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[Genshin Impact] Chapter 396: Raiden Ei (2-in-1 Chapter)
🕑 Added 2025-01-05 07:47:19 +0000 UTCInazuma, Tenshukaku
This is the residence of the Raiden Shogun. The interior is spacious, serving as a place for duels in her presence and for receiving foreign envoys.
Nolan pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Although there were no windows, floor-standing lanterns on both sides emitted a brilliant white light that illuminated the pale purple walls. Far from feeling eerie, the space exuded an air of noble dignity and authority.
Looking ahead, Nolan saw a woman with long, deep purple hair standing on the steps at the far end of the room. She had her arms crossed and her back turned toward him.
“...”
As he approached slowly, he hesitated, unsure of how to address her.
Should he say, "This commoner greets the honorable Shogun," or "I, Nolan, pay respects to the Shogun"? Or perhaps simply, "Greetings, honorable Shogun"?
The first option felt inappropriate since he wasn’t one of her subjects. The second sounded overly formal.
Ultimately, he decided on the third—casual and straightforward. Surely, the Raiden Shogun wouldn’t care about such trivialities.
Stopping at the foot of the steps, he greeted her politely:
"Um... Greetings, honorable Shogun."
The Raiden Shogun silently turned around and gazed at Nolan. Her voice, cold and detached, broke the silence:
"Are you an enemy who seeks to hinder 'Eternity'?"
"Of course not!" Nolan hurriedly replied. "My companions and I are merely travelers and adventurers visiting Inazuma. How could we possibly become your enemies?"
He was genuinely worried that a careless answer might lead to her drawing her blade against him.
"So be it."
The Shogun said no more and reached her right hand toward her partially exposed, snow-white chest.
Watching her movements, Nolan felt a pang of unease.
Is she really planning not to let me go?
Since arriving in Inazuma, he had followed all the rules and laws—or at least hadn’t broken any outright! Did even minor suspicions warrant a punishment this severe? Could it be her uncompromising obsession with "Eternity"?
Before he could think further, lightning flashed before his eyes. The Shogun had drawn her blade, Musou Isshin, once again.
In response, Nolan summoned the illusion of a purple hourglass, preparing to defend himself. But suddenly, the space around him twisted and shifted.
When his vision cleared, he found himself in a completely different place.
Before him now stood two figures. One was the Raiden Shogun, unmoving as before. The other sat semi-cross-legged in midair, her right ankle resting behind her left knee, eyes closed. It was another Raiden Shogun—or rather, Raiden Ei.
The surroundings had also changed. The sky was a deep crimson, and the ground beneath them was paved with hard stone adorned with intricate patterns, resembling an arena.
This is the Plane of Euthymia, Nolan realized. The second figure had to be Raiden Ei.
Just as Yae Miko had predicted, Raiden Ei wanted to meet him. It seemed this meeting was indeed related to his ability to stop time.
"We meet for the second time, visitor from another world," Raiden Ei said as she opened her eyes, revealing faintly glowing violet irises identical to the Shogun's.
In appearance, she was indistinguishable from the Raiden Shogun, from her attire to her features.
If there was any difference, it lay in their aura.
The Shogun exuded an imposing and aloof majesty, while Raiden Ei's presence was comparatively softer and more introspective.
This subtle difference made it easy to tell the two apart despite their identical appearances.
Although Nolan understood this distinction clearly in his heart, he dared not show it outwardly. Any slip-up might lead to further suspicion.
After a brief pause for thought, his gaze shifted back and forth between the two, and he asked with feigned confusion:
"Our second meeting? Are you referring to the illusion I saw that day? Uh… also, why are there two Shoguns?"
That Raiden Ei knew he was from another world didn’t surprise him.
After all, both Venti and Zhongli had seen through him as well.
Raiden Ei showed no interest in answering Nolan's questions. Instead, she shifted her gaze to the purple hourglass illusion above his head, studying it briefly before looking back at him.
“This hourglass—is it the source of your ability to stop time? Would you consider trading it to me? I find it quite intriguing,” Raiden Ei stated bluntly.
Since she had already brought Nolan into the Plane of Euthymia, refusal wasn’t really an option. Sacrificing a bit of her reputation for the sake of "Eternity" was a price she was willing to pay.
