As Shao Yun sat quietly on the bench, lost in thought while gazing at the vast ocean, a familiar voice suddenly reached his ears.
"This familiar scent… Mr. Shao Yun? It's been a long time!"
Startled, Shao Yun turned his head sharply toward the sound, only to see a face that both surprised and delighted him—Kazuha Kaedehara, smiling warmly as he stood behind him.
"Whoa, Kazuha! What brings you to Sumeru?"
Kazuha smiled faintly, walking over to sit beside him before pointing toward a massive ship docked in the distance at Port Ormos.
"The Crux Fleet took on an assignment—escorting some diplomatic envoys to Sumeru. I came along with the fleet. It's already been several days."
Shao Yun followed his gesture and indeed saw the majestic Alcor anchored firmly at the port, its sails fluttering gently in the breeze.
Realizing that Kazuha had already been in Sumeru for some time, Shao Yun couldn't help feeling surprised.
After carefully admiring the grand vessel at the port, Shao Yun turned back, teasingly remarking, "Escort duty? Sounds like you lot have been recruited by Inazuma, huh?"
Hearing this, Kazuha blinked in mild confusion before stroking his chin with a faint smile.
"In other words," he replied calmly, "you're saying we sound like a bunch of pirates?"
Seeing that, Shao Yun waved his hand casually and laughed. "Haha, I was only kidding."
Then he asked, "By the way, have you seen Lumine and Paimon?"
Kazuha first nodded, then shook his head thoughtfully. "Hmm… I haven't met them in person yet, but I've heard some things about them."
"I heard they joined a rather special competition. The two even earned themselves quite the reputation—'Golden Comet' and 'Silver Companion.'"
Shao Yun's eyes brightened. "Oh! The tournament you're talking about must be the Nilotpala Cup Beast Tamer Tournament that's been going on lately."
Kazuha nodded in realization. "Yes, that's the one. Tell me, Mr. Shao Yun—did you not take part in the Nilotpala Cup yourself?"
Shao Yun shook his head with a helpless sigh. "Ah, I wish I could. But I've got far too much on my plate these days—no time for something so… entertaining."
After a brief pause, he shifted the topic toward Kazuha. "What about you, Kazuha? How have you been lately?"
Kazuha tilted his head slightly, thinking for a moment before shaking it gently.
"Life on the sea doesn't change much," he said quietly. "But I did hear something new after arriving in Sumeru—the Captain mentioned that Liyue's annual Lantern Rite is coming soon. Maybe that counts as news?"
"Liyue's celebrating the Lantern Rite already?" Shao Yun mused. "Wow, that's great."
Taking advantage of the moment, Kazuha asked about Shao Yun's life in Sumeru.
"And you? How has your time in Sumeru been?"
Shao Yun gave a dry, meaningful chuckle.
"Well… let's just say it's neither good nor bad. I've killed a lot of people again. Not all of them deserved it… but they're dead all the same."
Kazuha didn't seem shocked by this; he was already used to such confessions from Shao Yun.
Instead, he simply asked, "More than the Shogunate troops you slew back in Inazuma?"
Leaning back against the bench, Shao Yun paused for a moment, uncertain, before shaking his head.
"The numbers don't matter. The feeling is different from killing on a battlefield."
Sensing the mood grow heavier, Kazuha quickly steered the conversation elsewhere with a gentle smile.
"All right, let's not dwell on gloomy things. Why not think about something pleasant instead? For instance—have you thought about going to Liyue with Lumine and Paimon to attend the Lantern Rite? The Captain's been thinking about it too."
Hearing this, Shao Yun let out a faint, wry smile. "Knowing those two, I'm sure they'd love to join the festivities."
"But I need to take a trip to Inazuma first. By the way, could you let Captain Beidou know for me?"
Kazuha immediately understood what he meant and nodded readily. "That's no trouble at all. How about a week from now?"
Shao Yun reached out and patted Kazuha's shoulder gratefully. "Oh, thank you."
Kazuha waved his hand modestly, smiling. "No need to be so formal—we're friends. Helping each other is only natural."
...
A few days later, the Nilotpala Cup Beast Tamer Tournament reached its grand finale.
With Haynie dead, the final duel came down to Lumine versus Layla.
As Shao Yun had predicted, the powerful and skilled Lumine won the match, claiming the championship, while Layla earned an admirable second place.
For Layla, though, her true goal had already been achieved—reaching the top eight and keeping her fungus companion.
But just when everything seemed set for a perfect ending, something went wrong—as expected.
Inside the secret domain where the finals were held, the organizer Elchingen suddenly appeared with a group of Fatui agents!
The man who had served as the tournament's host all along was, in truth, one of the Fatui.
He had organized this grand competition to gradually make fungi beloved as harmless pets among the citizens of Sumeru, lowering their vigilance.
