Chapter 321

The old man smiled and sized up the two's attire and appearance.

"You two must be heading to Inazuma City, right?"

Paimon nodded hurriedly: "That's right! Old man, do you know where the Komore Teahouse is?"

"Komore Teahouse?"

The old man was somewhat surprised; this was not a place for ordinary people to visit.

It was a high-end establishment of great renown in Inazuma, and one had to have permission to enter.

"Are you two guests of the Kamisato Clan of the Yashiro Commission?"

The old man looked at them with new eyes and paused before saying: "The Komore Teahouse is located in the spot with the best view in Inazuma City. You only need to ask around once you're in the city, and I guarantee someone will be able to point it out to you."

"Whoa, that sounds like an incredible place."

Paimon couldn't wait to see this so-called luxurious establishment in Inazuma.

Back in Liyue, there had been the Yanshang Teahouse, but unfortunately, she had been driven away as soon as she got close, which was a great pity.

"Hehe, to get to Inazuma City, you must pass through Konda Village. I am a villager here. Since you are strangers to this place, why not walk with me? I can tell you a bit about Inazuma along the way."

"Then thank you, sir."

After Lumine thanked him politely, she followed the old man along the cleared path ahead.

The scenery along the road was beautiful, with wind blowing through the grass and golden wheat crops, and various scarecrows standing among them.

Before long, the number of pedestrians on the road began to increase.

During their casual chat, Lumine learned from the conversation that the old man was named Yasuda. He used to work for the Tenryou Commission, and after retiring with nothing to do, he would go out every day to wander, listen to birds, tease cats, walk dogs, and look at the scenery everywhere.

"When I was young, I didn't understand the beauty of the scenery and was always in a rush. Now that I'm old, I just want to enjoy life and spend my twilight years in peace."

Sighing, Yasuda told the two who were listening quietly: "Past the road north of Konda Village is the path to the Grand Narukami Shrine on Mount Yougou. Many outsiders like you go there to draw fortune slips. You can try it too; it's very effective."

"The other path leads to the Chinju Forest. There are many bake-danuki there. If you pass by, be careful. Of course, they won't hurt people, but just be vigilant not to be pranked."

"You ask why the fortune slips at the shrine are effective? Hehe, those were set up by the current Guuji of the Hakushin Kitsune lineage, inherited from the contemporary Saiguu, so naturally, they are effective."

Chatting with Old Man Yasuda all the way, Lumine was even gifted a bag of fruit by this enthusiastic old man when they left Konda Village.

At the same time, she had gained a certain understanding of Inazuma.

After passing through Konda Village like this, another hour or so passed, and a vast, magnificent city appeared before their eyes.

Because it was located on an island, the city's planning was completely different from Mondstadt and Liyue.

Before even entering the city, what met their eyes were many huge Sakura trees, surrounding farmland planted with vegetables and melons, and large guardian stones wrapped in shimenawa ropes by the roadside.

Looking up, wooden houses were scattered everywhere, and the waterwheel rotating slowly in the center exuded an unusual charm, dotted with clusters of hydrangeas.

Accompanied by the sound of barking dogs, Lumine and Paimon passed through the outskirts and entered Inazuma City.

Just as Old Man Yasuda had said, they found the location of the Komore Teahouse after asking a few people.

"This must be it."

Staring at the classically elegant teahouse, which could be called the most beautiful shop on the street, Paimon couldn't help but mutter softly.

People passing by were staring at them, seemingly waiting for a joke.

Because there were often people who didn't know their place who tried to enter, only to have many who thought highly of themselves "politely" escorted away.

It made people gasp at the capability of the teahouse's owner.

Discovering two people acting suspiciously and peeking inside, Kozue, a clerk at the Komore Teahouse, walked out and said indifferently: "We do not entertain ordinary guests here. You two should return."

"Wait, we have an invitation letter!"

Shouting at the beautiful young lady wearing a kimono with a snowflake pattern, Paimon urged Lumine to take out the invitation letter quickly.

The clerk Kozue took the invitation letter and examined it, discovering that it actually bore the seal of the Yashiro Commission, and her expression changed slightly.

"So you are guests of Mr. Thoma. Then please come in. Welcome to the Komore Teahouse, a small sanctuary of the Yashiro Commission."

Under her changed attitude and guidance, the two entered the Komore Teahouse amidst the surprised gazes of passersby.

Not knowing if it was because he knew they would come or what, Thoma was actually inside.

"You two, we meet again. To my surprise, you left Ritou quite quickly."

Seeing Thoma again after a day, Paimon couldn't help but pout and complain: "You guy, you were actually staying here leisurely and letting us find our own way to leave Ritou. If you don't have a reason, I won't forgive you!"

"Uh, regarding this, please allow me to solemnly apologize to you both. The various tests before were a necessary formality; this determines whether we can become partners who face the thunder together."

Speaking of this, Thoma's expression was somewhat serious.

And Lumine's expression became subtle; as expected, she had to stand on the opposite side of the Raiden Shogun.