“Damn it, why is this road so terrible?! My ass!”
The dirt road through Byakko Plain was anything but smooth; with every minor pothole, the entire carriage jolted violently.
Lu Heng, accustomed to modern comforts, had never suffered like this before.
He clung tightly to the parcel in his arms, doing his best to maintain his balance.
“Uncle Inoue, is nobody maintaining this road?”
He couldn’t help striking up a conversation with the driver, trying to distract himself.
Uncle Inoue was a hearty, middle-aged man.
Unlike most people in the city, owning a horse carriage gave him a relatively decent situation in the midst of Inazuma’s currently depressed economy, though it still barely allowed him to scrape by.
Facing a generous customer like Lu Heng, who had paid double the fare, he was naturally willing to talk.
“This road? Ah, it’s always been like this. Before the war, the lords of the Kanjou Commission used to arrange repairs for key sections. But now? Well… even so, this is already the best main road in Inazuma.”
Once the ice was broken, the two chatted continuously along the way, allowing Lu Heng to gradually gain a better understanding of Inazuma’s current state.
After traveling for a while, the carriage suddenly slowed down, moving sluggishly as noisy sounds filtered in from outside.
“What’s wrong, Uncle Inoue? Are we there?” Lu Heng asked curiously, lifting the window curtain to peek outside.
“Ah, no. It’s a village—they’re handing out food.”
Lu Heng saw many people lining up by the roadside, most of them emaciated and sickly.
Behind the crowd, a large pot was set up, emitting a faint odor, though it seemed quite different from what he had smelled at the Yashiro Commission earlier.
Only as the carriage slowly drew nearer along the main road did he realize what was boiling inside the pot.
It was Naku Weed.
Faint sparks of Electro energy occasionally crackled in the boiling water.
The numbing sensation was perceptible even dozens of paces away.
There might have been other ingredients in the broth, but the liquid had already been dyed a dark purple.
Lu Heng’s expression turned grim.
Was this a joke?
Was Naku Weed even edible?
His mind raced through the memories of the original host and his past life.
In his memory, Naku Weed was an exceptionally tough plant that could grow at the center of thunderstorms or in regions contaminated by Tatarigami.
Even Naku Weed growing on Narukami Island absorbed Electro energy; ordinary people who consumed it would be poisoned, leading to death.
“Why… aren’t they eating Lavender Melons? I remember Lavender Melons can be harvested in the wild. Why eat Naku Weed?” Lu Heng’s tone sounded somewhat strained. This chapter is updated first at NovelPing.
Uncle Inoue remained quite calm, as though such sights were commonplace.
He tightened his grip on the reins, expertly guiding the horse around pedestrians.
“In villages like this, everything edible nearby has long been picked clean. How could there be any good stuff like Lavender Melons left?”
“Even so, they can’t eat Naku Weed… Even if it’s boiled, the residual Electro energy will burn their stomachs sooner or later, or even…” He didn’t finish the sentence.
Inoue merely glanced at the crowd.
“Mr. Ilyich, it’s still better than starving to death. After eating Naku Weed, your stomach goes numb, and you can finally catch a good night’s sleep.”
Lu Heng watched a villager swallow a gulp of the dark purple liquid that flickered faintly with lightning.
The man exhaled a trembling breath, and after a mild spasm, his expression actually relaxed.
Then came the next elderly person, the next child…
Lu Heng pulled the curtains shut and looked away.
He tightened his grip on the parcel in his arms, his knuckles turning white.
“This is… absolutely awful,” he murmured at last, in a voice only he could hear.
After leaving the village, Lu Heng grew quiet.
He only occasionally spoke to ask about Inoue’s family, repeating one phrase most often:
“How much longer until we reach Rito?”
He had to think about his future life in Liyue, picturing the wonderful days ahead.
*Once I get to Rito, I’ll pay top dollar for a black-market ticket on the Crux Fleet…
Go to Liyue—yes, Liyue!
I’ll order a steaming bowl of Black-Back Perch Stew at Wanmin Restaurant, eat Xiangling’s grilled Tiger Fish, pet Guoba…
and then buy a large house with a courtyard in Yujing Terrace.
I have nine hundred thousand Mora, and I can make a living copying famous works later.*
In his mind, he painted the vibrant life and bustling atmosphere of Liyue over and over again.
“Drive faster!” Lu Heng’s voice carried a hint of impatience as he urged again.
“I’ll pay extra! I want to get to Rito as quickly as possible!”
On the morning of the second day…
As the salty tang of the sea breeze drifted through the window, Lu Heng’s nerves, strung tight the entire way, finally relaxed. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
He couldn’t wait to push open the window.
He caught sight of familiar architecture and the vast, endless sea.
Fishermen in loose coats handed their fresh catch to cooks on the docks, while foreign merchants paced hesitantly outside the Kanjou Commission’s gates.
Just like Inazuma City, although some shops remained open, the sparse scattered pedestrians indicated that conditions here were far from ideal either.
Rito had arrived.
The carriage came to a steady stop at the intersection of Rito’s commercial street.
Feeling somewhat exhausted, Lu Heng pulled out the prepared Mora, handed it to Inoue, and eagerly opened the carriage door.
Adjusting the heavy parcel in his arms out of habit, he hopped down.
“Phew—”
Lu Heng took a deep breath of the sea breeze washing over Rito; it was the scent of freedom.
Dusting off his clothes, he felt that despite the unbearable jolting along the way, as long as he could leave this godforsaken Inazuma behind, everything was worth it!
He tidied his coat hem and strode toward Rito’s docks, intending to get his bearings first.
A relaxed smile played on Lu Heng’s lips, but just as he turned the street corner and his vision refocused…
His entire body froze, and the smile on his face instantly locked in place.
Less than ten paces away, beneath a blooming cherry blossom tree, sat an exquisitely arranged tea table that looked entirely out of place.
A strikingly beautiful woman with flowing pink hair and wearing ornate Guuji robes was seated quietly at the table.
The morning light bathed her fluffy fox ears, casting a soft golden glow around them.
She held a steaming cup of tea, gently blowing on it.
Slowly raising her head, her narrow, breathtaking, all-seeing fox eyes met Lu Heng’s gaze with a playful gleam just as he came around the corner.
He couldn’t move—his entire body refused to budge, as if pinned down by a master predator.
*I didn’t think something like a “powerhouse glare” actually existed…* the thought flashed through Lu Heng’s mind.
Yae Miko leisurely set down her teacup, her pink lips parting slightly.
Just as he had heard countless times through a screen in his past life, Miko’s voice was lazy and sweet, yet at this moment, it made Lu Heng feel as though he had fallen into an abyss of ice.
“My, my, what a long journey it must have been. Mr. Ilyich? Or should I say… Clerk Lu Heng of the Tenryou Commission?”
Resting her chin on one hand, Miko smiled with irresistible charm.
“Your escape speed… is a bit too slow, isn’t it? Otherwise, I was planning to share a piece of fried tofu with you~”