"Lord Gorou, there has been no word from the Divine Priestess for far too long! You can't just sit here and do nothing!"
"That's right! So much time has passed—what if Lady Sangonomiya has already… already…"
"I said the Shogunate can't be trusted! Peace talks? Ridiculous! We should've continued resisting!"
"Exactly! For Lady Sangonomiya's sake, we absolutely cannot sit still any longer!"
Gorou was surrounded— encircled by restless, anxious soldiers whose voices overlapped in panicked waves.
He rubbed his temples with a headache that could split mountains.
Ever since Sangonomiya Kokomi entered Inazuma City, not a single message had returned.
Fox Priestess Miko trusted her.
Everyone trusted her.
So no one believed Kokomi would defect.
Which meant— there was only one reasonable conclusion left:
She had been captured.
Killing her was pointless.
Brainwashing her was impossible.
Which left only house arrest.
Those damned Shogunate soldiers must have imprisoned the Divine Priestess!
But Kokomi had specifically told them to remain calm and avoid reckless moves.
That order chained Gorou's hands and feet.
He was more anxious than any of them— yet he understood too well what war would bring.
The Shogunate now had more than one god.
If they provoked the other one…
Would Watatsumi Island survive?
"You all—stay here! I'll investigate Inazuma City myself!"
The situation had become too unstable.
Gorou had no better option.
He would go alone.
"If anyone acts without orders while I'm gone…" He glared at them severely.
"—they will face military punishment!"
The peace Kokomi worked so hard to build— he refused to let it be destroyed by a few hot-headed idiots.
He knew not everyone in the army shared Watatsumi's ideals.
Some were refugees.
Some were war fanatics.
Without Kokomi here, someone might stir trouble.
But he didn't have time to manage them now.
She'd been gone too long.
His heart was a mess.
He would take the risk himself— and accept whatever scolding Kokomi gave him later.
"Lumine! Look, look! We're almost at Inazuma!"
On the Fatui's ship, Paimon yanked Lumine's hair as she pointed excitedly toward the nearing coastline.
"I know, I know—stop pulling!"
Lumine rubbed her poor scalp.
"So we're finally arriving…"
She took a deep breath, then shouted toward the misty islands:
"Come on! Whatever challenges you have—bring them on! I'm ready!!!"
Her voice echoed across the water.
Fatui soldiers stared at her like she was crazy.
"…Traveler, your voice is surprisingly loud. I thought you didn't talk much."
Tartaglia flicked his ear.
After days at sea, they'd finally reached their destination.
He was curious how this "dream" capable of imprisoning Morax would look.
The Fatui ship docked.
"Strange… why are all the guards asleep?"
The moment they stepped onto Ritou, Lumine noticed something was wrong.
The entire port's Shogunate soldiers were lying on the ground— asleep.
"And it's not recent either… the dust on them has been piling up."
Childe brushed a soldier's armor; his fingers came back gray.
This wasn't a nap.
It looked like they'd been asleep since the dream began.
But that was impossible…
They were breathing, so they were alive.
But without food or water…
Normal humans shouldn't survive that long.
And none of them even had Visions.
"Why… why is it that even though it's daytime, not a single person here is awake…?"
The eerie silence made Paimon hide behind Lumine.
"Soldiers!"
Childe turned—ready to give orders— but no response came.
His instincts flared.
He leapt back onto the ship.
The entire deck was covered in unconscious Fatui.
"All asleep? They were dragged into the dream too?"
Such a sudden shift— no signs, no warning.
This dream over Inazuma… was far stranger than he expected.
And Su Ran— what was he planning?
If he created this dream and locked everyone inside… why keep their bodies alive?
"It seems we'll have to go deeper to find answers."
Unable to wake anyone, Childe stopped wasting time.
He and Lumine began moving inland.
If everyone in Inazuma had been dragged into the dream… they might be the only ones still awake.
Unless they found other survivors—
But that seemed unlikely.
"What kind of trick is the Raiden Shogun playing?"
Lumine muttered, giving up on waking anyone.
No locals.
No voices.
No movement.
It was broad daylight— but she felt chills creeping up her spine.
"…"
Childe almost told her the dream was likely Su Ran's creation.
But given the power gap…
Better not.
From his understanding, Su Ran wasn't one to cause mass casualties.
The fact these people could survive this long was already proof.
Just as the three prepared to head deeper—
the scenery shifted.
Instantly.
One moment they stood at the port— the next, they stood before a towering statue.
A woman carved in stone, seated with wings on her back, hands resting on her legs, eyes closed.
Gods' Eyes were embedded all over her form.
The sudden teleportation left all three stunned.
When they turned around—
the once-empty streets were now crowded with people—
densely packed, bustling—
as if they had always been there.
~~--------------------------------------
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