As expected, Beidou, Captain's The Crux Fleet sailing skills are top-notch; she managed to pass through such a raging storm without any losses.
Although the originally scheduled five-day journey extended to six days, that was entirely because Beidou, Captain prioritized safety. If she had taken a more adventurous approach, they definitely could have arrived on time, but it was clear that Beidou was not the kind of captain who would endanger her crew just to save a little time.
After breaking through the offshore lightning storm, Yuto and his group finally saw the appearance of Inazuma. It must be said that those who have sailed the ocean for a long time develop a craving for land, no matter how ordinary it may be. In the eyes of a sailor, it is no less than a treasure of the world, and what's more, the scenery of Ritou is not too bad.
For those who haven't seen them, the buildings full of ancient Japanese style actually have a unique charm.
Since Beidou's ship was carrying a series of contraband items, and there was also a wanted criminal among the crew, it was naturally impossible to dock openly at the port. They had to use a small boat to take everyone ashore.
At the port, a blond man in red clothing was sitting bored, waiting for something. Upon seeing Beidou, he immediately dropped his previous carefree demeanor, straightened his clothes, and excitedly ran over to greet Beidou.
"Yo! You're finally here, the Captain of the Liyue people! You've kept me waiting. And these three stowaways... Huh? Only two? This friend seems to be a local, right? Oh no, they are three distinguished guests."
"It's all because of your Shogun. Recently, the lightning storms and waves off the coast of Inazuma have been even stronger than before. Although my fleet showed off its skills, it still caused some delays.
Oh, by the way, let me introduce you. This is Thoma, a business partner I've recently become acquainted with. Thoma, these three are..."
"Haha, no need for introductions. Their renown is so great that even the offshore storms couldn't stop it; their names have long been echoing."
In fact, Yuto had already recognized Thoma. He is the chief housekeeper of the Yashiro Commission's Kamisato Family. He was originally a Mondstadter who, after moving to Inazuma with his father, was taken in by the Kamisato Family and gradually became a close attendant to the Clan Head Kamisato and Demoiselle.
It's a pity that he didn't practice at that time. Yuto's only impression of him was as a tool for fishing with a pole.
"Thoma has been active in Ritou for a long time; it's not an exaggeration to call him a fixer here. If you encounter any difficulties, just look for him. But if he acts improperly towards you, next time I come to Inazuma, I will stand up for you. Well then, I shouldn't stay long. Take care."
After Beidou left, Thoma looked at the three people in front of him, seemingly lost in thought, which made Paimon quite puzzled. She asked, "Thoma, what's wrong?"
"Ah? Oh, it's like this. Actually, the materials I prepared are only for Traveler and Paimon. As for Mr. Uchiha's materials, since he is a local, he doesn't need to forge identity documents or anything like that, so your process will be a bit different."
!!!
What the hell is this? I need an identity! Thoma, I hate you!
Traveler and Paimon glanced at Yuto, showing expressions of envy, but it was precisely this expression that made Yuto even more frustrated, and the key was that he couldn't show it.
No, no, I must immediately come up with a suitable identity... What I said before in Liyue about Konoha Village is absolutely out of the question.
"Alright, let's go to the inspection station to register first. Don't underestimate the Sakoku Decree; there's no way to avoid identity verification, so we need to do things by the book, even if those things are a bit irregular."
Thoma led Yuto and the two others to the inspection station. At this time, Yuto was brainstorming. Suddenly, he came up with an excellent idea and secretly took out a package from the Kamui Dimension.
"Hello, please state your identity and purpose for coming to the island."
Thoma handed Traveler and Paimon's island entry documents to the person in charge. After a careful inspection, the person in charge nodded.
"There's no problem with these two's documents. Welcome to Ritou. As for this one... Huh? Are you a local returning from abroad? Welcome home. You don't need any documents; I just need to check if your personal belongings are compliant."
"Yes, the last time I left Inazuma, the Shogunate Army and the resistance were still fighting fiercely, and they destroyed our Higi Village. I wonder if the war has ended now?"
The person in charge immediately asked in surprise, "You're from Higi Village? I'm sorry, the resistance still exists, but they are like grasshoppers in autumn, they won't last much longer. I believe it won't be long before the Shogunate Army achieves victory, and then the Shogun will definitely rebuild your homes."
It wasn't surprising that the person in charge was astonished. Higi Village, located in the heart of Yashiori Island, had a strange illness called Tatarigami lingering on the island. It was also a battlefield where the Shogunate Army and the resistance engaged in close combat. Now, that village had been destroyed, and it was said that few villagers survived. Both the Shogunate Army and the resistance claimed the other side massacred the village.
"Is this the luggage you brought? Can I open it for inspection?"
"You may."
