"Three-Flavor Skewers!"
"Tricolor Dango!"
"Delicious Rice Balls!"
Vendors' calls filled the air. Reisen Riou's eyes sparkled at Teyvat's unique treats, tossing Mora for every unfamiliar snack.
Most tasted great, but the "Delicious Rice Balls" guy was a stretch.
Just plain rice balls.
Tasty, though—premium rice and quality ingredients ensured decent flavor.
"One bowl of char siu pork bone ramen!" Reisen Riou squeezed into an open seat at a bustling stall, shouting to the owner.
The flavor was average, but he was satisfied. Pork bones and ramen flour were scarce in Inazuma.
Inazuma's climate didn't suit wheat. Reisen Riou's own field tests confirmed it—even his fertile soil grew malnourished wheat, and the quality was poor.
Rice, potatoes, and mushrooms thrived instead.
Yet, wheat scarcity didn't stunt Inazuma's noodle culture. Quite the opposite—limited wheat and fine flour fueled a noodle obsession.
Noodles, especially ramen, were beloved across all classes.
Pork bone ramen was a crowd favorite. This stall, despite its so-so taste, had eight seats, always full.
Reisen Riou finished quickly, his youkai digestion churning. Grabbing a Bird Egg Sushi from another stall, he strolled on.
Leaving the lively docks, he reached the foreigner-heavy district.
Ritou, Inazuma's safest hub and foreign gateway, was managed by the Kanjou Commission—the least martial of the Tri-Commission, but ace at hospitality, keeping Ritou orderly.
Locals and visitors prepped for the Narukami Grand Festival.
The festive vibe felt odd but nostalgic, like Earth's Spring Festival.
Reisen Riou spotted Sumerians, Liyueans, Mondstadters, even Natlan mercenaries and Sumeru's Gilded Brigade.
He soon reached the Kanjou Commission's office. After a quick greeting, he headed to the back mountain.
Ritou's sole Statues of the Seven, Narukami's only one, stood there. Reisen Riou wanted to pay his respects.
Legends said the Statues were crafted by a being loftier than the Seven Archons, dwelling on Celestia, visible across Teyvat. Breaking mortal limits, one could ascend to godhood.
Supposedly real—Mondstadt's Lionfang Knight, Vennessa, ascended centuries ago.
Reisen Riou had doubts. No ascensions from Inazuma or Liyue.
Inazuma's martial prowess outstripped Mondstadt's "freedom." With Raiden Ei's guidance, its warriors rivaled Vennessa, a Natlan-born, greatsword-wielding Pyro user.
Mondstadt's Archon, a bow-user, wasn't the all-versed martial master like Liyue's Geo Archon or Ei.
Yet, Teyvat had stronger beings—Inazuma's great youkai, Liyue's Adepti—surpassing Vennessa's tier.
Mondstadt lacked such entities, save its top-tier draconic elemental, the Anemo Archon's kin, Dvalin, the Dragon of the East.
"This is the Statue of the Seven?"
Well-maintained by the Kanjou Commission, it depicted a hooded figure wielding an Electro mirror, a thunder ring floating behind.
Its face was blurred, the base faintly cracked with repaired edges.
"Unrepairable material?" Reisen Riou mused, uncertain. The Statue's substance was extraordinary, its base unlike any known element.
It also stabilized and suppressed Ley Lines.
The cracks weren't age-worn but caused by Ley Line surges, unfixable by mortal means.
After paying respects, Reisen Riou used his new Thunder Surge to zip toward Byakko Plain.
Ritou to Narukami Island was far—a full day's hard travel for mortals, longer for cargo.
The route's security was shaky, all tidal flats, unfit for villages, with only a Shogunate outpost.
Reisen Riou opted to fly, avoiding the slog.
It was faster, despite one botched pseudo-Thunderbolt dropping him mid-trip. In just over an hour, he reached Narukami Island.
Cost? A hundred-meter sprint's stamina and one elemental skill's Electro—negligible.
From the flats to Narukami, foxes marked the shift.
Byakko Plain's foxes were legion. Beyond youkai foxes, regular ones feared no humans.
This was their turf. A few hundred meters from the flats stood a small fox shrine, where Grand Narukami Shrine mikos fed them.
Left led to a trade post, a coastal town, then Araumi and Mount Yougou—where the great youkai Hakushin and the Kanjou Commission went.
The Grand Narukami Shrine was that way too.
Right led to Konda Village, then Hanamizaka and Inazuma City.
The Narukami and Tenryou Commissions operated from Inazuma City.
Reisen Riou turned right, eager to explore the city.
--------------------
Want to read ahead? Early chapters on: patreon.com/ShadowKage