Chapter 237

But before that.

Ei wanted to learn more from the two of them about Luo Li and her sister, Raiden Makoto.

"How long have you known Luo Li and Makoto?"

Lumine said, not quite sure: "About a month, I suppose."

Immediately after, she recounted, half-truthfully, their first meeting in Mondstadt with Luo Li and Raiden Makoto, and everything that followed.

Subconsciously equating the month they had known each other with the month since Luo Li's return, Ei's expression gradually turned icy as she listened to Lumine's explanation.

"Eula, Noelle, Fischl, Mona, Keqing, Yun Jin, Shenhe..."

As the names were recited one by one, the exquisite face of Raiden Ei, hidden in the shadows, made Lumine swallow hard.

She hadn't thought much of it while speaking, but now that she was finished, she realized something felt off.

But Mr. Luo Li hadn't said she couldn't talk about these things, so she couldn't blame herself!

Raiden Ei's expression remained unreadable, though the lightning in her eyes flickered with increasing frequency.

This guy, while she was worrying and grieving for him, was actually out flirting with other girls.

Simply unforgivable!

Ganyu and Rosalyne were one thing; that was a connection formed five hundred years ago.

But those names that followed, which she had never even heard of, were undoubtedly the romantic debts Luo Li had incurred in this era.

Vaguely unable to control the urge to draw her blade, Ei knew that if Luo Li were standing in front of her right now, she would absolutely slash him.

If only she didn't know his whereabouts.

Taking a deep breath to suppress her heaving chest, Ei had just forcibly stabilized her emotions when the next words from Paimon shattered her composure.

"By the way, Mr. Luo Li has a daughter now, too."

Lumine was stunned for a moment before reacting: "Mm, he's... he's doing quite well."

In an instant, Lumine felt a rumbling hum in her ears.

Accompanied by a cracking sound, the space within the Tenshukaku appeared like a shattered mirror, with shocking fissures of space appearing piece by piece.

Thunder roared in the sky, and terrifying bolts of lightning streaked across Inazuma City.

The sudden thunderclap startled the people of Inazuma, and almost simultaneously, they looked toward the Tenshukaku.

Needless to say, they knew the Shogun was in a bad mood again.

Similar scenes had happened too many times lately; they were long since used to it.

Inside the Tenshukaku!

Startled by the sudden turn of events, Paimon ran behind Lumine to hide in an instant.

Even Lumine almost assumed a defensive stance, thinking the Raiden Shogun was about to attack them.

Only then did she realize it was merely because she had been shocked by the news just now.

"You just said, Luo Li has a daughter?"

Stared at by eyes containing lightning, Paimon trembled all over before replying: "Y-yes."

Ei gripped her palms tightly, never having expected that guy to even have offspring. For a moment, a complex mix of bitterness, grievance, loss, and regret surged up within her.

If she had been more proactive back then, would the outcome have been different?

Yet, she immediately stifled this emotion, and an even more intense anger surged in its place.

Could it be that the sweet words he said back then were all lies to her?

"Whose daughter is it?"

"Huh? There's no mother, I think."

Paimon remembered Luo Li's explanation; it seemed she was born from a pearl.

"???"

An emotion even more surprised than before churned from the bottom of her heart, and Ei frowned slightly: "Does my sister know?"

"It seems... she doesn't."

"..."

Half an hour later.

Confirming that no more useful information could be pried from the two, and that they didn't know much about Luo Li's last five hundred years either, Ei gave up on questioning them.

She would ask her sister, Raiden Makoto, about the details of these matters in person when she went to Liyue.

As for Luo Li...

A look of love appeared in the eyes of the noble and arrogant Raiden Shogun, but it was immediately suppressed by resentment.

That guy, she must vent her dissatisfaction and the trace of grievance he hadn't even noticed himself onto him!

Seeming to foresee the birth of a Shuraba, Lumine felt a sense of foreboding.

She signaled to Paimon with her eyes; their script might have veered off the intended course.

But it was too late to go back now.

Ei's voice came from above.

"I will order the cancellation of the wanted posters for you two. Stay near the Tenshukaku for the time being; I will have the Tenryou Commission arrange a place for you to stay. If I summon you, come see me immediately."

"O-okay."

…………

Watatsumi Island!

The morning sun rose above the sea, filtering through the coral thickets of Sangonomiya into the high-level palace, shining directly onto Luo Li's face.

Because of the glaring sunlight, he slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing that appeared in his field of vision was the swaying shadow beside him, which drew his gaze.

It was Mikoshi Chiyo, revealing her rounded shoulders and fair collarbone. The young girl was lying on her side, resting her chin on one hand, looking at him with a faint smile.

Set against the sunlight, her crimson skin emitted an unusual halo, as if light were flowing in reverse.

"Were you woken up by the sun? I was just about to pull the curtains." Chiyo sounded a bit apologetic, seemingly blaming herself for waking him early.

"No, it's fine. I was just startled awake by a sudden palpitation."

Luo Li reached out to stroke the Oni girl's cheek, signaling that it had nothing to do with her.

Chiyo leaned in, clearly enjoying it, and rubbed against his chest incessantly.

Luo Li was a bit puzzled. At his level, even if someone harbored malice and thought of him, he would sometimes sense it.

This was all thanks to astrology and the determination of fate.

After being startled awake just now, he had instantly performed a divination through astrology, but found nothing.

"A bit strange."

He muttered to himself, feeling very confused.

Could it be that his astrology was wrong?

This doubt was quickly interrupted by Chiyo.

Even though they had exhausted a lot of energy just last night, she was full of spirit early in the morning. As expected of the non-human Oni race, they were just different from humans.

But how could Luo Li understand the thoughts of Chiyo, who had finally gotten her wish?

Mikoshi Chiyo lay on his chest, her peerless beauty, which only two or three people in this world could rival, filled with infatuation.

"Hey, let's not go out today, how about that?"

Before her expectant gaze could be answered, the clearly unhappy voice of Sangonomiya Kokomi came from outside.

"Father, it's time to get up."

Following that was Asase Hibiki's gentle greeting: "Teacher, good morning. I just brewed some morning tea; would you like to try some?"

With three people arriving in such a short time, Luo Li was speechless for a moment.

Not knowing what kind of Shuraba the future would bring, he was immersed in happy troubles.