Faced with Kujou Sara's accusations in the discussion forum, Kaedehara Kazuha remained perfectly composed, without the slightest hint of urgency.
Please. Apart from the time he had blocked a blade for the Traveler, when had he ever been in a hurry? He always carried himself like a leisurely old man.
[Kazuha: Not so, General Kujou. What I mean is that Inazuma is currently under lockdown. As an Inazuman, is it not perfectly reasonable for me to advise Miss Lumine against coming to Inazuma at this time?]
[Kazuha: Or does General Kujou wish for me, a mere Inazuman citizen, to defy the Shogun's orders and encourage foreigners to come to Inazuma at this time instead?]
[Kujou Sara: ...]
Kujou Sara had nothing to say.
Surely she couldn't openly mention the Ritou smuggling routes, which probably everyone in Inazuma except the Shogun knew about, in a discussion forum where the Shogun herself was present?
No, given the current situation, the Shogun actually knew too, didn't she? So the Ritou smuggling routes had been an open secret all along?
Besides, what Kazuha had said was about as politically correct as it got in present-day Inazuma. Inazuma was under lockdown! Advising foreigners not to come was upholding the Shogun's decree. No one could find fault with that.
As for Kazuha declining Lumine's kind offer, there was no other reason behind it. Coming to Inazuma right now really was terribly inconvenient.
At present, entering Inazuma from abroad required one of the very few specially built ships, bold sailors intimately familiar with the routes and sea conditions, and a captain who feared nothing. Only then could they cross the layers of thunderstorms and reach Inazuma's coastal waters.
And getting in wasn't easy, but once inside, getting back out of Inazuma was even harder.
The person who had previously received the HP-restoring tonkotsu ramen reward was Arataki Itto, a star-ranked user already in Inazuma, so Kazuha could naturally visit him to ask for help.
But the Traveler, Lumine, was currently living perfectly well in scenic Mondstadt, and she was about to take part in a major recreational event-dancing with a dragon. There was no need to drag her into this sea of misery.
[Lumine: Haha, don't worry. I was planning to travel all across Teyvat to find my brother anyway. I'll definitely go to Inazuma later.]
As for the possibility that Kazuha's friend might have recovered by then...
Well, if the people in this world had reasonably normal constitutions, then once expressed in numbers, a serious injury that left someone with only a hundred HP out of more than ten thousand would reasonably take a year or so to recover from.
Lumine looked over the steadily advancing plans of Mondstadt's current "Save Dvalin Committee."
Acting Grand Master Jean had just urgently summoned all the knights who were resting or had no pressing assignments. She was disappointed by her colleagues' growing laxity lately, which had allowed something like the on-screen attack on the Anemo Archon outside the Cathedral of Favonius to happen.
Looking at the undisciplined bunch before her, some even carrying a faint smell of alcohol or bits of tender grass from lying on the lawn, Jean nearly blacked out and acted out her Story Quest ahead of schedule.
But time was tight, and there was no leisure to put these sorry specimens left behind after the Grand Master's selection through special training. Acting Grand Master Jean hastily split the idle, vacationing knights into several teams and sent them all out.
Now these knights, long accustomed to their free and easy days, were climbing mountains and wading through water, searching all over Mondstadt for Dvalin's tears while being chased by Slimes and Hilichurls.
Meanwhile, another key item, the Holy Lyre der Himmel, had been personally escorted to Angel's Share by Barbara, the Anemo Archon Barbatos's number-one fanatic. With the reverence of a pilgrim, she presented it to her lord the Anemo Archon while Venti squirmed with discomfort.
It was quite something that Mondstadt's idol could remain so steadfast in her faith in Barbatos after witnessing the Anemo Archon's performances fooling his followers, friends, and enemies. All one could say was that the way a true believer's mind worked was beyond ordinary people's understanding.
With everything progressing so quickly and efficiently, Lumine couldn't shake the feeling that her travels through her first nation, Mondstadt, would soon come to an end.
Though she was very reluctant to leave.
But for the Traveler as she was now, finding her brother was her first priority.
In the original game, starting with Inazuma, the Traveler's stay in each nation grew longer, and she even returned to places like Liyue and Mondstadt to celebrate festivals.
That was because, in the original story, while the Traveler was still in Liyue and had yet to head to Inazuma, she met her brother Aether in an Abyss Order domain and learned that he was safe.
Only then did the Traveler, Lumine, set aside her greatest worry and, following her sibling's cryptic words of advice, begin to truly experience her journey through Teyvat.
What's more, Lumine had now learned from Venti that Liyue's annual Rite of Descension was fast approaching.
Whether to meet the Geo Archon or to take an active part in the game's main storyline, Lumine needed to set off for Liyue as soon as possible.
Although Lumine had more or less realized by now that Mr. Zhongli might well be Liyue's Geo Archon, some things were best not discussed openly in the forum.
After all, the matter of her and her brother actually involved that so-called Sustainer of Heavenly Principles up in the sky.
Judging by yesterday's Footprint promotional video, together with some information Venti had previously shared in private, there was clearly a great deal beneath the surface. It was better not to blurt things out carelessly in the discussion forum.
As a traveler who had experienced many worlds, Lumine also knew that, at times, knowledge itself held power, and knowing something could bring danger.
"Forget it. Why think so much? Once I've helped Amber, Acting Grand Master Jean, and the others solve things here, I'll head to Liyue as soon as possible!"
Amber, Acting Grand Master Jean, her other friends in the Knights, the Anemo Archon who had utterly defied expectations, and the interesting people in Mondstadt were all good people. Lumine already considered them friends. Since her friends were in trouble, she would return their kindness by lending a hand. She would rescue Dvalin first and think about Liyue afterward.
Of course, there was still a little time before the other knights brought Dvalin's tears back for her to purify. Until then, she would quietly watch some videos and milk this strange screen for rewards.
[Mona: Sweet Madame... slurp. No, a proper astrologist must learn to control her material desires!]
[Xiangling: Uh, I get the feeling this is the result of a long-term nutritional imbalance.]
[Lumine: Oh, you've already arrived in Mondstadt, right? Where are you? Where are you? Come straight to Angel's Share. I'll treat you to chicken.]
[Mona: On my way!]
[Mona: Ahem, well, what I mean is, um.]
[Mona: I-I'll make this clear first. I only came because my divination told me I would meet you.]
[Xiangling: Hehe, I want to meet little Paimon and the Traveler too.]