In the end, Isshin Ashina left a letter behind, formally entrusting the nation to Genichiro Ashina. As for his foster daughter, Emma, she naturally followed him toward the celestial realm.
Venti tucked the two of them safely into his Serenitea Pot, muttering to himself, "This should be a sufficient haul, right?" There wasn't much else left to scavenge. As the mission timer hit its final seconds, Venti's body began to fade, whisking him back to the world of Teyvat.
Upon his return, Paimon and Lumine were waiting with festive streamers.
Pop! Pop!
"Welcome back!"
"Who knew a tone-deaf bard like you could actually be that strong?" Paimon teased.
Venti chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Ehe, I am a Wind God, after all. Besides, the aura from the World Tree has been helping me; my strength is slowly returning to its peak. Here, take this Serenitea Pot. You can distribute the treasures inside as you see fit. I'm off to find a drink—today was quite the workout!"
With the work done, his mind immediately turned to wine. Xiao, standing nearby, offered a rare smile. "Then allow me to join you. It would be my honor to accompany you."
"Of course! Good wine is always better with a friend. I managed to 'borrow' quite a few jugs from Ashina. Hehe..." Venti pulled a flask from his hip, his face beaming. He might forget the big things, but he never missed a chance for a little opportunistic thievery.
Xiao's eyes lit up. "Wine from another world?"
"Indeed, several kinds! I helped them out so much, I figured a bit of their local brew was fair payment. Let's go!"
The two walked out toward the edge of the Jade Chamber, settling down with some side dishes. Truth be told, Ashina's sake was rough and scorched the throat, but it carried a specific flavor: desolation and high-mindedness. It was a drink meant for those who stood alone at the peak.
Venti sat beneath a tree, sighing contentedly. "This wine is a bit unrefined, but its true depth can only be tasted by those who truly know the bottle."
"Indeed," Xiao replied, nodding as he ate a piece of dried tofu. "It is a drink for heroes."
Meanwhile, inside the meeting room, Yae Miko was practically vibrating with excitement. She desperately wanted to move the Fountainhead Palace to Mt. Yougou so she could enjoy it personally.
However, Hanachirusato interjected, "If you put it on Mt. Yougou, you won't even be able to cultivate properly. It's far more logical to keep it here as part of the Secret Realm. Think about it—we have Weather Island, Kunlun, Emei, and now the Fountainhead Palace. It's becoming a supreme sanctuary. I noticed during the broadcast that it contains spirit springs, and they've already been purified by the Blood Lotus. Moving it to Mt. Yougou would be a waste of its potential."
"But... I'm tired of looking at the same old Narukami Shrine every day," Miko pouted.
"How about this, Miko," Raiden Ei said, always soft-hearted toward her best friend. "I'll have people renovate the shrine for you. We can adopt the style of the Fountainhead Palace, move some surrounding peaks, and expand the overall area of Mt. Yougou. How does that sound?"
Miko sighed but eventually nodded. "Fine... but you have to promise the Narukami Shrine will become truly beautiful."
"Don't worry. I'll fund it personally. It will be magnificent," Ei promised. With Inazuma's tax revenue soaring and the treasury overflowing, a massive expansion of the shrine was a small price to pay. Besides, every craftsman in the nation would likely work for free just for the prestige of building for the Shogun.
With the logistics settled, Ningguang smiled. "In that case, let's release the Fountainhead Palace and take a walk through it. We didn't get to see all the details during the broadcast."
"Let's do it!"
Su Han led the way out with the Serenitea Pot. The Jade Chamber's surrounding peaks were currently missing one final piece, and the Fountainhead Palace was placed perfectly in that vacant corner. Using the power of the Gravity Fruit, the palace descended like a massive jigsaw piece. Su Han adjusted the Secret Realm's control panel, permanently anchoring the giant mountain mass.
In the world of Sekiro, the Divine Dragon's final strike had shattered a portion of the palace, and the guards and vermin had been swept away by the deluge. Now, the celestial realm was silent, containing only broken architecture and the newly purified spirit springs.
