"Good heavens... what on earth did those two just pull from the jar shop?"
Outside the shop, the gathered crowd exchanged confused glances.
They couldn't understand it. They had been waiting to see what the representatives from Xinyue Kiosk and Liuli Pavilion would get.
Instead, the two men rushed out like their tails were on fire, disappearing in the blink of an eye before anyone could even ask.
"They must have gotten something good. Why else run so fast?"
"Who knows?"
"I wonder if they pulled another gourmet recipe."
"Guess we'll just have to wait and see if they launch any new dishes soon."
...
The spectators gossiped for a while before shaking their heads and dispersing.
Some were tempted enough to go in and try their luck, only to come out moments later with long faces, clearly having lost their Mora.
Time slipped away quietly.
In a blink, the afternoon was gone.
Felix lay leisurely on his recliner, watching the sky darken outside. Dinner time was approaching.
Meanwhile, somewhere else.
On the vast, boundless ocean, angry waves roared and churned, relentlessly slamming against a massive ship that gleamed with silver-white metallic light.
It was the Steam Battleship, commanded by Beidou.
Rumble...
High above, thunder boomed within the low-hanging clouds, vibrating in everyone's eardrums.
Countless bolts of lightning tore through the pitch-black night, illuminating the battleship as it cut through the storm with its dazzling blue flashes.
Crack!
BOOM!
A lightning bolt ripped the sky open, snaking down like a dragon. In its brief, brilliant light, the crew of the Crux Armada could be seen on deck.
No matter how high the mountainous waves rose, no matter how fiercely they crashed against the hull, the Steam Battleship remained unaffected. It didn't even sway.
"This is incredible."
"As expected of a battleship. It's so stable! Even waves this big don't faze it."
"Yeah. Usually, when the Alcor gets this close to the storm, we'd be rocking all over the place. But this thing? It's not even shaking."
"It must be because the hull is entirely made of steel."
"Has to be."
...
On the deck, the crew members watched excitedly as the battleship crushed the incoming waves effortlessly.
This was the thunderstorm zone surrounding Inazuma—a notoriously dangerous stretch of sea. For a ship to sail through it without pitching or rolling was unheard of.
Even the mighty Alcor would be tossing in these waters.
Beidou stood firmly at the bow, her Zanpakutō hanging at her waist.
Despite the terrifying waves rushing toward her, blocked only by the ship's prow, she stood as steady as a mountain.
"Worthy of the name 'Battleship'."
Beidou marveled at the vessel's power.
From the initial shock of pulling it from a jar, to touring it, and now finally piloting it through a storm... only now, facing nature's fury, could she truly appreciate its terror.
"Captain Beidou, once we cross this outer sea of thunder and rain, we'll enter Inazuma's waters," Huixing shouted over the wind, taking a deep breath. "The most amazing part is our speed. We made it from Liyue Harbor to Inazuma's outer sea in a single day! This battleship is absurdly fast—far faster than the Alcor."
One day.
If outsiders knew, they would be stunned.
It shouldn't be possible.
"It's the steam propulsion system," Furong grinned. "Plus the other mechanisms. Our voyages just got a lot shorter. And look! We don't even have to worry about losing our footing."
In the past, sailing the Alcor through storms meant holding on for dear life, praying not to be thrown overboard.
Ordinary ships would capsize or break apart. If lightning struck a wooden mast, it was game over.
The Alcor was famous because it was sturdy enough to survive, and Beidou's Vision could cleave the waves. But even then, it was a battle.
This? This was a cruise.
"But... Inazuma is under lockdown," Huixing worried. "Are we really just going to barge in? This is the Raiden Shogun's territory."
"We aren't here to cause trouble. Just passing through to complete a mission," Beidou said calmly. "We finish the pirate hunt and leave. A god won't strike us down over something so trivial. Gods have dignity; they don't act rashly."
She was here for the jar mission.
Of course, she was prepared for the worst.
But as long as they didn't attack Inazuma itself—only the pirates plaguing its waters—she doubted the Electro Archon would intervene personally.
"True." Huixing nodded. Liyue was protected by Rex Lapis. The Raiden Shogun likely wouldn't attack a Liyue vessel without cause.
With that thought, the crew relaxed, enjoying the unprecedented stability of their ride.
...
"Sigh."
Just outside the thunderstorm barrier, a small ocean-faring boat bobbed quietly on the waves.
On its deck, a young girl with blonde hair looked distressfully at the wall of lightning ahead.
How did the lockdown get this bad just while I was gone selling fireworks?
She had heard rumors on the way back and sped up, hoping to beat the full closure. But she was too late.
The storm barrier was far more violent than when she left. It was clearly the work of the Raiden Shogun.
Her boat couldn't survive that. Entering would mean certain death.
"Yoimiya-sis, the thunder is too fierce. We can't go back."
Beside her, a frantic young woman spoke softly. "This is definitely the Shogun's power. Inazuma is completely sealed."
"Even if we miraculously survived the storm, we'd be arrested. We already violated the Sakoku Decree by leaving. Before, it was strict but manageable. Now? If we cross this barrier, the soldiers at Ritou will spot us instantly."
"Our best option is to head to Liyue. The Lantern Rite is coming up, and they ordered plenty of fireworks. We can spend the festival there and wait for news from Inazuma."
"Most importantly... our boat can't take this storm. We'll disintegrate."
The young woman looked miserable.
They had built a reinforced boat specifically to smuggle themselves out. It was barely strong enough for the old barrier.
But this? This new storm was a meat grinder.
Entering meant the ship would break apart, dumping them into electrified water. Even the best swimmer can't swim through lightning.
It was a death sentence.
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