Furuya Makoto. Last confirmed sighting was four days ago. He lived in the northern outskirts of Inazuma City's upper district.
Unlike Seto Eri's modest home, Furuya Makoto's house was an impressive two-story building with a wooden fence enclosing a courtyard. But Victor Wang knew there was little to gain from the house itself, so this time he focused on the surroundings.
The courtyard faced a stretch of hillside preserved within Inazuma City's boundaries. Being the outskirts, the area was lined with similar homes, quiet and sparse compared to the bustling city center. The courtyards to either side had their gates firmly shut; from the outside, it was impossible to tell if anyone lived there.
"If I were the 'Hungry Ghost,' this would absolutely be the stage for the clown's final act."
That thought hit Victor Wang suddenly. After all… this place was perfect for killing and hiding a body.
But then he shook his head. Any 'clown' daring to come here alone would almost certainly have a Vision. Even if this was the outskirts, any loud commotion would draw the Tenryou Commission, and that would never be worth the risk.
"Is anyone home?"
Only a single line of footprints led out of the courtyard, pressed into the gray-white gravel that paved the ground. Victor Wang asked anyway, just in case.
To his surprise, someone answered.
From the left-hand courtyard emerged a girl. She leaned against the fence separating the two properties, smiling at Victor Wang. "That family hasn't come back for days. Are you here to see him for something?"
His mind buzzed. His gaze froze on her face. Victor Wang blurted in disbelief: "Raiden… Shogun?"
"Eh?" Her smile stiffened instantly. As if she had just heard a vile insult, she shot back: "Are you stupid, or are your eyes broken? How could you mistake my beautiful face for that ugly hag's?"
"Ugly hag?"
Purple hair, purple eyes. Her looks bore a seventy percent resemblance to the Raiden Shogun—she was practically the Shogun in her youth. If the Shogun was ugly, then what did that make her?
His mind swirled with questions. He didn't dare mock her recklessly without understanding, but one thought echoed over and over.
It's here.
It's here, it's here, it's here.
The anomaly has arrived.
"I'm so sick of idiots like you with brain-dead taste. But…" The purple-haired girl licked her lips in a dangerous way, letting slip words that dripped with menace. "You look delicious. Let me savor you a little, and I'll forgive your stupidity~"
"Hah… you're the 'Hungry Ghost,' aren't you?"
"'Hungry Ghost'? How tasteless. My only title is the Puppeteer."
The purple-haired girl impatiently turned her head and shouted back toward the house: "Hey! Yasen, I can't keep acting anymore. Can I eat this guy already?"
They had a partner… Whether he could win the fight or not was uncertain. But if they escaped here, Victor Wang might never get another chance to face them.
Victor Wang tensed, body tight, both anemo and geo already welling within him, ready to unleash. But the next words from the house forced him to hesitate.
From the opposite courtyard, a young man with white hair and black eyes walked out. Ignoring Victor Wang entirely, he spoke casually to the girl: "No. I didn't expect him of all people to show up… He has the qualifications to awaken the Heavenly Principles. We can only let him go."
Heavenly Principles! This man knew about the Heavenly Principles—and even their condition?!
"This idiot? The one who just mistook me for the Raiden Shogun? You're saying he's that special?"
"Tch. Forget it."
The purple-haired girl's venomous glare suddenly softened, leaving behind nothing but raw, unrestrained greed.
"…The ability to alter memory. You're the true 'Hungry Ghost.'"
Seeing it firsthand, Victor Wang felt both shock and relief. Relief, because the enemy seemed to require a clear target before altering memories, rather than sweeping entire areas at once…
The white-haired youth shrugged. "That is the nickname North Wing's been throwing around for me lately."
"What did you mean by 'awakening the Heavenly Principles'?"
"Pathetic North Wing trash. You don't even know about the Heavenly Principles? But it's fine. The Archons love their people. On behalf of the Heavenly Principles, I forgive your ignorance.
