"Hey, what's with you? You've got a Vision and your milk tea business is booming—why would you start a Duel Before the Throne?"
"This is something I have to do. I promised someone I'd keep moving forward, and I promised someone else I'd rise higher."
"What's that supposed to mean, moving up or down? Are you trying to get yourself killed? Do you even know how many times a Duel Before the Throne has taken place in Inazuma's history? Or how low the success rate is? And your opponent is the Raiden Shogun! She'll definitely send her strongest subordinate to deal with you!"
"I hope she sends her strongest subordinate. That's the only way I'll have a chance."
"What did you just say? You've completely lost your mind, haven't you?"
Arataki Itto was on the verge of losing it. He had never met such a strange person before—someone who suddenly came from Liyue to sell milk tea without a permit, somehow got involved with the Arataki Gang, and then out of nowhere challenged the Raiden Shogun to a Duel Before the Throne?
And not just one—but three consecutive duels?
And he wanted his opponents to be as strong as possible?
What was this, a new trend where any random milk tea vendor from Liyue could challenge all of Inazuma?
"Don't panic. As you can see, I'll be engaging in a Duel Before the Throne. There are only ten days left to prepare, so this milk tea stand—"
"At a time like this, who cares about milk tea?! You should run!" Mamoru offered helpfully. "Ten days is plenty to escape Inazuma! Even if you stand up the Shogun, just don't ever let her catch you again!"
Arataki Itto smacked him on the head. "Mamoru! A man's duel cannot be avoided! Since things have come to this, we'll use the time left for hellish training!"
"I really do have to do some training," Victor Wang said calmly. "So, I'll leave the milk tea stand to you all for now."
"Huh?"
Not just Arataki Itto—even Akira, Mamoru, and Genta were dumbfounded. Who on earth thought about running a milk tea business at a time like this?
But Victor Wang explained seriously, "Because I'll come back alive, the stand will continue operating. Right now business is booming—if we suddenly close, we'll lose a large number of customers. That's only natural, isn't it?"
"Well… even if you win the Duel Before the Throne, life goes on, huh? What you're saying actually makes sense…"
"Wait a sec, boss, why are we assuming you'll definitely come back alive?!"
Arataki Itto said earnestly, "Akira, this kind of thing can only be achieved with unwavering faith!"
"But the problem is… none of us know how to make milk tea!"
"…Right!"
"Don't panic. I'll teach you. To make bubble milk tea, you only need milk, sugar, tea leaves, and bubble gum. First do this… then this… and watch the temperature carefully. Aside from milk, we have enough ingredients to sell for a month. As for milk, you can restock from a street vendor named Tomoki—I've already arranged it. So, how about it? Simple, right?"
"…"
"How about it? Simple, right?" Victor Wang repeated.
"Simple my foot…"
"So which part didn't you understand?"
"The most important part—you just said 'watch the temperature carefully' and brushed it off?!"
"Understood. Tomorrow, I'll give you a full day of practical training."
"But you only have ten days left! Shouldn't you focus on your training?"
"Don't panic. The outcome lies in the Raiden Shogun's hands. Panicking won't help, and I won't need all ten days for my own training."
…
"Did you hear? The storm over the seas has subsided, the Shogun's doing fine, and the Sakoku Decree might finally be lifted."
"I also heard the Shogun temporarily returned the duties of the Tenryou Commission to the Kujou Clan. I can't believe they're still standing… it's infuriating! But I'm sure the Shogun has her reasons."
"That's all you heard?"
"Judging from your tone, there's something we missed, isn't there?"
"You really haven't heard? It's huge news! The owner of the pearl milk tea stand challenged the Shogun to a Duel Before the Throne!"
"A Duel Before the Throne? But that's supposed to be a duel held before the Shogun, not with her! Why would she participate?"
"Shows what you know! They say the Shogun passed by the milk tea stand yesterday and commented, 'Pearl milk tea isn't anything special—not worth drinking.' The vendor wasn't happy and immediately challenged her to a Duel Before the Throne, saying he'd make her change her mind! Of course, the Shogun wouldn't fight personally, but since her authority was challenged, she declared she'd choose three representatives. Win all three duels in a row, and she'd grant his request!"
"That's ridiculous—how can you believe that rumor?"
"Yeah, sounds like some exaggerated gossip."
"Hey! Don't be so quick to dismiss it! I heard it straight from the vendor next to the milk tea stand—he saw everything himself! And the city bulletin board already posted the announcement this morning! Go check for yourselves!"
When they finally saw the official notice, the two skeptics were stunned.
"That milk tea vendor's insane! Risking his life over something so trivial? What a waste!"
"There are people like that—those who value honor more than their lives. Lucky us to witness it firsthand!"
"Gentlemen, why don't we see it for ourselves?"
"Let's go!"
Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, the milk tea stand already had a line so long it blocked the entire street.
