Early the next morning,
Arataki Itto was just as energetic as ever. At the first light of dawn, he was already up and shouting for his gang to join him for a stroll through the streets of Inazuma.
But today, something was different.
His outfit.
He wore a red jacket—something that stood out starkly from Inazuma's usual fashion.
Still, Arataki Itto didn't care. He loved the jacket Billy had given him.
Before they left, he laughed heartily.
"I'm going to write a letter to the Traveler and Paimon! I'll tell them all about New Eridu and invite them to come with us. They spent a whole year in Liyue and didn't even notice the city—wait till they find out. They'll be shocked!"
...
After Itto and the gang headed out,
Kuki Shinobu left Inazuma City on her own, making her way to the Grand Narukami Shrine.
Soon,
She found Yae Miko there.
Before Shinobu could say a word,
Yae Miko greeted her with a knowing smile.
"That rascal came back last night, didn't he?"
Shinobu blinked.
"You knew the boss returned?"
Yae Miko gave a small nod and a chuckle.
"Of course. And I also know he didn't go to Natlan, but to Liyue instead."
She'd heard everything from Raiden yesterday.
Hearing this, Kuki Shinobu finally breathed a sigh of relief. She'd thought Yae Miko already knew the full story.
Then she sighed.
"So the boss was telling the truth… There really is a hidden city in Liyue."
That caught Yae Miko off guard.
"Hidden city?"
Shinobu tilted her head, confused.
"Didn't you say you knew everything?"
Yae Miko smiled again.
"All I know is that he went to Liyue. As for the rest, I'm in the dark."
So, Shinobu recounted everything Arataki Itto had told her the day before.
Cars. Phones. Televisions.
Shark demons. Wolfkin. Catfolk.
Ethereals. Hollows. Arcades.
Hare's House. Sam Li and Zhongli. The Public Security Bureau...
Truth be told,
Shinobu didn't even understand half of what those things meant.
But she did her best to relay it all.
By the end of the retelling, Yae Miko wore the same stunned expression Shinobu had worn the day before.
"You're sure Arataki Itto wasn't making any of this up?"
Shinobu nodded seriously.
"Positive. He's never lied to me."
That didn't mean she was convinced it was real, though.
More likely, she thought, it was all just a dream—maybe even a hallucination brought on by something unusual.
When he woke up, he just came back down from it.
Frowning slightly, she asked,
"Grand Priestess, even you haven't heard of New Eridu?"
Yae Miko looked puzzled.
"What's that?"
Shinobu explained,
"It's the city the boss talked about. He said he met Zhongli there, ran into the bard Venti, and even saw a Statue of the Seven for the Geo Archon…"
If it wasn't a dream,
Then New Eridu had to be a real city in Liyue.
Yae Miko fell silent for a moment, then gave a slight smile.
"Maybe… maybe he didn't go anywhere at all yesterday. Just fell asleep on a hillside and dreamed the whole thing."
Shinobu sighed.
"I've been thinking the same thing."
She had studied in Liyue for several years.
If a place like New Eridu really existed, she would've heard of it.
And then there was the currency.
According to the boss, the city didn't use Mora—it used something called Dennies.
That alone didn't sit right.
After all, Mora originated in Liyue, and Liyue still held the sole authority to mint it. Why would they replace it with a new currency?
Just then, Yae Miko reminded her,
"Go back and keep an eye on Itto. Don't let him run off again. If anything happens, come straight to the shrine."
Shinobu nodded.
"Got it. Thank you."
And with that, she left in a hurry.
...
Once Shinobu had gone,
Yae Miko watched the direction she'd left in until she disappeared past the shrine gates.
Then she smiled slightly.
"Ei, you heard all of that, didn't you?"
As she spoke, she stepped behind the folding screen.
There, seated behind it, was a woman in purple.
The ruler of Inazuma.
The Raiden Shogun. The Electro Archon. Baal.
Though a divine being, even she showed a flicker of surprise.
"How interesting. A city like that, hidden in Liyue... Morax didn't just disappear—he hid an entire city?"
Yae Miko chuckled.
"Do you believe what Arataki Itto said?"
Raiden gave no clear answer.
"All I know is he did teleport to that newly appeared area in Liyue. My senses don't lie."
As the Electro Archon,
She could detect anyone using a Statue of the Seven to teleport. It was impossible to hide from her.
As for all those bizarre experiences...
They were far too fantastical.
Even she couldn't say whether they were real. The contrast with Liyue Harbor was just too extreme.
After a long pause, she murmured,
"What exactly is Morax trying to do?"
Yae Miko smiled.
"Instead of overthinking it, why not go see for yourself? You might learn a lot more."
Raiden nodded.
"I was thinking the same."
At first, she had little interest in this "new land" of Liyue.
Similar things had happened in history more than once.
But after hearing Itto's account,
Curiosity sparked.
She wanted to know what Morax was planning—and what this New Eridu was really about.
"If I leave, I'm entrusting all of Inazuma to you."
"Relax. I'll manage things just fine. But honestly... I'd much rather go with you."
Yae Miko smiled fondly, a hint of nostalgia in her voice.
"It's been years since I visited those Adepti in Liyue."
She and the Adepti had once been close, sharing many diplomatic moments between the two nations.
Then, Raiden said suddenly,
"Back to business—where are the ingredients I asked you to buy for the pastries?"
Yae Miko giggled, covering her mouth.
"Oh dear, I completely forgot again. But I did bake the pastries already—why not just enjoy the ones I made?"