"The moves you're making are exactly the same as those recorded in the Weiqi manual left by my master."
Changli gazed at the pieces on the board, a fleeting trace of nostalgia flashing in her eyes. The white piece between her fingers was clenched tightly in her palm before she finally placed it back.
"What's wrong?"
Rover noticed Changli had stopped playing and looked up at her. She pursed her lips, then gave a faint smile as she put the board away.
"Everyone, we've arrived. Let's disembark."
Dainsleif walked in from outside, and only then did Rover realize he had been playing chess with Changli for over two hours.
"Don't worry, all the moves have been recorded. If there's time in the future, Changli will definitely play with you again."
Rover's ear tingled as Changli's soft words brushed past him. By the time he snapped out of it, Changli had already left the ship.
"How much do you know about Inazuma?"
Rover stepped onto the soft sandy beach, the cool sea breeze clearing his mind. Now, they had to figure out exactly what was happening on Narukami Island and what plans the Abyss Order was carrying out.
"Not much. I don't concern myself with nations ruled by gods. Right now, we need a local—someone like..."
Before Dainsleif could finish speaking, he raised his hand and grabbed a wooden barrel by the shore.
The floating barrel suddenly shook, emitting sounds it shouldn't have.
"Ahhh, don't eat me! I-I was just passing by..."
A lazy voice tinged with panic rang out as, before everyone's eyes, the barrel transformed into the figure of a child.
Changli studied the child carefully before speaking in a gentle voice.
"Don't be afraid. We're not bad people. We're just travelers who got lost at sea and drifted here. My name is Changli. And yours?"
"Sa... Sayu..."
Sayu glanced at them nervously. Changli shot Dainsleif a meaningful look, and he immediately stepped back, saying nothing more.
"Oh dear, we're strangers here and don't know how to get to Inazuma City. Could you show us the way?"
Seeing Sayu's flustered expression, Changli smiled faintly and continued,
"If your guardian finds you, you can always use the excuse that you were helping lost travelers. How about that?"
Rover stepped forward and added,
"Don't worry, we won't expose the fact that you were slacking off here."
Hearing this, Sayu was stunned. She looked at them in confusion and asked,
"How did you know who I am...?"
Rover raised an eyebrow, and Changli couldn't help but chuckle. In the end, it was Dainsleif who explained.
"Judging by your attire, you likely belong to some underground organization. Combined with your guilty expression earlier, it wasn't hard to guess. By the way, didn't your superiors tell you to hide your Vision in Inazuma?"
At this, Sayu suddenly grew wary. She quickly hid the Vision at her waist. Since the Sakoku Decree was enacted, she had mostly stayed at the shrine—a place the Shogunate's soldiers wouldn't dare barge into for inspections—so she hadn't paid much attention to the Vision Hunt Decree.
But now, Sayu was already thinking of ways to escape.
"You... you're definitely not travelers. No traveler would be this observant!"
However, Changli had already seen through the child's thoughts. She shrugged helplessly.
"Little Sayu, if we really meant you harm, we wouldn't be this polite. Besides..."
Changli glanced at Rover and introduced him.
"His name is Rover, and he's quite famous, you know."
Sayu instinctively backed away from Changli—if nothing else, the way she spoke reminded her far too much of the "bad women" in her memory.
But Changli's words also made Sayu pause to think.
"Rover... Rover... Oh, I think the shrine maiden sister mentioned him before..."
Sayu muttered to herself. The next second, a woman in shrine maiden attire came running over angrily from a distance.
"Sayu! Slacking off again?!"
The familiar voice made Sayu flinch. She immediately hid behind Changli.
"The terrifying shrine maiden sister is here!"
Sayu covered her head with her hands. Rover twitched for a moment before turning to look at the shrine maiden.
"You are... Rover?"
The shrine maiden frowned as soon as she saw Rover, recognizing him instantly.
"Yes, that's me. And you are...?"
The shrine maiden introduced herself.
"Kano Nana. I'm this child's guardian."
Her tone was stern as she immediately spotted Sayu hiding behind them.
"Come here! Stop causing trouble for others."
Changli stepped forward and shook her head, explaining to Kano Nana.
"She hasn't been any trouble. Our group got lost after arriving on Narukami Island and were just hoping this child could guide us to Inazuma City."
Hearing their intentions, Nana's expression softened slightly, but she still pulled Sayu over.
"I'll take you there myself. You are honored guests of Inazuma, after all. But lately, Inazuma City has been in chaos, so it's best if you come to the shrine with me first."
The reason Nana wasn't hostile toward them—and even treated them with respect—was largely due to Rover's considerable reputation.
Having resolved Mondstadt's dragon crisis and slain the demon god that plagued Liyue, his strength and character were beyond reproach. Thus, Nana chose to trust them.
...
"Your attire... matches Thoma's description. Well then, welcome to Komore Teahouse. This is a small sanctuary under the Yashiro Commission's protection."
The teahouse attendant, Kozue, nodded and pushed the door open, signaling for Aether and Paimon to enter quickly.
"It seems you've passed my test and truly made it to Narukami Island."
Thoma had been waiting here for a long time, but seeing only Aether made him pause slightly.
"Give me one good reason why I should help you. Otherwise, forget about Rover—I won't lift a finger either."
After everything that had happened on Ritou, Aether had sorted out his thoughts during the journey. He needed to be cautious with his words and actions.
Thoma knew he was in the wrong, so he spoke up.
"Sorry. It's not that I didn't trust you. I needed to verify whether you lived up to your reputation, because that determines whether I can introduce you to Lady Ayaka and whether we can become... comrades brave enough to face the lightning's glow together."
Aether still shook his head. This wasn't the answer he wanted. The question remained:
Why should he help them unconditionally?
"If that's all you have to say, then let's go, Paimon."
Aether didn't want to hear any more excuses from Thoma. The Vision Hunt Decree was none of his concern.
"Wait!"
Thoma stood up and called out just as Aether was about to step through the door.
"Lady Ayaka has a way for you to meet the Raiden Shogun."
Aether stopped in his tracks at Thoma's words. He turned back to look at him.
At least now, Aether had finally heard the answer he truly wanted from Thoma.