Paimon added, "Also, we fought the Raiden Shogun and took away the holder of one hundred Visions. We're still being hunted by the Shogunate army now... That's why we ended up here."
Gorou fell into thought. "Come to think of it, during recent operations, I do recall seeing wanted posters on some Shogunate soldiers. A blonde traveler and a mysterious floating pet... that's you two?"
Paimon was clearly offended. "I am not a pet."
[Furina: Speaking of which, Paimon is truly amazing. No wings, yet just floating there in mid-air.]
[Zhongli: Not long ago, Paimon also stood in front of Lumine, facing the Musou no Hitotachi directly.]
[Yae Miko: Inazuma has countless types of yokai. But I've never seen anything as amazing as Paimon.]
[Ningguang: A crown upon her head, adorned with stars... Could Paimon be some incredible, important figure?]
[Paimon: What are you all saying? Paimon is just Paimon!]
[Venti: I imagine it must be the power of wind.]
[Zhongli: Generally speaking, mastering the power of wind is indeed a very suitable explanation.]
[Lumine: So... is Paimon actually a wind spirit?]
Gorou said, "My apologies. I understand your situation now. On behalf of the resistance, I officially welcome you both."
"Lady Sangonomiya is currently away from the resistance camp. We don't know where she went, but before leaving, she instructed us to carry on as usual."
"I was thinking... let Teppei show you around the resistance first, then perhaps we could ask you to support us on the front lines. Does that work?"
Lumine nodded. "No problem. For the resistance."
Teppei added, "No problem for me either! I used to be in the logistics division, so I'm very familiar with this sort of thing. I'll make sure you both feel the warmth of our resistance!"
With that, he gestured. "First, let's visit the injured soldiers' camp. I have some friends lying there. Last time, I promised them that if we got new members, I'd introduce you. That way, we'll all be comrades fighting side by side from now on."
Lumine followed him to the infirmary.
Several soldiers spotted Lumine and greeted her warmly.
Tokuta asked, "Is this our new teammate?"
Shouji added, "Looks pretty strong. When my injuries heal, we should have a sparring match."
Tokuta shrugged, looking at Shouji. "Why would you pick a fight with a newcomer right away? Besides, with those injuries, you won't be healed for at least ten days or half a month."
He then turned to Teppei. "Teppei, did you bring her here? How are things on the front lines for you?"
Teppei replied without modesty. "Even though the Shogunate army is tougher than we thought, I still played a huge role! When they surged forward like a tidal wave, I didn't flinch. I drew my sword and single-handedly held off three or four Shogunate samurai!"
[Furina: Hahaha, that's quite the exaggeration! He was getting beaten black and blue by those samurai!]
[Paimon: Even foreign gods can be put on trial.]
[Lumine: That jab was ruthless.]
[Ningguang: Furina's actions were necessary performances to gain the people's trust.]
[Keqing: Although... I did want to laugh at the time too.]
[Yae Miko: My, my, Paimon's tongue is getting sharper. She's left Furina speechless.]
[Furina: I am not!]
[Arataki Itto: Another legendary embarrassing moment, recorded for history!]
Shouji looked impressed. "Not bad, kid! When did you get so strong?"
Teppei then turned to Lumine. "And this one's even more incredible! Just when I was about to exhaust and retreat, she suddenly appeared and took them down! Those few Shogunate samurai were no match for her at all."
"I heard she also disrupted the ceremony for the hundredth Vision and even the Raiden Shogun couldn't do much to stop her!"
Tokuta praised sincerely, "You two are amazing!"
"But... I can believe the rest. Her fighting the Raiden Shogun head-on? Isn't that a bit much? Have you never heard of the Musou no Hitotachi?"
"Regardless, I was starting to worry. Lately we've been losing more than winning. Can we really hold out? But now, seeing how reliable both the newcomer and Teppei are, I need to recover quickly and get back to the front lines!"
Shouji crossed his arms, looking at Tokuta. "Your mindset is clearly lacking. I've been training even while injured! Even though my wounds reopened yesterday..."
