"It's so strange, the Windblume Festival is already over, but it's still so strange!"
"Strange how?"
"The first strange thing is—why does Victor owe the bard money?!"
"Now that you mention it, that is strange. Staaare—"
Lumine and Paimon both leaned in. For someone to owe Venti money… this was no small matter.
"…That's not important, is it?"
"The second strange thing, since when did Victor and Razor become good friends?"
"As an adventurer, it's normal for me to run into people in the wild. When I found someone trapped in an ancient mechanism and saved him, we naturally became good friends."
Victor Wang remembered Razor being locked inside a mechanism in the Thousand Winds Temple during the Windblume Festival. Fearing that Razor might be left without help because of interference, Victor rescued him personally.
As it turned out, he had been worrying too much… Even though Albert's 'threat letter' had been turned into a 'treasure map' thanks to Victor's guidance, Bennett still ended up guessing wrong, running off alone to the Thousand Winds Temple and falling into the same double-trap fate as Razor. In the end, when Venti noticed Bennett's assignment missing, they still would have been rescued according to the original course of events.
"The third strange thing—during the ceremony to present the Windblume to the Anemo Archon, Captain Jean's attitude toward Victor seemed… strange?"
"…Did it?"
He had only delivered flowers once on Ellin's behalf. Jean hadn't reacted, Ellin hadn't reacted. No reaction was the right outcome. There shouldn't have been any problem… right?
But Lumine nodded at Paimon's comment. "Yes, I noticed it too."
"…That one, I really have no idea what's going on."
"But at least Victor's finally cheered up. Did you find happiness?"
"That was Kaeya spouting nonsense!"
"Hehe!"
The promise to travel with Beidou to Inazuma had already been delayed some time. After passing both the Lantern Rite and the Windblume Festival, the supplies and goods for the voyage were fully prepared, and at last, the day of departure arrived.
After checking out of Wangshu Inn, Victor Wang stepped outside, where Shenhe was already waiting by the roadside, clearly having heard the news in advance.
"Mm… When we first came to Liyue, Katheryne in Mondstadt gave us an introduction letter with a dandelion tucked inside. Paimon, let's ask Liyue's Katheryne if she has anything she wants to entrust to us." Lumine used the excuse to lead Paimon away.
Shenhe opened her mouth as if to speak, but stopped. Seeing this, Victor suggested, "Shall we walk a bit? Sigh, this time I'm really going far away. Who knows how long it will be before I come back."
Clenching her fists, Shenhe gathered her courage, caught up to Victor Wang's stride, and whispered, "Give me a pair of earrings."
"Sure."
They walked toward the marketplace together.
"When I first met you, I thought you were like me. A cave, murderous energy, life hanging by a thread, then bound by a red string. But not long after, I realized we were nothing alike.
"I was very young when I went up the mountain. I stayed there for years. My mother left me. My father abandoned me. Sometimes I thought, this is it—this is my life.
"I even wondered if this murderous aura was my true heart. Because of hate, because of resentment, it manifested. When Master tied the red string on me, all emotion and all murderous energy were suppressed. Then I thought, this is it—this is my life.
"Since I had lost all my kin, I no longer needed those unnecessary emotions. Staying with Master, drinking frost and dew… living out my days like that seemed fine.
"But you resisted the red string so fiercely. That made me curious. Could it be that taking it off… really changes the world?"
She glanced sideways at the person silently walking and listening. Shenhe gathered her long waist-length hair to her chest and brushed her fingers over the simple red cord woven from Silk Flowers.
"It turns out, a world full of emotions truly is different. Friends, family, food, Mora, and you… You are the turning point, and the witness. You may find my words strange, and I do feel a little embarrassed speaking so much on my own, but I still have to ask."
She held out two earrings woven from red cords.
"Will you keep them for me?"
"I already gave you my answer just now."
Clutching the earrings tightly, Victor Wang answered solemnly, "I don't find it strange at all. You don't need to feel embarrassed. I'll gladly be the witness to you removing the red cord."
Shenhe smiled, removing both red strings. No more murderous aura appeared—only a brighter smile.
"As a substitute, what do you think of these earrings?"
The jewelry stall owner only shook his head helplessly. It wasn't anger at Victor picking up goods without asking, but rather remembering how, last time, when Victor came to buy hair ties, the vendor teased that the pretty girl was his girlfriend—and Victor stubbornly denied it.
Was he really wrong to say so?
…
"This weather is perfect for setting sail."
"Haha, Kazuha's sense for weather is unmatched—even I can't help but admire it!" Beidou laughed, then shouted from the stern deck, "Alright, lads, check everything one last time! If all's in order, we depart!"
"Ooohhh!!"
"You youngsters didn't forget anything, did you? Once the Alcor sets sail, we won't be turning back for some silly personal reason!"