"Apologies, Honorable Shogun," Nolan replied respectfully, though he felt annoyed inwardly. Raiden Ei, you really are after my time-manipulation ability! Outwardly, he remained composed as he explained, "This is a manifestation of my innate talent. The hourglass is merely a symbolic representation and cannot be traded."
Faced with two Electro Archons, he thought to himself, Better not provoke them, better not provoke them!
“Oh? Is that so? Then how about staying here and assisting me in studying the power of time? Once we achieve results, I can offer you a generous reward—or you may state your desired terms now,” Raiden Ei proposed.
Though she was disappointed that the hourglass couldn’t be traded, she wasn’t one to give up easily when it came to "Eternity."
If she couldn’t keep the hourglass, keeping the person would suffice.
To her, "Eternity" meant an unchanging and immutable existence for thousands of generations. The ability to stop time was the closest thing to her ideal.
If she could master this power, she could immerse herself in eternal stasis, avoiding "erosion" altogether and remedying the final flaw in the Shogun.
As for using time-stopping powers to bring all of Inazuma into a state of stasis, achieving "Eternity" for the nation, she had considered it. However, the energy required for such an endeavor was beyond even the gods’ reach, so she temporarily shelved the idea.
“To serve the Honorable Shogun is, of course, my privilege,” Nolan responded with a polite smile. “But may I ask, how do you plan to research this power of time?”
Nolan didn’t outright reject her offer, as he had come precisely to strike a deal with her. But he needed to understand how she expected him to cooperate. As long as it didn’t endanger his life, he was willing to comply—even if it meant staying here to accompany her indefinitely.
In fact, this arrangement suited him perfectly.
By staying with her, he could create a closer relationship. If Raiden Ei needed him, he wouldn’t have to worry about failing to earn her affection.
Once her affection level was high enough, any prior conditions would become irrelevant.
“You need only release your power of time as I require,” Raiden Ei explained. “I will allow you fixed daily rest periods, and you’re free to leave for meals, social visits, or sleep.”
Understanding that Nolan, as a human, couldn’t work tirelessly without rest, Raiden Ei generously allocated him breaks. After all, sustainable research was crucial. If he collapsed, where would she find another person with time-related powers?
“Oh, I even get rest time?” Nolan was mildly surprised. He nodded and smiled. “Since the Honorable Shogun is so sincere, I accept.”
“Good.”
Raiden Ei was pleased with his prompt agreement; it saved her the trouble of resorting to force.
[Raiden Shogun (Raiden Ei) Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 200 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv. 2 (100/200)]
Seeing the affection prompt on his character panel, Nolan was slightly surprised.
The text "Raiden Shogun (Raiden Ei)"—did it mean both of them had gained affection toward him? Or was it because their souls were interconnected, so a change in one’s affection affected the other?
Based on his experience and intuition, he suspected it was the latter.
Still, this was only the first instance of affection gained, so there weren’t enough examples to confirm. He figured that when they expressed affection toward him a few more times, the answer would become clear.
Unaware of Nolan’s thoughts, Raiden Ei’s impression of him improved slightly after achieving her goal.
After a moment’s consideration, she said, “Since that’s settled, you may name the reward you desire. As long as it’s within my power, I will fulfill it.”
Anything? That’s quite a bold claim, Nolan thought. Would she even offer her Gnosis? Or perhaps her blade, Musou Isshin?
Well, the Gnosis might be negotiable, but the blade was probably out of the question. If he dared to ask for the sword, she might even end up disliking him.
After all, that blade was left behind by Raiden Ei’s sister, Raiden Makoto.
Speaking of which, Raiden Ei’s obsession with "Eternity" stemmed from the fact that her sister and friends had all left her one after another for various reasons.
Devastated and unwilling to lose anyone else, she fell onto this divergent path of pursuing "unchanging and immutable Eternity for all generations."
Nolan remembered that Musou Isshin, the sword, still carried a faint trace of Raiden Makoto's will. If Raiden Ei were to fully unleash the power of the blade, it would release her sister’s will.
If he told her this, would it help her overcome some of her past traumas?
Hmm… the idea is good, but how would I explain knowing that Makoto’s will resides in Musou Isshin? He decided it would be better to wait for the right moment in the future to share this information.
