The martial arts tournament's format was simply divided into preliminaries, semi-finals, and the final, held over three days. Yuto and Shenhe also specifically went to the Ganyu Stone Forest competition venue to cheer Lumine on. However, the scene during the preliminary matches made Yuto want to eat three big bowls of plain rice on the spot; it was just that entertaining.
Out of over a hundred two-on-two preliminary duels, about half were decided by a single move. Another quarter of the matches were like 'chickens pecking at each other,' while the remaining quarter were fairly decent. The entire venue was filled with laughter, but Beidou's expression was extremely grim.
Afterward, Yuto heard Beidou complain that during registration, Zhu Han had allowed people like the "Chihuo Rock Free Fighting Competition Second Place" and "Qingce Village Arm Wrestling Champion" to pass the screening, which left Yuto speechless.
Chihuo Rock… free fighting… isn't that just workers brawling? Second place… meaning he even lost.
Qingce Village Arm Wrestling Champion… Qingce Village is mostly made up of retired elderly people and left-behind children, right? How could a young man have the nerve to arm wrestle them? No martial ethics.
Fortunately, this situation was mostly limited to the preliminaries. In the subsequent semi-finals, there were far fewer of those 'chicken pecking at each other' matches, and by the final stage, every match was a spectacular duel.
And Lumine also successfully overcame all challenges. Although there was a slight mishap at the very end, he fortunately won the championship without much trouble, preserving his reputation as a great hero.
However, even as the champion of the martial arts tournament, the ownerless Vision was still not re-ignited in Lumine's hands, which somewhat disappointed Kaedehara Kazuha, who had been watching from the side.
This martial arts tournament was specially organized by Beidou, Captain, to fulfill his wish. Its purpose was to find a new owner for his close friend's Vision, thereby inheriting his dying wish.
It was a pity that such a high-quality candidate could not even gain the recognition of the gods, and it caused all the members of The Crux Fleet to be busy for so long. Even Beidou, Captain, was called to tea by a displeased Ningguang because the scale of this martial arts tournament far exceeded the previously reported size, which made Kazuha feel somewhat guilty.
The end of the martial arts tournament also meant that the day of departure for Inazuma was not far off. As soon as The Crux Fleet finished restocking supplies, they could set sail.
In the following days, Yuto and Shenhe were even more inseparable. Perhaps both of them felt that separation was imminent. As for what a couple should do, they had successfully reached second base. The time spent together made Yuto sigh: a gentle embrace truly is a hero's grave.
Now, Yuto really wanted to ignore the system's mission. What did Inazuma's fate have to do with him? Someone would solve it anyway. However, Shenhe seemed to have seen through Yuto's thoughts and deliberately feigned anger, saying, "If you become a deserter then, I will look down on you for the rest of my life!"
Shenhe's words, combined with her icy cold face, had an explosive impact, immediately making Yuto relent. And Shenhe, who learned it from who knows where, gave him a stick then a carrot, finally subtly implying—as long as you can resolve the matters in Inazuma, when you return, I'll reward you with third base… Good heavens, as soon as this sentence came out, Yuto's breathing became rapid, his heart rate quickened, and he excitedly jumped around in the Domain like a baboon, unable to calm down for a long time.
Little Inazuma, I will conquer you!
Finally, on a calm day, The Crux Fleet's resupply work finally came to an end, and they began counting heads. This meant that The Crux Fleet was about to set sail.
Yuto boarded the Alcor, where Beidou, Captain, was, under Shenhe's reluctant gaze. This was The Crux Fleet's flagship and the core of the fleet, naturally also the largest and most well-equipped ship in the fleet.
Soon after, Lumine and Paimon also rushed over. Their journey in Liyue had been stalled for a long time. During this period, they had almost scoured all the treasures throughout Liyue, sweeping through Qingxu Pool, Lingju Pass, Dunyu Ruins, Tianqiu Valley, Cuijue Slope, and so on.
It can be said that after their round of exploration, it would probably be difficult for future Adventurers to find anything valuable in those ruins and Domains.
Beidou watched them arrive and couldn't help but tease, "Oh, you're finally here. Even a storm couldn't delay The Crux Fleet in the past, but this time I've given you plenty of face. Now that everyone is here, it's time to set sail towards the eternal nation surrounded by thunder and rain!"
At Beidou's command, the crew members of The Crux Fleet immediately sprang into action. A series of procedures for setting sail were carried out in an orderly manner, making only Yuto, Lumine, and Paimon, the three outsiders, feel out of place and quite awkward.
The Crux Fleet sailed majestically towards Inazuma. If all went well, they would arrive in Inazuma in about five days. Of course, if things didn't go smoothly, it would take longer.
The main objective of The Crux Fleet this time was to provide supplies to the resistance of Watatsumi Island. However, after breaking through the thunderstorms in Inazuma's outer sea, Beidou would dispatch a small boat to send them to Ritou in Inazuma. On Ritou, Beidou had already found a business partner for them.
Ritou is an artificial island, founded by Hiiragi Hirotsugu, the ancestor of the Kanjou Commission, and has now become the Hiiragi Clan's base. However, due to the many islands in Inazuma, sea transport is the most convenient and fastest method compared to land transport, so gradually, Ritou also became Inazuma's most important port.
Although Inazuma enforces the Sakoku Decree, and the Raiden Shogun even uses her will to cause eternal thunderstorms in Inazuma's outer sea, one should never underestimate merchants' determination to make money. There will still be merchant ships from other countries risking entry into Inazuma, bringing specialties from other countries to sell in Inazuma, and then taking Inazuma's specialties to other countries, earning high price differences.
For merchants, as long as there is enough profit, they are willing to risk their ships and lives to travel back and forth to Inazuma.
However, after Inazuma implemented the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree, to prevent foreigners in Inazuma from causing trouble, all foreigners on Narukami Island were relocated to Ritou, and their entry and exit were strictly restricted. This was also to facilitate the Kanjou Commission's exploitation of foreign merchants.
Therefore, the foreign merchants on Ritou, to band together for warmth, spontaneously formed the "International Trade Association." Besides making a profit, it also had to handle the regulation, organization, and assistance for foreigners living in Inazuma, making it an association that simultaneously delved into both the way of commerce and the way of survival.
-----------------------------
If you enjoy my stories and want to help me create even more, please consider supporting me on Patreon 💖
patreon.com/TripleCrown07
Thank you so much for your support — it truly means a lot! 🌿