Chapter 247

Even if her strength only reached the level of a 'God,' the 'Light Realm Force' was the power that created all things in the world. In terms of comprehensive strength, it was still far from comparable to ordinary gods.

This was akin to having two cups of the same volume: one filled with water, the other with mercury. Their weights would be vastly different.

Aether raised his hand and casually swatted away the attack from his younger sister. "My foolish sister, your brother and I are now the supreme god. In other words, I possess surface-level strength. I could turn the surface of a planet upside down with a single punch."

Hearing this, Lumine became furious. "Hmph, okay, Aether, you seem to be living quite comfortably. You've become the CEO of the Abyss, popular and content, while I—do you know how I've lived these past five hundred years? Do you have any idea?"

"Since I woke up, I've either been digging up bird eggs or catching fish in the river just to make sure I wasn't starving."

She thought about waking up on that island, her power sealed. If not for her special constitution, she would have starved to death. The attacks, the hardships—they were all due to Aether.

From Mondstadt to Liyue, the Abyss Order hadn't let up, constantly targeting her.

Aether could only shout internally, "Damn it!" He didn't know just how much of this his sister had blamed him for. The amount of misfortune that had piled onto his shoulders was enormous.

"Lumine... You need to hear me out first. There were some very complicated reasons for all this…"

Lumine crossed her arms. "Reasons? Hmph. So, you did arrange those Abyss Order attacks, didn't you?"

Aether remained silent—it was true. He'd wanted to keep his pesky sister focused, preventing her from getting distracted and potentially spoiling his plans.

Lumine eyed him with disdain. "You arranged everything so that I'd have to go on the same journey as you, right?"

Aether was even more frustrated. Everything he'd done was now being held against him, and not even by his own doing. It wasn't him, and yet here he was, caught red-handed.

"So? Say something!" Lumine demanded.

With a helpless sigh, Aether finally muttered, "I'm so tired... Let's just get it over with."

Being treated like this—all the credit stolen by the boss, all the blame dumped on him—his prideful sister had nothing on the boss's attitude.

Aether tossed a 'Void Power Seed' toward Lumine. "Take it. This is the 'Seed of Abyss Power.' If you absorb it, you can use the 'Void Power.' You've already missed three opportunities. Hurry up and make use of it."

"But remember, using this requires approval from Celestia. You'll need to work that out."

With a resigned expression, Aether turned around and walked into the Abyss vortex, leaving the underworld behind.

Though the underworld didn't prohibit gods like them from entering, they were bound by a complex set of rules. It was such a hassle that they only entered if absolutely necessary.

Lumine looked at the 'Void Power Seed' in her hand dismissively. "Feeling guilty, Aether? Hmph. Let me see you try to play me again."

Just then, Takumi's voice echoed in her mind.

"You can use the 'Void Power,' but remember, it must not be used outside the Abyss. Otherwise, it will be dealt with according to the 'God's Covenant.' Do you understand?"

Lumine nodded. "Understood, boss."

---

**Narukami Taisha Shrine**

Raiden Shogun had personally prepared a sumptuous banquet.

Of course, she hadn't cooked all the dozens of dishes herself. Although Butterfly Kanae and Butterfly Shinobu had become gods, they still desired to be good wives and mothers, so they helped Raiden Shogun with the preparations.

After all, this meal was for Lord Tenri. In myths and legends, gods would always serve their best dishes to please the Creator.

Naturally, myths also mentioned instances where unpleasant food had caused the Creator's wrath, leading to punishments.

Raiden Ei, the so-called "clown," truly believed her cooking was delicious, a misunderstanding brought on by Yae Miko and Lady Kitsune.

Raiden Ei blushed as she looked at the plate of white, red, and black dishes her sister had brought to the table.

"Kage, are you really planning on serving this to Lord Tenri?"

Raiden Ei nodded confidently. "Last time, Lord Tenri ate my food and said it was delicious."

Butterfly Kanae and Butterfly Shinobu stood to the side, wiping the cold sweat from their temples. Internally, they were screaming, *This is poison—this is definitely poison.* If Lord Tenri ate it, he would surely be angered.

The thought of angering Lord Tenri caused the two sisters to gulp nervously.

Lady Kitsune took a drag from her cigarette pipe and slowly blew out a smoke ring. She wasn't worried that Lord Tenri would be angry—if he'd intended to get angry, he'd have done so last time.

Yae Miko shuddered all over, her stomach growling involuntarily as her face turned green. She recalled that not too long ago, she and Lady Kitsune were forced to eat the "poison" that Ei made, day after day. She covered her mouth in fear, as if there were still lingering traces of poison.

---

**Inazuma City**

Takumi had arrived on Seirai Island.

In Inazuma Castle, Nahida was holding a cup of fruit milk tea, sipping it contentedly. "The fruits from Inazuma are quite different from Sumeru's, but they're both delightful. Thank you for the treat, Kamisato Ayaka."

Kamisato Ayaka asked softly, "It's almost evening, Nahida. If you don't have a place to stay, why don't you come to my house?"

At first, she had thought Nahida was just a special being from Sumeru, like the various mystical creatures from Inazuma.

But as time went on, she noticed that Nahida—so young—was incredibly knowledgeable in astronomy, geography, statecraft, and even commerce. Kamisato Ayaka, who had been running her clan with her brother since childhood, realized she was inferior in every aspect.

Nahida looked less than ten years old, yet she possessed wisdom far beyond her years. Given her independent personality and vast knowledge, Kamisato Ayaka began to suspect that Nahida was not as young as she appeared and was likely a god.

Not long ago, Nahida had joined the 'Blueprint of the Gods' and become a 'Preparatory God.' Also, Nahida claimed she came from Sumeru, and Kamisato Ayaka had heard from Lady Yae that the 'Lesser Lord Kusanali' looked like a child.

So... Was Nahida the Lesser Lord Kusanali?

While she had wanted to ask, Nahida appeared reluctant for her true identity to be revealed.

Nahida blinked innocently and smiled. "You already know my identity. Forgive me for reading your mind."

Kamisato Ayaka was taken aback. "Reading minds?"

Nahida continued, "Since you treated me to tea, I shall also invite you to the banquet." Then, she looked in a specific direction. "Would that be alright, Lord Tenri?"

The figure of Takumi, who had just returned from the underworld, slowly emerged from thin air in the city of Inazuma.

Takumi approached Nahida, with Paimon slowly appearing behind him.

"Of course, Nahida. It's a banquet—the more, the merrier." He turned to Kamisato Ayaka with a warm smile. "I hadn't noticed, but you have become a 'Preparatory God.' Very good, God's daughter."

Kamisato Ayaka blinked in disbelief. As she came to her senses, she tried to greet him, but when the 'Blueprint of the Gods' fed the information back to her, her expression immediately turned astonished.

"Heaven—Heavenly Lord Tianli..."