When they heard about the Liyue swordsman, both Lumine and Paimon immediately thought of Mu Yang.
During their voyage to Inazuma, Beidou had mentioned to them that Mu Yang had arrived in Inazuma before them.
"I've heard about that incident as well," Kamisato Ayaka said.
"Rumors say a swordsman from Liyue named Mu Yang came to challenge Inazuma's renowned swordsmanship masters."
Seeing the strong reaction from Lumine and Paimon, Ayaka asked, "Is he someone you know?"
Paimon nodded. "He's a good friend of ours!"
Lumine, however, asked for details about the duel.
Nanako nodded. "Our master was one of those who accepted his challenge."
"But he couldn't even withstand a single move."
Kamisato Ayaka's expression shifted slightly. "Just one move…"
Lumine and Paimon, however, weren't surprised at all.
Paimon told Ayaka, "Mu Yang is really strong. Knowing him, his ultimate goal in coming to Inazuma must be to challenge the Raiden Shogun."
[I totally called it. Call me the Prophet.]
[Give it a rest. With Mu Yang's character, did you really think he came here for a vacation?]
Lumine noticed something odd in Ayaka's words.
"Ayaka, isn't the Kamisato Clan also renowned for its swordsmanship? Did Mu Yang not challenge you?"
Ayaka shook her head. "Perhaps my brother declined on our behalf. He doesn't care much for such occasions."
After saying this, Ayaka turned to Nanako. "You said your master lost to Mr. Mu Yang—what happened afterward?"
Nanako continued the story.
Later, they encountered a youkai disguised as Mu Yang who ambushed them.
However, that youkai had already been exorcised by the Grand Narukami Shrine.
Their master was a proud man, and that defeat had dealt a heavy blow to him.
But after a few days, he recovered and even wanted to challenge Mu Yang again.
After all, his goal was to become the greatest swordsman in the world.
Paimon analyzed, "So this incident has little to do with Mu Yang. It's the work of that 'Swordsman Slayer.'"
Ayaka shook her head in denial. "The 'Swordsman Slayer' has already been confirmed eliminated. There was even a misunderstanding before, and Mr. Mu Yang was wrongly accused."
"But didn't that Kanjou Commissioner in Ritou say—"
"Paimon, that was just an excuse to stop us from wandering around," Lumine interjected.
Lumine turned to Nanako. "Was there anything unusual afterward?"
Nanako thought for a moment.
"Yes. Five days ago, our master's Vision was confiscated."
"After that, his personality changed drastically. He even forbade us from practicing swordsmanship."
"Finally, he locked himself in his room. When we peeked through the window, we saw him crouched in a corner, muttering many names in pain…"
[This feels related to the Vision.]
[No wonder Ayaka opposes the Vision Hunt Decree.]
[I always thought Visions were just power sources…]
Hearing this, Paimon grew frightened.
Ayaka remained relatively calm.
She instructed Nanako to go to the Grand Narukami Shrine to seek the shrine maidens' help.
Meanwhile, she took Lumine and Paimon to the Meikyou Shisui dojo to see the master in person.
At the dojo's entrance, a young man paced back and forth.
His face was full of worry, and his steps were erratic—completely at odds with the dojo's plaque, which read Meikyou Shisui.
Hearing footsteps, he quickly turned around, only to find that it wasn't his junior sister or the shrine maidens returning.
"L-Lady Kamisato?!"
He rushed over. "Y-You're here to see my master?"
Ayaka smiled gently. "Yes, you could say that."
The young man scratched his head, somewhat troubled.
"My master… isn't in a state to receive guests right now."
Paimon cut in, "We've already heard about the situation from your junior sister. We're here to help."
"So Nanako told you…"
The young man clasped his hands together in gratitude.
He introduced himself as Junya and led the three inside to his master's room.
Peering through the window's gap, they saw a middle-aged man covering his ears and curled up in a corner.
His eyes were bloodshot, darting around incessantly.
His lips moved as if muttering something—names, it seemed.
Junya explained, "Those names… they're all swordsmen my master has defeated."
Paimon: "He seems particularly fixated on someone named Anzai. He's repeated that name many times."
"That was my master's senior brother in the past. But after being defeated by my master years ago, he's been wandering without a home."
Lumine pondered—this state only appeared after losing his Vision.
Was there a connection?
She recalled passing by the Statue of the Omnipresent God with Thoma.
When she touched the statue, she heard voices—like wishes.
In Teyvat, there was a saying:
"When a person's wish reaches a certain intensity, the gaze of the gods will descend upon them."
That was the origin of Visions.
In other words, a Vision represented a person's wish.
Realizing this, Lumine asked Junya:
"Was your master's goal to become the greatest swordsman in the world?"
Junya nodded. "Yes. His dedication to this surpassed everything else."
Paimon: "Lumine, what are you thinking?"
Lumine shared her thoughts.
"'Becoming stronger in swordsmanship' was likely his most intense wish—the reason he obtained his Vision."
"Now that his Vision has been taken, his wish may have vanished with it."
"That's why he forbids you from practicing swordsmanship. But… why is he muttering those names?"
Paimon asked Ayaka worriedly, "Does losing a Vision cause this kind of reaction?"
Among the four present, only Ayaka possessed a Vision—and she was also a staunch opponent of the Vision Hunt Decree.
She would know the details.
Ayaka's expression darkened. "Losing a Vision can indeed lead to various abnormal states."
"Let's wait for the shrine maidens to assess the situation."
Since there were outsiders present, Ayaka omitted the specifics.
Lumine asked a few more questions about the Grand Narukami Shrine.
Before long, Nanako returned.
Given her usual speed, she shouldn't have made it even halfway by now.
Lumine sensed a familiar energy.
Could Mu Yang be at the shrine?
Junya, seeing his junior sister return, quickly handed her a cup of water.
"Junior sister, how did you get back so fast? Where are the shrine maidens?"
"I don't know why it was so quick, and I don't feel tired at all."
Nanako said, "I happened to meet the head shrine maiden—Lady Yae. She told us to bring our master to the Grand Narukami Shrine."
Junya brightened. "Lady Yae herself is intervening?! Master will definitely be alright!"
Lumine stepped forward. "We'll help too."
She wanted to see how this would unfold.
Moreover, visiting the shrine would allow her to meet the head shrine maiden, who was closely tied to the Electro Archon.
Most importantly—Mu Yang was there. Though she wasn't sure what he was doing.
Did shrine maidens also practice swordsmanship?
With Lumine and Ayaka's assistance, the journey was much easier, free from worries of monster ambushes.
Midway, Lumine suddenly whispered something to Ayaka—then left the group.