to speak honestly about their inner thoughts.
Ei recalled Su Han's instructions. After hesitating for a moment, she finally gathered the courage to speak.
"I was afraid of erosion, so before I disappeared, I chose to let the Shogun replace me."
"As for Watatsumi Island, that place belonged to Orobashi. I never intended to occupy it."
"And regarding Seirai Island, I'm sorry. That really was my fault."
Kitsune Saiguu rubbed her temples, feeling that this truly stemmed from problems in Ei's upbringing.
If she had known things would turn out like this, she would at least have trained a group of capable people.
Unfortunately, everything had happened too quickly, leaving Ei all alone in the end.
The fault did not lie with everyone.
The true culprits were Khaenri'ah and fate itself.
"Even though you're admitting your mistakes, I doubt you still understand what exactly happened during these five hundred years."
"Su Han, give Ei the documents you organized."
"Let her personally experience the despair of Inazuma's people."
"If there's anything she doesn't understand, she can ask directly."
Hearing this, Su Han quickly handed a thick stack of documents to Ei.
Inside were records of Inazuma's past.
This included the beginning and end of the Vision Hunt Decree, as well as Inazuma's decline.
The moment Ei picked up the documents, her first instinct was to let the Shogun handle them for her. But after noticing Kitsune Saiguu staring at her, she immediately gave up the thought of slacking off.
Beneath the Sacred Sakura Tree.
Ei held the documents and began reading.
[Five hundred years ago, the Tatarasuna factory explosion incident.]
[According to investigations and detailed intelligence, the root cause originated from the Fatui Harbinger, Dottore, who sought to obtain the first-generation puppet, Kunikuzushi, thereby orchestrating the entire conspiracy.]
What followed was a massive amount of information.
It included extensive evidence, along with Scaramouche's movements.
After reading everything, Ei suddenly felt enlightened.
"No wonder this guy showed such hostility toward Inazuma after appearing again. So that's why."
"So the Raiden Gokaden were destroyed because of this as well."
"I never expected the reports from back then to contain so many details."
She recalled that enormous rainy night.
Unfortunately, the Shogun had been ruling at the time while she herself had already secluded herself within the Plane of Euthymia.
Thinking about this made Ei feel even more embarrassed.
No wonder Kitsune Saiguu had been so furious. It turned out the Shogun's creation had caused numerous problems from the very beginning.
She simply had not noticed them back then.
Seeing that Ei had become fully absorbed in the documents, Kitsune Saiguu reminded her:
"This is only the beginning. The real show is yet to come. Just keep reading slowly. I'll summarize things for you later."
"Alright."
Ei continued flipping through the documents.
After the Tatarasuna incident, the second major event occurred.
Control over Seirai Island was completely lost.
This tragedy had been caused by Asase Hibiki, but the fundamental reason still traced back to Ei ignoring political affairs.
Simply put, the Shogun's methods of handling problems were far too rigid.
As long as something did not threaten eternity, it basically would not interfere, while Ei herself remained in secluded meditation within the Plane of Euthymia.
Thus, Seirai Island completely fell out of their control.
"So that's why I never heard anything about Seirai Island all these years."
Ei was beginning to sweat nervously.
Kitsune Saiguu sneered upon hearing this.
"Yes. Back then, we spent no small amount of effort obtaining that island."
"You should still remember, right? I personally arranged the seal there."
"To trample all over the results of our hard work, doesn't that give you a sense of accomplishment?"
Ei immediately shook her head like a rattling drum.
Su Han added from the side:
"In truth, Asase Hibiki was just a foolish woman blinded by love."
"Even after she released the seal on the island, you could have reclaimed it by simply sending shrine maidens to investigate."
"But unfortunately, you never cared about that island at all."
"So you really can't blame Yae Miko for this."
When the person in charge did not care, how could Yae Miko possibly manage everything alone?
Ei gradually realized her own mistakes.
She constantly claimed she wanted eternal Inazuma, yet in reality, she had continuously run away from responsibility. Wasn't Seirai Island the clearest example?
If she had shown even the slightest bit of concern, that island would never have fallen into ruin and decay.
It truly matched that saying: if you remain poor, don't blame others, blame yourself for failing to develop properly.
Ei rubbed her forehead, deeply feeling the pressure weighing upon her.
"What exactly have I been doing all these years..."
She had clearly promised her sister that she would protect Inazuma's people in her place.
Yet right after her sister passed away, not only had their home been infiltrated, but even Inazuma's territory had shrunk.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bonus chapters every 200 Power Stone!
10, 20, 30 Advanced chapters in my Patr(e)on!
patr(e)on.com/hollyrisk