Teppei asked with concern, "Need me to find you some yam? I came across a folk remedy recently. Grind some Onikabuto into powder, mix it into a special medicine. They say it feels cool when applied and speeds up healing."
Shouji was delighted. "I'll take some! Thanks!"
Tokuta was skeptical. "Sounds a bit strange to me. Wouldn't Lavender Melon work fine? But I'll leave it to you to decide."
With Lumine's help, Teppei quickly prepared the medicine, and it proved effective when tested.
Afterwards, Lumine and Paimon headed to the training ground.
Soldiers at the training ground were practicing archery. One shot missed completely. Masaji clutched his head in frustration. "Ugh, missed again. This is painful."
"I just mentioned, I shot ten arrows, and only one..."
Kyuuin continued, "Only one hit the bullseye?"
Masaji replied sheepishly, "Only one hit the target at all."
[Keqing: Even a new recruit fresh to the Millelith wouldn't shoot this poorly during training.]
[Ningguang: Indeed. They seem like ordinary villagers, probably unable to pass the Millelith entrance exam. It appears the resistance is truly desperate for manpower and can't be picky about quality.]
[Lumine: Amazing. You deduced all that from just this. Truly a Liyue Qixing.]
[Ningguang: Millelith deployments are handled by Keqing and me, so I'm naturally more familiar with such matters.]
[Lumine: So... does that mean the resistance will fail soon?]
[Ningguang: It's not impossible. But as long as their conviction remains, they can persevere.]
[Paimon: But the Shogun is so powerful! If she personally intervenes, the resistance can't possibly win, right?]
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: No. If the Shogun intervenes, we've already won. Our goal in fighting the Shogunate army is to confront the Shogun directly, to make her see our burning wishes and change her mind. To do that, we first need to defeat the Shogunate army.]
[Paimon: Oh, I see!]
[Kamisato Ayaka: I see!]
[Thoma: I see!]
Kyuuin remarked, "That's rough. But judging from these past few days, simple repetition isn't enough to improve archery skills."
"I thought drawing, aiming, and releasing would be a smooth process with no difficulty. Turns out I underestimated it. At this rate, who knows when we'll be ready for the battlefield. We'll just have to wait for the next instructor and ask for guidance."
Masaji sighed. "But supplies are tight lately. All the skilled instructors are supporting the front lines. We're stuck training on our own here. At this rate, will we ever become proper resistance soldiers?"
"I heard your troubles!"
Teppei's voice came from behind them.
The newcomers quickly turned. "Senior Teppei!"
Teppei said, "That's right! I came to introduce a newcomer. On the front lines, she single-handedly took down three or four Shogunate samurai without breaking a sweat! She also stopped the hundredth Vision hunt ceremony and survived an encounter with the Raiden Shogun!"
As Teppei praised her, Lumine put her hands on her hips and struck a smug pose.
[Paimon: Lumine can make expressions like that?]
[Kamisato Ayaka: It's... quite cute.]
[Thoma: I think that's Furina's signature pose.]
[Furina: Hey! Don't drag me into everything!]
Masaji was excited. "Really? Then can you teach us archery? We won't take up too much of your time! Just a complete demonstration would help. Previous training sessions were rushed, and it's hard to remember all the techniques."
Kyuuin bowed deeply. "We beg you!"
Lumine dropped the act. "Leave it to me. Watch closely."
With ease, she hit every single target.
Teppei boasted proudly, "See? I told you this newcomer was amazing!"
Masaji said, "Indeed. Now I understand why I couldn't hit."
"My posture isn't standard enough. I'm not strong enough. My grip isn't steady. I didn't account for external factors. Fortunately, aside from all that, there aren't any major problems."
[Keqing: Fortunately, aside from all that, there couldn't possibly be any other problems.]
[Paimon: That is all the problems!]
[Ningguang: At least the resistance isn't sending them to the front lines. That's wise. With their current combat ability, the battlefield would be too dangerous.]
