I groaned as my ribs ached at the feeling of some pressing on them and as I opened my blearily just awakening eyes, I saw Lumine was looking up at me stock still before she smiled wryly as she realized she woke me up.
"Go back to sleep." Lumine bluntly said as a small blush crossed her face as she hid her embarrassment, but Paimon flew into my vision from across the room hooting and hollering in her higher pitch voice as she dive-bombed me.
"Jake you are still alive! Can you move your feet? Did that scary Shogun break your legs or something!?" Paimon dramatically shouted drowning me in questions that stunned me and her act of flying into my face and then grabbing my cheeks to shake said face also stunned me as well.
Lumine seeing I was overwhelmed by Paimon reached over and grabbed the fairy by the back of her dress and threw her back over her shoulders making Paimon flip through the air repeatedly while screaming in fear as she tried to get control over her flight.
"How long have I been asleep... Actually, I am kind of sore, but it doesn't feel like anything is broken, so are there any issues?" I asked as I was honestly more worried with how light I was feeling that I was actually in some kind of coma or something and god knows how long I had been laid up.
But thankfully Lumine shook her head as she sat back up and allowed me to do the same. "No. Your broken ribs were healed by the Shogun but afterward, she retreated back into her meditation and asked for you to report to her, when you were ready." Lumine explained while frowning and I knew where she was coming from.
I had just healed up and with the Rite of Descension just around the corner we needed to head back to Liyue so we didn't just leave Eula behind, to say the least. So, it's not like I could actually spend an extended amount of time here in training.
"Ugh... Paimon feels sick. Lumine you're a meanie!" Paimon yelled at her friend, but Lumine just carelessly shrugged as I fully sat up.
"Well, I should go talk to the Raiden Shogun and did you manage to ask her about your sibling?" I asked and she shook her head, and I nodded in understanding. The Archons seemed to all be kind of useless in anything that wasn't killing something.
I grumbled as I got to my knees on the futon I was laid upon and after moving off of it I stood up with a groan as my knees popped and Lumine likewise stood up beside me fully clad in her adventure gear while I was down to my undershirt and my pants and socks.
"Thanks," I said as Lumine seeing as I was checking myself out, she pointed me to the folded up and repaired clothes that made up the rest of my outfit along with my boots.
A couple of minutes later as I cleaned up my appearance in a copper-like reflective mirror our party of three left the room and we immediately ran into a familiar face. "Kujou Sara!" Paimon said dramatically as she flinched backwards as she almost flew into the woman who raised an eyebrow at Paimons reaction while her eyes lit up at seeing me.
"Sir, are you on your way to report to the Raiden Shogun?" She asked me respectfully and I nodded. And in response, she bowed her head slightly. "Very well then allow me to escort you there. As I must speak to you on the way." She said and her tone turned from respectful to severe making me wonder if something went wrong like spies from who knows which side, snitched on us having come from Watatsumi Island or something.
"I, first of all, congratulate you on your monumental achievement of entering the Raiden Shoguns tutelage. As never before in the thousands of years the Electro Archon has ruled over Inazuma has she taken in a disciple before... Were it not for the rebels and storms the Shogun has emplaced around the islands there would likely be a great celebration in your honor." Kujou Sara spoke rather enthusiastically then her tone shifted back into her more serious voice.
"But sadly, due to the Raiden Shogun's taking a step back in the management of courtly affairs for the last many years. The Tri-Commissions of Inazuma that take care of governmental/military, economic, and spiritual affairs, have grown greatly in power. None of the commissions are happy with the knowledge of you becoming the disciple of the Raiden Shogun." Kujou Sara then smiled wryly as she continued to speak, and I wanted to facepalm as once again an Archon was being not exactly naive but out of touch with their people. "As she herself said, you are now the one below her in stature after proving yourself under her blade."
"What's the Yashiro Commission's point of view?" I asked as I wondered if Ayaka and Ayato Kamisato were going to have negative thoughts about me, and I didn't want that as the siblings were honestly my favorite people in the game besides Ganyu in terms of personality.
Kujou Sara hummed before she shook her head with her Tengu mask strapped to the side of her head clicked and clacked as the ornaments on it jumped around. "They are more neutral though they did raise questions about your status as someone, not from Inazuma and what you may do with such status."
I shrugged as honestly, I had little to no interest in the courtly affairs of Inazuma when I already was a world-traveling adventurer. As much as I wanted to say I wanted to just go around the world snagging all the elemental powers I didn't want to abandon or lose Lumine as I truly cared for her so I was sticking close to her as we had no real way of communicating long distance should we get split up.
And I could also tell that Lumine was sticking to me as well, as I was open about being foreign to this world and we shared the same feelings of not exactly fitting in at times.
"And your Kujou Clan's Tenryou and the Kanjou Commission's point of view?" I added and her wry smile turned into a scowl.
"My adopted father made hints of you suffering an accident, but I made sure to shut down those thoughts before they could escalate, and as for the Kanjou Commission's point of view. They see you as an outsider who may harm the political power bloc they have with the Tenryou Commission that focuses on suppressing the rising Yashiro Commission. Which is headed by the highly talented Kamisato Ayato and his younger sister." She explained before I took a deep breath.
"Wow... Further infighting while a civil war is going on in your lands and then striping your own super soldiers of their visions which will allow the rebels to more easily route your armies. Not that smart." I said duly and Kujou Sara flinched as my words struck home harder than ever.
Because mounted on the statue of Ei in the front of her palace were a couple dozen Visions... If all those vision wielders were a part of Kujou Sara's army. The rebels of Watatsumi island would have been suppressed into nothingness no matter Kokomi's tactical geniuses.
"The Shogun is within her throne room here; I will see myself out." Kujou Sara said with her face not betraying her feelings at my pointed-out fact before she turned on her heel and teleported away with a flurry of black feathers. And with a deep breath as the Tengu left, I focused on the door in front of me and then opened up the sliding door to enter the throne room from one of the side entrances and saw on my left was the Raiden Shogun with her dull purple eyes staring at me letting me know it was the puppet in control at the moment.