"Heh... this isn't right,"
Qin Yu couldn't help but touch his forehead, shaking his head helplessly.
To have said such a bet on her own...
She was truly impolite.
Perhaps in the Empress's eyes, there was no possibility of escape for what she had chosen.
To become hers was an absolute certainty.
Thinking this, Qin Yu took a deep breath.
Such an entitled attitude...
Truly an arrogant and forceful deity.
"Are you cowering?"
The clear, cold female voice gained a hint of danger.
Although Qin Yu's existence was extremely special to her.
However, patience was never infinite.
Her Majesty the Empress did not mind using a warrior's method to obtain Qin Yu.
From the hands of the Electro Archon...
To snatch, to conquer.
The last time the Electro Archon attacked inazuma, the two women had already clashed.
They had been holding a grudge ever since.
"What, still planning to capture me and drag me back to Snezhnaya?"
Qin Yu chuckled. Impossible.
He was right here in Inazuma. Come if you dare.
He might as well stay for a couple of days; the Komore Teahouse was quite spacious.
When the time came...
Qin Yu would summon the Kagehisa sisters, as well as Nahida and her mother.
Surrounded by them... cough, no.
He meant several deities would sit down and have tea.
If he got tired, they could start a cataclysm war. It wouldn't be a problem.
After all, four gods against one god, the advantage was mine.
Don't forget, Qin Yu's current combat power was half that of a First Sovereign.
But clearly, he had underestimated the Empress's resolve.
"Men who like to show off shouldn't celebrate too early."
The Cryo Archon said meaningfully, as if smiling.
Her will descending here had not gone unnoticed.
The Electro Archon's silence was enough to explain many things.
"..."
Qin Yu frowned.
Faintly, the sound of ice condensing could be heard.
"Prepare to swear your loyalty to me, Qin Yu."
"That day will not be far off."
The Empress's voice resounded, as if right beside Qin Yu's ear.
The next moment, the ice and snow melted.
The world returned to normal.
...
"Gone?"
Qin Yu's eyes regained their clarity.
Then...
He saw a pair of cat ears.
"Qin Yu, what's wrong?"
Lumine waved her hand in front of him, her face full of worry.
After Qin Yu took the photos, he became listless.
Could he have truly fallen victim to the Abyss's curse?
They needed to find a Mondstadt priest to lift the curse quickly!
"I'm fine, what are you thinking about?"
Qin Yu smiled, his heart warming.
This cat-eared maid, though she always thought of backstabbing her master.
In reality, she cared about him very much.
Thinking this, Qin Yu casually pinched Lumine's cat ears.
Hmm, they felt very good.
"Qin Yu—!"
Lumine's small body stiffened, and she began to bristled.
A pervert with strange obsessions with cat ears!
Just as Qin Yu was enjoying the next round of cat paw massage.
"Constantly zoning out is not a good thing, you know?"
Yae Miko walked over.
Her seductive purple eyes narrowed, becoming dangerous.
Someone was trying to steal Qin Yu's soul right in front of her?
Miss Fox sensed that other wills had descended here.
"It's nothing, I was just chatting with someone."
Qin Yu smiled, his expression relaxed.
The Empress wasn't in Inazuma, so what was there to be nervous about.
... Probably?
Qin Yu recalled the Empress's determined attitude and felt a little unsure again.
He had a feeling things wouldn't be so simple.
Thinking this, Qin Yu looked towards an elegant silhouette not far away.
"Columbia."
She had been silent since earlier, clearly knowing something.
"That one, has been here."
Columbia picked up her Delusion, a slight curve on her lips.
The divine power of the Cryo God.
Your Majesty the Empress, you finally made your move yourself.
But...
Is it too late to enter the game now?
The number of participants in the cataclysm war was growing.
The Electro Archon, the Dendro Archon, the Cryo Archon...
Would there be other Archons in the future?
"Let's talk alone."
Columbia said softly, walking towards the camp.
"Okay."
Qin Yu nodded to the other two women, then followed her.
...
In the small grove.
"Will the Cryo Archon come to Inazuma?"
Qin Yu and Columbia walked side by side, asking softly.
This question was very important.
"So... do we need to hold hands to discuss this?"
Columbia tilted her head, her tone playful.
My travel companion is not well-behaved.
"Ahem, walking at night is unsafe, I'm protecting you."
Qin Yu pinched her soft little hand, pretending to be serious.
What was it like to discuss Snezhnaya's top leader while cuddling with her subordinate?
Thinking about it gave him a thrill, like he was stealing someone else's prize.
Hmm, two prize cabbages, very fresh and tender.
Qin Yu was getting a bit carried away again.
"I don't think Her Majesty the Empress will come to Inazuma."
Columbia thought for a moment, then shook her head.
She leaned gently on Qin Yu's shoulder, enjoying the rare moment of solitude together.
The esteemed Empress clearly wasn't as important as cuddling.
"Why?"
Qin Yu asked curiously.
"Her Majesty the Empress doesn't like to go out and do things."
"For example, she often says..."
"'Because the sun is too strong, I won't go out today.'"
"'Or because it's too cold outside...'"
Columbia, with a hint of mischief, curled her lips, her tone laced with teasing.
She was very much like a good subordinate gossiping about their boss behind their back.
In fact, as a Seelie, she had a somewhat close relationship with the Cryo Archon privately.
Naturally, she knew some little-known secrets.
"She's also a homebody?"
Qin Yu chuckled knowingly and leaned in to whisper.
Another welcome episode of character deconstruction.
Wait, why "another"?
He wasn't implying anything about his own boss!
Wasn't the majestic General also a homebody who liked to eat desserts and read light novels?
Was there a problem with that? No problem.
Compared to the God of Wind who constantly drank and slacked off, and the God of Geo who never paid for meals...
Nahida, who liked to go to the bathroom, was actually the most normal.
"In any case, don't worry."
Columbia's words put Qin Yu's mind at ease.
If the Cryo Archon didn't come, everything would be fine.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
The Komore Teahouse.
In the quiet corridor, the girl's complaints echoed.
"How could this happen...!"
Sandrone, sitting in her wheelchair, rushed out of the Komore Teahouse.
The mechanical devices on the wheelchair automatically navigated and guided her.
At the same time, she was intently watching her communicator.
On the small screen, several lines of text appeared.
The language of Snezhnaya.
[Inazuma City Port, come out and see me]
Sandrone quickly typed a reply:
[Your Majesty the Empress, you're really in Inazuma?]
[...]
After just a few breaths of silence.
[Komore Teahouse]
[I'm already outside]
???
Sandrone bit her lip.
Things were getting strange.
Why was Her Majesty the Empress in such a hurry? What did she want?
Was she going to declare war on the Electro Archon with her troops?!
As she was dazed, the screen lit up again.
But this time, the message from the aloof Empress was...
(ᗜ˰ᗜ)
The air fell silent.
Sandrone's eyes slowly widened.
[Interesting design]
This was a built-in expression on the communicator.
Her Majesty the Empress sent a few more.
(ᗜ˰ᗜ)
[In what capacity has Her Majesty the Empress come here?]
Sandrone took a screenshot and typed, asking.
[The biggest toy store owner in Snezhnaya.]
?