[Keqing: At least three years of training before those two could become qualified soldiers.]
[Paimon: Three years?]
[Keqing: Yes, three years. And they'd have to work exceptionally hard during that time. More effort in peacetime means fewer injuries in critical moments.]
[Paimon: I see...]
Regarding Masaji's statement,
Kyuuin bluntly pointed out, "That's quite a lot of problems already."
"Still, watching that demonstration was very enlightening. At least this time I remember the correct form. As long as we keep working hard in the right direction, we can grow stronger."
"To be honest, before the war, I was just an ordinary person on Watatsumi Island."
"My wife and I lived peacefully. We rarely encountered matters of combat. But after the Vision Hunt Decree was issued, everything changed."
Kyuuin looked somewhat lost and sad. "I couldn't accept what the Shogunate was doing, so I joined the resistance. But I realize now... we have such a long road ahead. Without Visions, without combat talent... can people like us really fight on the battlefield like them?"
"Enough worrying for now. Thank you for your help, both of you. We should get back to practice."
[Keqing: They can do it. With conviction in their hearts, day after day, progress is inevitable.]
[Ningguang: Keqing's achievements today are inseparable from her diligence. Before obtaining her Vision, she was already one of the Qixing.]
[Beidou: Ningguang works hard too. Her Vision appeared after she became a Qixing member.]
[Ningguang: I wasn't particularly talented in business. The wealth I've accumulated came mostly from my willingness to experiment, gathering enough experience from countless failures. Every failure, I analyzed repeatedly, voraciously absorbing lessons. That's how the Ningguang of today came to be.]
[Paimon: So both Keqing and Ningguang are important figures in Liyue, but they didn't rely on Visions or combat talent. They relied on day-by-day hard work.]
[Zhongli: Generally speaking, Paimon has summarized it well.]
[Navia: As for Poisson, I need to work harder too. I'll strive to ensure everyone in Poisson lives a good life.]
[Paimon: Navia, I know you can do it!]
[Navia: Haha! Thank you for the kind words!]
"Bad news! The Shogunate army is attacking!"
A messenger rushed over urgently. "There are still many wounded in camp! We can't let them in! Come help us drive them out!"
Teppei looked incredulous. "How is that possible? They shouldn't be able to reach us here."
He turned to Lumine. "Let's go check it out. This feels like another chance to make my mark!"
Lumine's strength easily dispatched the attacking Shogunate forces.
Teppei fell into thought. "Normally, there are plenty of resistance soldiers patrolling around the camp. The Shogunate shouldn't be able to reach us here."
"Could it be... a traitor? Someone colluding with the Shogunate, feeding them information, deliberately letting them attack the camp? That would explain it!"
"Catching a traitor, protecting the camp... this is my chance to shine!"
[Ningguang: I think I understand now why Teppei couldn't obtain a Vision.]
[Paimon: Why?]
[Teppei: Why?]
[Lumine: Why...]
[Ningguang: Because of ambition. As the archons analyzed before, although Visions are granted by Celestia, they require the ambition to resonate with an archon's ideal. For example, those who obtain Geo Visions all have something they wish to protect—Poisson, or the people of Liyue. But Teppei's ambition is to make a name for himself. Not the extreme pursuit of power, not protecting the people, but seeking praise and recognition. Such an ambition will not resonate with any archon.]
[Paimon: Is that so? How unfortunate for Teppei...]
The messenger disagreed with Teppei's theory. "What are you thinking? I just carefully inspected the area around camp. Part of the wall has collapsed."
"The Shogunate must have used that, climbed over from the nearby cliffs, and entered through the breach."
"Once we repair the wall and assign more guards nearby, this kind of problem should be prevented."
Teppei said, "I see. There's lumber and rope nearby. We can handle the repairs."
Teppei proved experienced in repairs and quickly finished the job.
"All done! That should do it. Those Shogunate bastards could sprout wings and they still wouldn't get in here!"