"Damn it! Why is business booming today of all days? We can't keep up!"
"It's probably because people heard the Arataki Gang's involved. They all came out of curiosity!"
"Ohhhhhh—!!"
Victor Wang threw out a casual comment, and the four members of the Arataki Gang went wild as if injected with pure adrenaline.
"Stop shouting! Watch the temperature! Tch… if you can't control it, just use timing! With the standard amount of ingredients under the standard heat for the standard duration, you'll get the best results! But since we don't have a timer, you'll have to keep track yourselves!"
"Victor?"
After scolding the gang, Victor turned and saw Thoma and Kamisato Ayato among the customers.
"Victor, if you'd like…" Thoma made a small gesture with his right hand—his index finger running along his left palm like a tiny person running. "You can come to the Komore Teahouse. We'll back you up."
Ayato, standing behind him, didn't speak—he only shook his head slowly.
"I understand. Thank you."
After sending them off, the next customer was Yoimiya.
"Victor, you really plan to…?"
"I do."
"…I hope you win."
"Mm."
After Yoimiya came a group of regulars from Yae Publishing House.
Once they left, the next visitor was… Kujou Sara.
"Didn't expect that even after the war's over, we'd still have to cross blades."
"If you're really chosen, could you maybe surrender right away—and let me win?"
"No."
Duel Before the Throne were exceedingly rare. The last public one happened not long after the Vision Hunt Decree was enforced—Kazuha's friend had challenged its executor.
Kujou Sara was that executor. She'd won that duel, though it brought her no joy.
She hadn't believed that man deserved death, but the rules of the Duel Before the Throne were established by the Archon herself. Once the rule existed, even the Archon couldn't break it—doing so would undermine her own divine authority.
Unfortunately, that man had sought death; he had no will to fight. He only wanted to take Musou no Hitotachi head-on. To preserve his strength, he smiled and surrendered as soon as the duel began…
"I don't want to see another person die under divine punishment who doesn't deserve it. But I must defend the Shogun's dignity. Whatever your intentions, I'll fight to the very end."
"That's exactly the response I expected."
Kujou Sara said no more. She didn't even order milk tea. After a few brief words, she turned to leave.
Arataki Itto called after her, "Hey! Tengu girl! You promised to duel me before, didn't you? Why've you been dodging me?"
"Ugh… do you really not get it, or are you pretending?" Kujou Sara's tone rose as she tried to suppress her anger. "That ridiculous duel of yours? I'll never agree to it! If it were any other contest, it'd have been over ages ago!"
"But those were the ancient youkai rules!"
"Ancient times are ancient! The era's changed, you idiot oni!"
"Hey!! I think here's just fine—let's have a sumo match right now!"
Kujou Sara spun on her heel, storming off before she exploded. Suddenly, something flew toward her back—a projectile—but she easily deflected it.
"Tengu girl, that milk tea was made by yours truly! A free trial—give it a taste!"
The Arataki Gang turned out to be slower learners than expected—it took them two full days to master milk tea. Incidentally, the one Itto gave her was actually a failed test batch.
After that, Victor Wang disappeared from the public eye. But the buzz surrounding the upcoming three consecutive Duel Before the Throne only grew stronger.
By the third day after the news spread, the Alcor, which had been engaged in shipping, even made a detour to return.
By the fifth day, Sangonomiya Kokomi visited Yae Miko on Narukami Island—partly for political reasons, partly to express gratitude, and partly out of curiosity about Victor Wang.
All of Inazuma was boiling with excitement. Those watching from the sidelines couldn't wait; every day felt like a year as they anxiously awaited the duels.
The North Wing's communication channel was flooded with discussions about it. Outlanders thought the Inazuman line was malfunctioning again—after all, messages like "Milk tea vendor challenges the Duel Before the Throne thrice to defend his honor" sounded absurd.
But then, someone revealed that the milk tea vendor was actually a member of the organization, codename "Kunpeng." He had played a crucial role in the incidents involving the Awakened Precepts, the Cursed Blade, and the South Wing's missing persons case. Many people began to worry.
In Mondstadt, "Lionhawk" and "Night Owl"; in Liyue, "Silksong" and "Brocade Bird"—all wanted to contact "Kunpeng." But no response ever appeared on the commission board.
"Any updates?"
"Well, technically the Shogun's strongest subordinate is the Shogun herself—but the public can't tell the difference between Ei and the Shogun. Since she can't fight in person, the next strongest, naturally, is me~"
Yae Miko didn't answer immediately; instead, she boasted as she ranked Inazuma's combat power.
"If Scaramouche were still around, he'd be next. But alas… So aside from me, no one else poses much difficulty."
"Was Kujou Sara chosen?"
"Of course. She's Ei's beloved general."
"I see."
"You're confident, right? Because I'm putting my life in your hands~"
Victor Wang nodded. "Naturally."