Yae Miko's eyes began to glisten as Noah continued to stroke her tail. Her breaths grew soft and airy, though she kept her mouth covered to stifle any sounds—after all, they were in the bustling Grand Bazaar.
Meanwhile, Istaroth took advantage of Noah's distraction, sneaking bites of Nahida's fruit. Her cheeks bulged like a hamster's, stuffed to capacity.
Nahida tilted her head curiously, watching the scene. To her, everything she didn't understand was something to be studied.
Yae Miko, unable to resist any longer, leaned limply against Noah's chest and slid onto his lap, releasing an intoxicating aroma that filled the air.
Noah paused for a second, then immediately realized what was happening.
So sensitive, he thought. Just a little tail stroking and she's already in heat.
The unusual fragrance—it had to be the natural scent fox spirits released when seeking a mate.
This wasn't something humans could resist, which likely explained the infamous "fox spirit" reputation in folklore.
Despite Yae Miko's alluring presence, the bustling crowd of the Grand Bazaar remained completely oblivious to what was happening.
After all, casting a perception barrier over a small area was trivial—hardly a challenge even for the adepti of Liyue, let alone the Heavenly Principle.
Yae Miko's misty eyes met Noah's amused gaze.
"My, my… Lord Noah, you're such a wicked man."
Seeing no resistance in her expression, Noah leaned in and kissed her soft, enticing lips.
Unlike the pure, vibrant life force exuded by Nahida and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, Yae Miko's essence was a heady blend of sakura fragrance, seductive yet tinged with innocence.
With one hand still holding Nahida, Noah moved his other hand away from Yae Miko's tail—though not before thoroughly enjoying its fluffy softness.
He refrained from taking things too far; this wasn't the place to leave her disheveled.
"I can be even worse," Noah teased, smirking. "After all, you're my fox."
Letting her go, Noah scratched his chin thoughtfully before extending his hand. A sphere of radiant light, composed of intricate symbols, materialized in his palm.
"I was planning to give this to you once we reached Fontaine, but since you've practically thrown yourself at me and let me seal the deal, I'll give it to you now."
Yae Miko rolled her eyes as she slowly regained her composure.
"Ha! As if! I didn't throw myself at you—it was all your doing. What could a poor little fox like me do to resist?"
Of course, she knew the truth, but admitting it was out of the question.
Her gaze shifted to the peculiar orb of light Noah was holding out to her.
It emitted a divine energy that felt irresistibly familiar, as though it had always been hers.
"What is this? Why does it feel like it's a part of me?"
Yet she was certain she had never possessed anything related to the divine.
"You're not wrong. It is connected to you," Noah replied. "This is the core of the fox spirit's faith—a divine title akin to a primordial fragment of the gods. It's not on the same level as a god's essence, but it's close."
"Remember the last world we conquered? That world had over a hundred million humans worshiping you as a fox goddess. Their collective faith crystallized into this fox spirit title."
Without further ado, Noah pressed the core of the fox spirit's essence against Yae Miko's chest, claiming a little reward for himself in the process.
The moment the fox spirit's core merged with Yae Miko's being, the system managing the divine power of human faith instantly linked her to the fox spirit's network of belief.
Under the watchful eyes of Istaroth and Nahida, Yae Miko's aura surged rapidly toward the realm of divinity at astonishing speed.
Yae Miko felt her consciousness transported into a vast starry expanse. Countless human voices propelled her toward a divine throne.
Soon, waves of divine power, accompanied by the prayers of humanity, began to flow endlessly into her being.
Though this divine power wasn't as potent as the strength Ei had once bestowed upon her, it was unmistakably the power of a god.
Still panicking, she noticed countless white threads converging before her, forming a golden kagura bell.
Instinctively, she cradled it, and the three authorities of Harvest, Demon Subjugation, and Thunder linked themselves to her essence.
Noah observed as Yae Miko's vacant gaze slowly gave way to a divine radiance emanating from her body. He nodded in approval.
This was the throne forged by the Human Realm Force System, a core of faith crystallized into divinity.
Yae Miko was already a retainer of Raiden Ei, and the hundred million humans who had worshiped her in the previous world regarded her as a subordinate of the Thunder God.
Thus, the attributes of her divine throne were aligned with those of a Thunder God's Subordinate Deity.
