"Since Lord of Thunder wishes to invite us, we naturally agree. However, it has been over a century since the last gathering of the Seven. Those who were present back then are long gone. One wonders about the hearts of some individuals now."
The Lord of Fire said with a smile, occasionally glancing at the Ice God standing in a high position. His words were quite pointed, wondering if the latter could understand his meaning.
"Is that statement accurate? Can you truly see into my heart?"
The Ice God retorted without restraint. "I, Lu Ze, am not afraid of you. If you wish to fight, we can do so. Don't think I'll cower just because you are the God of War."
"Both of you, there's no need to quarrel over trivial disputes. Since someone has extended an invitation, shouldn't we respond?"
Seeing the Lord of Water acting as a peacemaker, the others remained silent.
"Since everyone agrees, please sail your ships to the port of my island. Today, I shall host a grand banquet for all of you at the Tenshukaku."
Perhaps her mindset had changed. Raiden Ei was no longer as stubborn as before, truly wanting to manage the nation well and fulfill her sister's wish.
Of the six ships, four had already sailed in. Two others remained stationary.
Ningguang frowned as she watched this. She had overheard their conversation earlier. The gathering of the Seven had initially been held in Liyue, a banquet co-hosted by Rex Lapis and the Anemo Archon from the neighboring nation.
However, their Rex Lapis had long since passed away, and Liyue had no new Archon. This left them in a state of indecision.
"Go. I hope that my existence is not revealed to a second person, nor will it be told to anyone else. This is our contract. If you break it, the Geo-reversion punishment will descend."
Zhongli had no other choice. He could only reveal as little as possible, directly choosing Ningguang, who held the highest status here, to relay the message to sail their ship in.
Ningguang, upon hearing this voice, clearly paused. Then, she quickly ordered the ship to sail in. Although she was somewhat confused, Rex Lapis had already passed away, so why was he still communicating across space? And with such a familiar voice?
Beside her, Jean, the Acting Grand Master of Mondstadt, looked at Venti, who was on the verge of sleep, with some hesitation. Their Anemo Archon seemed rather unreliable. What should she do?
She couldn't possibly tell the host that their Anemo Archon had fallen asleep and hadn't heard what was said. That would be seeking death, wouldn't it?
She tried to wake Venti and explained the situation truthfully.
"Huh? A gathering? Does that mean there will be wine? Hehe, then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Upon hearing the word "gathering," Venti immediately thought of countless fine wines. This was a rare opportunity to drink to his heart's content and couldn't be missed.
After all, it was because he was too bored and a little greedy a hundred years ago that he had organized this gathering of the Seven.
Seeing that the remaining two ships had also sailed in, Raiden Ei slowly descended.
She began to arrange for the Tenryou Commission to rent accommodations, providing a place for the people from the other six nations to sleep.
Soon after, all the inns in Inazuma were rented by the Tenryou Commission. As for the fees, none of the owners dared to collect them, especially since the Raiden Shogun herself had given the order. Who would dare to ask for money?
Moreover, contributing to Inazuma was not an issue. It was only for one night, and they wouldn't lose much money. There was no need for that.
Watching the nations checking in one by one, Raiden Ei nodded in satisfaction. She immediately instructed the Tenryou Commission to prepare the funds and settle the fees according to the prices of each inn.
However, the polite people from the six nations mostly paid their own fees. They were not short of money, and most of the people on this ship held high status and were not lacking such funds.
Thus, Inazuma's treasury was saved a little.
About half an hour later, in the Tenshukaku of Inazuma City, Lu Ze watched everything with great amusement.
A large round table seated nine people. Besides himself, there was also Raiden Makoto, and the rest were the Archons of the six nations.
"Raiden Makoto? When did you..."
Venti was somewhat surprised when he saw her. As the first generation Archon, he remembered the appearances of all the first-generation Archons, and he had a rather high impression of Raiden Makoto.
After all, she was a benevolent Archon who could not bear to unsheathe her manifested weapon, not wanting anyone to be harmed.
"Long time no see, Anemo Archon? Your name is still Venti? So much time has passed, and you still use this name?"
Raiden Makoto extended her right hand, waved gently, and greeted him.
"Yes, it's been a hundred years in the blink of an eye. I never expected to see you again, Raiden Makoto. Old man, aren't you surprised? Why do you look so accustomed to it?"
Zhongli took a sip of his tea. "What's there to be surprised about? It's as if you've never seen the world before. If my old friend hadn't been revived, I would have been as surprised as Venti, though perhaps a little calmer."
"Perhaps it's because I gave our old man too many surprises during my time in Liyue? He's already used to it."
Lu Ze said with a smile. Today was truly exceptionally lively, meeting all seven Archons of Teyvat at once.
"Perhaps. By the way, are there any local delicacies here? I want to bring some back for Guizhong."
"Zhongli! You've changed! You weren't like this before. How could you think of others when eating? Indeed, this is the power of love! It's too terrifying!"
"Everyone, although this is our first meeting, I hope we can get along harmoniously, with fewer disputes and less scheming. I'll toast you all."
Nahida stood up with her wine cup, a sip of fine wine down her throat, her face slightly flushed.
As for whom she was referring to? It was likely that everyone present knew, as there was only one person collecting the Gnosis.
"Everyone, isn't this boring? If you don't welcome me, then I suppose there's no need for me to stay. How could you possibly understand my thoughts?"
The Cryo Archon stood up from her seat somewhat indignantly. This was the second time since the beginning. Did they really want to insinuate her like this? Is this good? This is not good.
"How could that be? How could we not welcome you? However, if you could change your bad habits, perhaps we would welcome you more."
The Pyro Archon taunted again. Of everyone present, she disliked this person the most. Scheming, with a hidden agenda, who knew what her next move would be? It was better to be on guard. As for welcome? How could that be possible?