The first place Jiang Chen appeared was actually Mondstadt.
But he ended up in Liyue instead.
Every time Venti remembered this, his heart ached.
Especially since Jiang Chen had also robbed him of his wine.
The pain was even greater.
Fortunately, he was now in Liyue.
An idea had formed in his mind—
Eat and drink his fill here to make up for the losses.
Jiang Chen had taken so much of his wine—was it wrong to freeload off Zhongli now?
The only issue was that Hu Tao had been giving him suspicious looks lately.
"When are you leaving?"
"Hu Tao's starting to think you're a scammer."
"Here to freeload food and drinks."
Just as Venti was thinking this, Zhongli spoke up.
He, too, wanted to kick this guy out.
Initially, Hu Tao had been in a good mood and even given Venti some Mora, kindly hosting him for a while.
But after Venti shamelessly overstayed his welcome, Hu Tao began to lose patience.
One freeloader was enough.
Now there's a second?
As expected, Zhongli's acquaintances were all unreliable.
People who liked free meals only befriended others who also liked free meals.
Thus, Zhongli felt it was time for Venti to leave.
For the sake of his own financial stability, this freeloader had to go.
Otherwise, Zhongli feared that one day, a drunk Venti might end up stuffed into a coffin by Hu Tao and buried in Wuwang Hill.
Don't doubt whether Hu Tao would do such a thing.
When pushed to her limit, she absolutely would.
"Old man, you're kicking me out too?"
Hearing Zhongli's words, Venti widened his eyes in disbelief.
Wow, so heartless?
"Not my intention."
"I, too, am living under someone else's roof."
"Hosting you daily has cost Director Hu quite a bit of Mora."
"So it's best you leave sooner rather than later."
Zhongli remained composed.
He saw nothing wrong with this.
"What nonsense?"
"That money was clearly spent by you!"
"Every time, you'd dump me at a tavern, toss me a few hundred Mora, and leave."
"Now you're kicking me out after using me?"
Venti stared at Zhongli in utter confusion.
Wasn't the money all spent by you?
He was just a humble drinker—how much could he possibly cost?
You're the one buying antiques left and right, then telling Hu Tao the money was spent 'hosting a friend.'
Sure, some was spent on hosting—but not that much!
And now, he was being outright evicted?
Meanwhile, back in Inazuma, Jiang Chen's battle with the Shogun raged on.
Their earlier clash had triggered a massive explosion.
Though far from Inazuma's shores, the resulting tsunami still battered the coastline.
Seeing this, Makoto intervened.
She activated her Noble Phantasm.
Every citizen of Inazuma witnessed the phantom image of the Sacred Sakura.
A blizzard of cherry blossoms formed a protective barrier around the nation.
Sacred Sakura - Rank A++
A Noble Phantasm capable of both offense and defense.
When necessary, those very petals could become lethal—
Like a certain Senbonzakura.
Witnessing her sister's newfound power, Ei's eyes widened.
Incredible… Is this her sister's new strength?
Noticing Ei's awed expression, Makoto smiled.
This time, things would be different.
She wouldn't die so easily again.
Jiang Chen's summoning had patched her weaknesses.
In the past, she lacked combat prowess.
But now?
She knew a thing or two about fighting.
With Inazuma shielded, Jiang Chen could battle the Shogun unrestrained.
Sensing Makoto's intervention, Jiang Chen no longer held back.
Their earlier exchange had already left the Shogun at a disadvantage.
She had been sent flying god-knows-how-far.
Glancing back at Inazuma, Jiang Chen gave chase.
In a flash, he closed the distance.
His body wreathed in flames, he swung the Unbroken Excalibur downward.
The Shogun's face paled.
She barely raised her blade in time.
BOOM!
Another collision—another brutal launch.
The Shogun skipped across the ocean's surface like a stone before finally halting.
Yet Jiang Chen's assault didn't stop.
Briefly considering the Shogun's durability, Jiang Chen dialed back his strength slightly.
Wouldn't want to break her completely.
Then again, an Archon's vessel shouldn't be so fragile.
With that thought, he pressed the attack.
"O Brahma, curse me!"
Mana surged into the Unbroken Excalibur as he hurled it like a javelin.
The Shogun, just stabilizing herself, saw the spear streaking toward her.
In desperation, she swung her sword—
A bolt of violet lightning met the projectile.
KABOOM!
But her hasty defense was futile.
The Shogun was engulfed in flames—Overloaded to the extreme.
Her systems crashed mid-air, her attire reduced to tatters.
As the smoke cleared, Jiang Chen approached.
Lying motionless on the water's surface was the Shogun—
Raiden Shogun - Heavily Damaged.jpg
Beautiful.
Jiang Chen couldn't help but admire the sight.
Shaking his head, he retrieved his weapon and flew over.
Scooping up the Shogun, he carried her back toward Inazuma.
The fight was over—now it was Ei's turn to handle the aftermath.
Makoto sensed the battle's conclusion and withdrew her Noble Phantasm.
Shortly after, Jiang Chen returned with the Shogun in his arms.
Seeing this, Ei immediately reintegrated with her vessel, retaking control.
Once back in her body, she assessed the damage and frowned.
What a mess.
Glancing at her tattered clothes, she shrugged.
The rustic Archon cared little for appearances.
Ragged, but functional.
"You'd better fix the Shogun's programming."
"Otherwise, she'll just fight you for control again when she reboots."
Jiang Chen reminded her.
The Shogun's systems were clearly glitching.
Without repairs, this would become a recurring issue.
"I'll handle it."
Ei's tone was resolute.
She knew the risks of a malfunctioning puppet.
Then, she turned to her sister.
"Sister, Inazuma is yours now!"
With her sister back, Ei no longer needed to shoulder the burden alone.
Her pillar of support had returned.
From now on, she could just be the muscle.