"You're a special piece of trash. No—you're a fine chess piece.
"When I first discovered you could wield two elements, I already had high hopes. And then… you came into contact with that one. Honestly, I wanted to abandon those Outlanders and work with you instead.
But alas, you belong to North Wing. And you really are a fool—daring to parade around under that one's aura right beneath the Raiden Shogun's nose. Aren't you afraid she'll cut you down in a single strike?
Or are you like those Outlanders, thinking she won't act so easily in her current state?"
Every word carried weight, a flood of information.
Who knew about his ability to wield dual elements?
The only special being he encountered after awakening geo—but before the Khaenri'ahn God'sDescent—was that very same God of Khaenri'ah. Could he have met this man back in Liyue, only to have his memory erased?
Recognizing the Khaenri'ahn God's aura wasn't surprising—but this man also knew the enmity between the Raiden Shogun and that god? And if the Shogun truly sensed the aura of the God'sDescent… was it really that dangerous?
And those Outlanders… clearly the Battle Technique Hunters. But why awaken the Heavenly Principles? And how?
Putting aside the storm of questions, Victor Wang asked directly: "The Outlanders are the Battle Technique Hunters. And that one… is the God of Khaenri'ah?"
"Mhm."
"We've met before in Liyue?"
"Not as dumb as you look. But whether you're smart or stupid doesn't matter. A chess piece is still a chess piece."
"And you… have a grudge against North Wing."
"So, what if I do? You want to pry information from me, then run?"
"Or maybe I defeat you. Or make such a ruckus that even you'll be in trouble."
"Hahahaha!" With a face that resembled the Raiden Shogun's by seventy percent, the purple-haired girl threw back her head and laughed, utterly unlike the Shogun. Finally, she sneered: "Ignorant fool. Do you really think anyone who stands before Yasen can resist him?"
The enemy's confidence was overwhelming. Victor Wang dared not stall any longer. Without warning, he called upon his elements, aiming to raise a massive geo construct on the mountainside to draw the Tenryou Commission.
But Yasen's voice was light, almost playful: "You've forgotten how to use elemental power."
In an instant, his elements vanished.
Yet, only two breaths later, the erased memory surged back.
"Hmph. So, you can't erase the strongest memories."
"You only remembered because I let you hear me alter it. What if you forgot even that you had been altered?"
"…"
"Tsk, tsk. Ignorance isn't a sin. Let me, in the Heavenly Principles' stead, enlighten you."
"Yes—we are North Wing's enemies. We are called the Heavenly Wings. We are the feathers shed by the Heavenly Principles, enforcers of Its will, the protectors of Teyvat."
"You and I were meant to be comrades. But five hundred years ago, some fool split the 'Wings' while the Heavenly Principles slept, and gave the North Wing the ridiculous name 'Rising Wings.' What does that even mean? To ascend to heaven?"
"What can you do? What have you done? Flaunting false virtue, aiding insignificant mortals just to feel noble—what have you accomplished?"
"The Border is collapsing. The World Tree has been rewritten. Gnoses are being stolen. The Abyss stirs. Which of these have you solved? Only awakening the Heavenly Principles can resolve all!"
Victor Wang scowled. "Not every change is evil. We protect the future. Helping ordinary people may be small, but it's not wrong. Hurting them is what's truly wrong."
"Wrong? Wrong? Mortals die, and die, and die. What does it matter? They'll always breed more. But if Teyvat itself falls, all is lost. Don't you see?"
"…You… what do you even see mortals as?"
"Tch. Clearly, explaining to a pawn was a mistake. Still, your talent earns you mercy. Go home, wallow in ignorance, and keep working to awaken the Heavenly Principles."
Yasen sighed, then after a pause, his expression shifted—swiftly replaced with another persona.
"Brother Victor! You've tracked the trail this far too?"
Victor Wang blinked in confusion. He didn't want to speak with this man, but since he was investigating the disappearances too, he answered: "Zhang San? Strange… even you managed to find this place?"
