As the sun gradually rose from the east, Ksenia took her leave.
In truth, they hadn’t talked for very long—at most, a little over two hours.
But the work of a shrine maiden was demanding; she couldn’t afford to delay too long and had to return for now.
After Ksenia left, Bai Luo found himself unable to fall back asleep.
So after washing up, he put on his mask, pushed open the door, and stepped out of his room.
"Morning, Battousai-san!"
Soldiers and sailors, still groggy from hangovers, greeted him one after another.
Bai Luo responded with a polite smile, acknowledging each one.
Thanks to its proximity to Sangonomiya Shrine, Bourou Village was very humid—there was even a moderately-sized waterfall nearby.
He lingered for a mont by the falls before leaving quietly.
Sowhere downstream, soldiers who had been washing up suddenly noticed that the water tasted a little strange...
An old man sat by the roadside, strumming a shamisen, singing an old Inazuman folk tune.
But if Bai Luo had to choose, he still preferred the lodies of Liyue—
Especially the ones played by Yun Jin.
Compared to the bustling city of Inazuma, Watatsumi Island lacked grandiosity—
But it made up for it with warmth.
There was no oppressive atmosphere here.
Every person’s face bore a genuine smile.
Perhaps if that woman, who had locked herself away in the Plane of Euthymia, could see these smiles—
She might finally understand what her people truly longed for.
Yet, no matter how heartwarming these smiles were...
They could never shake the foundations of that place.
Bai Luo lifted his head, gazing at the blue sky.
Under the morning light, Celestia looked particularly brilliant.
No matter where you stood in Teyvat—
As long as you could see the sky, you could see Celestia.
Heh... what a beautiful sky.
With a sigh, he turned back toward his room.
"Battousai-san, you’re back?"
When Bai Luo returned, he found soone already sweeping his room.
The furniture that Ksenia had destroyed the night before had also been replaced with new ones.
Luckily, he had already destroyed the classified docunts in advance—
Otherwise, things might have gotten... complicated.
"No need to replace the bed—it was quite comfortable to sleep in."
Noticing that the young man intended to replace his bed as well, Bai Luo quickly spoke up.
Even though he looked like an Inazuman, thanks to living for so long in Snezhnaya, he actually preferred beds over traditional tatami mats.
"Understood."
The young man, slightly embarrassed, let go of the bed fra and resud sweeping the floor.
However, it was clear that he was distracted—
He kept stealing glances at Bai Luo every so often.
Before long, he finally gathered his courage and hesitantly asked:
"Battousai-san... do you know how to use a sword?"
"..."
Bai Luo blinked.
He turned to look at the young man with a baffled expression.
Excuse ?
Do I know how to use a sword?
Then where do you think the na ’Battousai’ ca from? Did it just fall from the sky?
"...Well, to be honest, I’m actually more proficient with daggers."
For a mont, the young man was stunned.
Then he suddenly realized how stupid his question sounded.
"I-I’m sorry... I just..."
His grip tightened around the broomstick, his face turning red in embarrassnt.
He had just been so nervous standing this close to his idol.
"It’s fine."
Bai Luo chuckled, shaking his head.
"Just say what’s on your mind. I’m not an unreasonable person—I won’t bla you for it."
He had already guessed why the young man was here.
Before coming to Watatsumi Island, Kazuha had already warned him—
Many rebels in the Resistance wanted to apprentice under him.
Perhaps... this young man was one of them.
The boy’s question took Bai Luo by surprise.
"Do you... really not have a Vision?"
As soon as he asked, the boy braced himself for the possibility of being scolded or even thrown out.
Because, in a way, he was treading on dangerous ground.
For many strong warriors, a Vision was a symbol of power.
While so didn’t care much about their own Vision, for many others, it was as precious as life itself.
Asking about soone’s Vision could easily be seen as overstepping boundaries.
"Actually... I do."
Bai Luo paused for a mont before smiling again.
He reached into his sleeve, fumbled around for a bit, and then pulled out an Anemo Vision, tossing it in front of the boy.
"I... see."
Surprisingly, upon hearing that Bai Luo had a Vision, the boy’s face showed a hint of disappointnt.
But after taking a closer look, his expression changed—as if he had noticed sothing.
With Bai Luo’s permission, he picked up the Anemo Vision.
It’s fake!
The mont his fingertips touched it, he was certain.
Recently, many Vision bearers had joined the Resistance, and so of them loved showing off their Visions.
Because of this, he had been fortunate enough to observe them up close multiple tis.
A true Anemo Vision always had an ethereal, airy feel—
Standing near it, one would feel as if they were enveloped by a gentle breeze, even hearing the whisper of the wind at tis.
But this Anemo Vision, despite glowing like the real thing, lacked any elental energy.
Instead... it felt like a glass bead.
His instinct told him—
This was a fake Vision.
"Whether or not you have a Vision doesn’t really matter."
Bai Luo’s voice was calm.
"What matters is—why do you want one? Why do you need it? And... what do you expect it to bring you?"
At tis, Bai Luo wondered—
Were Visions truly the elental organs people claid them to be?
Or were they actually shackles, ant to limit one’s potential instead?
"I... I don’t know."
The boy gripped the fake Vision tightly.
"I just want to help everyone. I want to contribute sothing real, instead of just sweeping floors in the logistics division. If I had a Vision... maybe I could..."
He knew Visions weren’t sothing you could get just because you wanted one.
If it were that easy, Vision bearers wouldn’t be so highly revered.
"Kid, power doesn’t just co from having a Vision."
Bai Luo chuckled.
"You’ve heard of Captain Beidou, right? She has a Vision now, sure. But before she even received it, she had already slain a giant sea beast—Haishan."
The boy’s desire for strength, his longing for a Vision—
It reminded Bai Luo of soone.
But... wasn’t he not supposed to be this obsessed with power yet?
Has his presence sohow changed the course of events?
Then again... it made sense.
A young man without a Vision, yet determined to fight for the Resistance—
How could he possibly pass up the chance to seek his guidance?
Even if the odds were slim, he would never give up.
Just like in the future, when he would obtain a forbidden Delusion.
Even knowing it would drag him deeper into the abyss—
He would still use it, over and over again.
Until... it completely destroyed him.
"What’s your na?"
"Lord Battousai, my na is Teppei."
"Teppei, huh? That’s a fitting na for a swordsman."
Bai Luo stood up—
But he didn’t reach for his reverse-blade sword.
"Teppei, tell —do you want a Dendro Vision?"
"Dendro?"
Huh?
Didn’t he just say I was suited for the sword...?
. . . . .
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