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Chapter 25: The Lady's Surprise, Kamisato Ayato's Determination
"It's you, Barbatos!"
Holding a Gnosis in her hand, La Signora glared disdainfully at the fallen Venti. The God of Mondstadt, so weak, relying on human help to save his people.
After Su Ran provided her with clues about the Anemo Archon, La Signora had kept a close watch on two taverns in Mondstadt. It wasn't long before she found someone who fit the description—Venti. This bard, who appeared out of nowhere, was the Anemo Archon himself.
Mondstadt's security was particularly lax at the time, so La Signora didn't have to stay hidden for long. She seized the opportunity to intercept him, never expecting to find the Gnosis in his possession.
"You had someone tailing me since I arrived in Mondstadt. When did you realize my identity?" Venti asked, standing up slowly while clutching his chest. Although La Signora had taken his Gnosis, it hadn't harmed him physically.
He had already intended to let her take the Gnosis to the Tsaritsa. But what puzzled him was how La Signora had discovered his identity so early.
That was suspicious. Even when he noticed he was being followed, he made sure to behave like an ordinary mortal. No matter how skilled the Fatui were, they shouldn't have seen through his disguise.
"A genius told me," La Signora said, holding the Gnosis.
Venti frowned, puzzled. "A genius? The new Fatui Harbinger?"
When they entered Mondstadt, Venti had already sensed the presence of two individuals—La Signora and the unknown newcomer who had headed to Inazuma. He hadn't paid much attention, but now…
La Signora had no desire to continue chatting with him. She detested the Anemo Archon, but not to the point of killing him. Her hatred stemmed from his weakness, from his failure to return when Mondstadt had faced disasters. She resented Barbatos for abandoning his people, but she had no intention of ending his life.
Now that she had the Gnosis, there was no need to linger in his presence any longer.
"It's strange. I've never revealed my identity to anyone, so how did this Harbinger know?" Venti muttered, rubbing his chin in thought.
Surely, the Tsaritsa wouldn't have given him away. After all, she would have gotten the Gnosis eventually—there was no reason to complicate matters.
"That descender is truly something extraordinary. I wonder what impact he'll have on Snezhnaya..." Venti mused.
He knew well enough about the Tsaritsa's plans, but he couldn't defy the laws of nature. If they failed, the outcome could be as tragic as that of other ancient nations. Still, the descender was worth watching closely.
---
"My lady, the thunderstorms in Inazuma have cleared," a Fatui agent reported as La Signora returned to their base, carrying the Gnosis.
"And what else?" she asked.
Had the Raiden Shogun's puppet really started to change its mind? Why else would the country's thunderstorms disappear so suddenly?
"General Raiden was defeated by an outsider. Her current status is unknown, but the storms likely dissipated because of this."
The Fatui agent delivered the news with visible disbelief. There was no doubt about the strength of the Raiden Shogun. She had survived the Archon War. How could she have been defeated so easily?
La Signora, too, was surprised.
As far as she knew, no one on the continent of Teyvat was powerful enough to defeat a ruling Archon. Unless it was someone from Celestia. Could Su Ran have done this?
Given that Su Ran had killed Dottore, his strength was undeniable. But even having the power of a demon god didn't necessarily mean he could defeat an Archon—especially not one like the Raiden Shogun, who was a victor of the Archon War. Even if the Shogun was now a puppet, her power should have far exceeded that of most demons.
Unless… Su Ran's power had grown to rival that of the Tsaritsa herself.
But if he truly had that much power, why would he join the Fatui?
"Regardless of how it happened, if he defeated General Raiden, he likely obtained the Gnosis," La Signora concluded.
She didn't care how Su Ran managed to defeat the Raiden Shogun. As long as he retrieved the Gnosis, it was enough. After all, the Electro Archon wasn't as weak as Barbatos, nor as cooperative as Morax, who had willingly signed a contract with the Tsaritsa. To claim the Electro Gnosis, the Fatui would have had to face the Shogun directly.
In light of that, La Signora found herself less frustrated by Su Ran's sudden departure. Even though he hadn't been part of the initial plan to retrieve the Electro Gnosis, he had still completed the mission. In her eyes, that made him a hero.
---
Outside Tenshukaku, Kamisato Ayato waited anxiously until his long-missed sister finally emerged. Before he could say a word, Kamisato Ayaka grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the Komore Teahouse.
Some things couldn't be discussed out in the open.
Once they returned to the teahouse and secured a private room, with even Thoma called to join them, Kamisato Ayaka finally exhaled in relief and told her brother everything she had learned in Tenshukaku.
Ayato, still shaken by the joy of seeing his sister safe, was quickly overwhelmed by the gravity of the news.
"You mean... that Fatui Harbinger plans to send the consciousness of all Inazuma's people into a dream?" Kamisato Ayato clenched his fists tightly.
Even before this, the impact of the Sakoku Decree and Vision Hunt Decree had not been as severe as what Ayaka described. While those policies had caused great hardship, the people of Inazuma had still managed to survive.
But plunging the entire population into a dream—this was an assault on everyone. And that included the Kamisato family.
"We have to stop this. We cannot allow the general to be deceived by the Fatui any longer!" Kamisato Ayato said, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.
As a loyal citizen of Inazuma and a believer in the Raiden Shogun, Ayato had always held her in high regard. But now, even he couldn't deny that her rule was leading Inazuma toward ruin.
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