At this moment, on the other side of the ocean.
Under the twilight, the sea's surface was dyed a vibrant shade of orange-red.
On the boundless expanse of the ocean, The Alcor took the lead, guiding The Crux Fleet as they rode the wind and broke the waves, forging straight ahead.
Kaedehara Kazuha sat atop the mast, his hair fluttering wildly in the wind. He gazed at the setting sun curtaining the distance, his eyes slightly narrowed as if in deep thought.
After thinking in silence for a long while, he murmured softly, reciting:
"In the east, a new moon; in the west, the setting sun."
Just as he intended to continue reciting his poem, his train of thought was interrupted by the noisy clamor drifting up from the deck.
"The wind is really strong today. At this rate, we should be back in Liyue by tomorrow night, right?"
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Did reading ghost novels mess up your brain? We've been on the ship for so long, how are you still acting like a rookie? This wind won't last until tomorrow night. It's never that fast."
"Uh, now that you mention it, I guess you're right. It can't be helped—after being at sea for so many days, I want to eat something that runs on the ground. Like going to Wanmin Restaurant for some roast suckling pig or something. Also, Miss Fang Qiu's new novel is about to be released, isn't it? I really want to read it. Plus, after reading ghost novels on the ship for so many days, I really want to hurry up and deliver the ghost novels Brother Thoma sent for Miss Fang Qiu. I want to read a ghost novel written by Miss Fang Qiu."
"When you put it that way, I'm getting a bit expectant too. When I was reading that ghost novel yesterday, I was badly spooked."
"Oh? It could scare you? It must be pretty terrifying then. What kind of story is it?"
"It tells the story of a Knocking Ghost. The protagonist is an author who lives alone in a rental apartment. Every midnight, he hears the sound of knocking on his door. But every time the protagonist asks who it is, no one speaks. The protagonist finds it very strange, so he doesn't open the door.
"But every single night, the knocking sounds ring out from outside the door. Until one day, the writer really couldn't hold back anymore. Holding a knife he bought, he threw the door open, wanting to see who was playing the prank. As a result, there was no one outside. Just as he looked confused and closed the door, intending to continue burning the midnight oil, he turned his head and saw a bloody, mangled face."
"Sounds... not that scary, actually?"
"Indeed, it wasn't that scary. It's just that yesterday, right when I was reading the really scary part, I don't know which bastard knocked on my door. When I got up to open it, I found there was not a single person outside. I was so scared I broke into a cold sweat on the spot."
"Uh, yesterday I planned to go look for that guy Zhang San, but after knocking twice, I realized it was your room, so I left."
"So it was you, you brat! You made me lose sleep all night. This isn't over without five hundred Mora."
"Five hundred Mora? Why don't you just go rob someone? Five Mora, tops."
"Deal. Hand over the Mora, hurry up."
"You'll even take five Mora?"
Several sailors, having nothing better to do, were leaning against the gunwale, chatting loudly and happily.
Meanwhile, at the bow of the ship, Xinyan was tuning her guitar strings with a serious expression.
"Taken on its own, it's pretty decent, but compared to Fang Qiu's book, the gap is still quite large."
Beidou sat nearby, tossing a ghost novel aside.
"Indeed."
Xinyan nodded and said, "I was thinking, should I mention it to Miss Fang Qiu and ask her to write a book about Rock 'n' Roll? That way, I won't get eliminated in the first round when I participate in music competitions."
"Hahaha, you're still dwelling on that?" Beidou laughed and said.
"Sister Beidou, you're still laughing. I was really struck by the blow of being eliminated in the first round of the Your Lie in April concert," Xinyan sighed and said.
"That couldn't be helped. When people said the theme was 'April', they were referring to the book Your Lie in April. Who knew you would understand it as the month of April."
Beidou said with a smile, "Everyone else prepared either sorrowful tunes or songs of newfound hope. You were the only one who went up and played Rock 'n' Roll."
The surrounding sailors also chimed in.
"Yeah. We were in the audience at the time. We saw the crowd couldn't speak a word for a long time after listening. There was a young lady who was crying her eyes out over the previous song, and the next second, she was just dumbfounded on the spot."
"I was sitting in the front row. I saw that even Lady Guuji, sitting in the judge's seat, couldn't help but burst out laughing."
"Now that you mention it, Miss Fang Qiu's book really carries a lot of weight. It's one thing for the Eldest Miss of the Kamisato family to personally show up as a judge, but even that Lady Guuji actually appeared in person."
"Say, do you think the legendary Raiden Shogun will also appear for the grand finals?"
"As for that, it should be unlikely. The Raiden Shogun is said to be a very serious person; she probably doesn't like this kind of occasion."
"True. Before, when I followed Kazuha and the others to storm Tenshukaku, that oppressive pressure was truly too terrifying. If not for the Traveler, we probably all would have died there. So it's hard to imagine the Raiden Shogun reading a book."
"I didn't expect that you actually went with Kazuha to Tenshukaku too. Tsk tsk, I really wanted to see Kazuha block that strike from the Raiden Shogun."
"Ahem, we're off topic. Let's talk about the music competition."
"Miss Xinyan, although you were eliminated in the first round, it was only because it didn't quite fit the theme. Don't be too sad."
"Right, exactly. Although it was a one-round trip, at least the tune was really quite good. Listening to it almost got me fired up. Next time Captain Beidou splits an iceberg, you can play it in advance to set the atmosphere."
"Why do you two have to emphasize the 'eliminated in the first round' part? By the way, when we were leaving, I heard quite a few audience members developed a bit of interest in Rock 'n' Roll."
"Right, right, right."
"Speaking of which, it's been so long. The finals of that music competition seem to be taking place in the next few days, right?"
"Seems so."
Listening to everyone's consolation, Xinyan also cheered up. They all began chatting about Fang Qiu's new book, guessing what the content of Fang Qiu's new book would be.
Just as they were chatting happily, a cook walked out of the cabin and said, "Captain, dinner is ready. Tonight's dinner includes chicken soup."
"We actually get to eat something that runs on the ground tonight!"
The sailors stood up with faces full of excitement.
"Got it."
Beidou smiled, stood up, and followed the crowd into the cabin.
On the mast, Kaedehara Kazuha sighed; his train of thought had been broken.
"Hearing them talk like that, we are indeed close to Liyue. I wonder what genre the new story Miss Fang Qiu wrote will be."
Kaedehara Kazuha muttered to himself.
After speaking, he continued to watch the setting sun and did not go to eat with them.
It wasn't for any other reason, but because he needed to keep watch, to avoid a recurrence of the incident last time where The Alcor almost led The Crux Fleet into crashing against an iceberg.
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