Kokomi was locked up in the same cell as Beidou.
"Well, if it isn't the great strategist herself. What a coincidence, running into you here."
Beidou greeted her with a grin.
At least now she had someone new to chat with in this prison.
Too bad the strategist was just a pure, bookish girl— probably not much common ground between them.
Still, far better than her neighbor, the overly refined Mister Zhongli.
That man spoke like a walking dictionary, and Beidou really couldn't keep up with him.
"Seeing Captain Beidou here… doesn't make me happy at all."
Kokomi sat gloomily on the ground.
But her eyes, seemingly by accident, slid to the man in the neighboring cell.
"That gentleman… is he from Liyue as well?"
Beidou, she already knew.
A bold, loyal woman—but not exactly one for deep strategy.
She'd get nowhere asking her for advice.
So the man Su Ran had mentioned must be this other prisoner.
His clothing was nothing like Inazuma's, yet his face bore the features of both Inazuma and Liyue.
"I am Zhongli, indeed of Liyue.
You must be the living Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island, Miss Kokomi, yes?"
There weren't many in Inazuma who could be called "strategist."
And since the nation had only recently ended its war, if she was in prison now, then she had to be the one leading the resistance.
"That's me."
She studied him carefully.
Though young in appearance,
he carried a poise and gravity far beyond his years.
"And may I ask, Mister Zhongli—what crime brought you here?"
Surely someone this wise must have committed a serious offense.
It couldn't possibly be something petty, like her own ridiculous charge of drinking the Shogun's beverage.
Just thinking of it made her feel like her life's reputation was ruined.
Still, she suspected she wasn't the only one humiliated— even the Shogun's name had been dragged into a joke.
That mysterious so-called "god" really did enjoy his pranks.
"To my shame," Zhongli sighed, "I was imprisoned for impersonating the Geo Archon."
Well, that wasn't exactly false, was it?
After all, Beidou hadn't believed him.
So why would this resistance strategist, a stranger, believe otherwise?
"Eh?"
The filter Kokomi had just placed on him— the image of a sagely, composed genius— shattered in an instant.
Such an absurd reason!
And why would a Liyue man impersonate his own god?
She had heard the Liyue people revered Morax deeply.
From the few she had met—Beidou, and the crew of the Alcor— their devotion was no joke.
Could this Zhongli really be from Liyue?
Or… was he truly the Archon himself?
"As the strategist of the resistance, I know Captain Beidou smuggled us supplies.
But Mister Zhongli—if you only impersonated the Geo Archon,
shouldn't the punishment be lighter than mine?"
Her eyes fell on the strange chains of energy binding him, and she startled.
How could his crime be greater than hers?
After all, he hadn't impersonated the Raiden Shogun.
"I impersonated the Geo Archon," Zhongli explained calmly, "in order to meet the Raiden Shogun."
…Alright, that did sound serious.
But still—was that worth this treatment?
Kokomi couldn't quite accept it.
"Then what about you, Miss Kokomi?
Why were you imprisoned?
From what I've heard, the resistance has already reconciled with the Shogunate."
From Beidou, Zhongli had already learned of Inazuma's current peace.
If there was no more conflict, why was Kokomi here?
"Um…"
Speaking of her own charge, she had to admit— as ridiculous as Zhongli's sounded, hers was no less so.
"I was imprisoned because I drank the Shogun's beverage.
It upset her mood,
and so I was arrested."
"Hahaha!"
Beidou couldn't help bursting out.
She had thought Zhongli's crime was absurd enough.
But this strategist's charge was even more laughable.
Zhongli impersonating Morax to see the Shogun—that was deception.
But drinking the Shogun's drink and making her upset?
That was pure comedy.
If the prison kept filling with people like this, maybe she'd rather stay and watch the fun.
"…Go ahead and laugh."
Kokomi muttered, her face red.
She knew she'd already sugar-coated her story.
If she had told the full truth—that the Shogun had cried and thrown a tantrum, disrupting government affairs— the joke would've been even bigger.
But as the one involved, she couldn't let that rumor spread.
Not only would it humiliate her, it might incur the Shogun's divine wrath.
She wasn't here to actually rot in prison, after all.
Meanwhile, on the road to Liyue Harbor—
A blonde girl and her small floating companion, after many days of travel, finally arrived at their next destination.
Even from outside, she could hear the bustling clamor within.
"This place is way livelier than Mondstadt."
The girl took in the busy streets, exhaling in relief.
In Mondstadt, she had won the title of Honorary Knight, but faced one danger after another— from Stormterror to the Abyss Order.
Here in Liyue, there was no trace of the crisis.
Just noise, business, and life.
And besides, Venti had told her the Geo Archon was powerful.
That gave her even more peace of mind.
Surely, this journey would pass without incident!
She had just raised a flag for herself.
Unbeknownst to her, the moment she stepped into Liyue Harbor, her presence was already noticed by many forces.
She had come merely as a traveler.
Yet already, she was stepping into the eye of the storm.
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