Trouble.
Big trouble.
Things have gotten out of hand!
Ye rubbed his forehead, feeling genuinely confused for the first time.
He looked at Baoyu, and Baoyu smiled back at him.
A long time ago, Ye had indeed asked Baoyu if she was sent by "her" or by "her" enemies, and Baoyu had denied it all.
But back then, Ye hadn't paid much attention.
Now, however, things had truly spiraled out of control.
With Ye's knowledge, he couldn't comprehend what Baoyu's deal was. He didn't even have a starting point for speculation.
Even "she" didn't know Baoyu's origins and couldn't perceive Baoyu's existence, completely deceived by her. This...
Sigh...
Ye slowly closed his eyes and began to reorganize his thoughts.
After a while, he opened his eyes and looked at Baoyu with a calm gaze: "Let me ask you a question."
"Master, please ask. Baoyu will answer everything she knows."
"What can you do?"
"Master has become a playable character in Genshin Impact. By managing your popularity, you can obtain anything from Baoyu."
"Alright, I understand."
After hearing this answer, which was no different from the one she had given at the beginning, Ye immediately pushed all the incomprehensible things to the back of his mind.
No matter what Baoyu's goals were, they had nothing to do with him now. Even what "she" was planning had nothing to do with Ye.
What needed to be done hadn't changed, so everything else was irrelevant.
It was just that the original confusion had turned into greater confusion, and the original lack of understanding had turned into even greater lack of understanding. No difference.
Since there was no difference, it didn't matter.
It was just that the already incomprehensible cheat tool had become even more incomprehensible. No big deal. As long as it was a cheat tool, Ye wasn't picky.
So, forget about everything else. Just focus on what needs to be done now.
So, what does Ye need to do now?
—Of course, prepare properly to avoid dying at the hands of Sen'emon and becoming a casualty of his own alternate account!
This is what truly matters most to Ye right now!!
If he really died at the hands of his own alternate account, it would be the biggest joke of all time.
But how can Ye survive Sen'emon?
Let's be real, Ye isn't good at combat. Even with Themis as a puppet, he couldn't beat Sen'emon. If he had to fight her himself, he'd definitely be dead meat!
But in Ye's storyline planning, in version 2.2, he and Sen'emon are destined to fight. And in that fight, he can't rely on puppets—he has to fight her himself. So... should he use his popularity to power himself up?
No, no, that's a waste of popularity. Wouldn't it be better to use that popularity to create two more alternate accounts? Wouldn't that be more pleasing to the eye?
Ye has always been reluctant to use his popularity to power himself up, instead using it to create alternate accounts every time. After all, in this vast world, what matters most is pleasing the eye!
Every alternate account is something he can log into anytime, anytime he wants to admire. How wonderful is that!
So, asking Ye to use his popularity to power himself up now? He's still reluctant!
Forget it, life and death don't matter. What matters is pleasing the eye.
At most, he'll just practice logging in faster.
First, don't dual-log into Sen'emon's account. That way, the fight can be more intense and realistic. Then, when he's about to lose and Sen'emon is about to kill him, he can quickly log in and stage a self-directed performance. Wouldn't that be perfect?
As long as he logs in fast enough, there's nothing to fear.
You have to be confident in life.
"Ye, what are you sitting here for?"
Hearing Paimon's voice, Ye turned slightly and looked behind him.
The Traveler and Paimon had walked over at some point.
"I was waiting for you."
"Waiting for us?"
Paimon looked puzzled.
Ye stood up and said softly to the Traveler, "The final battle is coming soon. But to defeat the Raiden Shogun, we'll need help from one more person. I hope you can go see her."
"Who is it?"
"Yae Miko. She's the Raiden Shogun's familiar and knows her better than anyone."
"Huh?" Paimon asked curiously, "But you said she's the Raiden Shogun's familiar. Will she help us?"
"Don't worry, she will. Because she's the one who most wants to save the Raiden Shogun."
The Traveler blinked: "Save... the Raiden Shogun?"
"Yae Miko will explain it to you. Your task is to deal with the Raiden Shogun, and I have my own task to handle."
Ye spoke calmly:
"The real challenge in Inazuma isn't the Raiden Shogun—it's Sen'emon. While you're fighting the Raiden Shogun, someone needs to hold off Sen'emon. That's my task."
The Traveler's expression turned serious: "Will you be okay?"
Having seen Sen'emon in action before, she knew exactly what kind of monster that woman was.
Ye shook his head slightly: "I can only do my best. After all, I'm not very good at combat. But I should be able to hold her off for a while. If you can defeat the Raiden Shogun quickly, that'll be the biggest help to me."
"I understand."
The Traveler nodded.
"I'll do my best too."
With this conversation, the storyline for version 2.2 officially began.
Yes, that's right. Right after finishing the 2.1 storyline, Ye jumped straight into 2.2. After all, this is the real world, and it's different from the game the players are playing.
And the 2.2 storyline marks the end of the Inazuma arc.
Although Ye's real goal in coming to Inazuma lies beyond this, to get what he truly wants, he first needs to change Ei's will.
After all, if Ei's will doesn't change... then Makoto won't appear, right?
So, Ye was unusually serious this time.
For the sake of his goal, no matter how strong Sen'emon is, Ye is determined to give it his all.
—But before that, Ye wanted to clear his mind.
The amount of information he received today was a bit overwhelming. Even Ye couldn't fully shake off his suspicions and wariness toward Baoyu, which seriously affected his state of mind. He was even a bit distracted during his conversation with the Traveler, which definitely isn't good for the upcoming storyline performance.
So, he needed to quickly detach himself from the things he couldn't understand, relieve some pressure, and regain his focus.
"Alright, I've decided. Tonight, I'll reaffirm my loyalty to Lady Furina."
He had to let Lady Furina know that he was utterly loyal to her and would never jump ship just because his former boss came knocking.
Sorry, but Ye can't go back now.
From head to toe, he's already become Lady Furina's shape.
"Achoo!"
Furina sneezed and couldn't help but look around.
She remembered Ye saying that sneezing means someone is talking about you.
But upon further thought, isn't it normal for people to talk about her?
In an instant, Furina put the matter out of her mind.
She was currently in Ye's office at the Grand Cathedral.
While Ye was away from Fontaine, his work was usually handled by Neuvillette. However, there were some things Neuvillette couldn't handle, and in those cases, Furina had to step in personally.
For example, right now, looking at the woman in front of her, Furina rubbed her chin and asked, "Your research has been going on for almost thirty years, with a total investment of nearly 500 billion Mora. Can you give me a straight answer? Will it succeed? If not, let's just cut our losses and give up, okay?"
The woman confidently replied, "Just give me another 50 billion. Lady Furina, please rest assured. I've fully grasped the technology the Supreme Bishop gave me, and the alchemical modifications to Elynas are progressing smoothly. Once Elynas is revived, it will become a true life form of this world."
"If I recall correctly, you said the same thing twenty years ago, and ten years ago as well."
Looking at this notorious woman who hadn't aged a day in thirty years, Furina sighed and signed and stamped the document.
After all, they'd already invested 500 billion. Giving up now would hurt even more.
Forget it, the money was earned by Ye anyway. Furina wasn't going to feel bad for him.
Sign, done, go home, sleep.
Hopefully, she'll have a good dream tonight.