Once the time was right, Elchingen planned to use the backdoor program embedded within the "Wisdom Orbs" to remotely control the fungi and plunge all of Sumeru into chaos.
However, before Lumine could even act, General Mahamatra Cyno arrived with a newly assembled Corps of Thirty squad, apprehending the Fatui in time.
The once-arrogant Elchingen and his men were instantly overpowered and subdued, forced helplessly to the ground.
Pinned against the cold floor, Elchingen looked up at Cyno's stern face and shouted in disbelief, "Great Mahamatra, how could you show up here of all places? What's going on?!"
Cyno brushed nonexistent dust from his coat, his tone indifferent.
"I'm merely carrying out orders—cleansing what remains of the Fatui within Sumeru's borders."
"As for you, you're just a small, insignificant piece we happened to find while following the trail."
At the phrase "following the trail," Elchingen's eyes widened with alarm.
"Following the trail? What do you mean by that?!"
Cyno's cold expression didn't change.
"Didn't you receive the notice? The Fatui have been officially banned from Sumeru by order of the Dendro Archon. All remaining agents were to withdraw within half a month."
"The deadline has passed. Those like you who stayed behind… hm."
Before he finished, Cyno's Vision flashed with a blinding violet light—an omen of the grim fate awaiting his captive.
"What?! I never got any notice! What's happening?!" Elchingen cried, eyes bulging in panic.
Cyno regarded him as one might a clown, then gestured coolly. "Take him away."
At once, Elchingen began thrashing wildly, shouting, "Wait! I didn't know anything about this! Why didn't anyone tell me?! Doctor! Please, save me!"
His terrified words made it obvious—the former subordinate of the Second of the Fatui Harbingers, the Doctor, had been completely abandoned by the very organization he once served.
What awaited him now was a miserable end—and that was no longer Shao Yun's concern.
...
With Elchingen dragged away, the once-celebrated Nilotpala Cup came to an anticlimactic close.
Though the tournament ended abruptly, the organizers still had to follow through with prize distribution and other formalities.
However, the clause promising the top eight contestants the right to take home their fungi partners was quietly revoked.
With Haynie gone, all the remaining competition fungi were to be handed over to the Akademiya for "management."
To minimize backlash, the Akademiya officials told a harmless lie—that the fungi would be "properly cared for."
But was that truly the case?
Layla watched as her beloved "Twirly-Whirly" was led away, shrinking into the distance until it disappeared entirely. Her heart felt unbearably hollow.
She had shared countless days with that adorable creature, building a bond so deep that their parting now left her desolate.
On the other side, Lumine and Paimon waved goodbye to their own fungus, "Bongo-Head," equally reluctant to part.
The little creature's cheerful figure bounced in their sight one last time before it too was gone.
With heavy hearts, the two returned to their inn at Port Ormos, carrying their champion's prize money but not their joy.
Shao Yun watched the sorrow written on their faces and felt he had to do something.
While Cyno oversaw his men guiding the fungi away using the "Wisdom Orbs," Shao Yun approached him.
"Cyno, what's going to happen to those fungi? Will they really be cared for properly?"
Cyno turned, scanning the area to ensure no one else was around, before replying quietly, "Do you really want to know the truth?"
Shao Yun nodded. "Honestly, yes. If you lie to me, I'll be angry."
Cyno adjusted the jackal hood on his head, then said, "We're releasing them into the Lokapala Jungle. Fungi are, after all, still monsters. 'Proper care'—that was just an expedient excuse."
He paused briefly, then added, "So, Mr. Shao Yun, I hope you can keep this secret from the public. Agreed?"
He knew full well that even if Shao Yun revealed the truth, the Akademiya could easily justify their actions—claiming that returning the fungi to nature was what was best for them.
Still, it would cause unnecessary controversy.
Shao Yun shrugged indifferently. "I've no interest in interfering with your Akademiya's decisions."
"But if the day comes when Lumine and Paimon ask about their fungi and you can't give them an honest answer—well, you know what might happen."
His tone carried a subtle but unmistakable edge of warning.
Cyno understood the implication. Whatever lies the Akademiya told about the others was their business—but if Lumine and Paimon came seeking their fungus and found deception instead, the consequences could be dire.
The thought gave him a headache.
Perhaps out of guilt for the previous incident—or simply to avoid trouble—Cyno decided to grant a special exemption.
"All right. Lumine and Paimon's fungus will be cared for by the Akademiya. But only theirs. The rest…"
Of course, the Akademiya couldn't handle hundreds of creatures properly—but caring for just one? That was doable.
Satisfied, Shao Yun smiled and patted Cyno's shoulder.
"That'll do."
Then he turned and walked back toward Port Ormos, leaving behind a single line.
"Good luck, Mr. Cyno."
===BREAK===
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