Furina had escaped the torment, leaving Focalors alone to suffer under Themis' control.
At first, Focalors: Hmph~ Just Themis. No big deal. I can handle this.
A week later, Focalors: ...
Though they hadn't walked far, Focalors was thoroughly exhausted. The entire journey involved being carried by Themis, then somehow convincing her to carry Focalors on her back after reading some light novel.
Seeing Focalors' spoiled act, Themis sighed in exasperation before hoisting her onto her back.
Themis: I strongly suspect Focalors is guarding against herself.
Focalors: Yes, that's right, I'm definitely guarding against you. Why else would I be hugged like this and still get groped?
Lying on Themis's back, Focalors yawned, taking in sights she couldn't see at her usual height.
"I wonder what little Furina is up to right now," Focalors said, her chin resting on Themis's shoulder.
"With Zhongli around, she's probably exploring Inazuma's culture and customs," Themis replied. After a moment's thought, she added, "She might even be using her own little treasury to fund Morax's lavish spending—he never has any Mora despite his extravagance."
"Compared to Morax, Barbatos is practically a saint now."
Far away on Narukami Island, Furina sneezed while shopping with Zhongli and Venti.
Rubbing her nose, Furina was certain Focalors had been thinking about her. If it were Themis, she'd never do such a thing.
Right, it must be Focalors' fault for stirring up all this trouble. Furina trusted Themis completely.
Themis might have a bit too many lewd thoughts in her head, but other than that, she had no flaws whatsoever!
Furina had been feeling a bit apprehensive these past few days. Though she was having fun playing with Zhongli and the others, she'd always make sure to leave a few words behind before joining them.
Last time, she'd just exchanged a few words at the cake shop when Themis had grabbed her right in the street.
If she encountered Themis again, Furina couldn't help but worry about her future. "I just hope I can see the sun rise tomorrow."
Though Furina and Focalors weren't together, their thoughts aligned perfectly on this matter.
"Huh?"
Walking down the street, they seemed to hear something about Inazuma's unofficial history.
Instantly, the attention of three gods was drawn to the street where Yae Publishing House stood.
A sturdy, tall white-haired Oni Clan youth stood there, book in hand, laughing heartily at a small child.
Curiosity piqued, Furina and the two elder gods exchanged glances before approaching to hear the details.
As they drew closer, they realized Yae Publishing House had released a new novel.
Everyone was enthusiastic about the new publication.
The book had been sold out the very day it was released, with all printed copies snatched up.
Furina stroked her chin, gazing at the empty bookstand. She met Venti's eyes, and the two of them moved closer.
"Children, this new book is for adults only. Are you two adults?"
"If not, you can't buy it. You'll have to ask your parents to come get it themselves."
Seeing Furina and Venti's delicate and charming appearance, Kuroda's tone softened, becoming quite gentle.
Furina and Venti leaned over the counter, exchanging glances. Then they simultaneously turned to look at Zhongli behind them.
They both pointed at Morax, currently known as the oldest God in Teyvat.
If there was anyone who could be considered a parental figure to these two Gods, it could only be Zhongli.
"It's our uncle who wants to buy it!" Zhongli, being pointed at by Furina and Venti, seemed somewhat taken aback, likely not expecting that even Furina had been corrupted by Venti's influence.
However, Zhongli didn't deny it, simply nodding silently to confirm their claim.
The three guests didn't look like they were from Inazuma.
Kuroda scanned Zhongli, Venti, and Furina from head to toe.
The green-clad child wore Cecilia flowers, so they must be from Mondstadt.
The blue-toned, lavishly dressed white-haired young girl was probably from Fontaine.
As for the tall, handsome man being pointed at by both companions... with that aura, he seemed to be definitely from Liyue.
What a strange trio.
But considering their good looks, Kuroda didn't dwell on it.
He simply addressed Zhongli, "Sir, as you can see, our newly printed books have sold out. If you want to purchase one, you'll need to wait."
"Yae Publishing House has books by other authors too. You might find something else of interest there."
"Of course, I still recommend this one the most."
"I heard it was personally written by a famous author from across the sea in Fontaine."
Editor Kuroda pulled out the remaining few copies of Inazuma Unofficial History, which he kept for special occasions. Of course, he was also willing to share - selling a few more copies could boost his sales figures.
However, Editor Kuroda, busy with his sales pitch, didn't notice Furina's sudden change in expression.
Never did she imagine she'd be socially humiliated here of all places.
Venti and Zhongli maintained their usual composure, but careful observers could detect the amusement in their eyes.
