The old man smiled and looked carefully at the two travelers.
"You two must be heading to Inazuma City, right?"
Paimon quickly nodded.
"That's right! Sir, do you know where the Komore Teahouse is?"
"Komore Teahouse?"
The old man looked slightly surprised. That was not a place ordinary people could enter.
It was one of the most famous high-class establishments in Inazuma, and only those with permission were allowed inside.
"You two… are guests of the Kamisato family of the Yashiro Commission?"
He looked at them again with a new perspective before continuing.
"The Komore Teahouse is located in one of the best scenic spots in Inazuma City. Once you enter the city, you can ask anyone and they'll surely point you in the right direction."
"Wow, it sounds like an incredible place," Paimon said excitedly.
She was eager to see what a luxurious Inazuma venue looked like.
Back in Liyue there was the Yanshang Teahouse, but she had been chased away before she could get close, which had always been a disappointment.
"Hehe. If you want to go to Inazuma City, you must pass through Konda Village first. I'm actually a villager from there," the old man said kindly.
"You two seem unfamiliar with this place. Why not walk with me? I can tell you more about Inazuma along the way."
"Thank you very much, sir," Lumine replied politely.
They followed him along the road.
The scenery along the way was beautiful. The wind bent the tall grass, golden wheat fields stretched across the land, and scarecrows stood quietly among the crops.
Before long, more travelers began appearing on the road.
During their conversation, Lumine learned that the old man's name was Yasuda. He used to work for the Tenryou Commission, but after retirement he spent his days wandering around, enjoying nature, watching birds, playing with cats and dogs, and admiring the scenery.
"When I was young, I never appreciated beautiful views and always rushed around. Now that I'm old, I just want to enjoy life peacefully," Yasuda said with a sigh.
He continued explaining Inazuma to them.
"If you take the northern road from Konda Village, you'll reach the path leading to Grand Narukami Shrine on Mt. Yougou. Many outsiders go there to draw fortune slips. You two could try it too—it's very accurate."
"Another road leads to Chinju Forest, where many bake-danuki live. Be careful if you pass through there. They won't hurt people, but they do enjoy playing tricks."
"You asked why the shrine's fortune slips are so accurate?" Yasuda chuckled.
"They were set up by the current Divine Priestess of the Hakushin Fox Clan, inheriting the tradition from the former Saiguu. Of course they're accurate."
They chatted all the way to Konda Village, and when they finally left the village, the kind old man even gave them a bag of fruit.
By then, Lumine had already gained a basic understanding of Inazuma.
After passing through Konda Village and walking for about another hour, a huge and magnificent city appeared before them.
Because it was built on an island, its layout was completely different from Mondstadt or Liyue.
Even before entering the city, they could see many towering Sakura trees, vegetable fields along the roadside, and large sacred stones tied with thick ritual ropes.
Looking ahead, wooden houses were neatly arranged everywhere. In the center stood slowly turning waterwheels, surrounded by clusters of purple hydrangeas that gave the city a unique charm.
Accompanied by the distant barking of dogs, Lumine and Paimon passed through the outer area and entered Inazuma City.
Following Yasuda's advice, they asked a few locals and soon found the location of the Komore Teahouse.
"This should be the place, right?" Paimon whispered.
The teahouse was elegant and beautifully decorated—the most eye-catching building on the street.
People passing by stared at them, as if watching a joke.
After all, many people had previously tried to enter the teahouse without permission. Even wealthy or noble guests had been "politely" turned away.
It made people wonder about the influence of the teahouse's owner.
Seeing the two peeking suspiciously inside, a staff member stepped out.
"This place does not receive ordinary guests. Please leave," she said calmly.
"Wait! We have an invitation!" Paimon quickly shouted.
She urged Lumine to take out the invitation.
The staff member, a beautiful young woman wearing a kimono decorated with snowflake patterns, examined the invitation carefully.
When she saw the seal of the Yashiro Commission, her expression changed slightly.
"So you are guests of Mr. Thoma. Please come in. Welcome to the Komore Teahouse, a small refuge of the Yashiro Commission."
Under her guidance, Lumine and Paimon entered the teahouse while passersby stared in surprise.
Inside, Thoma was already waiting.
"Welcome. We meet again," Thoma said with a smile.
"I must say, you left Ritou faster than I expected."
Paimon puffed her cheeks in annoyance.
"You! You were relaxing here while we had to figure out how to leave Ritou ourselves! If you don't have a good explanation, I won't forgive you!"
"Ah… about that," Thoma said apologetically.
"Please allow me to sincerely apologize. The previous trial was necessary. It determines whether we can become companions who face the lightning together."
At this point, his expression became serious.
Lumine also realized something important.
So they truly intended to stand against the Raiden Shogun.
For such a major matter, it was no wonder the famous Shirasagi Princess had been extremely cautious.
Since Lumine had passed the test, she had likely become an important part of their plan.
"Then you should be able to take me to meet this so-called Shirasagi Princess now, right?" Lumine asked calmly.
"Of course," Thoma replied.
"But before that, I'd like you to come with me to one place."
"A place?"
"Yes. The Statue of the Thousand-Armed, Hundred-Eyed God. Let's go."
Lumine's expression grew serious.
She had already heard about it in Ritou.
Because of the Vision Hunt Decree, confiscated Visions were embedded into that statue.
Just as Mondstadt represented freedom and Liyue represented contracts, Inazuma was known as the nation of eternity.
To achieve an eternity that would last forever, the Shogun wished to keep Inazuma unchanged—allowing time to flow past it while the nation itself remained still.
For this purpose, she relied on the Three Commissions to maintain political order and implemented the Sakoku Decree to isolate the country.
According to many Inazumans, the reason for the Vision Hunt Decree was that Visions bring the power of change, and such instability could not be tolerated within the Shogun's idea of eternity.
Therefore, the Statue of the Thousand-Armed, Hundred-Eyed God, located near the headquarters of the Tenryou Commission, had become a symbol of Inazuma's eternal ideal.