Tenshukaku
Ei sat atop the dais, her eyes closed as she meditated.
But the deep furrow of her brows betrayed her inner turmoil.
Ever since Lumine and Yae Miko persuaded her, Ei had left the Plane of Euthymia, using the Raiden Shogun's body to personally oversee Inazuma's governance.
As for the Shogun's soul, it now resided within the consciousness space.
With the Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree abolished, peace had been made with the Resistance. Inazuma seemed to be moving toward a brighter future.
But for Ei, there was still a hurdle she had yet to cross.
"His death… it pained me as well..."
Ei's voice was soft, almost a whisper, as her brow furrowed further.
"But at that time, I—"
"You told this body to eliminate all obstacles to eternity, planting within it the obsession to kill him. You made this body execute him.
"And now, you've abandoned the pursuit of eternity, choosing instead to carry the wishes of Inazuma's people forward..."
The Raiden Shogun's voice echoed in her mind.
"Then tell me—what meaning is there in this body's actions and his death?"
"I..."
Ei was momentarily at a loss for words.
Since Luo Qing's disappearance, the Raiden Shogun had unearthed the hidden affection buried beneath her obsession. Within the consciousness space, memories of her and Ei's choices came flooding back.
Created for the will of eternity, the Raiden Shogun had never experienced emotions, always acting in accordance with Ei's will to govern Inazuma and maintain its unchanging eternity.
But Luo Qing's presence had stirred something within her mechanical body—a spark of human emotion. For the first time, she felt she had something to seek beyond the will of eternity.
Ei had insisted that all obstacles to eternity be removed, and Luo Qing could not be allowed to remain.
Despite the pain it caused her, the Shogun had suppressed her feelings and erased all memories of Luo Qing, even implanting a murderous obsession toward him.
It culminated in the battle at Tenshukaku, where the Raiden Shogun pierced Luo Qing's chest, watching him vanish into starlight.
And now?
Persuaded by a Traveler and a dear friend, Ei had abandoned the pursuit of eternity, taken up the people's wishes, and even commandeered the Shogun's body.
So, what had the Shogun's actions and sacrifices amounted to?
Pointless wear and tear?
"You… are unworthy to use this body!"
Suddenly, Ei's eyes snapped open as she clutched her head, gasping for breath.
"Is it her again?"
Yae Miko's voice came from nearby as she approached with a knowing look.
"Mm..." Ei nodded.
"As I thought, even this puppet has its moments of rebellion," Yae Miko said with a light laugh, placing a comforting hand on Ei's shoulder.
"You know, maybe you should get out for a bit. It might do you some good."
"...Perhaps," Ei murmured in agreement.
---
Mondstadt
After resting briefly in the safe house, Luo Qing waited until nightfall.
He carefully shut the doors and windows before retrieving his teleportation toilet and setting it up in the lavatory.
"Please, not the Plane of Euthymia..." he muttered under his breath.
By his calculations, Ei was likely out of the Plane of Euthymia by now, wandering Inazuma like a country bumpkin.
If so, the Plane might now house the Raiden Shogun—or, ideally, no one at all.
Of course, there was also the chance that Ei had destroyed or discarded the toilet, which would redirect him to the safe house's alternate teleportation point on the rafters.
"Since I'm in Mondstadt..."
Luo Qing clasped his hands together, muttering, "Barbatos, please let me end up anywhere but the Plane of Euthymia. I'll even burn you some good booze later."
Taking a deep breath, he sat down on the toilet.
He was prepared. If he did end up in the Plane and faced Ei or the Raiden Shogun, he'd burn through all his emotion-manipulating item cards and make a quick escape.
His vision twisted and went dark.
When it cleared, a wooden rafter greeted him.
"Barbatos, drinks are on me next time," Luo Qing exhaled in relief.
He had successfully teleported to the Inazuma safe house. Below the rafters was his old room.
Just as he prepared to jump down, he heard voices in the corridor, causing him to retreat into the shadows.
"Lady Ayaka... it's not appropriate for you to do this yourself..."
"But we couldn't find any of Luo Qing's subordinates or colleagues. If I don't do this, his soul won't find peace," came Kamisato Ayaka's soft reply.
"But Luo Qing was from Snezhnaya... Fine, please go ahead. I'll wait outside."
The wooden floor creaked under the sound of Ayaka's footsteps as she entered Luo Qing's room.
Her eyes were red and puffy, her face streaked with tears—evidence of a recent cry.
"Luo Qing..."
She murmured his name, then began rummaging through his belongings, carefully collecting his personal items.
From his perch, Luo Qing quickly realized what she was doing.
She intended to create a cenotaph for him.
He had planned to wait until Ayaka left before revealing himself, but she didn't leave.
Instead, she lay down on his futon, clutching his pillow tightly.
"Luo Qing..."
Her soft sobs filled the room.
"..."
"Ah..." Luo Qing sighed, shaking his head.
Ei and the Raiden Shogun's reactions to his survival were still unknown. For all he knew, they'd come at him with swords the moment they found out.
Luo Qing had intended to sneak his subordinates out of Inazuma and return only after becoming stronger.
But Ayaka's quiet crying tugged at his heart.
After a long pause, he finally jumped down.
"Alright, that's enough crying."
"Luo... Luo Qing... w-wha...?!"
Ayaka's eyes flew open as she saw him standing before her, completely unscathed. Overcome with joy, she opened her mouth to shout, but Luo Qing quickly covered it with his hand.
"Shh..."
He made a silencing gesture, and Ayaka hurriedly nodded.
Once she calmed down, Luo Qing let go.
"Luo Qing... you're alive..." she whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief.
"Of course. Your mentor isn't that easy to kill," Luo Qing joked.
Before he could say more, Ayaka threw her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest.
"You're alive... you're really alive..."
"Yeah, I'm alive."
Luo Qing gently patted her head, his gaze softening with warmth.
---
T/N: 0/10 needed more drama he should have stayed 'dead' longer, fic ruined never translating this every again (transforms into a werewolf and growling before running away)
so... turns out the weapon master can die. webnovel blocked it again for copyright stuff, so i'm not reposting it. don't wanna risk losing my other translations too.
but don't worry, the weapon master's alive and well on patreon. thinking about setting up a scribble hub for stories like this—because some battles can't be won on webnovel.
thanks for sticking with me. you're the real MVPs.
If you notice anything that feels off, just let me know—I don't mind fixing things up.
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