"With the Stratagems I've prepared and the Hydro-Barriers protecting Watatsumi, there will be no issues."
Kokomi said this with absolute confidence.
Her "Jin nang"—the silk pouches containing her tactical directives—combined with the island's ancient defensive arrays, ensured that even in her absence, the Shogun's army would find Watatsumi impenetrable.
Besides, her departure was temporary. This journey was an investment in Watatsumi's future—a gamble with only potential gains and zero drawbacks.
"That is incredible."
Huixing stared at the Divine Priestess in awe. To think she could manage a war remotely with just a few sealed notes.
"But aren't you afraid we might sell you out?"
Qianyan, the ship's treasurer, teased with a grin. "What if we just kidnap you? As the leader of Watatsumi, you should be more careful. You trust people too easily."
"I trust that Beidou would never allow such a thing."
Kokomi's eyes curved into lovely crescents as she smiled. "Furthermore, I am a bearer of a Hydro Vision. I am not a helpless little girl."
"Uh."
Qianyan paused, blinking.
Right. Kokomi's delicate, doll-like appearance made it easy to forget she was a powerful Vision holder. And a Hydro user at that—out on the open ocean, she was in her element. She was arguably more dangerous here than on land.
"My apologies," Qianyan said, looking sheepish. "I wasn't thinking clearly."
"Hah! Since that's settled, welcome aboard!"
Beidou laughed heartily, clapping her hands. "Just so you know, once we clear Inazuma waters, we aren't heading straight back to Liyue Harbor. We have a few stops to make. But I guarantee you will set foot on Liyue soil within the week."
Beidou had her own calculations. The Jar Shop allowed each customer to buy ten jars a week. She needed to get back to Felix's store to crack open her next batch as soon as possible.
"No problem."
Kokomi nodded her head cutely.
With the land route at Nazuchi Beach severed by Beidou's missile, the immediate threat of a ground invasion was nullified. She felt secure leaving her people under the protection of the barrier.
"Ah? Lady Kokomi, you are leaving?"
A shrine maiden standing nearby overheard the conversation, her face pale with shock.
"Yes," Kokomi confirmed calmly. "Announce it only after I have departed. I will leave several Stratagems with you shortly. This journey is necessary to find a way to save our island. I must go."
After hearing Beidou's descriptions, she knew the Jar Shop was a singularity she could not ignore. Opportunities like this were fleeting; when fate offered a hand, a strategist had to grasp it.
"O-Okay."
Seeing the seriousness in Kokomi's eyes, the shrine maiden bowed. If it was the Divine Priestess's will, she would obey.
Kokomi spent the next hour writing out her tactical directives, sealing them in silk pouches, and handing them to her trusted aide. She then made a quick trip back into the depths of the Sangonomiya Shrine.
When she returned, her hands were full. She carried several pearls, each the size of a grown man's fist.
"Hss!"
Seeing the massive gems, Qianyan, Furong, and Huixing all gasped, their eyes widening in disbelief.
"Th-Those pearls..."
"By the Archons, they're huge! How much would one of those be worth?"
"I've never seen a pearl that size. They're priceless!"
The three crew members were stunned. These weren't just jewelry; they were treasures of the deep ocean, radiant and flawlessly round.
"Watatsumi is a humble place; we do not have many luxuries to offer guests," Kokomi said softly, handing the pearls to Beidou and her officers. "Please accept these pearls as a token of my gratitude. I hope you do not mind them."
"You... you're really giving these to us?"
Furong looked terrified to touch it. "This is too precious. We can't accept this."
In Liyue Harbor, a commercial hub, a single pearl of this magnitude could auction for an astronomical sum. They had barely spoken a few sentences to Kokomi, yet she was gifting them a fortune.
"It is fine. These are merely local specialties of our island."
Kokomi smiled sweetly, practically forcing the pearls into their hands. "If you do not accept them, I won't know what else to give."
"Well, I won't be polite then!"
Beidou grinned, accepting the pearl without hesitation. "Thanks, Kokomi!"
