While Zhongli silently considered whether Cloud Retainer or A Ping had better taste, and which of the children they had raised might have had a harder life, the video finally finished buffering.
First, the 12+ age rating appeared, followed by the customary Bilibili Games and miHoYo logos, and then the video proper began.
[Lumine: Uh, so this is a 12+ game? Tsk, doesn't that mean we get way fewer of those scenes everyone loves?!]
[Xiangling: What's 12+?]
[Lumine: It means a game suitable for people aged twelve and up. In other words, even twelve-year-old kids can play it without anyone having to worry about it affecting their physical or mental health as they grow up.]
[Lumine: Tsk, why couldn't it be 18+?]
[Lumine: Though if it were 18+, this video probably wouldn't play either. Then 16+ would do!]
[Yae Miko: Little one, your tail is showing completely~.]
[Yae Miko: Still, if the age restriction is only 12+, hmm, then a lot of the "story" in here should be different from our real Teyvat.]
[Yae Miko: After all, even the light novels from Yae Publishing House have to "prettify and embellish" things when depicting certain events from the past.]
[Furina: Ah~ yes, of course they will. A work of fiction is a work of fiction, and reality is reality. Especially with restrictions on the work, it'll need quite a bit of adaptation.]
[Furina: That's a real test of the directors' and writers' abilities. A good director or writer can take an adaptation to new heights.]
[Furina: Conversely, with a poor director or writer, even the greatest work can end up playing to an empty house.]
[Yun Jin: I don't know much about this, but is it similar to how, when creating operas, we embellish myths and legends and rework them for the stage?]
[Lumine: Yes, more or less, except it's also being adapted for a younger audience.]
As artists from several nations began discussing the distinctive ways their respective countries created cultural works, an image appeared in the video.
The video opened on a warm, beautiful scene. Dense pink cherry blossoms spread out to either side, while four figures of differing appearances sat or lay on the lush green lawn, as though enjoying a relaxed, pleasant outing.
[Yae Miko: Sigh, just as I thought...]
[Kujou Sara: Is this the Shogun... admiring the blossoms with these three?]
Most people from Inazuma could only recognize the purple-clad beauty kneeling on the picnic blanket, gazing up at the cherry blossoms, as Inazuma's current deity-the Raiden Shogun.
And the locals of Inazuma knew exactly what these four in the video were doing.
After all, in previous years, whenever the cherry blossoms bloomed, ordinary people in Inazuma would gather their friends and family, bring some sake and snacks, and head into the cherry groves together to admire the blossoms in the spring breeze.
For the people of Inazuma living in dire straits, this was one of the few times each year when they could relax and feel joy. It could be considered the tenderest moment in their hearts, so how had it become connected with the word "nightmare"?
[Yae Miko: Oh, never mind. Ei has shut herself away again, so I'll introduce them. Strictly speaking, these three are all familiars of the "Electro Archon."]
[Yae Miko: The Oni woman resting her head on Ei's lap is named Chiyo. The tengu raising his cup below is Sasayuri, and the white-haired, fox-eared woman reclining beside them is my predecessor as Guuji, the great fox youkai Kitsune Saiguu.]
[Kujou Sara: These three, I remember-]
[Kamisato Ayato: This must be a scene from a very long time ago. No wonder it's called Nightmare. I think I've guessed what comes next.]
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: If this were all there was to it, it could be called a beautiful dream, but...]
Ordinary people in Inazuma might not know what had later happened to these three, but how could core members of the Tri-Commission like Kujou Sara and Kamisato Ayato not know? The great clans still kept very detailed records of past events.
Sangonomiya Kokomi, in particular, as the Divine Priestess of Sangonomiya on Watatsumi Island, naturally still vividly remembered the sole noteworthy foe their patron deity, Lord Orobashi, had slain during his march on the capital.
Hopefully, what followed in this video would not drive the Raiden Shogun into a humiliated rage and send her hacking her way from Inazuma City all the way to Watatsumi Island with her blade.
[Yae Miko: Yes, that's why this video is called Nightmare. And if I'm not mistaken, later in this video, it may...]
Although Yae Miko did not finish her sentence, everyone could see it in the video.
On the screen, the Electro Archon and her three familiars admired the blossoms beneath the cherry tree without a care, drinking, chatting, or simply smiling as they enjoyed this beautiful life. The entire video was filled with warmth and easy contentment, a scene of utter beauty and harmony.
Just as everyone had grown accustomed to this atmosphere, a flicker of pixelated distortion flashed past, like a television with a faulty connection. A shot of the Raiden Shogun running along an enormous serpent's body with a naginata in hand flashed across the screen. With the sound of a flashing blade, two large black characters appeared on the screen.
[Musou]
When the scene returned, one member of the four blossom-viewers beneath the tree was already missing. The great tengu Sasayuri had vanished.
Though the remaining three were still laughing, their laughter was no longer as cheerful as before, carrying a faint heaviness.
[Lumine: Hiss, I-I only just got to Mondstadt, and I don't know your history, so let me ask in advance. These three, in history, surely they didn't...]
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: I'm panicking right now.]
[Kujou Sara: Then hurry up and disband the Resistance, and come to Tenshukaku in Inazuma City to offer a humble apology and accept your punishment.]
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: There's no need for that. Kokomi carries the hopes and wishes of countless people on her shoulders, so I'm afraid I can't grant your wish, General Kujou.]
[Yae Miko: These three familiars of the Electro Archon all gave their lives for Inazuma's founding and development, and to protect its stability and peace.]
[Raiden Ei: Only eternity...]
[Kujou Sara: Shogun...]
Seeing those few words from the Shogun she revered most, revealing such complicated feelings, even Kujou Sara no longer dared to speak.
Although the history recorded by her clan differed subtly from what Yae Miko had just said, such as a certain sinner named Chiyo who had "betrayed" the Electro Archon and brought shame upon the Mikoshi name.
Still, having already watched seven videos and seen quite a few of the gods' secrets, Kujou Sara had now learned to think for herself.