Unlike them, Furina felt her toes curling in her shoes.
"Ahem, sir, we've already read Inazuma Unofficial History."
"We're actually here to ask about the title of that newly published bestseller."
At the mention of the book's title, Editor Kuroda's eyelid twitched visibly. The title must have been quite... unconventional.
If possible, he wouldn't want to shout it out on the street.
"It's by a new author from Yae Publishing House - Puff."
Puff? Furina instantly understood. So Focalors opened a new alias.
Isn't one unofficial history enough for her? Venti wondered. She's already working on a second book. Where does she find the time?
Could it be that Themis has suddenly embraced asceticism these past few days? Is Focalors' situation not as dire as Furina imagined?
"Ahem, boss." Venti cleared his throat, noticing Furina's deep contemplation. "We overheard people on the street talking about some 'Raiden Shogun' book earlier."
"Could this new novel also be about the Raiden Shogun?"
Venti stroked his chin, feigning deep thought. "Last time I was here, it was all about the 'Useless General' and her 'All-Powerful Fox Shrine Maiden'."
Furina's eyes widened in shock. So even Inazuma locals aren't afraid of excessive naming. No wonder they sent the Traveler to Fontaine to have Focalors write the novel.
"Ah, right, that's true." Kuroda nodded, studying Venti more closely. He looks familiar somehow.
"Hmm~ Now that I look closer, aren't you that Mondstadt friend who came by with Mr. Albedo last time?"
Venti scratched his head. "Yeah, that's right."
"So could you do me a favor and use your insider channels to sell us three copies? In exchange..." Venti leaned in close to Kuroda's ear, "I'll have Albedo draw three extra illustrations for Yae Publishing House. How about it?"
Kuroda agreed without hesitation.
His prized collection sharing set was coming into play!
He'd even sell them at full price, which meant getting three free illustrations from Albedo in the deal. This was a truly profitable trade.
Furina witnessed this shady transaction from the sidelines.
"Let me tell you, in Fontaine, bribery is actually illegal!"
Facing Furina's accusation, Venti puffed out his chest and replied cheerfully:
"How can you call this bribery? It's clearly an equal exchange!"
Wow, Furina had to admit, Barbatos the Anemo Archon truly lived up to his reputation for quick wits.
Regardless, they'd secured the purchase, which was all that mattered.
Three people, three books. Albedo, far away on Dragonspine, had been given three extra illustrations for no apparent reason.
Though this might be seen as disregarding Albedo's wishes, Venti naturally had the perfect compensation to pique his interest and secure his approval.
The trio found a secluded spot, each holding one of these so-called... um...
The moment they saw the full title, their faces contorted with indescribable complexity.
After two deep breaths, bracing themselves for potential mortification, they opened The Raiden Shogun's Little Wife is Being Devoured by the Tyrannical Monarch's Unrelenting Demands!
I'm sorry, but the moment Furina saw the title, she couldn't contain her laughter first.
When they actually began reading, Furina silently mourned for the Raiden Shogun for several seconds.
It went without saying that any book released under Focalors' alternate account must have made some bold, innovative move.
Though Fontaine's unofficial histories were already quite imaginative.
But clearly, Focalors' pseudonymous novel was a complete liberation of self!
"Women! You've successfully caught my attention!"
Venti, suppressing his laughter, performed a direct imitation of the Raiden Shogun's manner from the book.
Zhongli sat nearby, his expression troubled, eyes filled with peculiar amusement.
It was somewhat strange, but the words felt appropriate for tricking that Beelzebul child - something Furina could actually say.
"Take five million mora and leave my sister! You profit-hungry woman! My sister would never love someone like you!"
Since it was the Raiden Shogun's reputation being tarnished, Furina - naturally vivacious and fond of mischief - abandoned her reservations. Under Venti's encouragement, she began reciting her lines!
In this Three Gods team-building exercise, with Furina and Venti already performing, Zhongli found himself at a loss. After some internal debate, he resolved to keep up with the modern trends.
Zhongli's face remained cold, his crimson-eyeshadowed eyes glinting with intensity. "Within one day, I want all information about this woman!"
"Women! You're playing with fire! Don't challenge my limits so casually!"
It must be said, though it's terribly embarrassing, but having Zhongli deliver these lines with that face of his... it's actually quite fitting.
Furina and Venti clapped, seeing their program's effect was quite good. Zhongli, slightly pleased, raised his chin.
It seemed his charm hadn't faded since the old days. Come to think of it, during the Archon War, he'd used a similar tone then too, hadn't he?
