It seemed like an unbreakable rule—most gods in Teyvat were local overlords. Nearly every god possessed their own territory.
Yet the War God Rexas was an exception.
He didn't even have a domain.
"No territory… probably no followers either. And not a single Mora on me. That makes him a three-nothing god."
Ren Kai sighed as he walked toward the center of Ritou, glancing helplessly at the surrounding flowers and trees.
"Actually, wait… if you count the fact that I don't even have a god's power anymore, that makes me a four-nothing product."
Sure enough, this wasn't the game version of Genshin Impact. There weren't any treasure chests lying around for him to loot.
"For Makoto… for Ei… and for Yae Miko… I've got to work harder."
Thinking of them gave him motivation.
Before long, Ren Kai arrived outside Ritou's commercial district. The area was lively, merchants everywhere discussing business while displaying their goods.
"Halt."
A member of the Tenryou Commission guarding the island's entrance stepped forward to block him.
"What is it?"
Ren Kai maintained Madara's persona—his cold expression and detached tone caused the guard to instinctively step back two paces.
"Hmph. Ronin are not allowed to enter Ritou."
Although intimidated by Ren Kai's overwhelming presence, the guard still spoke stubbornly. Together with several companions, he lowered his spear to block the path.
"I am not a ronin."
Ren Kai felt a headache coming on.
Apparently, during this era, ronin didn't have a good reputation.
And Madara's current outfit did resemble a wandering samurai—aside from the missing helmet.
"You think we'll believe that?"
The guard glared at Ren Kai suspiciously.
The faint scent of blood clung to him, and the terrifying aura around him made him seem like a dangerous criminal.
Behind them, another officer was rummaging through documents, trying to see if this wandering samurai matched any wanted criminals.
If he did… they would arrest him on the spot.
Just as Ren Kai was beginning to feel troubled—
"Hm? May I take a look at your sword?"
A tall, imposing officer from the Tenryou Commission walked out from inside Ritou.
"Captain!"
The guards immediately greeted him respectfully.
"I'm not in the habit of letting others examine my sword."
Ren Kai answered coldly.
Inwardly, he added another sentence:
If you want to see it… you'll have to see blood.
Madara's pride would never allow him to bow his head.
"…My apologies. Let him pass."
The captain stepped closer, carefully observing the katana at Ren Kai's side for a moment before speaking.
"Captain?"
The guard who had been leading the confrontation looked unwilling, but he still withdrew his weapon.
"Please proceed. Recently, merchants have been robbed by wandering samurai, so the inspection has been stricter than usual. I hope you won't take offense."
The captain shot the guard a sharp look before addressing Ren Kai with respect.
"…"
Ren Kai thought for a moment before walking forward silently.
If he wanted to play Madara properly, he needed to understand Madara's personality.
When action was possible, words were unnecessary.
After Ren Kai entered the central marketplace of Ritou, the guards behind him couldn't help asking their captain.
"Captain, why were you so polite to that ronin?"
The leading guard still sounded unconvinced.
"You really have no sense at all."
"That sword was clearly Lady Kitsune Saiguu's personal blade."
"And yet it's in the hands of a wandering samurai."
"No matter the reason, that's not someone we can afford to offend."
The captain smacked the guard on the head.
If he had arrived a moment later, things might have escalated badly.
"Ah… no wonder that ronin was so arrogant."
"Normally, ronin would avoid us like the plague."
"Captain, your eyesight really is amazing. I'm convinced."
The guard finally accepted it.
Meanwhile, Ren Kai walked through the bustling streets of Ritou's marketplace.
Many merchants glared at him angrily.
Others looked frightened and uneasy.
Why was there a wandering samurai here?
Combined with Madara's overwhelming aura, Ren Kai couldn't even approach a merchant to talk. The moment he got close, they would immediately turn around and run.
"…Well."
"So how am I supposed to get to Liyue now?"
"Being broke is bad enough, but now I can't even find a merchant willing to give me a ride on their ship."
He sighed helplessly and began heading toward the harbor.
There was only one option left.
Sneak onto a ship.
At that moment, one bold merchant who had been observing Ren Kai finally made up his mind and spoke.
"Sir samurai, please wait."
Ren Kai turned toward the voice.
The man looked strangely familiar… but he couldn't quite place where he had seen him before.
"What do you want?"
His expression remained cold.
Since so many merchants had avoided him, the fact that this one approached meant he probably had some ulterior motive.
"My name is Mingyun of the Feiyun Commerce Guild."
"I overheard that you wish to travel to Liyue."
"I would like to hire you as an advisor to the Feiyun Commerce Guild. That way, we could travel together to Liyue."
Mingyun sounded nervous as he spoke.
After all, he had witnessed the earlier confrontation between the Tenryou Commission and this samurai.
This man clearly possessed extraordinary strength.
With such a cold demeanor, Mingyun feared offending him.
Hiring him as an advisor was the safest option.
Experts rarely acted according to common sense.
If he directly asked him to work as a guard… he might get beaten up.
"The Feiyun Commerce Guild?"
Ren Kai's voice rose slightly in surprise.
He never expected this merchant to belong to the Feiyun Commerce Guild.
Didn't that mean this guy was basically an ancestor of Xingqiu?
No wonder he looked familiar.
Mingyun appeared to be only in his twenties, yet he had already come all the way to Inazuma for trade.
No wonder the guild would eventually grow wealthy enough to rival nations.
"Have you heard of us before, sir samurai? This is actually my first visit to Inazuma."
Mingyun looked puzzled.
Why had the samurai reacted like that?
Could he really know about the guild?
Or worse…
Was he one of the ronin who robbed their caravans?
"I've been to Liyue before."
After thinking briefly, Ren Kai said this.
The simple sentence immediately dispelled Mingyun's suspicion.
"I see."
"May I ask your honorable name, sir samurai? Would you be willing to become an advisor for the Feiyun Commerce Guild?"
Mingyun sighed internally.
This voyage had already cost him dearly.
On the journey to Inazuma, they had been attacked by wandering samurai. Although they managed to repel the attackers, many of his guards had been killed or injured.
Now he urgently needed a capable expert to escort them home.
And the samurai standing before him clearly looked like such an expert.
"My name is Uchiha Madara. You may call me Ban."
"I can serve as your advisor."
"But I dislike being disturbed. Unless necessary, I will not intervene."
Inside, Ren Kai was ecstatic.
When you're sleepy, someone hands you a pillow.
He currently had no proper identity and was completely broke.
This was the perfect opportunity.
But he still had to maintain Madara's cold persona.
"No problem!"
"How about I treat you to a meal first, sir samurai? We can discuss the details of your compensation over dinner."
Mingyun beamed with delight and warmly invited him toward a nearby restaurant.
"…Mm."
Ren Kai replied with only a single word.
But in reality, the moment he heard the word "meal," he suddenly realized something.
He was starving.
After all, the War God Rexas rarely ate.
His stomach was completely empty.