Chapter 11: Future Plans

In Raiden Ei's room,

Liam was pondering over Raiden Shogun's recent words. He felt that Raiden Shogun seemed to be treating him a bit too well. Although she maintained her usual indifferent demeanor, Liam still sensed something was off. However, he decided not to dwell on it too much; after all, getting along with the Shogun was something he welcomed.

"Liam, you're here!"

At this moment, a somewhat softer voice sounded. Liam looked up and realized it was the Shogun. No, judging by the tone, it should be Ei.

"Ah, Master Ei!"

Liam said, looking at Ei.

"Yes, it's me!"

Raiden Ei nodded and then glanced at the tricolored dango and the remaining bottle of dango milk in her hands, a look of delight appearing in her eyes.

"Liam, you brought me sweets again! You're too kind!"

Raiden Ei was a bit elated. It had been years since anyone other than Yae Miko had brought her sweets.

"Yes, listening to stories without some sweets would be less enjoyable!"

Liam rubbed his nose. He couldn't possibly say that these were actually meant for the Shogun and that he had just forgotten Ei's portion. But since there was a misunderstanding, he decided to maintain this beautiful misunderstanding! At worst, he would bring Ei sweets every day from now on.

"Ei still likes these things so much! And she's still so clumsy!"

At this moment, the voice of Raiden Makoto echoed in Liam's mind.

"Heh, you and Ei are complementary. You are wise but not strong, while Ei is strong but not wise. Her fondness for sweets might be a way for her to cherish past memories. After all, losing friends and family one after another has been quite a blow to her."

Liam spoke to Raiden Makoto in this manner. The Raiden twins, twin Archons, were essentially one.

Hearing Liam's words, Raiden Makoto fell silent. She had also considered this and knew it wasn't entirely her sister's fault.

"Sigh, I also bear responsibility for the way Inazuma has turned out..."

Raiden Makoto sighed softly.

"Alright, it wasn't something you could decide at the time. You can't be blamed. That damned Khaenri'ah just had to stir up trouble and ended up destroying itself."

Mentioning the infamous Khaenri'ah in Genshin Impact, Liam couldn't help but curl his lips. He didn't have a good impression of that nation. After all, the Khaenri'ah characters who had appeared so far, whether it was Dainsleif or others, were all enigmatic and cryptic.

"You know the truth about that event?"

Raiden Makoto asked in confusion.

"I know a bit, but only superficially. Teyvat's mysteries are numerous!"

Liam wasn't lying. He was just a gamer, not a lore expert. Even lore experts had to infer from game texts, and their theories weren't always correct. After all, miHoYo's storytelling is freeform! The official truth of Genshin Impact's world has never been fully revealed, and he only knew what had been shown.

"Hmm, perhaps not knowing isn't a bad thing!"

Raiden Makoto said earnestly. It seemed the war with Khaenri'ah had placed significant pressure on her.

"Liam! Liam!"

At this moment, Raiden Ei's voice pulled Liam's attention back. He then remembered that he still had a story to tell her and quickly said,

"Sorry, Master. I was just thinking about something important and got a bit too absorbed!"

Liam scratched his head apologetically, looking at Raiden Ei.

"Did you figure it out? If not, you can think about it first and come back tomorrow. We have plenty of time!"

Raiden Ei looked at Liam with concern. Although she really wanted to hear the story, she couldn't force her disciple if he had something on his mind. Otherwise, the Shogun would scold her again!

"It's fine, that troublesome matter won't be resolved in a day or two, so there's no rush. Let me tell you today's story first!"

Liam waved his hand. The world structure of Genshin Impact wasn't something he could understand easily!

"Oh! As long as it doesn't affect you."

Seeing that Liam didn't seem to be lying, Raiden Ei felt much better. After all, she still wanted to hear the story!

So, Liam sat down next to Raiden Ei and continued the story from where he had left off.

...

At night,

Liam lay in his bed, recalling his conversation with Raiden Makoto earlier that day. He then spoke to the system,

"System, what is the true nature of Teyvat?"

[Ding~! Lies!]

Hearing this, Liam's mouth twitched. The system was being cryptic too?

"System, can't you say something I can understand?"

[Ding~! Doesn't the host understand the meaning of lies?]

"I..."

Liam was stumped for a moment but then realized what the system meant. He shook his head. He wasn't a scientific madman; why bother studying the world's nature?

Speaking of mad scientists, it reminded him of that "Doctor." Apart from "Scaramouche," the Doctor was the Fatui Harbinger he disliked the most, even more than "La Signora"!

The Doctor, huh? Better not give me a chance to catch you, or I'll tear you apart!

However, the Doctor's segments were tricky to deal with. He needed a plan to handle them.

"System, if I want to target the Doctor, do you have any good methods?"

[Ding~! The Erosion Herrscher's power can easily handle the Doctor!]

The system quickly provided the optimal solution.

Liam thought about it and realized it made sense. As long as he had the Erosion Herrscher's power, he could track and destroy all of the Doctor's segments if he caught one!

But who knew how long it would take to obtain the Erosion Herrscher core? Moreover, he needed to improve his strength; otherwise, catching the Doctor would be difficult, considering how slippery the man was!

Liam then checked the status of his two Herrscher cores.

[Herrscher of the Void Core: 25/100]

[End of the World Gem: 0/100]

"Hmm! Frequent use of abilities can speed up the development of the Herrscher cores!"

Seeing that the Herrscher core's development had progressed a bit, Liam felt good. However, he remembered the system had mentioned that he could use the power of the End without fully activating it, although it would increase its activation progress.