After a moment's pause, Zhongli chose to forget that dark history with a strange expression.
[The Raiden Shogun's Little Wife is Being Devoured by the Tyrannical Monarch's Unrelenting Demands!]
This book tells the story of an ordinary young girl—a miko, yes, you read that right, Yae Miko strikes again!
On a drizzling day, this pure and innocent young girl encounters the Raiden Shogun wandering in the rain.
At first sight, she's captivated by the Shogun's extraordinary aura, and the pure-hearted girl finds herself falling in love.
When the Shogun is pulled into a shelter by the miko to escape the rain, she too develops an instant affection for this kind young girl.
After the rain clears, watching the miko's departing figure, the Raiden Shogun clutches the handkerchief she left behind to wipe away the rain, vowing to marry her.
At this moment, some readers might find it strange and raise doubts, repeatedly emphasizing that it's simply not logical!
"Ah, that can't be right! How could our Raiden Shogun possibly get rained on?"
This is for the sake of the story, a plot device. Please don't take it as reality.
"The Shogun doesn't use an umbrella in the rain. Does she not know how to get home?"
"The Shogun must have her profound reasons. Perhaps she was contemplating the surrounding world and refining her martial arts, losing track of time and space!"
"How wonderful! To meet the Shogun just by venturing out once. I must admit, my envy is so intense I could gnaw my teeth to dust!"
Ahem, in short, after the Raiden Shogun developed feelings for an unknown young girl...
Upon returning to the tenshukaku, the Shogun lost all appetite, tossing and turning in bed. Even in her dreams, she relived every fleeting moment of their brief encounter.
"Shogun! Do you remember Lady Makoto, whom you've nurtured day and night in the tenshukaku?"
-
Pfft, pfft, pfft! Yae Miko could barely contain her laughter.
As Yae Miko read the book, she listened to the miko's emotionally charged yet utterly unskilled wails. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably with suppressed laughter.
The wine she'd drunk dripped unceremoniously from the corner of her lips.
Yae Miko casually wiped the wine from her mouth, her smile so wide it threatened to spill tears from her eyes.
This author is truly a genius. The Fontainians really do produce remarkable talents.
Hmm, it's written so well - absolutely brilliant. Even if Yae Miko herself were to write it, she couldn't possibly produce something like this... a novel where the protagonist is so embarrassed they'd dig their toes into the ground, yet as a reader, you can't help but revel in it.
But then again, when I think about our own puppet, I can't imagine her losing sleep over some trivial romance. Even if the sky were to collapse, I doubt Ei would ever do something like this.
Coughing twice, Yae Miko straightened her posture.
Setting down her wine cup, she realized she really shouldn't drink while reading this novel anymore.
Ahem, continuing from where we left off...
-
After losing her appetite, the Raiden Shogun's longing to see the young miko grew increasingly uncontrollable.
"Women, you've successfully captured my attention!"
Seated on her bed, the Raiden Shogun addressed a pink handkerchief in her hand.
Thus, she summoned the Shogunate Army's great tengu commander, her most loyal subordinate, Kujou Sara.
The shogun was the most exalted being in this world. Even gazing at her from afar would make one feel overwhelmed by her noble aura, suppressing any impudent thoughts.
The Great General of the Tengu stared at Raiden Shogun's figure with infatuated eyes. Clearly, she was an exception.
As the shogun's most devoted subordinate, she had originally been a member of the Tengu clan in Inazuma's forests. However, as a child, she had been so engrossed in play that she broke her wings.
In the moment before death, the shogun saved her. Over the years, this life-saving grace in the young Tengu's heart fermented into admiration and love. From then on, she strove tirelessly to make the shogun notice her presence, all to repay the shogun's life-saving kindness.
Yet for all these years, the shogun's heart had only been occupied with Inazuma's peace and safety.
The Great General of the Tengu thus suppressed her affection, content to become the shogun's sharpest spear, vowing to protect Inazuma.
What the Great General of the Tengu never anticipated was that the shogun - whose heart had always been as clear as a mirror, as pure as empty space - would actually fall for someone else.
The general's heart brimmed with sour envy, yet her loyalty to the Shogun surpassed all else. Her happiness meant more than anything!
Through the general's efforts, the Shogun successfully obtained all information about the young girl.
-
"Hey! This is invading someone's privacy! In Fontaine, you'd definitely be convicted for this!"
Furina couldn't help but quip, while Venti had already lost control, rolling on the ground holding his stomach from laughter. He was laughing so hard it hurt, even gasping for breath between coughs.
