This was Kazuha's first time leaving Inazuma, and his first time visiting the famous Liyue Harbor. It was indeed a bustling metropolis—far larger and more prosperous than Inazuma City on Narukami Island. The people here were also very welcoming. They did not look at him strangely for being an outsider.
But the one thing Kazuha could not understand was that the people of Liyue were almost too welcoming. It made him uncomfortable. From the moment he entered Wangshu Inn, he heard people murmuring all around him. Some said his name. Some talked about the Raiden Shogun's relationship with him. Some even mentioned his deceased friend. Was it really polite to say such things right in front of him?
When Beidou walked over to Keqing and greeted her, Keqing, who had been telling Xiangling a story, finally noticed Beidou's presence. A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Keqing's face.
"Sister Beidou! I just heard that you had returned to Liyue Harbor from your voyage. I didn't expect you to come to Wangshu Inn so quickly."
Keqing had a good impression of Beidou. The reason could be traced back to Ningguang. Keqing could not stand Ningguang, and Beidou had also been targeted by Ningguang many times. Moreover, Keqing had helped Beidou out of difficult situations on several occasions. As a result, the two had become friends.
Beside them, Hu Tao also smiled when she saw Beidou. "Hehe, so you're Captain Beidou of the Crux Fleet. Your bearing is truly extraordinary! If you ever need our services, I'll give you a thirty percent discount!"
As the director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao had developed an occupational habit. Whenever she met someone, she couldn't help but see them as a potential client and mentally plan their funeral in advance.
Beidou looked at Hu Tao with some confusion. "May I ask, miss, who you are?"
Beidou frequently went on sea voyages and rarely stayed in Liyue Harbor for long. It was perfectly normal that she did not recognize Hu Tao.
Keqing introduced her. "This is Hu Tao, the 77th director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, the one I told you about last time. She often promotes funeral services on the streets of Liyue."
Hu Tao added, "That's right. Lately, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is running a promotion. Would you like to order a funeral package?"
Beidou was speechless. She never backed down even in front of Ningguang, but facing Hu Tao, she did not know what to say. Who would pre-order their own funeral while still alive? It was terribly inauspicious.
Beidou said seriously, "Director Hu, if we ever have a need, our fleet will contact Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. But right now, we absolutely do not need any funeral services."
Pre-ordering a funeral before setting out to sea was a major taboo in sailing.
Hu Tao smiled. "It's a deal, then. Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is open for business anytime!"
Beidou: "…"
Then Beidou and Kazuha sat down at the table without standing on ceremony.
The moment Kazuha appeared, Keqing, Hu Tao, and Xiangling all stared at him in shock. He looked exactly like the Kazuha from the story.
But they had just heard his story, and now he showed up? If he found out that the Raiden Shogun was also at Wangshu Inn, would a fight break out?
Beidou noticed their strange looks and assumed they were just curious about Kazuha. She cleared her throat lightly and introduced him.
"This is Kazuha, a friend I made among the resistance forces on Watatsumi Island. If you keep staring at him like that, he might get shy."
She looked at them with a teasing smile.
Kazuha: "…"
Keqing: "…"
Hu Tao: "…"
Their gazes toward Kazuha shifted from shock to curiosity, and from curiosity to sympathy. His friend's story had been told by the storyteller, yet he was completely unaware. The person who had killed his friend was sitting right in this inn, and he did not know that either.
Beidou grew increasingly puzzled by their strange behavior. She finally asked, "What exactly is going on at Wangshu Inn today? Why is it so crowded? And why is everyone acting so strangely—the way you look at us, the way you talk? What happened?"
She was genuinely confused. She had only been away from Inazuma for a month. How much could have happened?
Faced with Beidou's confusion, Keqing glanced at Kazuha, then at the puzzled Beidou, and explained slowly, "It's understandable that you don't know. There's a storytelling session happening here, and the story that just ended was about Kazuha's friend. That's how we came to know Kazuha."
As she spoke, she raised a hand and pointed to the Electro energy coalescing above the inn. The virtual images formed by that energy had not yet disappeared. They were frozen at the moment of the swordsman's death.
Beidou and Kazuha were both stunned. Someone was telling a story? A story about Kazuha's friend?
They both looked up at the images above the inn. In those projections, Kazuha once again saw the scene he would never forget: his friend, drenched in blood, lying motionless in a pool of it, staring with vacant, lifeless eyes at the onlookers of Inazuma.
That scene would stay with Kazuha forever. But he did not understand why it was being shown here, at Wangshu Inn in Liyue. Why was his friend's death being reenacted?
As he watched, his emotions churned. The Vision at his waist glowed faintly.
Beside him, Keqing sighed. "We already know your story. We all sympathize with your friend. But your friend's death is not as simple as you think."
Kazuha was startled. "Not simple? What do you mean?"
Was there some hidden truth about his friend's death? It was true that though their friendship had been sincere, he knew little about his friend's past. He did not even know his friend's name. Could there really be something he did not know?
Hearing Kazuha's question, Keqing slowly explained the story of the swordsman and the Raiden Shogun.
"Your friend was not just your friend. He was actually the reincarnation of the Raiden Shogun's brother. So the Raiden Shogun is just as grieved as you are now. I hope the two of you will not come into conflict."
From the story, Keqing had learned of the connection between the swordsman, the Raiden Shogun, and Kazuha. It was all so tangled.