Thinking it over, he decided to test it out. If true, it could be another trump card for him!

For safety, he asked the system,

"System, if I mobilize part of the End's power, how much activation progress would it increase? Would there be any negative effects?"

[Ding~! Activation progress depends on the amount and duration of power used!]

[Ding~! According to system checks, there are currently no adverse effects!]

Hearing the system's response, Liam finally felt relieved. Although this system often spoke cryptically, its words were generally reliable.

With a thought, Liam cautiously connected with the Gem of the End within him. His temples began to turn snow-white, and when he opened his eyes, they had turned golden. As Liam moved, an indescribable, heart-palpitating aura spread across Inazuma.

"This feeling!"

At the Grand Narukami Shrine, Yae Miko suddenly awoke. This familiar, heart-palpitating pressure was something she had felt from Liam just earlier that day.

"Did something happen to that kid?"

This was Yae Miko's first thought, but she quickly shook her head. Liam stayed at Tenshukaku at night; who would dare cause trouble right under the Shogun's nose? Besides, that kid wasn't just some powerless ordinary person.

Despite being puzzled, Yae Miko's figure turned into a flash of lightning and disappeared from the shrine.

If even Yae Miko on Narukami Island noticed the problem, there was no way the Shogun at Tenshukaku wouldn't.

"That location is where Liam is?"

The Shogun instantly appeared in Liam's room, facing his emotionless golden eyes. Even the Shogun felt an overwhelming pressure, like mountains and seas crashing upon her. She immediately raised her Musou Isshin, looking gravely at the cold-faced Liam.

At this moment, the activation progress of the Gem of the End was slowly changing on the invisible system panel.

[1/100, 2/100, 3/100...]

As the activation level of the gem steadily increased, a golden halo began to appear above Liam's head.

"Liam!"

The Shogun knew that something was very wrong with Liam. She tried to wake him, but his eyes remained icy and indifferent.

"Shogun, something is seriously wrong with Liam right now. Although we don't know what happened, I have a feeling we must stop him quickly!"

Shogun: "...Alright..."

The Shogun hesitated for a moment at the thought of fighting Liam but ultimately made up her mind, intending only to subdue him.

Just as she was about to step forward, the oppressive aura vanished as if it had never been there. The golden halo above Liam's head faded, and the gold in his eyes receded, though his temples remained white.

Liam collapsed forward, utterly exhausted.

"Damn it, system! You tricked me!" was Liam's first thought.

But instead of hitting the cold floor, he fell into a soft embrace.

Opening his eyes slightly, he saw a face devoid of expression. He subconsciously said,

"Shogun?"

"Yes, it's me."

The Shogun replied, gently laying him on the mattress and placing his head on her lap.

"Shogun, I..."

Liam was still somewhat disoriented, speaking whatever came to mind without addressing her as his master.

"Rest first. We'll talk when you wake up."

The Shogun's indifferent voice came through, and Liam felt a gentle massage on his temples, lulling him into a deep sleep.

"Shogun, since when do you know how to do this?"

Raiden Ei, observing this, asked in surprise. The Shogun giving a massage was unexpected.

"I don't know."

The Shogun's voice was emotionless. She then asked,

"Ei, can you tell what's wrong with Liam?"

"I'm not sure, but I felt that the aura just now was even more terrifying than 'that thing.' Truly fitting for a Descender, I suppose."

Raiden Ei responded with some helplessness. Five hundred years ago, she had witnessed Makoto's departure and "that thing." She didn't expect to feel something even more dangerous today.

"That thing, huh?"

The Shogun mused, smoothing out the slight frown on Liam's sleeping face.

At that moment, a flash of lightning heralded Yae Miko's arrival in the room.

"Miko, what brings you here?"

Seeing the visitor, the Shogun asked with a slight frown.

Yae Miko immediately noticed the sleeping Liam and the Shogun cradling his head in her lap. She couldn't help but smirk at the sight.

"Well, I sensed an extraordinary aura and came to check it out."

Yae Miko said, glancing at Liam and smiling.

"Heh, your little disciple caused quite a commotion tonight! I doubt many in Inazuma could sleep through it. How do you plan to handle this?"

The Shogun frowned.

"What do you mean handle it? It was just a bit of noise. I'm sure Liam will explain everything to me."

Yae Miko was surprised. This puppet, usually intolerant of any slight, showed no intention of reprimanding Liam, despite his instability.

"Where's Ei? I'd like to speak with her."

Yae Miko didn't dwell on the matter between Liam and the Shogun, wanting to see if she could talk to Ei.

"You know she won't see you! Everything is fine now, Miko. You may leave."

The Shogun replied bluntly.

Yae Miko, seeing the Shogun's unwavering stance and the sleeping Liam, rolled her eyes and grinned.

"Alright then, I won't disturb you any longer. I'm off!"

Yae Miko turned into a bolt of lightning and left Liam's room.

After Yae Miko left, the room fell silent. Raiden Ei didn't say anything more. The Shogun looked at the sleeping Liam on her lap, then closed her eyes and began to meditate.

The night passed without incident.

The next day,

"Ah! What the heck!"

Liam suddenly woke up. He expected to see the familiar ceiling, but his view was blocked by something else.

Liam: "???"

Still groggy, Liam couldn't immediately recognize what it was, but a faint fragrance filled his nose.

"You're awake?"

A cold voice spoke.

Liam finally realized his situation—he was lying on the Shogun's lap! He never imagined that, as a twenty-year-old virgin, he would experience the comfort of a lap pillow!

He tried to get up, but the Shogun held his head down.

"Don't move yet."

The Shogun's indifferent voice commanded.