The authorities granted to her stemmed from the myths of that world. As a fox spirit, the people modeled her after the Inari God, Mitsumine, granting her the authority of Harvest.
Since she had subdued demons in Tokyo, she was given the authority of Demon Subjugation.
And as a retainer of the Thunder God, she naturally inherited the authority of Thunder.
Although each of these authorities was relatively weak, they were nonetheless divine powers.
Still, the thrones created by the Human Realm Force System could never rival the exalted origin of primordial fragments.
To put it another way:
• The Archons were avatars of rules and primordial fragments.
• The thrones forged by the Human Realm Force System were for gods of faith, akin to mortal gods.
Faith-based gods were inherently one or two levels lower than rule-based gods, making them subordinate gods rather than principal gods.
Raiden Ei's full title, Magatsu Mitake Narukami no Mikoto / Narukami Ogosho, signified her status as a principal god.
Phanes had grand ambitions—she sought to create a vast pantheon of deities.
If Teyvat had not been shattered by the War of Thrones, every nation might have housed a dozen or more deities.
This was also why Vision bearers had to fulfill their ambitions to ascend.
Through their deeds, they expanded their influence, inspiring faith among the masses.
Once their faith was sufficient, a divine throne would manifest, and their Vision, enhanced by the vast faith surrounding them, would transform into an authority.
These authorities, once crystallized, would feed back into the Heavenly Principle, slightly strengthening the Primordial Ring of Law.
And as the Primordial Ring of Law grew stronger, it would give birth to more principal gods on par with the Archons.
Phanes had designed a flawless, self-sustaining system:
• Archons, as avatars of rules, served as principal gods.
• Faith-based deities, born from thrones, became subordinate gods.
• These gods, supported by countless retainers and mortals with Visions, formed the ideal divine hierarchy.
"Too bad all of it falls to me now," Noah mused with a grin.
"Then again, only I could turn Phanes' vision into reality."
Istaroth wiped cream from her lips.
"Hmm, a faith-based throne? This is my first time seeing one. It's something between a deity's retainer and a lower-tier Archon. Hmm… maybe it's on par with weaker witches who hold authority."
At the same time, on Celestia, within the hall of the Thunder God's throne, a smaller throne slowly emerged behind Raiden Ei's seat—marking the ascent of a subordinate deity.
Simultaneously, both Raiden Ei and Raiden Makoto felt changes ripple through their authorities.
"This… what is this!?"
Raiden Ei and Raiden Makoto simultaneously sensed a faint thunder authority connecting to their own thunder authorities.
What puzzled them was that the two sisters collectively held 100% of Teyvat's thunder laws. There should be no extra thunder rules to form an authority.
Teyvat's laws were constant—fixed in amount. So, where did this additional thunder authority come from?
Tracing the weak connection to its source left them astonished.
Raiden Makoto's eyes widened slightly.
"It's Miko! Miko has become a god!"
Although the aura was faint—barely comparable to that of a lower-tier Archon—it was unmistakably divine.
Yet this divine aura felt strange. It lacked the depth of a true Archon's power. The divine energy was impure, even thin, but it undeniably carried authority and the status of a deity.
Raiden Ei, whose emotional intelligence often lagged behind her intellectual acuity, quickly pieced things together.
"Faith-based divine power? Is this a new type of deity created by Lord Noah?"
The birth of Archons stemmed from the Heavenly Principle, so it wasn't surprising that Noah could create new deities.
Raiden Ei herself possessed faith-based divine power. However, it was too weak to be of significant use to her and was simply stored in her Gnosis.
Additionally, Inazuma's Statues of The Seven also contained large reserves of faith-based divine power.
"And Miko's authority is subordinate to mine, still serving under me?"
This detail puzzled Raiden Ei.
"This is Lord Noah's doing. If I can't understand it, there's no need to dwell on it," she concluded.
Meanwhile, in her gestation within the consciousness realm, Raiden Makoto sighed quietly.
"It seems Lord Noah favors Miko more than he does Ei."
"Ah, my foolish sister. What a pity I'm not yet fully revived. Otherwise, I might have a chance to get closer to Lord Noah myself."
"After all, this Lord Noah shares human desires."
