While I was in Mondstadt, I never imagined becoming a god.

She glanced down at her empty waist, then looked up at Xu Chuan, who was now standing up straight.

The lingering warmth still remained on his skin, yet the person had already withdrawn all touches, cleanly and decisively.

Why doesn't this guy play by the rules?

"The Divine Child's words were vague and lacked any sincerity in asking for help."

Xu Chuan looked down at her, his tone as calm as if he were stating a fact.

"I don't want to be a fool and end up being sold out by you and still having to count the money for you."

"You jest, sir..." Yae no Miko quickly adjusted her expression, putting on that composed smile again.

But Xu Chuan didn't give her another chance to speak.

He smiled without saying a word, looking down at her from his superior position.

The face before him was indeed beautiful. Even having seen countless beauties, he still had to admit that Yae no Miko's appearance was enough to make anyone's heart flutter.

But this face is impeccable when it comes to truly crucial issues.

She kept her cards close to her chest, using these ambiguous statements to garner sympathy, but never offering any concrete solutions.

If she is willing to reveal everything about the power of will, to tell him what trump cards she has prepared, what risks he needs to take, and what price he needs to pay.

Given this honesty, Xu Chuan might readily agree.

Unfortunately, she chose to test the waters.

She was testing his bottom line in her own way, trying to take the initiative in the negotiations and manipulate the situation through ambiguity and feigned weakness.

Since you don't trust me, then don't blame me for being cold and ruthless.

“My Lord, it’s getting late, you should rest.”

He turned around and waved without looking back, "Let's talk next time."

The footsteps faded into the distance, disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Yae no Miko sat alone under the sacred cherry tree.

The night breeze rustled through the leaves of the Divine Cherry tree, as if mocking her earlier miscalculation.

She looked down at her waist; the warmth had dissipated, but she still remembered the feel of that hand.

He obtained the Heart of Thor, took advantage of her, humiliated the skirmishers in front of her, and then escaped unscathed.

She couldn't even pry a single decent card out of him.

She gradually came to understand the feelings of the scattered soldiers when they left.

That feeling of being completely controlled, with no way to resist.

Absolutely terrible.

The next morning.

The sky was terribly overcast, and the area above the mountains was filled with leaden-gray clouds.

A light drizzle fell, enveloping the entire mountain in a misty haze.

Occasionally, a bolt of lightning would cleave through the clouds, its deafening roar echoing through the valley, mirroring someone's mood.

In the tea room of Narukami Shrine, Yae no Miko sat by the window, holding a white porcelain teacup between her fingers.

The tea in the cup had been cold for a long time, but she showed no intention of changing it.

Those eyes, which were always so charming, were now gazing absently at the swaying rain outside the window.

Paimon squeezed between Ying and Xu Chuan, lowered his voice, and whispered in Ying's ear, "What's wrong with Sister Shenzi today?"

"You seem to be in a bad mood. You were perfectly fine yesterday."

Ying looked in the direction Paimon was referring to.

Yae no Miko was definitely acting strangely. From the moment they entered until now, the palace master's gaze had never left them, and he had only given a perfunctory nod when he greeted them.

Although the habitual smile was still on his face, it looked forced no matter how you looked at it.

"Perhaps it's about Narukami Shrine," Ying guessed, turning to look at Xu Chuan with a questioning look in her eyes.

Xu Chuan smiled but didn't say anything.

He picked up the cherry blossom tea in front of him and took a sip.

The moment the tea touches your tongue, a delicate cherry blossom fragrance is released on your palate; it's not an intense fragrance, but rather a very subtle one.

After swallowing, a slight sweet aftertaste lingers at the back of the tongue.

It is said that this cherry blossom tea is made from cherry blossoms picked from the sacred cherry tree, and the quantity is extremely rare.

In the entire Inazuma region, only Narukami Taisha Shrine could offer something like this to its guests.

His eyes lit up slightly, and he took another sip.

It is indeed a rare and excellent tea.

Just then, a figure appeared in front of the tea room.

The visitor was a young girl.

She wore an elegant light blue kimono with a matching haori over it, and her long, silvery-white hair was tied into a dignified high ponytail at the back of her head, with a wisp of silk hanging down from the end.

His back was straight, his hands were naturally folded in front of him, his chin was slightly tucked in, and his gaze was calm.

This kind of temperament is hard to summarize with a single word.

Those are the rules and upbringing ingrained in one's bones since childhood, the dignity and composure that naturally flow from every gesture.

She stood there, like a snow ailanthus carefully cultivated in a secluded boudoir, captivating all who looked at her.

Ayaka Kamisato stopped at the entrance of the tea room, first bowing slightly to Yae no Miko before speaking.

Ayaka Kamisato stopped at the entrance of the tea room, first bowing slightly to Yae no Miko before speaking.

"I am Ayaka, the magistrate of the company, and I have come to pay my respects to the chief priest."

The voice was clear and crisp, like freshly melted snow in a mountain stream, yet it carried no coldness that kept people at a distance.

His speaking pace is neither too fast nor too slow, which is very pleasant to listen to.

Yae no Miko finally turned her gaze away from the window.

