"As for that Sustainer of Heavenly Principles…"
"We've already ruled out three candidates—the Anemo Archon, the Geo Archon, and the ancient god Guixu."
Paimon spread her hands as she spoke to Lumine.
Based on everything they knew so far, the Sustainer might not even be one of the Seven, so Guixu had naturally been included in their considerations.
"Mm. Our next destination is Inazuma."
"Let's go meet the Electro Archon. For now, we should figure out how to get there."
Lumine nodded.
With that, the two set off toward Liyue Harbor.
At the same time, Xuehua's screen displayed the prompt:
Interlude Quest — "The Leaves Drift in the Autumn Wind" has begun.
The next morning, Lumine and Paimon went to find Atsuko—an Inazuman who had managed to leave the nation.
According to her, she escaped Inazuma on a small raft she built herself. With storms ahead and pursuers behind, she drifted at sea for days. After running out of food and water, she lost consciousness.
When she woke up, she had already been rescued by people from Liyue. She believed it was nothing short of divine protection that allowed her to survive.
She explained that she left Inazuma because the atmosphere there was suffocating—tense and oppressive. Every movement required strict approval from the Kanjou Commission, something she simply couldn't endure.
From her explanations, Lumine and Paimon learned that the Kanjou Commission was one of the governing bodies of Inazuma—part of the Tri-Commission, similar to Liyue's Qixing and administrative offices.
The Vision Hunt Decree, meanwhile, was enforced by the Tenryou Commission. They acted as the Raiden Shogun's agents—loyal and merciless.
They also learned that violent storms constantly raged across the seas surrounding Inazuma. Even if one managed to break through them, they would still have to evade the samurai enforcing the Sakoku Decree.
And even after overcoming all that, reaching Ritou—the port designated for foreign visitors—wasn't enough. Without proper documentation, outsiders would still be expelled.
Although Ritou existed to facilitate trade and information flow, ordinary people had no way of obtaining the required permits.
However, there was one possible solution.
The Crux Fleet.
A renowned fleet from Liyue that sailed the seas year-round. If anyone knew how to bypass the storms, it would be them.
With no other viable options, Lumine and Paimon decided to seek out the fleet's leader—Beidou.
Her flagship, the Alcor, was currently docked near Guyun Stone Forest for resupply.
After some time, they arrived at Guyun Stone Forest.
There, they met Captain Beidou—and a young man named Kaedehara Kazuha.
Beidou was hosting a martial arts tournament—the Crux Clash.
There were two key conditions for participation.
First, participants had to be skilled fighters—not mere amateurs joining for fun.
Second, they could not possess a Vision, as that would create an unfair advantage.
The prize was a masterless Vision.
This Vision had been provided by Kazuha.
If the winner could awaken it, it would become theirs.
Beidou believed that anyone capable of reigniting a Vision must be a true powerhouse, which was why she organized the tournament.
Lumine stated that she didn't need a Vision—she only wanted passage to Inazuma.
Beidou readily agreed.
If Lumine won, she could choose between the Vision or a ticket aboard the Alcor.
After all, Lumine had defeated a Fatui Harbinger and helped repel an ancient god in Liyue—her reputation alone was enough to draw attention to the tournament.
Her participation would only make things more exciting.
Beidou's straightforward attitude left Lumine surprised.
Lumine decided to give it a try and prepared to register.
At that moment, Kazuha added a few cryptic remarks of his own.
"Wait—we forgot about Qiu Nian!"
Just as Paimon was about to leave with Lumine, she suddenly remembered.
"That's right—Qiu Nian!"
Lumine froze for a moment, then nodded.
"So we're going to see him again?!"
Xuehua, dressed in her Qinglan cosplay, took a sip of milk tea and spoke excitedly.
It had been several days since she last saw him.
[If Guixu joins, who could even win?]
[You know… he doesn't even have a Vision (facepalm)]
[We're finally seeing him again!]
"Qiu Nian…"
"That name sounds familiar…"
Beidou frowned slightly.
"He's a consultant from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, right?"
"I remember—one of my crew got into trouble at sea before, and it was that Mr. Qiu Nian who handled things."
She placed her hands on her hips.
"That's him!"
Paimon nodded eagerly.
"We want him to come to Inazuma with us."
Lumine said seriously.
"I'll admit—he's refined, knowledgeable, and well-known."
"But his reputation… isn't for martial skill, is it?"
Beidou asked curiously.
Lumine and Paimon exchanged a glance.
Thinking back to his battle against the God of Obscuration, their expressions became rather strange.
["Not known for martial skill"]
[Matching Zhongli is impressive enough, isn't it? (laughing)]
"Qiu Nian is our friend."
"He may not have a Vision, but his combat ability is definitely not below mine."
Lumine assured her.
"…Alright, if you say so."
"Then let Mr. Qiu Nian join the tournament as well."
Beidou smiled and nodded.
"But there's only one winner."
"Whether it's Lumine or Qiu Nian, there's still only one ticket to Inazuma, right?"
Paimon asked.
"No problem."
"The Alcor is huge—one more person won't make a difference."
Beidou waved it off.
"As long as Mr. Qiu Nian places second in the tournament…"
"What's one extra ticket?"
She crossed her arms confidently.
"That's great! Then everything's settled!"
"Let's go get Qiu Nian!"
Paimon turned to Lumine, bouncing with excitement.
"You seem very confident in that consultant."
"No need to go yourselves."
Beidou called over a sailor and instructed him to fetch Qiu Nian from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
The sailor nodded and headed off immediately.
"Alright, I've sent someone to invite him."
"You two should go check out the tournament first."
"It's quite a distance from Liyue Harbor—he won't be here right away."
Beidou said as she turned back to them.
Enjoyed these chapters? Access advanced chapters and exclusive content by visiting my Patreon. https://patreon.com/WillOFD129?