By the time they returned to the ship, the shore was alive with the scent of woodsmoke and fireworks.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the melodies of evening songs drifted through the air, and the mist of the twilight glowed in the setting sun.
Seeing their return, the sailors extinguished the campfires and prepared to set sail. After one more night, they would finally arrive at Liyue Harbor.
"Xiangling, you going off on a date with Ye Xi has left the boys on this ship with empty bellies!"
The moment she spotted Xiangling, Beidou stepped forward to tease her.
Initially, Beidou hadn't been worried about Ye Xi, but when dinner time rolled around, Xiangling was nowhere to be found. Even though the kitchen was stocked with prepared ingredients, everyone worried when their little chef vanished.
As soon as the news reached Beidou, she had immediately realized that Xiangling must have gone looking for Ye Xi.
Hearing Beidou's teasing, Xiangling's face turned beet red. "It wasn't a date! I was looking for fresh ingredients!"
"If you don't believe me, look!"
Xiangling tried to act composed as she pulled out the ingredients she had caught that afternoon. However, her fidgeting and the way she hid her hands behind her back made her look anything but convincing.
Beidou burst into a hearty laugh, giving Xiangling a graceful way to drop the subject.
At that moment, Kaedehara Kazuha stepped forward and took the initiative to introduce himself to Ye Xi. "My name is Kaedehara Kazuha, a wandering ronin."
"I heard quite a bit about you back in Inazuma."
"You are a person of great importance to Lady Guuji, favored by the previous Narukami Ogosho, and a trusted confidant of the current Raiden Shogun."
"Ehh—!?"
Xiangling's eyes widened, her gaze filled with pure disbelief!
If Kazuha hadn't explained it, she never would have dreamed in a million years that Ye Xi held such a high status in Inazuma!
Favored by two generations of the Electro Archon and a close relative of the Archon's familiar?
How could a person from Liyue receive such adoration in Inazuma?
Was that even possible?
Ye Xi nodded calmly.
Speaking of which, Kaedehara Kazuha and Raiden Ei shared quite a history. At its core, it was simply a matter of resentment toward the Vision Hunt Decree.
"You carry many traces of Elemental Power on you," Kazuha continued. "The wind tells me that you have just experienced a fierce battle."
"Oh?"
Beidou looked at Ye Xi, her curiosity piqued.
First Mate Zhao, who was standing nearby, spoke up to remind them, "Little Kazuha, you must be mistaken this time. How could Brother Ye Xi have Elemental Power?"
"Look, he doesn't have a Vision on him at all!"
The sailor Hailong chimed in as well. "Yeah, yeah! Brother Ye Xi doesn't have a Vision. His skills are impressive, but he can't use Elemental Power like Big Sister Xiangling!"
"Exactly! Not to mention multiple types of Elemental Power!"
Beidou also expressed her stance. "Kazuha, I've never heard of anyone using two types of Elemental Power unless they are one of the Fatui Harbingers or someone who possesses a Delusion."
"Are you suggesting that my good brother is a Delusion user?"
As soon as those words were uttered, the surrounding crew broke into an uproar.
"A Delusion? I've heard of those! They say you can use Elemental Power with one, but you'll suffer a terrible backlash!"
"That's a wicked thing created by the Fatui..."
"Could Ye Xi really be using the power of a Delusion?"
"Isn't that incredibly dangerous..."
"No way. Ye Xi is such an upright person; there's no way he'd resort to using outside forces like that."
"But Kazuha has never been wrong before..."
"The Big Sister's point is clear: Ye Xi would never use a Delusion. Besides, a Delusion only grants one type of element, not two!"
"Someone who caught the Big Sister's eye wouldn't rely on something as unreliable as that!"
The murmurs were low, but as more people joined in, the voices became impossible to ignore.
Xiangling hadn't expected everyone to think this way, and she immediately stepped forward, filled with righteous indignation.
"Ye Xi isn't that kind of person!"
"Who said you can't use Elemental Power without a Vision?"
"Ye Xi is a special existence!"
Xiangling's sudden outburst caught everyone present off guard. In their eyes, Xiangling had always been an optimistic and generous girl who rarely lost her temper.
They never expected that a few casual comments about Ye Xi would cause her to flare up like this in his defense.
This was the first time they had seen her like this, and it made them see her in a completely new light.
Ye Xi gave a helpless, wry smile and reached out to pull the fuming Xiangling back. Sure enough, the bristling girl instantly settled down.
"Alright, everyone. Kazuha isn't wrong; I can indeed use multiple types of Elemental Power."
"But rest assured, I don't possess anything as sinister as a Delusion."
Upon hearing his answer, the crew became excited.
"If you don't have a Vision, how can you use Elemental Power?"
"Does that mean we might have a chance to use it too?"
"If only I could use Elemental Power..."
In this world, once you possessed a Vision, you could achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary mortals! You would also earn the respect of others!
Kaedehara Kazuha took the opportunity to step forward and apologize. "Forgive me, that was not my intention."
"I simply wanted to ask a favor of you."
As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an extinguished Vision.
"This was left behind by a deceased friend of mine. He initiated a Duel before the Throne in front of the Raiden Shogun."
"Later, he was defeated by Lady Kujou Sara and struck down by the Shogun's Musou no Hitotachi."
"I want to see my friend's Vision glow once more."
Ye Xi remembered. That friend had initiated the Duel before the Throne precisely because he opposed the Vision Hunt Decree.
In a way, it was another mess caused by Raiden Ei.
He let out a sigh and took the Vision that had long since lost its power.
In that instant, a miraculous scene unfolded.
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