"I'm ready."
"We're good too."
"Mm. And by the way, our ship's doctor has some excellent remedies for seasickness—if you're prone, speak up early."
Victor Wang hesitated. "The Alcor is so huge, it should be steady, right?"
"Yeah! It's my first time seeing a ship this big—it feels as large as half the Jade Chamber!"
"Heh, including what's underwater, the Alcor actually matches the Jade Chamber in size."
"Wow?!" Paimon flew a loop around in excitement.
"Hiss… I suddenly thought of something. Paimon is always floating, right? Once we set sail, we're carried by the ship. But is Paimon… flying along with it?"
"Uh… That's a good question. Once we depart, if Lumine hugs me tightly, then I won't have to fly myself, right?"
"Hahaha!"
Beidou's booming laugh was contagious, spreading to the crew until even Paimon felt embarrassed.
"If all's ready, then toward the 'eternal' nation, shrouded in storm and thunder—hoist the sails, set forth!"
The mighty Alcor stirred under the sailors' united efforts. Compared to small boats, it was far steadier, though it sacrificed some speed—not that it was slow.
And so, they departed from Guyun Stone Forest, sailing southeast, tirelessly on and on. Three days passed in a blur.
By the fourth day's dawn, as Victor Wang was still adjusting to life at sea, the Alcor entered a sea of roiling black clouds. The sky, without warning, opened into a torrential downpour. Yet the crew was prepared—this was the manifestation of the Raiden Shogun's will to lock the nation.
The Alcor had a specialized drainage system, and its hatches were sealed tight. Rain would not flood the ship, and thus it would not sink. Still, the sheer volume of rain was troubling. Seasoned sailors constantly measured the depth of water on deck; once it reached a threshold, they called for hands to manually drain it.
The rain did not stop. Then the waves began to rise.
Towering waves several meters high battered them relentlessly. Normally, one might describe attacks as a 'stormy tide'or 'endless waves.' But what the Alcor now faced was a literal 'endless storm.' Any small or mid-sized vessel would capsize within three hits. Only large ships could even attempt to endure.
Here, the Alcor's advantage shone. Rain and wind battered it, but it held steady, immovable as a mountain.
Wrapped in a raincoat, Paimon had originally been cheering for Lumine and Victor Wang as they helped drain water. But the moment she stepped on deck, she froze in awe. "The Alcor is amazing!"
"Haha!"
"Say it louder, we like hearing it!"
"The Alcor is amazing!!!"
The first mate, Juzo, laughed. "Good! Full of spirit. Want to stay and be our shanty caller?"
"Eh-hehe, I'll pass. How long will this rain last? Don't tell me it'll continue all the way to Inazuma?"
"At our speed, we'll be sailing through these black clouds for a full day."
At the bow, Beidou stood unguarded beneath the rain, letting it drench her completely. After answering Paimon, she turned back toward the front, as if waiting.
Soon, a streak of lightning reflected in her crimson eye.
"All hands, be ready—the thunderstorm is coming!"
Victor Wang jolted, staring at the distant sky. Purple lightning danced within the black clouds, and as the Alcor advanced, the thunder grew louder.
Equally seeing Inazuma's storms for the first time, Lumine asked the figure at the bow, "How do we handle it? Do you need help?"
Kazuha shook his head. "We only need to be ready. Leave it to the boss."
"That's right, leave it to the boss."
The crew echoed him with confidence.
The Alcor plunged into the storm. A bolt of lightning, like a whip from the heavens, cracked down.
Amid Paimon's shriek, Beidou raised her great bone-forged claymore and met the lightning head-on, intercepting it midair.
Then came a second, a third… One after another, and each one she cleaved apart. The sight was breathtaking.
When multiple bolts struck at once, a barrier of Electro would flare into existence above the Alcor, blocking the attack before fading swiftly away. Efficiency was maximized, consumption minimized.
"Captain Beidou is this powerful?!" Paimon gaped.
"Of course," a sailor replied with a shrug. "She's Liyue's living legend."
"Slaying a sea monster without even a Vision—I saw it with my own eyes. The blade she holds now, the Serpent Spine, was forged from the spine of Haishan itself!"
It was four hours before the Alcor passed through the storm clouds.
Watching one person duel lightning for four straight hours, Victor Wang was utterly dumbfounded. He had long known Beidou was not to be underestimated, but this… this was another level!
And yet, thinking again—an endless thunderstorm, spanning four hours of sailing for the Alcor, encircling all of Inazuma's outer seas… The Raiden Shogun's might was equally beyond comprehension.
Beyond the thunderstorm, the rain and waves remained, but they had lost their power to stir awe in anyone aboard.
Half a day later, the skies cleared. By the next day, Ritou was in sight.