Beidou and her crew stared at the now-clear skies over Inazuma, their minds filled with confusion.
What had happened in Inazuma?
Where were the thunderclouds?
The entire Crux Fleet was baffled—none of them understood the situation.
As they drew closer to a group of fishermen, Beidou leaned over the ship's railing and shouted:
"Hey!"
"Can you tell us what's going on in Inazuma?"
The fishermen had spotted the fleet long ago, and many recognized it.
During Inazuma's isolation, this very fleet had repeatedly delivered food supplies.
And their prices had been fair.
Sure, they were expensive—but compared to the black-market profiteers in the city, they were a steal.
Under those circumstances, the high prices were justified, and the people didn't mind.
Because of this, many in Inazuma held the Crux Fleet in high regard.
And they all knew its legendary captain.
"Captain Beidou! The Sakoku Decree has been lifted!"
"Turns out, those noble families were deceiving the Shogun—she had no idea what was happening below!"
The fisherman who answered was ecstatic as he explained.
Hearing this, Beidou was stunned.
Someone must have interfered, right?
Otherwise, how could things have changed so easily?
Many had known about the nobles' deception—except the Shogun herself.
But now, someone had informed her?
In an instant, Beidou pieced together many possibilities.
Still, this was good news.
During the Sakoku Decree, she had profited massively, but the people had suffered terribly.
Beidou had triple-dipped in profits:
Trading with Inazuma.
Smuggling goods to Watatsumi Island.
Then sailing off to other nations with full cargo holds.
A single round of this had lined her pockets quite comfortably.
Now that Inazuma was open, more merchants would flood in.
Money might not flow as easily as before, but the people's lives would improve.
And that, in itself, was a good thing.
"Congratulations, then!"
"Your lives are about to get much better."
The fisherman beamed at her words.
"Yeah!"
"Before, we couldn't even fish freely—now we can!"
"A single trip out to sea can earn us a tidy sum now!"
After chatting a while longer, Beidou ordered the fleet to press on.
She was burning with curiosity—who had convinced the Shogun to lift the decree?
She'd find out once they docked.
Kazuha, who had been listening quietly, was thrilled.
His homeland was finally recovering!
Under Beidou's eager anticipation, the ships soon reached port.
The sheer normalcy of docking openly felt strangely unfamiliar.
She was used to sneaking in!
Now, she could just… walk in?
Heh, how long had it been since she'd experienced this?
As they disembarked, a crowd gathered to greet them.
Beidou also noticed that Ritou was far livelier than before.
Last time, no one had come to welcome them.
But now?
The place was packed.
She didn't dwell on it, instead focusing on unloading the cargo.
Since these goods could now be traded openly, their rarity actually drove prices higher?
Got it!
While other merchants hadn't arrived yet, she'd make multiple runs to Liyue to bring in more stock.
Scanning the crowd, Beidou quickly spotted the person she was looking for.
She waved him over.
It was Thoma, the Kamisato Clan's chief retainer.
Beidou needed the full story on Inazuma's changes.
Thoma, seeing her signal, smiled and approached.
"You've got the inside scoop, don't you?"
"Tell me everything!"
Beidou got straight to the point.
Thoma sighed but didn't hold back.
"Actually, this is related to someone from Liyue."
He then explained Jiang Chen's role in everything.
When Beidou heard Jiang Chen's name, it clicked.
"So it was him!"
"I should've guessed!"
Ningguang had told her all about Jiang Chen's miraculous deeds.
And before Beidou set sail, Ningguang had mentioned Jiang Chen might head to Inazuma.
She just hadn't expected him to move so fast.
He'd already arrived?
And caused such a massive upheaval?
Unbelievable.
It seemed she'd have to meet him after all.
She hadn't seen him yet.
Ningguang had said he was extremely handsome!
Once she grasped the situation, Beidou pressed further:
"Is he still in Inazuma?"
If he was, she'd go see him.
"Yes!"
"But I heard he's leaving in a couple of days."
"And Lady Ayaka will be going to Liyue with him."
Thoma shared what he knew.
Beidou frowned.
Leaving so soon?
It seemed her plan to meet him would have to wait.
With a sigh, she dropped the subject.
She had too much work to do anyway—no time to chase after Jiang Chen.
If he weren't leaving immediately, she'd have gone.
But clearly, he had business elsewhere.
Oh well.
She'd catch him back in Liyue.
With that thought, Beidou returned to her tasks.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen remained oblivious to Beidou's interest.
He and Lumine had already arrived at Naganohara Fireworks.
The moment they stepped inside, Jiang Chen spotted a golden-haired girl.
His eyes immediately darted to her outfit.
And what he saw crushed his hopes.
Yoimiya wasn't wrapped in bandages like in the game.
Her attire was perfectly normal.
Well, except for being a bit too generous in certain areas.
It was traditional Inazuman clothing.
"Welcome! Looking for fireworks?"
Yoimiya greeted them cheerfully.
But the customer seemed… disappointed to see her?
Noticing this, Yoimiya was utterly baffled.
What was there to be disappointed about?
"Hello, hello!"
"We're here to buy fireworks!"
Paimon, ever the social butterfly, floated forward eagerly.
Yoimiya's eyes lit up.
"Then you've come to the right place!"
"We're the best fireworks shop in Inazuma!"
"What kind are you looking for?"
"For what occasion?"
"We've got everything you need!"
Yoimiya enthusiastically launched into her sales pitch.
With Inazuma's borders open, business was bound to pick up.
And here came their first customers!
Plus, these people looked like foreigners.
They'd probably buy a lot, right?