After burning the supplies, Shao Yun rode his horse back along the same path toward Bourou Village. On the way, he casually tossed the case of Delusions into the sea.
By the time he arrived at the house Teppei had prepared for them, the sky suddenly unleashed a torrential downpour.
Shao Yun quickly dismounted, sent the horse back into the system stable, and dashed under the eaves to avoid the rain.
As he watched the heavy rain pour down outside, he couldn't help but muse, 'One of life's great blessings—getting home just as it starts to rain. One of life's greatest misfortunes—stepping outside just as it rains.'
After muttering to himself, he plopped down on the ground, leaning against the wall of the house, and whispered, "Looks like I'll have to make do here for the night. Tomorrow, I'll figure out how to calm Lumine down."
With that, he yawned and pulled his hat over his face, ready to rest.
Suddenly, whoosh—the door swung open with force.
Shao Yun jolted, hurriedly adjusted his hat, and looked up to see Lumine standing there expressionless, quietly gazing at him. Their eyes met.
Lumine glanced at Shao Yun by the doorway, then at the pouring rain outside. She pouted slightly and said in a tsundere tone, "Come inside."
Overjoyed, Shao Yun jumped to his feet and exclaimed, "Thank you, Lumine!"
So, she does still care about me!
Lumine rolled her eyes at him, the corners of her mouth lifting ever so slightly with what seemed like a faint smile.
She waved her hand lightly, motioning for Shao Yun to come inside.
Beaming, Shao Yun followed close behind Lumine into the house. He shut the door behind them and stuck close to her heels.
"I knew you wouldn't leave me out there overnight! You're always so good to me." Shao Yun grinned as he followed her, eyes gleaming with joy.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Lumine stopped in her tracks. Shao Yun's heart sank—was she mad again? He immediately shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.
Lumine turned to look at him, her eyes showing a hint of displeasure. Her tone was slightly annoyed as she said, "Next time you give me medicine, could you not be so rough about it?"
Shao Yun felt a wave of relief—Lumine had clearly forgiven him and was just trying to save face.
He nodded repeatedly and apologized, promising, "Don't worry. Next time, I'll very gently pour the medicine into your mouth."
Lumine's face shifted to one of resigned exasperation.
She sighed, shook her head lightly, and said, "Forget it. I'm too tired to stay mad at you. Paimon's already asleep—we should rest too."
With that, she led Shao Yun into the living room. The two of them lay down on their own mats, heads resting on soft pillows, ready for sleep.
Just then, Shao Yun suddenly remembered something from earlier in the day. He nudged Lumine.
"Lumine, I got a new rifle today. Once you're feeling better, I can teach you how to use it. Right now, you've only got a revolver—not enough firepower!"
Lumine turned over lazily to face him, replying in a drowsy tone, "Alright… we'll talk about it when I'm better."
...
In the days that followed, Watatsumi Island underwent significant changes.
On the first day, heavy rain poured from the sky, continuing for an entire day. The island's residents complained about the inconvenience, but no one paid it much attention.
After all, torrential rain wasn't uncommon on Watatsumi Island. What they didn't realize was that this storm marked the beginning of a much greater disaster.
That day, Shao Yun stayed indoors, showing Lumine how to use the hunting rifle.
...
On the second day, the rain stopped—but things got worse. All stalked plants began drooping to varying degrees. Many believed it was due to the intense downpour damaging the plants.
They comforted themselves by saying some sunlight would revive them.
But in truth, the vitality of those plants had already been severely compromised.
That same day, after two days of taking tonics, Lumine had mostly recovered.
So, Shao Yun took her out to train with the hunting rifle.
They started with bottle shooting, then moved on to specters.
Lumine learned quickly, becoming proficient in just one day.
...
On the third day, leaves on some bushes began to wither. Though the dying plants were located far from the village, a few people noticed the changes.
However, most ignored the phenomenon and continued with their daily lives, unaware that danger was creeping in.
That day, Sangonomiya Kokomi discussed the next smuggling operation with Todoroki.
By evening, following Kokomi's plan, Todoroki dispatched thirty small boats, splitting them into ten groups bound for Narukami Island and other outposts to conduct smuggling.
...
On the fourth day, overnight, trees across Watatsumi Island seemed to lose their vitality. Many began to wither, a phenomenon that quickly drew the attention of residents, spreading worry and speculation across the island.
News of the anomaly spread like wildfire, eventually reaching Sangonomiya.
