Chapter 150. The Power of the Anemo Gnosis
The waters remained calm.
Yet calm seas did not mean idle days.
On deck, Futsu Mitama and Shenhe sparred amid wind and talismanic frost. Kuki Shinobu studied talisman arts under Yae Miko's guidance, along with several secret yokai techniques rarely spoken of.
As Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, Yae Miko might not be the most overwhelming in raw power—but her arsenal of methods was vast.
Kuki Shinobu would serve as key support for the Resistance. There was no time to waste.
Elsewhere, Aila stood before Beidou.
This instruction was a debt from a drinking wager long lost.
"Ding-dong."
Like a droplet falling into a still lake, Aila entered the Mirrors Reflection of Tranquility.
Absolute rationality overtook her.
Every fragment of strength within her body fell under precise control.
Her aura surged—firmly at Adeptus-level.
But only five strikes.
Once, she had managed three, and only one could truly be called Adeptus-level.
Now all five carried that weight.
Her growth was astonishing.
"Come," Beidou said, greatsword resting easily in one hand. "Let me see your state today."
"Be careful," Aila replied calmly.
Steel sang as she drew her tachi.
An ink-wash arc split the air, bearing crushing force.
Even the Primo Geovishap of old might have hesitated to face such a strike head-on.
Gasps erupted from the crew.
"So strong!"
"When did Miss Aila become this terrifying?"
"Is this Adeptus potential?"
Beidou smiled faintly. The Electro Vision at her waist flared.
"Boom—!"
Thunder cracked. She did not dodge.
Instead, she met the slash directly.
"Clang—!"
The Adeptus-level strike halted against her greatsword, unable to advance even an inch.
In the next breath, Beidou twisted her blade skyward. The redirected slash tore upward, scattering seabirds in a burst of feathers before dissipating into the sky.
Aila exhaled and exited her state.
"Parry."
"Mm." Beidou rested the greatsword upon her shoulder. "My unique technique. Tidecaller. A distant ship, chasing lightning and calling tides."
She grinned.
Though not Adeptus, Beidou stood at the pinnacle beneath that realm—arguably humanity's summit. Even Aila in forced Adeptus-state could not overpower her.
"It is impressive," Aila admitted. "Please instruct me, Sister Beidou."
Beidou laughed heartily and clapped her shoulder. "Of course. I value you. Truth be told, I'm half tempted to recruit you into The Crux. If you join, Futsu Mitama would follow. He can be first mate. You remain his little maid."
Aila did not know how to respond.
"Is this instruction or abduction?" Futsu Mitama approached, Shenhe beside him, wind still faintly coiling about his steps.
"Both!" Beidou declared cheerfully.
She was only half-joking.
"Your Tidecaller suits her," Futsu Mitama observed. "Using force against force."
"I lack time to learn it myself," he added lightly. Raiden Ei's teachings already consumed him.
"It is powerful," Aila said honestly. "But difficult. And Master assigned me tasks before I descended the mountain. There are deadlines."
Cloud Retainer's expectations were not to be ignored.
"Take it slow," Beidou replied. "Four or five days at sea is enough for fundamentals. When you return to Liyue, seek me again."
Aila nodded.
Yes. Mastery could wait.
"Now," Beidou said, raising her blade once more, "focus. Tidecaller begins not with strength—but with timing."
And beneath open skies, amid wind and rolling tide, instruction resumed.
While Aila's blade rang against Beidou's greatsword under the open sky, Futsu Mitama and Shenhe withdrew to the quieter side of the deck. The sea stretched vast and luminous, gulls wheeling overhead. Within that tranquil interval, they opened the Chat Group—as naturally as breathing.
The message notifications bloomed one after another.
[Futsu Mitama: "@Kamisato Ayaka @Sangonomiya Kokomi, we are coming back."]
The reply arrived almost instantly.
[Raiden Makoto: "Returning to Inazuma?! Good! Finally returning to Inazuma, that's truly good news."]
There was a warmth in her words, as if she had been waiting for this moment longer than anyone else. Then—
[Venti: "Indeed, the situation in Inazuma isn't good right now. If we don't return soon, a disaster will occur."]
A brief silence.
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "Anemo Archon, did you hear something?"]
[Raiden Makoto: "Hmm?!?"]
The tension was palpable even through text.
[Venti: "No, no, I don't have such great abilities. I can barely protect myself, how could I possibly listen in on matters in Inazuma? I just feel that Sangonomiya Kokomi is so tired. If she collapses, then wouldn't the Resistance, known as Inazuma's hope, completely fall apart?"]
On deck, Yae Miko glanced at Futsu Mitama's screen and curved her lips faintly.
[Yae Miko: "That's why we're rushing back to Inazuma. The weather today is quite good, bright and sunny. Theoretically, it's impossible for bad weather to occur."]
Almost immediately—
[Zhongli: "The weather at sea is unpredictable. Be careful what you say."]
[Azhdaha: "Yes, Little Fox, you must be careful. Don't let another once-in-a-century storm come."]
Yae Miko's smile stiffened slightly.
[Yae Miko: "Impossible, absolutely impossible!"]
Shenhe, who had been quietly observing, suddenly typed.
[Shenhe: "Compared to that, @Guizhong, I have something I don't understand."]
The reply came playfully.
