Chapter 24: Chapter 24 I Command Him to Live On
"You need a fast ship?"
Recent events had been too depressing, but Kamisato Ayaka maintained the composure of the 'Shirasagi Himegimi'. She looked up, examining the young man behind the screen.
The youth had purple eyes, wore an exquisite kimono, and knelt on a cushion. His silver long hair was tied with a crown, trailing on the tatami mat of the Japanese-style room.
"Yes, Lady Ayaka, I need a ship," he said, his voice as light as the wind.
"Are you going alone?" Kamisato asked, frowning slightly.
"Yes, I'm going alone," Seino replied.
"To Mondstadt?"
"Mondstadt."
The young man before her had a mysterious background, but he did carry the token of the Pillar General. There was only one such token in the world - to see the token was to see the Pillar. The Yashiro Commission was allied with the Pillar faction, so arranging a ship wasn't a problem.
It must be a secret mission arranged by the Pillar. Moreover, his surname was 'Seino'.
Seino Fugin - like Seino Sara, was he also an adopted son raised by the Pillar?
His background was so mysterious, without any prior rumors. It seems he was secretly trained by the Pillar.
However, the current situation was special and it concerned the Pillar's affairs, so it needed to be carefully investigated.
She had a feeling, or rather an intuition - Kamisato Ayaka feared that one day, that old man would grow tired and quietly leave Inazuma without a word.
It was laughable, how could there be such a strange misconception? Now the Pillar's mansion was heavily guarded, countless eyes were watching there, all of Inazuma was concerned about the Pillar's life and health. Where could he run to?
Because last time, the Pillar left without saying goodbye, going alone to Yashiori Island to slay the demon god.
The Yae Miko was quite frightened and angry. The Tenshukaku also issued an order to deploy the Shogunate army directly around the Pillar's mansion, carefully monitoring the Pillar's whereabouts. Even if it offended the Pillar, the soldiers wouldn't let him leave the mansion.
Their will was very clear and firm: This time, no matter what, they couldn't let him go!
Stay in the mansion and recuperate properly.
"When do you plan to leave?" Kamisato asked again.
"The sooner the better," Seino stared at the pine branch outside the window, with only a few leaves drooping on it, "I'll leave before dusk, because I don't have much time left."
Not much time.
Kamisato didn't understand the meaning of this sentence, thinking it referred to the urgency of military intelligence, requiring a quick departure.
So she nodded and said the words she would regret for life,
"At dusk, there will be a secret ship waiting for you at the port. Don't worry, I won't reveal your whereabouts to anyone."
Years later, whenever Kamisato Ayaka recalled today's events, she couldn't help but resent her own stupidity and slowness.
"That's good," Seino said, "Little girl, Inazuma will rely on you in the future."
"As the future of Inazuma, we should encourage each other," Kamisato Ayaka was a bit annoyed, "Also, I'm not young anymore, I'm not a 'little girl'."
...
[Do you really not want to say goodbye to her?]
After Seino walked out of the Yashiro Commission mansion, the system asked.
Hearing these words, Seino paused. He unconsciously glanced towards the direction of Tenshukaku. White clouds drifted leisurely, snow-capped mountains in the distance, and Tenshukaku stood alone at the top of the clouds.
Seino also knew that during the three days he was unconscious, Raiden Ei didn't come to visit him.
But he wasn't resentful at all. On the contrary, he felt relieved and understood. What was there to see in a dying person? Why make such a fuss?
He was even gratified. This was Ei, she had matured.
This should be the deity who could promise eternal paradise to the people of Inazuma.
"No need, I don't need it," Seino said with a smile.
"If this is the path she pursues, then let her continue to pursue it. She has guarded eternity for a hundred years, I don't want to disturb her at the last moment."
[You have one and a half days left]
The time remaining for Seino Raiden was getting less and less. The evidence was that Seino Fugin's body could exist for longer periods each day.
He could now exist for two hours at a time.
"I'm leaving tonight. Everything that needs to be arranged has been arranged, and there's nothing to worry about anymore."
--
Failed again.
Deep inside Tenshukaku.
Ei gently bit her teeth.
There's still time, maybe there's still time.
She didn't know what she could do now. Since Seino returned from Yashiori Island, Ei hadn't stepped out of this small room. She dismissed all the guards, not allowing anyone to have an audience, only speaking a few words to Sara, who had knelt for a night, early this morning.
Because she needed to calm down. She tried hard not to think, not to consider those messy things. Only with a fully concentrated and calm state of mind could she do well in a short time.
But the more she wanted to be calm, the more those distracting thoughts would regenerate, clinging like a stubborn disease.
It was strange and ironic that the calm state of mind she had maintained for hundreds of years could be shaken in an instant.
It happened too suddenly.
"Ei, you have a problem," she suddenly stopped and said to herself. It was the Shogun speaking:
"It's just a mortal about to die, why are you so flustered? This contradicts the eternity you initially pursued."
"Mortals are inherently short-lived beings. I thought you understood this point, you've said similar things: 'It's just passing time'."
"..."
Ei was silent. Perhaps the Shogun was right. It was just a mortal. Over the years, she had seen too much life and death, too many people leaving her. Seino Raimei wasn't special, so why should she care so much?
"But I still want to save him. He promised to be my attendant forever," Ei paused and answered.
"Then what were you doing earlier? You had a hundred years... even more," the Shogun calmly asked, her tone flat and emotionless. "Ei, you're still very conflicted."
Ei was stunned.
She didn't know how to answer. She felt a bit lost and confused as she stared at the doll in front of her.
It was a very crude doll, even half-finished, completely unusable. Human consciousness wasn't as strong as theirs, the gods. Rashly abandoning the flesh for consciousness transfer, who knew what would happen? Perhaps even more serious consequences...
She needed enough time to try, to modify.
But as the Shogun said, what was she doing a hundred years ago?
Ei didn't know.
She hadn't considered this matter at all. In the Plane of Euthymia, there was no concept of time. Eternity was a moment, and a moment was eternity.
She sat in Tenshukaku, thinking that daily life would never change. One hundred years, two hundred years, three hundred years, four hundred years, five hundred years... after such a long time had passed, she mistakenly thought it would continue like this.
Always thinking there would be a next time, always thinking there would be another hundred years. But how many hundreds of years does a mortal have?
Thinking carefully, it had been a hundred years since she last saw him.
In a hundred years, how had his appearance changed? Had his hair turned white? Did he still like making desserts now?... Ei didn't know any of these things.
"You're very conflicted, Ei," the Shogun said.
"I know, that's why I need to do well," Ei looked at the failed product in front of her, her slender hand pressed on its cheek. A flash of lightning passed, and it turned to ashes.
She had to start over.
"There's still time," she said. "I've given the order. I command him to live on. He will listen to me."
Weekly Power Status
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