The person in charge opened Yuto's package. Inside were four books and a letter. Initially, the person in charge didn't pay much attention to just four books, but he quickly noticed something was amiss. The title was "Chronicles of Seiraimaru's Sword-Seeking, Volume 2," by Zhenyu.
What's going on? Isn't there only Volume 1 of this book? Where did Volume 2 come from? Immediately after, he looked at the other three books; they were all identical copies of Volume 2. And the letter was addressed to Yae Publishing House, signed by Zhenyu as well.
At this moment, the person in charge excitedly clasped Yuto's hands, shaking them repeatedly, and exclaimed, "Is this 'Chronicles of Seiraimaru's Sword-Seeking, Volume 2'? You actually brought it back from Liyue? You are a hero to all of Inazuma! Do you know Teacher Zhenyu?"
After the person in charge's outburst, the other staff members at the inspection station clearly noticed what was happening and rushed over, looking at the books with great excitement. They quickly flipped through them; each one was filled with text—it was real, not fake!
Yuto had clearly underestimated the status of "Chronicles of Seiraimaru's Sword-Seeking" in Inazuma. This was a divine book that held a significant place in Inazuma's literary world. Countless people, including high-ranking officials and nobles, had been eagerly awaiting its continuation.
Unfortunately, Inazuma had implemented the Sakoku Decree, and no one knew Teacher Zhenyu. Even if merchants risked traveling to Liyue's bookstores to search, they couldn't find this book in any of Liyue's bookstores. Not only the content of Volume 2, but even the content of Volume 1 couldn't be found.
Nonsense, Liyue's publishing houses didn't see the potential of this book at all. Xingqiu himself had printed a few copies and secretly placed them in bookstores for observation, but no one actually bought them, so he stopped writing.
When Yuto told Xingqiu that his novel was popular throughout Inazuma, he had been frantically writing the content of Volume 2 during his time back and then quickly printed a few copies.
When he heard that Yuto wanted to travel to Inazuma with The Crux Fleet, he secretly found Yuto, claiming that he knew Teacher Zhenyu, and entrusted him to deliver these books and the letter to the editor of Yae Publishing House.
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Chapter 88: Seizing the Piracy Initiative
The Raiden Shogun of Inazuma is a martial arts fanatic, and Inazuma itself has a strong martial culture. However, strangely enough, the status of scholars is clearly higher than that of martial artists, not to mention the literary giants who stand above the scholars.
Teacher Zhenyu should be considered the most mysterious literary giant in Inazuma's literary circles. Therefore, the news of Yuto bringing his next work back to Inazuma from Liyue caused such a sensation.
Soon, the news from the inspection station spread throughout Ritou. Even Hiiragi Shinsuke, the head of the Hiiragi Clan of the Kanjou Commission, personally rushed over, clutching the few copies of the Chronicles of Seiraimaru's Sword-Seeking. He couldn't put them down. He opened the table of contents of one of them and, sure enough, it was different from the first volume's table of contents. This was indeed the second volume written by Teacher Zhenyu.
As Inazuma's purse, the Kanjou Commission, led by the influential Hiiragi Shinsuke, naturally lacked no Mora. However, these books before him were something money couldn't buy, so he was naturally envious.
Moreover, the most crucial point was that the literary circles in Inazuma held a very high social status. As high-ranking officials in Inazuma, they considered themselves cultured individuals. These currently unique books were a symbol of their social standing and brought them prestige.
After his initial excitement, he realized that the person who brought these books back to Inazuma was still standing beside him. To be honest, if he hadn't heard of Yuto's reputation, and if he wasn't an Inazuman, would these books even have a chance to be sent to Yae Publishing House? No way.
How much would it cost to open his own printing factory? If he were to print such a widely popular novel himself, what he'd be printing wouldn't be books, but Mora.
"Little friend Yuto, please forgive my lapse. It's just that this old man has yearned for this book for a long time. I thought I wouldn't live to see Teacher Zhenyu's second volume. Thank you for finding Teacher Zhenyu in Liyue, and even more for bringing this book back to Inazuma."
"Clan Head Hiiragi, you are too polite. It's just a pity that Teacher Zhenyu is in Liyue, and Inazuma's Sakoku Decree restricts the spread of information. Otherwise, perhaps Teacher Zhenyu could have written a third or even a fourth volume."
"Little friend Yuto, what do you think of this? Would you be willing to entrust this book to our Kanjou Commission for printing? The terms would definitely be more generous than Yae Publishing House."
"I'm afraid I can't do that. Teacher Zhenyu is a person who remembers kindness. At the time, this novel was not very popular in Liyue. It was only after the editors of Yae Publishing House accidentally discovered it that they elevated this novel to its current height.