The group walked along the vermilion bridges, admiring the scenery. The beauty of the Fountainhead Palace was staggering, though it felt slightly empty since Venti had uprooted the massive Sacred Sakura.
Yoimiya, acting as the group's resident documentarian, was already filming with her camera. She had already decided on a title for the video to be broadcast that evening: Travels in the Celestial Realm: Fountainhead Palace.
"Su Han... what about the Sakura? That giant tree?" Paimon asked, floating in a circle. "It feels like something is missing without it."
Su Han shook his head. "Unfortunately, that tree was a product of the Divine Dragon's corruption. When the dragon died, the tree perished with it."
It was a shame, as he also loved the aesthetic of the giant Sakura. But the tree had been nothing more than a parasite used by the dragon to drain the earth. When the host died, the branches followed.
Hanachirusato, standing nearby, suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She pulled Su Han aside and whispered urgently.
"Do you think this would work?"
"It's possible. I'll give it a try."
Facing the confused expressions of the others, Su Han smiled. "Wait here. I'm going to go find us some cherry blossoms."
Using the power of the Meido, he opened a spatial gate and vanished.
Su Han reappeared directly in front of the Sacred Sakura at the Narukami Shrine. He walked up to the tree and pressed his hand against the bark, projecting his consciousness inside.
He found Raiden Makoto lying in a bed of flowers, fast asleep.
"Hey... wake up."
"Ah!" Makoto sat up, rubbing her bleary eyes. She was wearing a pair of cute rabbit pajamas and looked absolutely adorable. "Oh, it's just you. I thought someone was coming to feed me."
Su Han got straight to the point. "I have a question. Is it possible for you to create a graft of the Sacred Sakura? I want to move a part of you to another location."
He explained the situation with the Fountainhead Palace, noting that moving her there would be just as effective as staying here. While the shrine had the ley lines, the Fountainhead Palace was a localized Secret Realm with even denser spiritual energy. Plus, he had the Divine Dragon's soul fragments to nourish her.
The former Raiden Shogun blinked, then smirked. "You just want to be able to talk to me every day, don't you?"
"I'm being serious. It's a treasure of a location."
"Mhm, I know. Your idea is feasible, but grafting the Sacred Sakura consumes a significant amount of spiritual energy. You'll have to compensate me with something good, or I'm not budging."
The importance of the Sacred Sakura to Inazuma was undeniable. Moving it could cause issues if not handled carefully, so Makoto had to ensure the foundation remained unshaken.
"That's easy." Su Han brought out the Spirit Vein ore he had exchanged earlier. It was more than enough to nourish the tree.
Makoto nodded, satisfied. "Fine. Step outside for a moment while I use my power to create the graft."
Su Han returned to the physical world. A moment later, the Sacred Sakura began to glow with a brilliant light. Within a minute, a radiant branch flew out from the trunk. Though the tree looked slightly weakened, the infusion of the Spirit Vein and the protection of the existing ley lines kept it stable.
Armed with the seed of a legend, Su Han returned to the Fountainhead Palace. He walked to the spirit springs at the summit and planted the branch containing Makoto's essence.
The spring was rich with primal power. The small branch drank greedily and began to grow at a visible rate. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a massive, towering Sakura tree. Su Han then drew the Tessaiga, purified the Divine Dragon's soul fragments, and injected them into the new tree.
With the surge of soul energy, the Sacred Sakura graft bloomed with unparalleled vibrancy. Its roots spread through the palace, and soon, the withered blossoms across the mountain were replaced by the eternal, glowing petals of the Sacred Sakura.
Paimon looked up at the blossoming canopy in shock. "Su Han brought the Sacred Sakura here?"
This tree, rich with Electro energy, was far superior to the common blossoms that preceded it.
"It seems so," Raiden Ei said with a gentle smile. "Though it's a graft rather than the original tree, he clearly put a lot of heart into this."
Within half an hour, the Fountainhead Palace was reborn in a sea of pink petals.
"This looks much better," Hanachirusato laughed. "Once we have the servants clean up the ruins, we can turn this into our favorite cultivation retreat."
The group shared a collective smile. It seemed that "liberating" the Fountainhead Palace had definitely been the right move.
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