"Ahaha… I've got Ziyue with me, after all. If we can't keep up with you alone, that'd be embarrassing. Anyway, let's exchange intel. I think this time, we'll nail down the Hungry Ghost's true identity!"
…
"Furuya Makoto went to Seirai Island? Another fake lead. That only leaves Ritou. Damn… we're completely on the defensive…"
Finishing his search at Furuya Makoto's home, Victor Wang returned to the inn, weighed down with questions.
He had expected the 'Hungry Ghost' to wait for him at the last stop, but nothing happened. The three notes he'd hidden on himself never even came into play.
Troublesome. Even if he could still consult Inazuma's official records to tell whether Windwheel Maru or Hanachirusato was lying, that would only secure a lead. The Hungry Ghost's goals and next moves remained a mystery.
["Master!"]
"What is it?"
["Master! That white-haired guy altered your memory!"]
"White-haired…? You still remember?!"
["Yes! He didn't seem to notice me, so I remember everything you talked about!"]
"Little Wen… Little Wen!" Hugging the Wentian Sword tight against his chest, Victor Wang rubbed it affectionately. "You're amazing!"
["Ehehe! I'll repeat everything. First, it went like this… then like that… and then you suddenly treated him like an ally. After prying some info, he made you forget both him and that girl."]
"I… didn't mention Hanachirusato, did I? Even if I treated him as an ally, I'd have been cautious with certain names."
["Nope!"]
Hanachirusato's existence was too important. Victor Wang finally breathed easy. "Alright. Let's sort this out."
As he wrote, he muttered aloud:
"Windwheel Maru was already memory-altered before he gave us intel. That information was planted by Yasen. Meaning Hanachirusato is more trustworthy."
"In that case, Yasen may never have touched Konda Village at all. There were no missing Kasano brothers—just the Shinnosuke brothers who went away for work. He could've just picked a random empty house and spun a lie. "
"Seto Eri and Furuya Makoto are real. Maybe Seto truly disappeared at the Serpent's Head. Later, Yasen came to erase traces, was spotted by Aoi, and erased her memory… or maybe he was just creating puzzles on purpose. "
"From beginning to end, he was only toying with us. And anyone else, reaching Furuya Makoto's house, might have become the next victim."
["That's right! While you were explaining our investigation, he was holding back laughter! But Master… his power is terrifying. We might not win."]
Victor Wang raised the Wentian Sword high, grinning. "We can beat Yasen. After all, I've got you!"
["Me?!"]
"From what I saw, his power is strong but deliberate. He has to pick a who and a what—who's memory to erase, and what to erase. Using it to trick me proved he can't read minds, only add or delete memories.
"And judging from my reaction, and Aoi's, Yasen's power has two flaws:
["First, he can't alter what he doesn't perceive, or erase memories he doesn't know about. Second, memories too vivid or too familiar, even if erased, can resurface if noticed."]
"So, Little Wen—never let him discover you exist, unless it's absolutely necessary."
["I understand!"]
"What worries me most now is that purple-haired girl—Ziyue, wasn't it? What's her connection to the Raiden Shogun?"
["But they ran away! Even if we could fight, we can't track them down…"]
"I think I see it now."
Victor Wang's expression turned firm. "The Battle Technique Hunters struck only while the Shogun shut herself away. That means their goal harms the Shogun. And South Wing worked with them to awaken the Heavenly Principles, so their plan must affect the Heavenly Principles too."
"In all of Inazuma, only a few things meet both conditions… But before launching a counterattack, I need to deal with this first."
He placed the emergency flare that Windwheel Maru had given him—a custom two-stage firework—on the table.
"Ah! If Windwheel Maru's memory was tampered with…"
"Then this thing probably isn't what it was meant to be. It could explode. Or worse, it might be a tracking device."
Whatever it was, the best option was to act like his memory had been altered and keep playing along.
"First, let's return to the Alcor."