[Guizhong: "What, what? Do you want to ask why I came to see you off? Oh, actually, I just felt a bit bad. I finally revived, and you all are leaving. If possible, I'd like to go with you. After all, the Resistance also has my heart and soul in it."]
That single line ignited a storm.
[Azhdaha: "No, no, that's not appropriate."]
[Keqing: "You absolutely cannot go!!!"]
[Albedo: "Now that the Archon War has ended and it's the era of The Seven Archons, the appearance of an unfamiliar Demon Gods entering another country would be a huge provocation. You're fine in Liyue, but if you go to Inazuma, things will likely become quite serious."]
[Zhongli: "Yes."]
[Raiden Makoto: "Ei is fine, but that 'Shogun' would probably be very dangerous."]
Guizhong responded with a helpless tone.
[Guizhong: "Of course I know all that, which is why my Old Friends held me back. That's why I only went to bid you farewell in the end."]
Shenhe stared at the harbor memory lingering in her mind and typed again.
[Shenhe: "No, I don't want to ask about that. I want to ask why Streetward Rambler became young again."]
[Futsu Mitama: "Curious."]
[Kuki Shinobu: "Streetward Rambler? Isn't that an Adeptus from Liyue folk tales?"]
[Aila: "The young girl playing the zither next to Guizhong?"]
A pause.
Then—
[Guizhong: "Oh, that~ Madam Ping returned to her youthful appearance the day after she saw me."]
[Guizhong: "As for why? Hehe Isn't it because I revived She wants to compete with me to see who's prettier! And her musical accomplishments have grown even stronger, darn it!! I wasted thousands of years!!!"]
Azhdaha's tone softened.
[Azhdaha: "Did you two talk about music again? That's good. Streetward Rambler suffered a severe blow after your death. It's good that she's recovered now, it's good."]
[Shenhe: "I see, I understand."]
Then, as if the sea itself brightened—
[Kamisato Ayaka: "Are you coming back? That's wonderful!!"]
And immediately after—
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: "Please come back quickly, I can barely hold on. I don't want to eat condensed resin anymore."]
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: "The first time I ate it, it was fine. The second time was also good. The third time, I gritted my teeth and got through it. But now I haven't slept for five days and four nights, and I don't want to eat the fourth condensed resin."]
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: "Right now, my body is awake! But my soul is genuinely exhausted, help me!! [Spits out soul]"]
Futsu Mitama closed his eyes briefly.
The image of Kokomi clutching paperwork with hollow eyes was far too vivid.
[Keqing: "Just listening to it makes me tired. Not even Ganyu works that hard."]
[Klee: "Sister Kokomi, you've worked hard. Klee is also working hard overtime! Making more Jumpy Dumpties for you!"]
[Yae Miko: "Don't worry, don't worry, the first stop is Watatsumi Island."]
[Futsu Mitama: "Coming right away! Hold on."]
He lowered the device.
The Resistance had expanded. Fame had grown. Conflicts with the Tenryou Commission and the Fatui had multiplied. In just a few days, Kokomi had consumed three mass-produced condensed resins. Albedo's stamina-restoring constructs had been sent through red envelopes.
Yet it was not enough.
"She's about to collapse," Futsu Mitama murmured.
He lifted his gaze toward the sails, then toward Beidou at the helm.
"If it's downwind, how long until Inazuma?"
Beidou sensed the wind and frowned slightly. "It's headwind right now. We move, but not quickly."
She paused.
"If it's downwind the entire way? Like last time? Three days."
Last time had not been pure luck—though none but a few understood that.
"Understood."
Futsu Mitama stepped forward.
The sea breeze brushed his sleeves. He closed his eyes and reached deeper—past ordinary elemental resonance—toward authority.
The Anemo Archon Authority stirred. The Anemo Gnosis awakened slightly, like a slumbering star opening one eye.
He did not draw upon it for battle. He merely…guided.
And then—
The wind changed.
Not abruptly. Not violently.
It shifted like fate realigning.
A steady, favorable current unfurled behind the Alcor, filling her sails with a full and eager breath.
The ship surged forward.
Beidou froze.
"This—?!"
She stared at Futsu Mitama.
"Don't worry about it," he said calmly. "I dealt with the Dragon Crisis in Mondstadt. I gained the Anemo Archon's recognition."
He did not mention the gnosis.
Only Shenhe and Yae Miko felt it—the deeper resonance beneath the surface.
A gnosis. A true authority.
Beidou narrowed her eyes.
Electro. Geo. Now Anemo? Was he collecting Archon titles?
Terrifying.
Yae Miko approached, fox eyes gleaming.
"How long can you sustain it?"
"About one or two hours," he replied evenly.
"Two hours?"
Her lashes fluttered.
When she had once touched the power of a gnosis, three minutes had drained her nearly dry.
Yet he spoke of hours.
Shenhe watched him in stunned silence.
A gnosis was no trivial artifact. Even gods guarded them with caution.
Why would one entrust it so freely?
The wind strengthened further.
White foam curled along the hull as the Alcor cut through the sea with renewed purpose.
Futsu Mitama smiled faintly.
His physique had long since transformed alongside the growth of the Chat Group. Authority, elemental harmony, endurance—he was no longer merely mortal.
If a young Demon Gods could wield such power—Why not him?
Behind them, Liyue faded.
Ahead, beneath gathering clouds of destiny—
Inazuma awaited.
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