Huixing and the others exchanged glances, then bowed excitedly, thanking the Priestess profusely. This was a family heirloom-level gift.
After handling the final logistics and giving Beidou a brief tour of the island's perimeter, Kokomi boarded the steel leviathan.
"Alright, time to weigh anchor! The pirates are caught, their ships are scrap, and we're done here."
Back on the bridge of the Steam Battleship, Beidou unrolled her mission scroll. The holographic radar showed no red dots remaining.
The status updated to 'Pending Completion.' Beidou beamed. She just had to transport the ten captured pirate captains back to the Liyue Ministry of Civil Affairs to finalize the contract.
"Holy Morax... Furong, where did you get that?"
"Check it out! That pearl is the size of a fist! It's glowing!"
"It's not just Furong—Huixing and Qianyan have them too! Did you guys rob a dragon palace or something?"
"Furong, come on, share the secret! Where did you find the pearl cave? Bros before hoes, share the wealth!"
As Furong walked onto the deck, the rest of the Crux crew swarmed her, their jaws dropping.
The pearls were comically large. Just one would be enough to retire on. And to see three of the female officers holding them sparked a frenzy of envy.
"Hehe, it was a gift from Kokomi," Furong giggled, clutching her treasure. "Who told you guys to run off and play on the beach? While you were building sandcastles, we were having tea with the Divine Priestess."
"Gah!"
The crewmen's faces twisted in regret.
"No way! Just for sitting there?"
"I regret everything! I shouldn't have gone exploring! I should have stuck to Captain Beidou like glue!"
"I lost millions of Mora today... my heart hurts."
"Lady Kokomi is so rich... how does she just give those away?"
The deck was filled with the sounds of wailing sailors lamenting their poor life choices.
"Hee hee."
Huixing and the others smirked, enjoying their triumph.
With a deep rumble, the engine of the Steam Battleship roared to life. The massive steel vessel turned, cutting through the waves as it departed Watatsumi Island.
On the shore, the Watatsumi soldiers watched the behemoth leave.
"Strange. Lady Kokomi boarded that ship. Is she going on a diplomatic mission?"
"I don't know. Maybe she has business at sea?"
"No, I heard she is leaving the island for a while."
"What? Leaving? Where is she going? What do we do without her?"
"Relax. As long as we stay behind the barriers and don't provoke the Shogunate, we're safe. She left instructions. We just wait for her return."
"Yeah. She probably recruited that Captain Beidou to help us fight the Vision Hunt Decree."
"Man, I envy Liyue. I heard one of the sailors talking about the harbor... sounds like a dream life."
"If this war ever ends, I'm going to visit Liyue. I want to see that prosperity for myself."
The soldiers gossiped, their faith in Kokomi unshaken.
However, deep in the forest, two figures in Resistance uniforms watched the ship disappear.
"Strange. Why would Kokomi leave now?" one whispered, frowning. "It doesn't make sense."
"Her leaving is better for us," the other replied, a dark undertone in his voice. "With her gone, we can finally distribute the Delusions more freely. We can make everyone stronger without having to hide it from her."
"You're right. No more sneaking around."
While the conspirators whispered in the shadows, the Steam Battleship accelerated, tearing toward the outer ocean.
The open sea was vast, but for a ship of this speed, the distance from Watatsumi to the electric perimeter was negligible.
"Hm?"
High in the sky above Yashiori Island, Kujou Sara paused mid-flight. Her golden eyes narrowed sharply.
She had just arrived at the edge of the island, intending to intercept or observe the Liyue fleet.
But in the distance, she saw the massive silhouette of the steel ship already plunging into the thunder barrier of the outer sea. It was moving away from Inazuma, heading resolutely toward the open ocean.
They're leaving? already?
Sara hovered in the air, stunned.
The ship had entered Inazuma, destroyed the pirates, blew up a beach, and was now leaving immediately.
This meant Captain Beidou had told the truth. She really just came here to complete a commission and leave. There was no invasion. There was no deeper plot. She came, she saw, she bombed, she left.
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