"You and Paimon want to go to Inazuma? It's in chaos right now. There's an old Liyue saying: a gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. If you go to Inazuma now, you might get into trouble for no reason and put yourself in danger."
"I understand that. Yuto also told me that Inazuma is very chaotic right now, but I have a reason to go that I cannot ignore. Besides, I am a Traveler; journeying through the lands of The Seven Nations is my goal."
"Alright, since you've thought it through, I won't force you. With your strength and experience, you should be capable enough to handle the situation there."
"Inazuma is currently enforcing the Sakoku Decree, which forbids outsiders from entering and its own citizens from leaving. The Raiden Shogun has even used her divine power to create continuous storms and thunderstorms in the outer seas near Inazuma.
Yuto told me that, currently in Liyue, probably only Beidou, Captain of The Crux Fleet, would dare to confidently guarantee a trip to Inazuma. So, we've been waiting for your fleet to return all this time."
"Hahaha, so that's it. Yuto, you have good judgment. That's right, in Liyue, if even my ship can't go to Inazuma, then no other ship probably can."
"Really? That's great! Can we take your ship to Inazuma?"
"You can, but I have one condition."
"What condition?"
"That you participate in the Crux Clash that I'm hosting."
"Crux Clash? What's that?"
"It's a martial arts tournament that I'm hosting. If a great hero like you, who saved Liyue, participates in my tournament, it will definitely become a huge topic and attract even stronger people to compete.
There are two conditions to participate: first, your reputation must be well-known, at least not someone who can't fight at all and just wants to join for the fun of it; second, contestants cannot possess a Vision, otherwise the disparity in strength would be too great."
"So, you want to use my reputation, huh? I can understand the first condition, but why the second condition?"
"Because the final prize for this tournament is an ownerless Vision!"
"An ownerless Vision?"
"That's right. After the owner of a Vision passes away, the Vision loses its light, but the casing doesn't disappear. Since this casing remains in the world, perhaps it has a purpose of inheritance, waiting for the next person who can make it shine again.
This isn't just a rumor; there's a precedent. Ningguang's Vision was obtained this way. It's said that she accidentally acquired an empty Vision casing, intending to package it up and sell it for a good price. But while she was writing the auction proposal, that Vision casing re-emitted light."
"So that's how it is. But such a good item must be quite valuable, right? Why don't you choose to sell it directly? Instead, you're spending money to host a tournament, just to find a new owner for this Vision casing?"
"Actually, this ownerless Vision was provided by one of my crew members named Kaedehara Kazuha. His close friend, in order to abolish Inazuma's Vision Hunt Decree, challenged the Tenryou Commission's general to a duel before the Shogun, but unfortunately lost and ultimately died by the Raiden Shogun's blade.
He picked up his friend's Vision, fled Inazuma, and was eventually rescued by me. According to him, he wants to find an owner who can make it shine again.
In my opinion, a Vision is a flag, representing the gods' approval. So, whoever can make it shine must be the strongest of the strong. To discover such strong individuals, and also to make the Vision glow anew, I took this opportunity to host the Crux Clash."
"Wow, Beidou, Captain, you're so good to your crew members."
"Haha, if you want to join my fleet, you're always welcome. The doors of The Crux Fleet are always open for you."
"In that case, we'll participate in this tournament."
"That's great! I'll have to find someone to do more promotion. With the famous Traveler participating and an ownerless Vision as the final prize, it will surely attract many strong individuals. This tournament will definitely be spectacular.
Oh, by the way, Yuto, you seem to be from Inazuma, right? Do you want to go to Inazuma together? To be honest, I'm more interested in you, especially your strength. If you could come to Inazuma with us, it would be a huge help."
Yuto, who was just observing from the side, saw Beidou unexpectedly turn the conversation to him, especially when she said she was very interested in him. Just as he was about to object, Yuto heard a 'ding' in his mind, and then he choked. Shenhe, who was sitting beside him, quickly handed him a cup of water to clear his throat.
However, the sharp-eyed Yun Jin was surprised to notice that the cup of water Shenhe had just handed to Yuto seemed to be the one she had just drunk from... These two, something's not right, could there be something going on?
Yuto took a sip of water to clear his throat and asked, "Captain, why are you suddenly talking about me?"
"I was just thinking, aren't you from Inazuma? Although you've come to Liyue and achieved some success, your roots are at least there, right? We have an old saying in Liyue, 'Wealth without returning home is like walking in fine clothes at night.'
Look at Inazuma now, with the Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree. It'll be hard for you to go home in the future. Even if you risk going back, you'll have to constantly guard against the Tenryou Commission taking your Vision back. If you can contribute to abolishing these two policies in Inazuma, then your work and life here in Liyue will be free from worries."
Beidou's words were well-reasoned, and everyone turned their gaze to Yuto. Yuto also fell into a dilemma. The reason for his dilemma was simple: his system had started to act up.
"Ding! As the only Uchiha clan member on the continent of Teyvat, you should spread your reputation throughout Teyvat. Yet now, the distant island nation of Inazuma has closed its borders, restricting the spread of your fame. How can this be tolerated?
Mission Requirement: Personally lift Inazuma's closed-border status and make Raiden Ei personally admit her mistaken understanding of eternity!
Mission Reward: Hashirama Cells (no side effects)!"
Oh, wow! With this mission, even if he didn't want to go to Inazuma, he had to go.
Although he actually wanted to visit Inazuma, it wasn't now. He wanted to wait until the two hard workers beside him had resolved everything before going, which would be both worry-free and safe.
But now, the mission explicitly required him to lift Inazuma's closed-border status and make Raiden Ei personally admit her mistake.
He had just found a girlfriend in Liyue and hadn't done anything yet, and now he had to separate, which made it a bit difficult for him to accept. What if he took Shenhe to Inazuma too? Not to mention that the situation in Inazuma was extremely complex and dangerous, taking her there would be highly irresponsible. If her three masters found out about it, they would probably flay him alive.
He subconsciously looked up at Shenhe and saw that while her calm face was filled with worry, her expression mostly conveyed respect for Yuto's wishes.
Seeing her slightly encouraging gaze, Yuto finally made up his mind.
"Good!"
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