Zhongli looked at the book in his hand, his lips curving into a smile. "This book is truly entertaining. I wonder how the author came up with these scenarios."
Venti: "But if that's all, it shouldn't reach adult-rated content, right?"
Furina immediately countered, "How isn't it? This book contains illegal privacy violations! Children might only see the fun and cool parts, but what if they try to imitate it? That'd be disastrous!"
"That's precisely why it needs an adult rating. Most thinking adults wouldn't mimic such behavior or commit crimes deliberately."
Zhongli nodded in agreement. "Exactly, Furina. Your reasoning is sound."
"Ah, don't be so serious! Look, the author clearly states at the beginning that this is just a story—don't take it too literally."
Venti pointed to the annotation at the bottom of the book's cover, showing it to Furina. This distraction finally drew her attention away from legal matters.
"Alright, let's keep reading."
"Though it's somewhat ahead of its time, I find it quite intriguing," remarked Venti, the Anemo Archon, already envisioning how to deliver the book to the Raiden Shogun herself for commentary.
"Indeed," Zhongli agreed. "When you set aside logic and reality, there's an irresistible urge to keep turning the pages."
As the Three Gods immersed themselves in the book alongside their reading companions, Miss Kamisato Ayaka—who had received the work—and Kujou Sara, the prototype for the Tengu General character, could barely contain their reactions from the very first page.
Had Yae Miko not repeatedly confirmed through her inquiries that the Shogun herself had approved this work, Kujou Sara would have already led a team to arrest the author.
"This is... such disrespect to the Shogun!"
After much thought, the Tengu General—whose moral standards were somewhat questionable—uttered these words.
At Kamisato Manor, Miss Kamisato Ayaka struggled to contain her amusement. She covered her face with one hand while peeking through her fingers at the book.
This type of book actually aligned quite well with a pure-hearted young girl's fantasies about her future lover.
Who wouldn't wish for their ideal partner to be a towering hero?
Suppressing her mortification, Kamisato Ayaka—who had some understanding of the divine but not much—continued reading.
She saw how the shogun in the book humbled herself to win her beloved's affection, actively seeking out the other's home.
Even her cold expression couldn't diminish the shogun's radiant beauty.
As the shogun interacted with the young miko, the girl's mysterious origins and secrets gradually unfolded before the reader.
It turned out the young miko was a fox spirit who had transformed into human form. Due to her youthful naivety, she had only recently achieved this transformation, though her spiritual power remained weak.
The day she met the Raiden Shogun marked her first successful transformation, when she ventured into a human city.
The young girl fox, having just achieved her first human form, encountered the Raiden Shogun in the rain.
Out of kindness, she brought the Raiden Shogun under the eaves to shelter from the rain.
Unbeknownst to her, the person she'd pulled in was Lord Narukami, whom all the yokai of Inazuma revered and feared.
During their time together, the Raiden Shogun never revealed her true identity, simply pretending to be an ordinary swordswoman.
In the company of the miko, she felt an unprecedented sense of ease and joy.
But seeing the Shogun so relaxed, even beginning to neglect her cultivation, Raiden Makoto - the Shogun's elder sister - decided to play the villain this time and tear apart the couple.
As the Shogun's elder sister, she believed a god who protects the people shouldn't let love weaken her resolve, nor should she favor one god over all others.
This was wrong. It would be better to separate them early.
So, without the Shogun's knowledge, Raiden Makoto found the miko and said those words:
"Take five million Mora and leave my sister!"
What? If the miko refused, it must be because the offer wasn't generous enough!
"I heard there's an elder fox spirit in your family whose lifespan is nearly at an end."
"Child, you must understand the difference between gods and mortals."
"With your status, you're utterly unworthy of my sister! She deserves a better future. Even if you truly loved each other, it should be with someone of her own kind—a God!"
The readers' jaws dropped as they witnessed Makoto's sudden transformation. Gone was the gentle, fragile sister from Inazuma's unofficial history; before them stood a Makoto brimming with affection for Yae Miko.
"Wait, what? Why did True Lord Makoto suddenly switch gears?"
"No! My gentle Makoto-sis!"
"That's Unofficial History Makoto! This is the shogun's true elder sister—Raiden Makoto!"
"I think Makoto-sis is right. Only another God could be worthy of the shogun."
"You're just trying to tear apart true love! So what if they're not Gods? True love conquers all!"
Venti slipped into the crowd of readers, loudly voicing his opinions and basking in their adoring gazes.