"Ah, it hurts, it hurts!"
"Ah, my arm is broken!"
"Why is this happening?!"
...
The heatwave swept over the survivors, leaving many of the pirates writhing on the ground in agony. Casualties were heavy.
Near the edge of Nazuchi Beach, however, there were those who remained unharmed.
These were pirates who had left their ships earlier to forage for food in the nearby woods.
Clutching wild fruits in their hands, they stood frozen, staring blankly at the spot where their ships used to be. Their faces were pale with horror.
Their brains seemed to have short-circuited.
Their companions were gone.
Their ships were gone.
Even the land their companions had been standing on was gone.
They had no idea what had just happened.
"What was that just now?"
Not far away, Kujou Sara opened her eyes.
When she saw the gaping hole in the coastline of Nazuchi Beach, her pupils contracted sharply.
Nazuchi Beach was missing a chunk.
A third of the beach had vanished, along with the only road connecting to Yashiori Island.
It was as if that piece of land had never existed.
Sara was horrified. What had that steel ship fired? How could it unleash such terrifying power? Was that a cannonball?
Her shock quickly turned to grim realization.
As a General of the Tenryou Commission, charged with maintaining Inazuma's stability, she knew exactly what military assets the Shogunate possessed.
Inazuma had no ship like this.
And seeing this alien vessel fire a weapon of such devastation made her expression ugly.
Who built this?
It was completely unlike any ship she knew. Even the advanced vessels from Fontaine weren't made entirely of steel.
She had come here to capture pirates. She hadn't expected to witness a cataclysm.
"Is it a Sangonomiya Resistance ship?"
No. Impossible. If they had this, they would have used it already. Sangonomiya's technology can't produce something like this. If they could, the Shogunate army would have been wiped out long ago.
"Hm?"
Thoughts raced through Sara's mind.
Then, she saw three women jump down from the Steam Battleship and walk toward the beach.
Strangers. She had never seen them before.
But one of them radiated an aura she knew intimately.
Electro elemental energy.
The leader was a Vision holder. An Electro Vision holder, just like her.
How?
Most Vision holders in Inazuma had already been captured under the Vision Hunt Decree. There were very few left in the wild. And an Electro user?
Kujou Sara didn't hesitate. She moved swiftly toward them.
She had to find out who these people were. And she had to investigate that steel ship.
A bold thought formed in her mind.
These people aren't from Inazuma.
The ship was proof enough. Inazuma couldn't build it.
Therefore, it must be foreign.
And if it was foreign, it meant they had successfully breached the Raiden Shogun's storm blockade. That alone made them dangerous.
As Sara rushed toward the beach...
...
Liyue Harbor. The Jar Shop.
Ying'er held her haul with a satisfied smile, blinking her big eyes at Felix. "Shopkeeper, once I make the bolder stockings, I'll come back and model them for you immediately. You must give me your guidance. I'll cooperate fully... whatever the Shopkeeper wants, I'll do."
Felix: "...."
Black lines formed on his forehead. "Miss Ying'er, there's no need for that."
He couldn't handle this woman's enthusiasm and aggression.
"It's fine, I don't mind."
Felix: "...."
"Well then, Shopkeeper, I'll be off."
Ying'er giggled, turned, and sashayed away.
"Phew."
Watching the "fast car driver" leave, Felix's eye twitched.
She was a test of his willpower.
"Miss Ying'er is out!"
When Ying'er exited the shop, the crowd waiting outside lit up.
Finally. And judging by her smile, she had gotten something good.
"Miss Ying'er, can you tell us what you got?"
"Yeah, Miss Ying'er! I'm a loyal customer of Scent of Spring. Tell us!"
"Look at that smile. Definitely a treasure."
...
The onlookers bombarded her with questions. Even if they weren't buying, they lived vicariously through her.
"The harvest was quite good," Ying'er beamed at the crowd. "Besides Silk Flowers, I got some other things. I won't reveal the details just yet, but... Scent of Spring will be developing a new business soon. I hope everyone will come to support it. It won't take long."
"New business?"
"Is she expanding beyond ceramics?"
"I remember she makes custom perfumes too, but she rarely takes orders."
"New business? What kind? Is it... legitimate?"
"I'm excited. Must be related to ceramics, right? It's Scent of Spring after all."
...
The crowd was stunned.
Scent of Spring expanding?
It was a kiln! What else could it sell?
But seeing Ying'er's confidence, they were intrigued.
Ying'er said no more and left with a mysterious smile.
"Seeing Miss Ying'er so happy, I've decided. I'm buying a jar!"
Someone in the crowd finally broke.
"Count me in!"
While the crowd buzzed, a few brave souls ran inside to buy jars.
Meanwhile, at Wanwen Bookhouse.
A young nobleman with dark blue hair stood quietly in front of the bookstore, reading.
Even from a distance, he radiated an aura of scholarly elegance and refinement.
It was the Second Young Master of the Feiyun Commerce Guild—Xingqiu.
"Xingqiu!"
Hearing his name, Xingqiu looked up to see Chongyun sprinting toward him.
He put down his book, smiling. "What's wrong, Chongyun? Did you find a haunted house? Why the rush?"
It was rare to see Chongyun run. He usually walked slowly to keep his heart rate down.
Running meant urgency.
Did he find a ghost?
But there hadn't been any rumors of hauntings in Liyue Harbor lately.
"No. Lend me some money."
Chongyun stopped in front of him, panting heavily. He grabbed Xingqiu's arm. "I'm out of Mora."
"You? Borrowing money?"
Xingqiu looked at him in shock.
Chongyun never borrowed money. Even when he was starving or in trouble, he would endure it rather than ask for a handout.
He had just left moments ago. Why did he need money so urgently now?
Though confused, Xingqiu didn't hesitate. He unhooked the heavy purse from his belt and handed it over.
"I only have about five million Mora on me. Is that enough? If not, I can go home and get more. A few tens of millions is no problem. Any more than that, I'll need some time."
"Why are we being so polite? Don't say 'borrow.' Just take it. Saying 'borrow' makes us sound like strangers."
"By the way, what do you need it for? You're not the type to spend recklessly."
Chongyun was his best friend. If he needed money, Xingqiu wouldn't be stingy.
He handed over his entire purse—five million Mora—without blinking. And he genuinely asked if it was enough.
He assumed Chongyun wasn't buying frivolous things.
The Feiyun Guild had everything; usually, Xingqiu would just give Chongyun whatever he needed.
"Young Master Xingqiu is so generous..."
Nearby, a waitress from the bookstore watched, jaw dropped.
Five million Mora? Just like that?
And he asked if it was enough?
She looked at Chongyun with envy.
"No, no! I don't need that much!"
Seeing the heavy bag, Chongyun waved his hands frantically. "900,000 Mora is enough."
"I need the Mora to open jars. There's a jar shop that has items capable of curing my condition. I need to pull one of those items."
Xingqiu: "??????"
He blinked. "What jars?"
He couldn't understand a word Chongyun was saying.
"It's a jar shop."
Seeing Xingqiu's confusion, Chongyun was stunned. "You're the Second Young Master of the Feiyun Commerce Guild! How do you not know about the Jar Shop?"
Xingqiu: "..."
"How long has it been since I went home?"
Xingqiu looked speechless. "I've been at the bookstore reading this whole time. How would I know about a jar shop?"
"And you know I haven't been back to the Guild in ages."
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