After pondering for a while, Nolan resolved to proceed with his original plan—bringing up the abolition of the Vision Hunt Decree with both Ei and the Shogun.
After all, it was a promise he had made to several people, and it was a promise he intended to keep.
“Honorable Shogun, are you truly saying that you’ll grant any request I make?” Nolan asked, glancing at both Ei and the Shogun to confirm.
“Do you doubt me?” Raiden Ei raised an eyebrow.
“No, no, of course not! The Honorable Shogun would never speak empty words,” Nolan replied quickly, waving his hands. He continued, “Well, Shogun, it’s like this:
“Before arriving in Inazuma City, my companions and I had been adventuring near Yashiori Island. There, we witnessed a battle between the Shogunate forces and the Resistance.
“It was a frightening sight. Local villagers were displaced as a result, and I cannot imagine that the ‘Eternity’ you seek would be one where the people suffer in such a way.
“So I wish to ask the Shogun to abolish the Vision Hunt Decree and bring peace to the land. Only in a peaceful world can ‘Eternity’ hold any meaning.”
Nolan’s speech wasn’t particularly eloquent; he simply voiced his heartfelt thoughts.
“Abolish the Vision Hunt Decree? Hmph, are you allied with those rebels?”
Before Raiden Ei could respond, Raiden Shogun, who had been silent, spoke first, her voice cold as she questioned him.
“Shogun, you misunderstand. I’ve only recently arrived from Liyue and have no ties to the Resistance. I simply feel sympathy for the suffering people and hope the Shogun might abolish the decree to end the conflict,” Nolan explained sincerely.
This was indeed his true belief. Judging by its consequences, the Vision Hunt Decree was a flawed policy that needed to be abolished.
“‘Desires’ are detrimental to ‘Eternity.’ Choose another request,” Raiden Ei replied.
Although Kujou Sara had tried to mitigate many of the decree’s negative effects, Ei and the Shogun were well aware of the situation.
They knew everything related to “Eternity.”
Even so, Ei believed that preserving “Eternity” was more important.
The problem was that Ei’s concept of “Eternity” wasn’t beneficial to anyone, including herself. But it wasn’t something Nolan could change with just a few words.
Thus, he decided to go along with her perspective for now.
“But Shogun, aren’t you currently researching the power of time? Time stasis is a better alternative to the Vision Hunt Decree. Once your research is complete, ‘Eternity’ will be within your grasp.
“Until then, there’s no need for Inazuma to endure war, as it will only lead to more loss.”
“Loss…”
Hearing that word, Raiden Ei’s pupils momentarily lost focus as if recalling something. After a brief silence, she said,
“Those who pursue ‘desires’ cause no less ‘loss’ to the world than war itself. In fact, many of the world’s wars were triggered by them.”
Ei didn’t agree with Nolan’s words.
“But as I said, I will grant any request within my ability. If you insist on abolishing the Vision Hunt Decree, I can do so in accordance with your will.
“However, I cannot guarantee the Shogun’s approval of it.”
Though she disagreed with Nolan, Ei was willing to keep her word. She turned her gaze to the Shogun beside her.
When the Shogun was created, Raiden Ei had programmed her with a fundamental logic centered around the pursuit of “Eternity,” a logic even Ei herself couldn’t easily alter.
This was because Ei feared that one day, she might be influenced by “erosion” and falter in her pursuit of “Eternity.”
For the Shogun to approve of changing a decree tied to “Eternity,” certain conditions had to be met.
Firstly, Ei needed to confirm that she hadn’t been affected by “erosion.” Secondly, they would need a better plan to replace the current one.
Alternatively, they could simply subdue the Shogun by force.
Raiden Shogun’s expression didn’t waver under Ei’s gaze. Crossing her arms, she calmly said,
“I have witnessed your transaction in its entirety. I acknowledge that your request to abolish the Vision Hunt Decree is of your own volition and not influenced by ‘erosion.’”
After speaking, the Shogun turned her gaze to Nolan. She drew a long, curved blade, pointing its tip at him, and said evenly,
“But I cannot accept her words alone as proof that your ‘power of time’ can reach Eternity and serve as valid collateral for this transaction.
“Unless… you can prove it.”
“…”
Nolan sighed helplessly. Why did it always come down to solving things through battle?
(End of Chapter)
