Kokomi was so clever—had he just been used by her?
But even if he had… what exactly could she have used him for? He didn't have the power to change the holy soil situation by any other means. If she had manipulated him, then what was she trying to get out of it?
And what was with that "beauty trap" line anyway? Why say it out loud?
Was that some kind of strategist's quirk—testing every tactic firsthand just for the satisfaction of it?
A gesture of goodwill… a political move to win him over… or was it actually genuine affection?
Too strange.
The beauty trap… really was too effective…
Kokomi's behavior left Victor Wang completely bewildered. He lay awake the entire night, turning it over and over in his mind, until morning came and dark circles had settled beneath his eyes. Thankfully, his mask hid them well enough.
"Morning!"
"Morning."
Paimon and Lumine, as lively as ever, joined him. Together, the three headed to the front of the Coral Palace.
Tsuyuko was already there, standing atop the great coral formation above the swirling whirlpool of Watatsumi Island. "The time for unsealing has come," she announced. "Please take out the Key of the Moon-Bathed Deep I gave you before."
Paimon muttered the name under her breath, grimaced, and frowned. "Ugh, that name sounds so wrong. Say it again."
Tsuyuko smiled faintly. "Key of the Moon-Bathed Deep."
Paimon clenched her right fist into her left palm. "Say it three more times."
Tsuyuko humored her. "Key of the Moon-Bathed Deep, Key of the Moon-Bathed Deep, K— ow! Bit my tongue!"
"See? Told you the name's cursed! You should totally change it."
"Even if we did, it'd only benefit people centuries from now," Tsuyuko sighed. "For now, just bear with it. Anyway, I'll begin the ritual."
She clasped her hands and began to pray. Beneath her, the whirlpool's rotation grew faster and faster, until a shining vortex of light formed at its center.
"It's unfortunate," Tsuyuko continued, "but we have no information about the trials awaiting you in Enkanomiya. From this point on, you'll be on your own. But no matter what happens, your safety comes first. Please… take care."
Her tone carried the weight of a farewell.
"So… what now?" Paimon asked, scratching her head. "Do we just… jump in?"
The whirlpool below was enormous—and more than a little terrifying.
"Yes," Tsuyuko said with a nod. "Entering Enkanomiya should not be dangerous." Then, after a short pause, she added slyly, "But if you're too afraid to jump, I could give you a little push."
"Hey! I can fly, you know?"
"Y-you can?!"
"What do you mean 'you can?!'" Paimon snapped, puffing up indignantly. "Have I ever not been flying this whole time?"
"Heh-heh…" Tsuyuko chuckled weakly.
"I'll go first," Victor said. With his ability to breathe underwater, he dove straight in.
The whirlpool swallowed him whole. Water engulfed his body as he sank deeper and deeper—the light above fading until only the glowing vortex below remained visible.
After descending further, it felt as though he broke through some invisible barrier. Suddenly, the water vanished, gravity returned, and far below lay a deep chamber with a still pool at its center.
He landed safely, quickly activated the teleport waypoint nearby, and looked up—just in time to see Lumine descending after him. Only Paimon remained above.
"I'll go back up for her."
Victor flew upward again, passing through the illusory water layer that separated Enkanomiya from Watatsumi, and emerged back on the island's surface.
"Well? How is it?" Paimon asked eagerly.
"It's a vast space, but safe enough," he reported. "Just be ready to start gliding before you hit the bottom."
"Got it! Treasure, here I come!"
Once the three of them had dried off their clothes with elemental power, their journey into Enkanomiya officially began.
"So, this is Enkanomiya? Looks more like a giant underground cavern to me," Paimon said, unimpressed.
"Look closer," Lumine replied, pointing ahead. "See those massive, uneven pillars with flowers blooming on top—or none at all?"
"Wait… you mean—those are bones?!"
"Most likely. Let's take a closer look."
They approached, and sure enough—the pillars were ancient bones, petrified into stone.
"They're huge! As big as those on Yashiori Island! Too bad they've turned completely to stone. The bones on Yashiori at least still yield valuable crystallized marrow…" Paimon sighed dramatically.
Half of their motivation for coming was treasure-hunting, after all. With no profits in sight, Paimon was clearly disappointed.
Victor, meanwhile, was lost in thought. Those massive bones—topped with blossoms known as Dragonbone Flowers—were most likely actual dragon remains. The creature had died long before Orobashi's fall here, perhaps even before the Year of Burning Ashes. No wonder its power had long since faded.
Yet they weren't entirely worthless. According to old Byakuyakoku lore, by watering these dragon bones with Waters of the Forgetting River, one could cultivate Dragonbone Flower Pearls—fragrant crystals said to soothe the mind and ease sorrow… essentially, a mild hallucinogen.
Sold outside, one Dragonbone Pearl could fetch 80,000 Mora. With endless flowers and an infinite supply of Forgetting River water, it could be a limitless, cost-free business.
But given the side effects… probably best not to start that kind of trade.
"Hey, come look at this! There's a notebook under this bone!" Paimon called out.
Victor and Lumine came over. Paimon began reading aloud from the legible parts:
"This time, I traveled with the hero chosen by Watatsumi…"
"We discovered that the Bathysmal Vishaps all dwell here…"
"But the clerk from the Coral Palace told us not to harm them—after all, the food offerings thrown into the Moon-Bathed Deep were always meant to feed them…"
"He said they pose no threat to humans anymore, and that we should return Enkanomiya to them."
When she finished, she blinked in surprise. "Wait, what? So Watatsumi Island and the dragon lizards were friends?"
The Vishaps were everywhere in these ruins. Without this note, they might have attacked them on sight.
Lumine frowned in thought. "Why didn't anyone tell us about this?"
"It's gotta be that clerk's fault!" Paimon declared. "Tsuyuko totally forgot to mention it! And back then, every hero had an attendant clerk—but we didn't! We should go back up and drag her down here!"
While Paimon flailed in outrage, Lumine was still mulling it over. She turned to Victor. "What do you think?"
Victor was thoughtful for a moment before replying with something seemingly unrelated. "The one who wrote this note wasn't a Watatsumi hero… or a Coral Palace clerk. I wonder who they were? But, well—whoever it was, they've been dead for centuries. Doesn't matter anymore."
"Right…" Lumine agreed. "What we need to decide is how to handle the Vishaps—and what they meant by 'return Enkanomiya to them.' But since we're not here to deal with Vishaps anyway, let's just avoid unnecessary fights for now. When we rest, I'll teleport back to ask Tsuyuko about it."
Victor nodded. Given the Vishaps' intelligence—and Tsumi's existence—he agreed completely.
After a long stretch of walking through silent ruins, the trio reached a massive, shattered stone gate. Beyond it, the path ended.
"Key sigils!" Paimon pointed excitedly. "Those five symbols on the gate match the ones Tsuyuko mentioned! We probably need to activate them to open the way!"
A short and simple puzzle later, the road ahead revealed itself—leading straight into the ancient realm of Byakuyakoku.
At the end stood another grand door. They offered up the Key of the Moon-Bathed Deep, and with a thunderous rumble, the gate swung open.
Though buried deep beneath the earth where sunlight could never reach, what lay beyond was vast, bright, and white as day—
The Nation of Byakuyakoku.