The Ritou mushroom feast stretched two days, a marathon of flavors broken only by eight hours of sleep. By the end, even Reisen Riou, despite his youkai stamina, grew weary of the relentless parade of mushrooms. Each dish, though masterfully crafted, blurred into taste fatigue—especially the final courses, ones he often cooked himself. Bona, however, savored every bite, lost in a serene illusion woven by the chefs' artistry. Though the mushrooms' hallucinogenic toxins were purged, their flavors conjured a tranquil dreamscape. Most of the feast was discreetly ferried to Tenshukaku for Raiden Makoto and the others, who relished it under the guise of Reisen Riou's "household," a cover to shield their divine identities. The chefs, unaware of the difference between regular samurai and Narukami's elite Okuzumeshu, didn't bat an eye. Lucky for Reisen Riou—Bona, familiar with Kusanali's illusion spells, might've sniffed out the truth with his sharp logic if anything seemed off. Fortunately, he knew of the Okuzumeshu but not their specifics.
"Time to revisit Ritou?" Reisen Riou said, signaling a chef to arrange a ship. "Let's head out."
"Thanks to you, I haven't sailed in years," he griped to Bona, grinning. "Last time was post-Seven Archons' Banquet."
"Sailing's not bad," Bona replied, gazing at the misty sea from Ritou's docks. "Feet on the ground—or deck—show you what desks hide. As Grand Sage, I lost that grounded view."
"Flew higher, saw farther, didn't you? 'Far-Seeing Wisdom,'" Reisen Riou teased. Status shifts cost something but gave plenty; only the person knew the balance.
"Flattered by 'Distant Wisdom' himself," Bona chuckled, referencing Reisen Riou's Sumeru title. "Who even spread that?"
"Scholars," Reisen Riou sighed. "Bunch of gossips."
In Sumeru, titles were rare, marking exceptional figures. Basic ones tagged names or clans for quirks or virtues. Higher titles, like Reisen Riou's, were unique, lifelong, and carried clout—nobody dared cross a titleholder. The highest, reserved for sages, often followed the "Wisdom of X" format. Reisen Riou's old Sumeru monikers—"Thesis Format Pioneer," "Demon"—faded as scholars he'd mentored returned, whispering of a mind rivaling sages in distant Inazuma. Thus, "Distant Wisdom" spread, quietly endorsed by the Six Sages, then carried to Inazuma by visiting scholars. Their letters, addressing him as "Honored Distant Wisdom, Sumeru Honorary Scholar, Lord Reisen Riou," made his skin crawl with their formality.
Talk flowed, and with a tailwind, they reached Ritou by evening. "This place has boomed," Bona marveled, eyeing the vibrant streets. Unlike Ritou's busy but tense port, Ritou's people radiated ambition, their spirits high. "The magistrate's office is all that's left of the old days."
"It's no magistrate's office now," Reisen Riou said, greeting samurai at the building. "It's the Ritou Shrine's outpost." Granted as a fief to him and Reisen Anko, they managed it remotely via One System, Ten Thousand Minds. Their reputation—Reisen Riou's cunning diplomacy and Anko's terrifying blade, once seen cleaving a forest in a single slash—kept dissenters in check. Even top Vision-wielding samurai admitted they couldn't match her. The nominal leader, the mountain spirit, was still training at the Grand Narukami Shrine.
"Here's your old hydrology station," Reisen Riou said, pointing to a lighthouse. Expanded into a key fishery and water research hub, it still used Sumeru-bought instruments from Bona's channels. "Well-kept, right?"
"Brings back memories," Bona said, standing atop the lighthouse, gazing at the dark sea. The sixty-year-old beacon still guided ships, much like Bona himself—nearing ninety, retiring only when he couldn't go on. "I remember my father warning me against coming here, citing pirates. Old age makes you dwell on the past. Sorry, brother."
Reisen Riou laughed. "No worries. I get it." His subordinate, Tenmoku Uji, often rambled about bygone days, lost in nostalgia's grip.