After accepting the divine throne, Yae Miko returned to her senses. She felt her newfound divine power, her authority, and her now fully divine body. Her heart raced in disbelief.
A god! She had become a god! It was almost too incredible to fathom.
She turned to Noah, who wore his usual playful smile.
"Lord Noah, is this the surprise you mentioned?"
This was indeed a surprise—a monumental one. Becoming a deity was beyond anything she had dared to dream.
Noah grinned.
"Isn't it obvious? So, how's this surprise? Satisfying enough? Now come on, whimper for me," he teased, spreading his arms.
Yae Miko could no longer contain her emotions. She leaped into Noah's arms, her head rubbing against his chest like an affectionate fox.
"Wow! This is such a surprise! I never even dared to imagine this!"
"Whimper, whimper, whimper—if you want me to whimper for however long, I'll whimper for however long."
So this was the benefit of being favored by a higher god? Directly ascending to godhood!
I, Yae Miko, no longer serve as Ei's retainer, she thought with a playful huff.
From today onward, I'm Noah's little fox!
Noah gently stroked Yae Miko's head, his fingers teasing her ears.
"Hehe, aren't you practical? Just as they say, you don't act unless there's a clear reward, huh?"
Yae Miko pouted coquettishly.
"I'm not like that! It's just that since the moment you laid eyes on me, your gaze was full of possessive desire. Of course, I was scared!"
Noah's fingers continued stroking her fox ears, the soft fur yielding under his touch, prompting her to wear a blissful expression. Her ears twitched slightly, and a subtle smile formed on her lips as she let out a quiet hum.
He teased, "So, are you not scared anymore?"
Yae Miko's cheeks flushed slightly, but her lips curved into a sly smile. "Well, I suppose... I could give you a little white giving, just to make it official."
Just then, a sweet and innocent voice broke the moment.
"Excuse me, but what does 'white giving' mean?"
Both Yae Miko and Noah turned to see Nahida gazing at them with her clear, curious eyes full of an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.
Yae Miko was left speechless. While she was adept at answering children's questions, Nahida wasn't an ordinary child—she was the deity of Sumeru.
Yet her eyes radiated a curiosity so pure it was indistinguishable from that of a human child.
Noah chuckled.
"Nahida, no matter the situation, your thirst for knowledge is insatiable. 'White giving' simply means offering oneself to me willingly. Got it?"
Nahida pondered for a moment before nodding.
"I understand now. Offering myself to you and following your will is what 'white giving' means."
Noah smiled approvingly.
"Exactly. That means both you and Rukkhadevata are examples of 'white giving.'"
Yae Miko was at a loss for words. This man hasn't changed at all with his wicked sense of humor, she thought.
But this little fox here… truly loves his mischievous side.
Meanwhile, Istaroth sprawled on the table, her belly full from snacking. She let out a satisfied belch.
"Burp… so full and happy~."
At that moment, cheers erupted, breaking the slightly indulgent atmosphere.
"Wow! Look! It's Nilou!"
"This is amazing! Nilou is dancing!"
The residents of the Grand Bazaar and Sumeru City, drawn to the excitement, began to gather.
"Hurry! Head to the Zubayr Theater! The Akademiya used to ban performances here, but now we can finally watch these beautiful shows again!"
"Hurry, or there won't be good seats left!"
Noah released Yae Miko from his arms as he took hold of Nahida's hand in one and Yae Miko's in the other, ignoring Istaroth, who was too full to fly.
Istaroth waddled after them, complaining, "Hey! Don't leave me behind!"
At the Zubayr Theater, Nilou stood on the stage with her back to the crowd.
Noah took a seat in the front row, conjuring a bucket of popcorn in his hand.
"Sumeru has undergone a revolution of blood and iron. A dance performance like this is the perfect balm for the lingering heaviness."
Nilou turned, bowing slightly to the audience.
"Hello, everyone. I'm so happy you've come to the Zubayr Theater to watch my dance."
"Now, please enjoy the Dance of Sabzeruz."
With that, Nilou began moving gracefully, her hips swaying rhythmically as she performed.
The Dance of Sabzeruz—it brought back memories.
A gentle voice echoed in Noah's ear—it was Rukkhadevata. She, too, was watching the performance.
"Goddess of Flowers… Malikata, was it?" Noah murmured, stroking his chin.
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