Her gaze swept between Xu Chuan and Ayaka Kamisato, and a sly smile returned to her lips.

"Little guy from the Kamisato family, you haven't given up yet?"

Ayaka Kamisato certainly understood the sarcasm in those words, but she didn't respond.

Her gaze passed over the Eightfold Divine Child and landed on the three unfamiliar faces, a hint of understanding flashing in her eyes.

These three must be no ordinary guests to have the High Priest personally accompanying them.

She immediately changed her mind, turned to Yae no Miko, and bowed again: "I was unaware that Lord Kōji had a distinguished guest. It is my fault for being presumptuous."

"Since you are busy, Lord Chief, I will visit you another day."

After saying that, she planned to leave.

"Wait." Yae no Miko raised his hand to stop her, and the smile on his face suddenly became exceptionally kind, so kind that it made Ayaka Kamisato feel slightly uneasy.

"Regarding the Eye Hunt Order, I am powerless to do anything about it, as you already knew, but..."

She deliberately dragged out the last syllable, her gaze drifting leisurely toward Xu Chuan.

"This Lord Xu Chuan is a diplomatic envoy from Liyue."

"The one to his left is Ying, the legendary adventurer who once fought against the Stormterror of Mondstadt."

Xu Chuan put down his teacup and gently shook his head.

That Yae no Miko is using Ayaka Kamisato as a stepping stone.

Having been rebuffed by his own side yesterday, he will use the request from the Shinri family today to test their attitude.

But Ayaka Kamisato's movements stopped.

A Liyue diplomatic envoy, a legendary adventurer who defeated Stormterror.

These two keywords collided in her mind, creating a burst of surprise.

She turned around and faced Xu Chuan and the others again, her eyes brightening slightly.

"What about me? What about me? How could I have forgotten Paimon!"

Paimon darted out from between Ying and Xu Chuan, arms crossed, pouting, his face full of displeasure.

"The little guy has already introduced himself, so I won't say anything more."

Yae no Miko covered her mouth and chuckled, her gaze lingering on Paimon for a second longer than intended.

She was clearly holding a grudge from yesterday, deliberately leaving Paimon waiting until the very end.

"Ayaka Kamisato greets Lord Xu Chuan, Miss Ying, and Miss Paimon."

Ayaka Kamisato did not lose her manners because of this little incident.

She bowed to each of the three people in turn, her movements fluid and natural, without the slightest perfunctoriness.

"Miss Kamisato, you're too kind."

Ayaka Kamisato took her seat, her posture upright.

She considered her words for a moment, then began to recount the ins and outs of the Eye Hunt Order.

General Thunder personally ordered the confiscation of all God's Eyes throughout the country.

Centered around the Thousand-Armed, Hundred-Eyed God statue, all the confiscated God's Eyes were embedded in it, under the guise of maintaining eternity.

Those whose God's Eye can be confiscated become listless and dejected, like walking corpses.

The consequences would be far more terrible than losing power itself.

She spoke with great restraint, without being sentimental or complaining, simply presenting the facts one by one.

But it is precisely this restraint that makes people feel the anxiety and helplessness she is suppressing.

“Ayaka came here today to plead with Lord Kyoji again, hoping to secure a glimmer of hope for those who have lost their divine eyes.”

After she finished speaking, she looked at Xu Chuan with clear and earnest eyes, "Just now, the High Priest said that Your Excellency Xu Chuan is a diplomatic envoy of Liyue. I would like to ask if Your Excellency would be willing to lend a helping hand to the Eye Hunt Order?"

“If the people of Liyue set foot on Inazuma, they will also be at risk of being harmed by the Eyehunter Order.” Xu Chuan did not keep her waiting long. “Within my power, I am willing to lend Miss Kagami a hand.”

These words were not spoken with great passion, but they were concise and to the point, without a single word of hesitation or evasion.

Ayaka Kamisato paused for a moment, then a genuine look of joy appeared on her dignified and reserved face.

It's not a standard smile that you've practiced countless times in social situations, but a genuine smile that unfolds from the corners of your eyes to the tips of your eyebrows.

“On behalf of everyone at Inazuma, Ayaka Kamisato thanks Lord Xu Chuan for his help.” She stood up and bowed deeply.

On the other side, Yae no Miko held the tea in her hand, but did not bring it to her lips for a long time.

The smile on her face froze for a moment.

What do you mean?

The little girl from the Kamisato family only explained the situation once, and he readily agreed?

Why?

I was the one who arrived first.

Xu Chuan glanced at Yae no Miko's face out of the corner of his eye and caught that moment of stiffness.

In just a moment, Yae no Miko's lips curled up again, the curve of her eyebrows and eyes returned to perfect, and her hand holding the tea cup was steady, as if nothing had happened.

But Xu Chuan saw it.

Of course, his agreement to Ayaka Kamisato wasn't simply to provoke Yae no Miko.

Studying people who have lost their divine eyes was one of his purposes in coming to Inazuma from the very beginning.

The void left after desires were stripped away, the changes that occurred after the connection with elemental forces was forcibly severed.

For him, these are all samples worthy of in-depth exploration.

With the help of the young lady who is in charge of the society, it would save him a lot of trouble compared to groping around in the dark on his own.