The political landscape of Inazuma hadn't experienced major upheavals. Everything had stabilized under the Shogun's will. Yet the changes in the civilian world were constant and unpredictable.
This might not be the best era, but it was undoubtedly a good one.
Lumine felt this particularly deeply.
She was currently aboard a ship—her own Waverider, in fact. Inazuma was an island nation; without her own vessel, how could she travel freely between islands? But that was in the past. Now, passenger ships between islands were astonishingly plentiful.
Recently, she had visited Tsurumi Island, Inazuma's most mysterious territory. Even official Inazuman records contained scant information about it. Despite her extensive travels, even Lumine couldn't find useful clues during her first visit.
Returning to Narukami Island, she went up Mt. Yougou hoping to obtain information from the Shinkan.
In her eyes, the Shinkan was practically synonymous with intelligence brokers. While he might not know minor details as well as Thoma did, his understanding of major events and hidden truths was profound. Unfortunately... when Lumine went up the mountain, she only encountered Yae Miko, who informed her that the Shinkan had left Teyvat.
"Traveler, are you still thinking about the Shinkan?"
"I'm a little curious."
He had left Teyvat, not just Inazuma. The message relayed by Miko made clear Li Mo's destination. The freedom to come and go from Teyvat—how wonderful that must be.
Noticing Paimon's concerned look, Lumine said, "Don't worry about me. I'm just overthinking things a little. Really, just a tiny bit."
"What, are you imitating Yae Miko now?"
Amid their laughter, the ship arrived at its destination—Seirai Island.
This stop was somewhat coincidental. Lumine should have resupplied and headed straight for Tsurumi, not come to Seirai. But recent experiences in Inazuma City had changed her mind.
The direct route from Narukami to Tsurumi was too long and time-consuming. As an adventurer, she could endure the hardship, but there were better options now.
—Take a ship from Narukami to Seirai, then charter another to Tsurumi.
In the past, this wouldn't have been possible. Seirai Island was then a no-man's land, forgotten and uninhabited. Apart from Treasure Hoarders and Fatui, no Inazumans would appear there.
Now things were different. With the Shogun wanting to develop Seirai, all of Inazuma had mobilized to do so. Moreover, it wasn't a money-losing venture—the Tri-Commission offered substantial rewards for participating in Seirai's development. The payout was considerable. If not for pressing missions with their own generous rewards, even Lumine might have been tempted to work here with Paimon.
"Lumine, should we go see Kokomi first, or visit Neko?" Paimon asked.
Lumine rubbed her chin, pondering the difficult choice.
Sangonomiya Kokomi was currently on Seirai Island.
For the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi to appear on Seirai was unusual, but Lumine understood. After the repeal of the Vision Hunt Decree and Sakoku Decree, Kokomi had been working tirelessly for Watatsumi's future.
Following advice from the Shinkan, she had turned her attention to Seirai's development. Watatsumi lacked many things, but not manpower. While the Tri-Commission provided ample resources for Seirai's development, labor was in short demand. Construction in Narukami was already booming—Lumine knew of at least three major projects voraciously consuming workers: Tenshukaku's reconstruction, the shipyards, and the textile factories in Konda Village.
Lately, even adventurers from the Guild were changing professions. She suspected even Treasure Hoarders and Kairagi were returning to legitimate work.
It made sense—who would choose to rough it in the wild when steady jobs were available?
But back to the matter at hand. Normally, the Tri-Commission wouldn't consider Watatsumi's labor due to historical tensions. Thanks to Kokomi's diplomacy, this opportunity had emerged.
As for Neko—the other name Paimon mentioned—it referred to a cat. More accurately, a black cat youkai.
She was the youkai of Seirai Island's shrine, having lived there for ages. During their last visit, Lumine had met her, accepted several commissions, and become her friend.
Soon, Lumine was spared the need to choose.
Paimon spotted a familiar face—Teppei—on the temporary dock unloading cargo.
"Teppei! Hey!!"
Paimon's sharp eyes immediately noticed him amidst the activity.
"Traveler, Paimon! You're on Seirai Island? Her Excellency Sangonomiya will be thrilled to see you."
"Teppei, are we interrupting?" Lumine asked, noticing most workers were familiar faces—former Watatsumi resistance soldiers.
"Not at all," Teppei said. "I just need to deliver this to camp first."
As they walked toward the camp, Teppei shared recent developments.
Watatsumi's contingent had been on Seirai for a while now, among the second wave of settlers. Their main tasks were assisting the Inazuman army in clearing monsters and guarding the temporary camp.
The manual labor had multiple reasons: first, these supplies were specifically for Watatsumi's needs. While labor wasn't scarce on Seirai, it came at a premium price. Since it was just physical work, the Watatsumi soldiers handled it themselves.
"You've changed so much, Teppei. I remember you during the resistance days," Paimon remarked.
Teppei laughed awkwardly. "Let's not bring that up. Thinking about it just reminds me of getting scolded by Her Excellency."
"You wanted to use a Delusion!" Paimon chided. "That trades life for power!"
"That's all in the past," Teppei said sheepishly.
During the war, soldiers like Teppei had taken to the battlefield when hope seemed lost. Delusions from the Fatui had begun circulating then.
Fortunately, Kokomi quickly recognized the danger, confiscated all Delusions, and reprimanded the users. More fortunately, the war soon effectively ended.
Now Teppei had followed Kokomi to Seirai.
"Do you clash with the Shogunate forces?" Lumine asked.
"Just minor conflicts—verbal spats mostly. Everyone's too tired from work for real fights. Besides, we're here to earn money. Her Excellency keeps reminding us—our efforts are for Watatsumi's future."
As they chatted, they reached the camp.