After a quick lunch, in the afternoon, Victor Wang continued leading the team to dig up silt.
To compare the effects of fertility and salinity, this time the dredged silt was treated differently: half of it was left unwashed, while the other half was mixed with already-rotten branches and leaves—there were indeed plants on Watatsumi Island, though none were edible.
By the time everything was finished, the sky had just turned dark.
"Thank you, everyone. That's enough for today."
"Mr. Victor, what are you saying? Aside from diving being a little tiring, the rest wasn't hard at all!"
"Exactly! If this helps solve the problem of not being able to grow crops on Watatsumi, this little work is nothing!"
"Mr. Victor, how long will it take before we see results from all this?"
"I planted cabbages. They sprout quickly. Success or failure, we'll see within two or three days."
"Good! Let's hope it works!"
"It will succeed!"
The logistics unit chattered noisily, then withdrew as a group.
Since their route overlapped for a while, Victor Wang followed behind at a distance and caught up with Teppei: "Hey, what was that book you read that mentioned pond silt?"
"Haha, you'll laugh at me. It was a detective novel. The villain liked sinking corpses into ponds to grow lotuses. Even though it was just a novel, the descriptions were so vivid… it felt like a real case. That's how I picked up the knowledge, purely by accident."
"I see."
Victor Wang had hoped there was a professional reference, but that clearly wasn't the case.
In truth, Victor only knew about treating saline-alkaline soil. The idea of using seabed silt was something he had wracked his brains to come up with, but when it came to handling fertility, he was completely in the dark.
Just in case, two days ago he had specially teleported back to Mondstadt to ask Lisa—who had studied in Sumeru—to help remotely purchase some high-quality fertilizer from Sumeru. He also consulted her about the feasibility of his plan, and she added a few details.
Truly, having an old… friend, is like having a treasure.
But since Lisa wasn't an agriculturist, and also couldn't inspect things on-site, in the end he would still have to rely on himself.
That shipment of fertilizer from Sumeru to Mondstadt was expected to take three days by express delivery. By tomorrow night, he should be able to retrieve it.
…
Urgh—
Under the clear moonlight, Victor Wang vomited a rainbow-colored stream, cascading down into the sea. Startled fish scattered and swam away.
Not long after, faint footsteps echoed in the lonely stillness: "Victor? You don't look very well."
When Victor turned around, he saw Sangonomiya Kokomi swaying slightly as she walked toward him.
"I… urgh… I'm fine…"
He couldn't say more—another wave was coming. Why of all times did I have to run into her here in the middle of the night?!
"Is it the food on Watatsumi? Captain Beidou sends some outside supplies every few days. If you like, I can arrange to adjust your meals."
"No… not that… I'm fine…"
"Not that?" Kokomi lightly clenched her right fist into her left palm as if struck by an idea. "Ah! Could it be from overwork? I've heard some people vomit from stress. So, you've been under this much pressure… I should have noticed sooner…"
"Ugh…"
"Oh no… what should I do? I've only read about cases like this in books. How to relieve it… Right! Do you have any hobbies besides work? Like singing, running, diving, or reading war manuals? You could cast all the stress aside and just do what you love. Once your energy returns, you can face the rest."
Victor Wang had a thousand things to say but all lodged in his throat. Unfortunately, so was dinner—and dinner wasn't about to stay silent.
Urgh—
He vomited again. To be this miserable in front of someone else… and a woman at that… ahhh…
Out of courtesy, Kokomi turned her head aside, hand half-shielding her face to avoid witnessing the ordeal.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine… just felt a bit unwell, but I'm much better now…"
"Is that… really the case?"
Vision Holders had stronger constitutions than ordinary people; trivial illnesses rarely afflicted them. If not the food, then… could it have been from eating silt?!
For the sake of Watatsumi, he personally tasted the silt… only to make himself sick… and he still tried to hide it, suffering alone here at night by the Sangonomiya Shrine… how hard he works!
Kokomi quickly pieced it together. "Silt… was it the silt? Health is just as important as results. If your body gives out, nothing else can be done. Don't push yourself. I'll take you to a physician right now!"
"Silt?"
"The word's already spread in the resistance—that you taste the silt yourself to judge its quality. Everyone knows how hard you work. You don't have to push yourself like this."
"I'm really fine, look, I can still—urgh—"
"…Since you won't go, I won't force you. I wonder if Bake-Kurage will help." Kokomi summoned a jellyfish with a gentle wave of her hand.
Its shimmering waves bathed Victor Wang in soothing light. A refreshing energy infused his body, but unfortunately it did nothing for teleport-sickness. Still, Victor tried to hold firm: "I… I'm better now… How about that guy, any movement?"
"Yes." Kokomi's expression shifted. Her gaze lowered, heavy with sorrow. "He's been trying to stir up the radicals in the resistance, to attempt something incredibly dangerous. If he succeeds, the people of Yashiori Island will suffer, Watatsumi will be unjustly blamed, and the resistance will bear a great crime…"
The weight of it all was crushing. No wonder she, too, had sought relief here at night—submerging beneath the waves, swimming with the fish, forgetting her troubles.
Thinking of this, Kokomi bowed her head slightly to Victor Wang. "It's thanks to you that I discovered this in time."
His stomach still churned, though thankfully there was nothing left to vomit. If he just endured a little longer, he'd manage. His thoughts bounced between 'Just hold it in', 'I really miss orange juice', and 'Time to escape'. Carefully, he said, "It was coincidence, really. Just part of a strategist's duty… If there's nothing else, please excuse me."
Glancing at the now polluted sea water, he realized this stretch would be unfit for diving for a while. Kokomi nodded. "You don't look well. I'll escort you back. I should be leaving too."
"…By the way, why did you come here?"
"Because it concerns the 'Watatsumi Omikami'. I thought I should take a look."
"True."
…
Rumble!
Thunder split the night sky with blinding light.
While their comrades slept soundly, some slipped quietly from the resistance camp, cloaked by thunder, rain, and darkness.
"Rainy night?"
"Rainy night."
They exchanged just two words—or even a glance—and then moved as one. Soaked clothes clung to their skin, but no one cared. This hardship was nothing compared to what they intended.
Yet such determination would not last long.
When they reached the designated shore, expecting to find their assault ship for a rainy-night raid, they instead saw their so-called strategist—Mr. Nathan—bound tightly to a mast.
"Mr. Nathan!"
"Even with Lady Kokomi right here, you notice Nathan first? Makes one wonder just how little respect you hold for her."
At Victor Wang's sharp remark, the radicals finally noticed Kokomi and Gorou standing beneath the mast.
"Lady Kokomi… what is going on?!"
"Why are you here, and why is Mr. Nathan tied up… why…"
"Caught red-handed, yet your first thought is to question Lady Kokomi? Makes one wonder just how little respect you hold for her."
Victor raised a hand. On Kokomi's far side, Gorou pulled out rain-soaked notes and read aloud to the gathered men:
"Phase One: With tactics studied over many days, raid the shogunate soldiers under cover of night and rain, seize their ships and supplies.
Phase Two: With Mr. Nathan's methods, strike down the shogunate's suppression seals, restoring the dignity of our great Omikami.
Phase Three: If unsuccessful, give our lives for the Omikami. If successful, retreat intact, but never expose our identities nor implicate the Divine Priestess.
All of the above must remain secret—from the Divine Priestess herself down to every squad. Any who leak it bear full responsibility."
Finishing, Gorou glared through the rain at the faces before him. "You've… let us down too much."