While I was in Mondstadt, I never imagined becoming a god.

Inazuma Outer Sea.

The Death Star cut through the waves, each rise and fall of its hull carrying the force to crush the crests.

After a daring but safe voyage, the armed merchant ship finally emerged from the storm-shrouded waters and was once again bathed in clear sunlight.

On deck, the sailors looked up at the long-lost blue sky. Someone took off his hat, waved it in the air, and let out a loud cheer.

However, this is all thanks to someone.

After the purple lightning bolt that shattered the thunderstorm that night, the churning thunderclouds seemed to have been stripped of their bones, and the massive amount of lightning elemental power was completely consumed in that instant.

The once rampant thunder became sparse and scattered, and the thunderstorms in the entire sea area were weakened by seven or eight points.

The Death Star barely escaped the thunderstorm, more easily than ever before.

"If I had known it would be this easy, I should have transported more goods. Don't you think so, boss?"

An old sailor with a full beard leaned against the ship's railing, grinned, and shouted towards the bow.

The other crew members chimed in, nodding in agreement, all feeling that this trip to the Inazuma route was incredibly profitable.

The risk is reduced by half. If we load another 30% more cargo, the profit from this trip could be much higher.

Beidou was standing on the bow deck, the sea breeze making her clothes flutter.

Upon hearing this, she turned around slowly, a sharp glint in her eyes.

She strode up to the jeering crew members, stretched out her large, knuckle-thick hand, and smacked the bearded man on the head.

"You're good at hindsight, but you're not afraid of earning money but not having the life to spend it."

The sound of the Big Dipper drowned out the sea breeze, each word clearly piercing the ears of the crew.

The bearded man shrank his neck, chuckled awkwardly, and waved his hands repeatedly: "Big Sister is right, she's right, my mouth just needs a good talking to."

The surrounding crew members also stopped laughing and went about their work.

They knew perfectly well that while Beidou was verbally warning them, he was actually protecting their lives.

Those who take chances while sailing in these waters are often the first to die.

On the other side, Wanye leaned against the mast, gazing at the recovering thunderclouds in the distance, lost in thought.

……

Although we had left the area affected by the thunderstorm, the waves were still turbulent, and the ship suddenly heaved dramatically.

In the cabin, Xu Chuan was shaken awake, his brows furrowed.

His eyelids felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead. He struggled to open them a crack, and all he could see was an unfamiliar ceiling that swayed slightly in front of him as the ship rocked.

Since successfully cultivating the Golden Light Mantra, Xu Chuan no longer needs sleep to restore his energy, and the long-lost slumber makes him somewhat unaccustomed to it.

The moment consciousness returns, the senses also awaken.

Xu Chuan's first sensation was something pressing on his chest, heavy and warm.

He looked down.

Paimon had somehow ended up curled up on his chest, his small body wrapped around his collarbone, sucking on his thumb and mumbling something in his sleep.

Xu Chuan listened intently for a moment and vaguely discerned words like "honey sauce carrot and pork stir-fry" and "another serving, please".

This made the corner of his mouth twitch involuntarily.

Immediately afterwards, the warm touch from his right palm made him turn his head.

Ying lay on the edge of the bed, her hands tightly holding his right hand, her forehead resting on the side, her breathing steady and long.

Her hair was scattered along the edge of the bed, with a few strands of golden hair falling onto Xu Chuan's wrist, shimmering softly in the dim light of the cabin.

Before losing consciousness, Xu Chuan vaguely remembered seeing a figure rushing towards him.

What followed was an overwhelming wave of excruciating pain and darkness.

It now appears that Ying discovered him and dragged him back to the cabin.

I know they must be worried sick about me looking like this.

Xu Chuan closed his eyes again, calmed his mind, and carefully examined his own condition.

A moment later, he exhaled a long breath.

The situation wasn't as bad as I'd imagined; the life force within my body was flowing steadily to my limbs and bones, repairing the damaged muscles.

It doesn't affect physical mobility, but the injuries require a period of rest to fully recover.

Xu Chuan sensed that his life cultivation had suddenly increased significantly.

The violent, almost destructive power of the lightning element, after being forcibly absorbed into his body, transformed into the purest nourishment.

If one cultivates step by step, it would take at least a year and a half to reach this level.

"Looks like this beating wasn't for nothing," Xu Chuan muttered to himself.

An improvement in strength is something to be happy about.

But Xu Chuan really can't be happy right now.

To avoid being detected by the Thunder General, he specifically chose the edge of the stormy sea to cultivate using the lightning element.

That place is quite far from Inazuma Island, so it shouldn't have disturbed that high and mighty deity.

As it turned out, before he even set foot on Inazuma's land, he was elbowed from a distance by General Raiden.

That awe-inspiring purple lightning bolt resurfaced in my mind.

Xu Chuan felt his wounds throbbing again, as if the lightning was still coursing through his meridians.

"Is this the true value of the Seven Gods?"

General Thunder is not the reclusive girl from the Pure Land of Pure Land.

Ying might listen to your reasoning and weigh the true value of your diplomatic envoy status.

But General Thunder is different; she is merely a puppet that strictly adheres to the will of "eternity."

Where the blade points, no mortal can object; it's all a matter of a single slash.

If someone were as arrogant as that lady, they would probably only turn into ashes under the lightning.

His visit to Inazuma this time was not to compete with General Raiden.

Besides Thor's Heart, the fertile land of Inazuma can provide him with many conveniences.

The Three Realms environment of the Abyss Palace, the remnants of the demon god left behind after the death of the great serpent Orobas, and the divine cherry tree that was planted from the future to the past.

