"Is it you? What brings you here?"
Standing atop the Jade Chamber and taking in the panoramic view of Liyue, Raiden Makoto noticed Keqing and Hu Tao stepping aboard.
She didn’t really know either of them— they had only crossed paths once before.
"We et again, Your Excellency the Shogun."
Because she had only ever seen Raiden Ei before, Keqing failed to notice anything unusual about Raiden Makoto.
As for the kimono without armor, she simply assud it was a softer change of attire, toning down the sharpness of the original.
"Mm."
Since they had indeed t once, this technically counted as eting again.
"Hi~ Your Excellency the Shogun~ We et again too!"
Hu Tao greeted her cheerfully.
The first ti they t, she hadn’t known this was the Raiden Shogun.
But now, she did.
"Hm? Have we... t before?"
Raiden Makoto truly had no impression of Hu Tao at all.
Not here.
Not on the space station.
Not in Inazuma either.
She had only been revived not long ago, so she clearly rembered everyone she had t.
And Hu Tao definitely wasn’t among them.
"Ah..."
The smile on Hu Tao’s face stiffened.
For a mont, she didn’t know how to respond.
"But when Su Ran made that bet with , you were there too! During the Rite of Descension!"
Surely a god couldn’t forget soone she had just t not long ago... right?
"At that ti, Su Ran told your na was Raiden Ei, and said you were a relative of the Raiden Shogun. Doesn’t that ring a bell?"
Raiden Makoto had never t Hu Tao, so naturally she had no recollection.
But hearing this, she imdiately understood what was going on.
"The one you t was Raiden Ei. What does that have to do with , Raiden Makoto~?"
Makoto smiled gently at Hu Tao.
"..."
Raiden Makoto... and Raiden Ei?
Hu Tao scratched her head in confusion.
How many nas did the Raiden Shogun have, exactly?
"Perhaps this explanation will make it clearer," Makoto said calmly.
"My na is Raiden Makoto, and I have a younger sister nad Raiden Ei. Can you understand that?"
"...Huh?!"
Keqing froze in shock.
Hu Tao did as well.
The two of them stared blankly at Raiden Makoto.
Wasn’t the Raiden Shogun supposed to be the one they t before?
"No wonder you seem gentler than before..."
That difference in temperant was unmistakable.
If Raiden Ei gave off a cold, aloof divine presence, then Raiden Makoto was the complete opposite—warm, gentle, and easy to approach.
It explained why Keqing had felt sothing was "off" when Makoto smiled at her.
This truly wasn’t the sa god they had t before.
And this Raiden Makoto was another Raiden Shogun of Inazuma?
Even without Raiden Ei present, the difference in aura alone made Makoto’s explanation completely believable.
After all, it wasn’t like the Raiden Shogun would be bored enough to ss with two mortals.
"So," Makoto asked gently, "are you here to see ? Or are you looking for Su Ran?"
She was quite self-aware.
Though she was a god, there wasn’t much she could do here.
If soone from Liyue sought divine guidance, they should be looking for their own god—Morax—not a foreign Archon.
That left only one real possibility.
"I’m here to see Mr. Su Ran," Keqing said earnestly.
"I’ve already resigned from my position as the Yuheng of the Qixing, and Mr. Zhongli will soon be taking office. I wanted to ask when I’ll be able to officially start work."
"...Mr. Zhongli?"
Raiden Makoto looked puzzled.
Keqing’s words sounded strange.
What did she an by Zhongli "taking office"?
"It’s Zhongli, our consultant from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!" Hu Tao added helpfully.
But the more Makoto listened, the stranger it sounded.
That Zhongli couldn’t possibly be... Morax, could it?
"Is this the Zhongli you an?"
Recalling Morax’s appearance from the dreamscape, Raiden Makoto used her power to manifest a projection of Zhongli.
"Yes! Yes! That’s him!" Hu Tao nodded rapidly.
Even the Raiden Shogun knew their consultant— his background must be impressive!
"Yes, that’s him," Keqing confird, then asked in confusion, "But Your Excellency, how do you know Mr. Zhongli’s appearance?"
Why would Inazuma’s god be so familiar with soone from Liyue?
Was Zhongli’s identity special?
Had he done sothing extraordinary?
"I t him once," Makoto replied lightly.
She withdrew her power, but when she saw their expressions, she felt even more uneasy—
especially looking at Keqing.
You’ve really turned heaven and earth upside down, she thought.
"You just t once? Nothing special about him?" Keqing pressed.
She didn’t believe it was that simple.
"There’s no way it was just a casual eting."
"Could Mr. Zhongli be so hidden adeptus living among mortals?"
"...No," Makoto said calmly.
"He’s just an ordinary person—though his vast knowledge did leave a deep impression on ."
Knowing Morax’s plans, Makoto naturally wouldn’t expose his true identity.
If word got out that Zhongli was actually Morax himself, his peaceful retirent would be over instantly.
"I see..."
Though still a bit puzzled, Keqing felt reassured by Makoto’s answer.
At least her choice hadn’t been wrong.
If even a god acknowledged Zhongli’s erudition, then he would certainly perform well as the Yuheng.
He might even surpass her and beco one of the greatest Qixing in history.
After all—this was soone who had impressed the Raiden Shogun herself.
"Oh right, Your Excellency!" Hu Tao suddenly asked, "Is Mr. Su Ran here?"
"...He’s currently on the space station," Makoto replied after a brief pause.
"If you’re looking for him, I can take you up there."
She wasn’t aware that Keqing had previously been denied access, nor did she know Su Ran’s specific intentions.
But in her view, if Keqing was going to be a future employee, there was no harm in letting her familiarize herself with the workplace early.
"Really?!"
Keqing’s eyes instantly lit up.
—------------------------------
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