Faced with this sudden development, Kokomi dared not take it lightly. She immediately sent shrine maidens to investigate across the island. After thorough observation and analysis, they reached a shocking conclusion: Watatsumi Island's soil was undergoing holy soilification.
Kokomi began organizing the Watatsumi Goryou Matsuri Ritual.
...
On the fifth day, residents of Bourou Village were horrified to discover their precious carrot crops had wilted overnight. The leaves of the carrots had turned blackish brown, and the once thriving plants were now completely dead.
Panicked, villagers rushed to pull up the ripening white carrots, only for their hopes to be dashed.
Half the harvest was no larger than a child's fist; the rest were entirely rotten.
This devastating news reached Kokomi, who was still busy preparing the Watatsumi Goryou Matsuri Ritual.
She was so shocked she nearly fainted—never had she imagined the sacred soilification would escalate so quickly.
Yet she still had no idea that all of this had been quietly accelerated by the Abyss Order.
...
On the sixth day, by morning, plants across Watatsumi Island were withering at an alarming rate.
The entire island fell into widespread panic.
Fortunately, Kokomi issued a statement just in time, explaining that the phenomenon was sacred soilification and that the Watatsumi Goryou Matsuri would soon be held to counteract it. This temporarily calmed the people.
But by the afternoon, a state of emergency was officially declared.
Meanwhile, the Resistance base at Yashiori Island had only two days' worth of food left.
In other words, by the day after tomorrow, they would face a food crisis.
At the same time, Bourou Village erupted in a panic-buying frenzy. Lady Kiyoko's "limited" stock of goods was quickly cleaned out.
Because Shao Yun had intercepted the Fatui's original supply route, and with the sudden onset of sacred soilification, Watatsumi Island plunged into severe crisis in just six days.
Everything was unfolding exactly according to the plan shared by Shao Yun and Enjou.
...
On the seventh day, in the early morning, sunlight streamed through the windows. Shao Yun rose early and began preparing breakfast.
He skillfully took out ingredients he had previously bought from Mondstadt's general store and carefully cooked three bowls of thick vegetable stew with common beast meat.
Before long, the fragrant stew was served at the table.
Lumine and Paimon sat in front of their bowls, spoons in hand, staring listlessly at the soup, with no appetite at all.
Seeing this, Shao Yun curiously asked, "What's wrong? You both look so glum first thing in the morning. Don't tell me my snoring last night kept you up?"
Paimon gave a helpless smile and replied, "Ugh, no, that's not it. It's just… this sacred soilification thing is really bad. So many places are completely barren now—it's kinda depressing."
Lumine frowned and nodded, "Yeah. Seeing all that once-lush land turn desolate… it's really heartbreaking."
Seeing their miserable expressions, Shao Yun softly comforted them, "Frowning won't fix anything. Eat, drink, do what you can…"
Then he shifted the topic toward weapons.
"By the way, how's that gun I gave you, Lumine? Getting used to it?"
Lumine took a small sip of soup, frowned, and thoughtfully said, "Getting the hang of it… but at this rate, we're gonna run out of Specters on Watatsumi Island."
She put down her bowl and rubbed her forehead.
Shao Yun smiled and nodded. "Maybe Miss Kokomi will praise us. After all, Specters here are like cockroaches and rats—annoying pests."
"We've wiped out so many—it's probably the only good news Watatsumi Island's had lately."
Lumine sighed, shaking her head with unease. She still felt that something was off, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"Let's hope so. But I still feel uneasy…"
Watching Lumine's furrowed brow, Shao Yun couldn't help but chuckle. Trying to lighten the mood, he said, "Don't worry so much. Isn't Kokomi planning to hold that Watatsumi Goryou Matsuri? Everything will be fine after that."
Inwardly, Shao Yun thought: Once you go off to explore Enkanomiya, I'll finally have free rein to lead Watatsumi Island to storm Narukami Island… and lop off that Raiden Shogun's head.
With Enjou watching over you down there, and you having teleport anchors, it shouldn't be too risky.
Just then, a frantic knock sounded on the door.
Teppei's voice came through, anxious: "Shao Yun! Lumine! Paimon! Lady Kokomi asks for all three of you at the Sangonomiya Shrine—immediately!"
Hearing Teppei's voice, Shao Yun's lips curled upward in a smirk, his heart quietly elated.
Watatsumi Island's at its breaking point. Time to go all in.