As Yucheng's wedding drew near, Inazuma was thronged with tourists. The atmosphere grew ever livelier, and all of Inazuma became a sea of celebration.
There was the test of courage held in Chinju Forest, the Fireworks Banquet on Nazuchi Beach, the Onikabuto Beetle Brawl with its unexpectedly broad appeal, the Irodori Festival steeped in light novel culture, the spectacular Warrior's Spirit Swordfighting Tournament, and the Narukami Purification and Prayer Festival that left everyone awestruck.
The most popular of all, however, was the Genius Invokation TCG Grand Prix. This card game, which had swept across all of Teyvat in a short time, showed the world its terrifying dominance and money-making power through its immense spectator appeal, thrilling randomness, and rich variety.
At Yucheng's invitation, famous figures from every nation joined the competition: Barbara, Klee, Amber, Jean, and Venti from Mondstadt; Xingqiu, Chongyun, Hu Tao, Ningguang, and Zhongli from Liyue; Itto, Miko, Kokomi, and Ei from Inazuma; and Collei, Cyno, Alhaitham, and Nahida from Sumeru.
The participation of certain important figures instantly raised the event's standing by several notches. It practically became a war without gunfire.
The reason was simply that, over several consecutive days of Four-Nation Talks, Yucheng, Ningguang, Jean, and Alhaitham had talked themselves hoarse and become utterly frazzled without reaching an agreement that satisfied all four nations at once. At that point, Yucheng had a sudden idea: why not let the nation that the Genius Invokation TCG winner belonged to determine the agreement's terms?
Unexpectedly, Yucheng's wildly imaginative proposal won everyone's approval. And so, the nature of this Genius Invokation TCG Grand Prix changed just like that. Not only did each nation's political leaders enter personally, but their Archons also joined in. Identity and status meant nothing; everything depended on their own abilities.
Playing cards could actually influence the