He is immensely grateful for this. Before I left, he repeatedly instructed me to make sure these books were delivered to Yae Publishing House. Besides, behind Yae Publishing House is the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine. If she were to find out about this, it would likely cause trouble."
"This... then how about this? You have so many copies here, why not leave one for me? I'd like to read Teacher Zhenyu's masterpiece as soon as possible. If all of them are given to Yae Publishing House, I'd have to wait at least ten more days for them to print a large batch. This old man doesn't want to wait another minute."
"I can, but I have a small condition."
"What condition? Just say it. In this small area of Ritou, our Hiiragi Clan still has some influence."
Yuto pointed to Lumine and Paimon behind him and said, "It's like this. These two friends of mine want to go to Narukami Island, but currently in Ritou, foreigners need a travel permit issued by the Kanjou Commission to go. I wonder..."
Upon hearing this, Hiiragi Shinsuke's expression suddenly changed, but he quickly composed himself and said, "Well, this is a bit difficult. The current policy in Ritou was personally issued by the Raiden Shogun. As one of the Tri-Commission serving the Raiden Shogun, we naturally cannot openly defy the Raiden Shogun's orders. How about you suggest another condition, little friend Yuto?"
"Can't you make an exception? I can just keep one copy, and give you all the rest."
"This... indeed not. The policy is as it is. I hope you understand, little friend."
"Is that so? That's truly a shame." Yuto firmly took the book back from his hand, which annoyed Hiiragi Shinsuke, but he did not act out immediately.
"Little friend Yuto, won't you suggest any other conditions? How about this, I can offer three million Mora for this one book. If you're willing to sell all three books to me, I can directly offer ten million Mora. This is found money, why not take it?"
Just as Yuto was about to refuse, Paimon, standing nearby, pulled him and urged, "Sell it! Ten million Mora for three books, what a bargain! Yuto, don't worry about us. If you feel bad, you can share a little with us, hehe."
Paimon, that money-grubber, was truly hopeless. However, Yuto saw Lumine also nodding at him, seemingly agreeing with the other party's approach. Since both of them, the parties involved, agreed, Yuto had no reason to refuse.
Thus, he sold the three books to Hiiragi Shinsuke for ten million Mora, and Hiiragi Shinsuke promptly settled the payment, then quickly left with the three books.
Hiiragi Shinsuke, under the envious gazes of the crowd, swaggered away with the three books. The others looked at the remaining book and the letter, not daring to touch them easily. These were to be sent to Yae Publishing House for printing and publication. If they were to accidentally damage even a tiny bit of it, they would probably have to commit seppuku to apologize.
The head of the inspection station carefully re-organized and packed Yuto's luggage, admonishing him, "Mr. Yuto, you must deliver this package to Yae Publishing House intact as soon as possible! We are all waiting to see the next part of the story quickly."
Yuto took his luggage and led Lumine, Paimon, and Thoma to a secluded spot, saying, "Sorry, Lumine, Paimon, it seems that Ritou is indeed very strict with foreigners right now."
"It's fine, don't we still have Thoma, our fixer? I'm sure he must have another way, right?"
Thoma nodded and said, "Alright, I can tell you frankly, if I use all my resources, I have a way to introduce you to the Raiden Shogun. But before that..."
"Are you going to do that too?!"
Sure enough, the ultimate tool was about to go online again!
"Heh heh, connections are also a very expensive business. If you want to get what you wish for, you must first help solve other people's troubles."
"That's a nice way of putting it. I get it, you want to be a middleman who earns favors! No wonder you became a fixer."
"Sorry, Lumine, Paimon, I'm afraid I can't help you right now. I probably need to head to Narukami Island first."
"Ah? Why?"
"I suddenly thought of a possibility. I need to send this book and letter to Yae Publishing House as soon as possible."
"Is it that urgent?"
"If Hiiragi Shinsuke had only bought one book, I might have believed he wanted to read it early. But he actually bought all three books at an inflated price. I suspect he might be thinking of pirating and printing this book ahead of time."
"Ah? Can he do that?"
"Why not? You've seen how highly this book is regarded in Inazuma. Although the author gave the publishing rights to Yae Publishing House, if the Hiiragi Clan could print and release this book before Yae Publishing House, even if it's only a few days earlier, it would be enough to earn massive profits.
Compared to the ten million Mora just now, that's just a drop in the bucket. Moreover, pirated books don't require sharing profits with the author. If I delay too long in Ritou, Teacher Zhenyu's loss will probably be huge."
"I see. Then you should go to Yae Publishing House quickly. We'll figure out our own way to Narukami Island."
And so, Yuto left Ritou alone, under the envious gazes of Lumine and Paimon, while the two of them began their journey as tools in Ritou.
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