Xu Chuan is very interested in anything involving the power of the Four Shadows.

"Xu Chuan, you're awake."

Ying's voice pulled him back from his thoughts.

She looked up, her eyes still glazed over from just waking up, but the surprise washed away her drowsiness almost instantly.

Her hands unconsciously tightened their grip, holding Xu Chuan's hand even more firmly, as if afraid he would suddenly disappear again.

"Yes, I'm sorry to have worried you and Paimon."

"If you knew this would happen, you shouldn't have kept running around like this!"

Paimon also woke up. She suddenly flew off his chest, crossed her arms in mid-air, and put on a very serious expression.

Her voice had a nasal quality from just waking up, and it wasn't very intimidating when she scolded people.

Xu Chuan met their eyes, and his gaze involuntarily darted away.

"Don't worry, my injuries are nothing serious, and I'll be fully recovered in a few days."

He tried to make his tone sound more relaxed, and even raised his hand to move his fingers to prove that he wasn't lying.

Ying and Paimon exchanged a glance and sighed in unison.

Having spent so much time with Xu Chuan, they were already used to his almost superhuman recovery ability.

In just a few hours, from last night until now, the charred and everted scabs on Xu Chuan's body have fallen off on their own, revealing the smooth new skin underneath, without leaving a single scar.

If they hadn't seen him covered in blood and dragged back unconscious, no one would have believed that this man had been critically injured and on the verge of death not long ago.

Such a recovery speed is unbelievable.

Ying didn't say anything more, but simply gripped his right hand tightly again, her fingertips gently stroking the back of his hand.

Her voice was soft: "I respect your opinion, but we hope you can take better care of yourself."

Feeling the delicate warmth from their palms and the weighty words of concern from the two people, Xu Chuan felt a surge of warmth in his chest.

Xu Chuan was speechless for a moment, and after a long silence, he responded softly, "Okay."

For the next few days, the sea was unusually calm.

The Death Star sailed smoothly off the coast of Inazuma.

Under Ying and Paimon's care, Xu Chuan's injuries were almost completely healed, and the recovery speed was faster than he had expected.

With nothing else to do, he would cast out a few golden threads and toss them to the stern of the boat while helping Ying practice the Golden Light Mantra, and start fishing.

Golden rays of light disappeared into the deep blue sea, flickering with the white wake of the ship, refracting into shimmering specks of gold in the sunlight.

"The stern isn't a good place for fishing," a clear voice came from the side.

Xu Chuan turned his head and saw a boy standing not far behind him.

The boy was slender, his robes fluttering in the sea breeze, and he exuded a unique aura that seemed to belong to the sea.

He leaned against the ship's railing with his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the golden silk thread in Xu Chuan's hand, a hint of barely perceptible curiosity in his eyes.

"Just killing time when I have nothing else to do."

Xu Chuan withdrew his gaze, smiled and replied, but his hands remained motionless.

If he really wanted to catch fish, the moment that golden thread disappeared into the sea, it could catch all the fish in the vicinity.

But right now he's just enjoying this slow pace, feeling the warmth of the light filtering through his fingers, listening to the sound of waves crashing against the ship's side, and not having to think about anything.

The boy nodded, but did not ask any further questions. Instead, he straightened up and gave Xu Chuan a slight nod: "Let me introduce myself. My name is Kaedehara Manyo, and I am temporarily following Big Sister Hokuto."

"Xu Chuan," he said briefly, giving his name.

Wan Ye's gaze lingered on his hand for a moment.

The golden ray extending from the palm of the hand was crystal clear in the sunlight, with a faint golden glow flowing within it, as if it were alive.

At the same time, Wan Ye's senses detected the vibrant, almost surging, life force emanating from the other party.

This was different from the aura of wind, rock, and starlight he sensed emanating from the blonde girl beside him.

It was an incredibly pure life force, like a spring in the deep mountains in spring, flowing endlessly.

He compared this aura with the charred, barely breathing figure he had glimpsed on the deck that night, and the difference was unbelievable.

"If there's anything you need to say, just say it," Xu Chuan said, taking the initiative to speak when he saw Wan Ye fall silent.

Wan Ye snapped out of his reverie, shook his head, and said in his usual calm tone, "It's nothing. The ship will be docking and leaving the island soon, and the boss asked me to inform the three of you so that you can make preparations in advance."

"I see, thank you."

With a flick of his wrist, Xu Chuan sent the golden threads of light flying back from the seawater, tracing an arc in the air before precisely returning to his palm and disappearing.

Wan Ye's gaze followed the trajectory of the disappearing golden light, but in the end, he didn't ask any more questions and turned to leave the stern of the ship.

When the Death Star slowly docked at the island port, the dock was already bustling with activity.

Workers carrying goods moved back and forth, and vendors dressed in various clothes set up stalls along the pier, their shouts and bargaining mingling together.

It was filled with the unique atmosphere of Inazuma Port.

Xu Chuan led Ying and Paimon down the gangway, preparing to say goodbye to Beidou.

Before they could even find the person, Beidou strode up to them, followed by Wanye and several key members of the fleet.

She remained as forthright as ever, patting Xu Chuan's shoulder forcefully as she stepped forward—a force strong enough to knock an ordinary person to the ground.

"Southern Cross fleet landed a big order in Inazuma this year."

Beidou put his hands on his hips and instructed Xu Chuan and the others, "If you want to go back to Liyue, come find us at the dock. Don't be shy."

"I'll definitely need Captain Beidou's help then."