Now that we had arrived on Watatsumi Island, we all split into our different roles.
Kitsune Saiguu often found herself with Orobashi, helping him better govern the scattered tribes into a more cohesive whole. They wouldn't be building a new city anytime soon—they didn't have someone like Morax here after all—but just getting started would be a huge next step. Both were new to this kind of thing however, and they occasionally sought me out for some help. I was more than happy to provide.
Lumine, with her great skill in the sword, became an unofficial instructor for the samurai. It wasn't something she did intentionally, but Inazuma was a land of honor and battle. It didn't take much before Lumine got swept up into the flow, and soon it became somewhat common to find her delivering a beatdown on a good dozen men on her own. She'd gathered quite the admirers because of it, and I didn't doubt that a few girls had become inspired to learn swordsmanship because of her.
As for me? Since I'd already healed most of the people, I decided to take a stab at teaching the people basic agriculture. I wasn't an expert by any means, but I did have a small personal garden in my Personal World, so I wasn't a complete novice.
However, I came to an unexpected issue.
"What…is this?" I whispered, unable to contain my shock as I stared out across the empty plot of land. It didn't seem all that strange from afar, but now that I was here, it wasn't hard to see that the soil was turning white. And when I reached down to grab it, the soil felt like it'd been doused with salt.
"A common occurrence I'm afraid, Wendy-sama." Kensai said from beside me. "Some believe it is a curse that rises from the depths of Enkanomiya. We have tried before, but no plant can survive growing in this Bleached Soil." He glanced at me. "Could your healing cure this curse, perhaps?"
I frowned as I shook my head. "Nay, for I'm afraid there is nothing to heal, good Sir."
The seasoned samurai blinked. "What might you mean, Wendy-sama?"
I crouched down next to a small patch of Bleached Soil and waved him over. He nodded and knelt next to me, and I scooped up a handful of Bleached Soil. "This soil is certainly far from healthy, but it is not cursed by any means." I let some of the soil trickle through my grip. Its coarse texture felt nothing like dirt. "This, good Sir, is salt. An overabundance of salt."
"...salt?" He whispered. I nodded, and took a small granule and tasted it to confirm. I winced slightly, for indeed my tongue was then assaulted by a powerful salinity. He then did the same, and his face scrunched up.
"I-Indeed." I coughed as I did my best to scrub away the remaining saltiness on my tongue. "It reminds me of the salt farms the people of Liyue Harbor had built close to the shoreline to harvest salt from the ocean." I let the rest of the salt-filled dirt fall back to the ground. "They let seawater soak into dirt or sand, wait for the sun to turn them into steam, and they could then harvest the layer of salt that is left behind."
But, why is that? It would've been fairly normal, if a little strange, if this phenomena occurred at the island's shorelines. But no, this was an area close to the island's center; by all rights, seawater should've never been able to reach here with enough volume to create this effect.
"Could it be…?" Kensai whispered softly, as if coming to an epiphany.
"Do you perhaps know something, good Sir?"
He hummed. "You said this occurrence comes from the infusion of seawater, no?" I nodded, and he sighed. "Then perhaps this is not so mysterious, after all."
"Oh? Do tell!"
He nodded. "This island was created by Orobashi-sama. But before we came upon these lands, we lived deep in the submerged waters of what we called Enkanomiya—a land eternally trapped in seawater. It was only through the creations and wisdom of our ancestors that we were able to live in the seas."
My eyes lit up. "And since Enkanomiya is below this island, the seawater from below is leeching up into the soil!" I finished for him. He nodded, and I leaned back as I cupped my chin.
Right, right. So that was the cause of this mystery. But the main issue remained; as long as Enkanomiya remained beneath Watatsumi Island, seawater would continue being infused into the dirt, soon turning all of the island inhospitable to most forms of flora. It'd take hundreds of years, perhaps, but it would happen.
…Hmm.
I sighed. "Let us return for now, good Sir." I smiled. "Now that we have discovered the reason for this bleaching, we can begin to think of potential solutions."
He nodded, and without further ado, we began making our way back to the encampment we'd come from.
And during our walk back, I let my mind wander. As of the moment, I couldn't just get rid of Enkanomiya entirely. I mean, I could, but that wasn't who Wendy was. And I don't think I can rid Inazuma of an entire submerged island without attracting some attention from the rest of Teyvat.
There had to be something that could be done, though. Perhaps we could grow some plant that actively absorbed saline water and turned it into something useful? Such a plant sounded almost magical, but I was certain I could find something like that in the [Shop]. I just had to search through its catalog when I had the time.
Then again, I wasn't sure if that was ideal. I didn't know how long such a solution would take to turn the Bleached Soil back into something the people could cultivate plants on, and we had no idea how long we could remain stationary on this island. Who was to say that some trouble would appear and force Lumine and I away, leaving the people bereft of their current source of aid?
Haiyah. If only Morax was here. His control over Geo could solve this issue with a single snap.
Oh well.
That aside, let's see if Lumine had any ideas that might work.
…
"What? It's the most logical answer!"
I messaged my forehead. "A solution for Venti, perhaps. But not for the identity I have donned for this adventure." I said with a sigh. "And we're trying to make Watatsumi suitable for agriculture, not simply relocating the people into Sublime Spicewood. That's an entirely different thing."
She shrugged. "Then, I dunno, maybe ask Orobashi for help? The guy did create this island from scratch, y'know? Why not ask him to make more soil fit for growing stuff while we wait for another solution?"
I opened my mouth, and then closed it. That-, was a fairly logical answer actually.
She grinned. "Got you on that one."
I sighed. "Yes, yes. Thank you for your wisdom, oh Great-"
Before I could finish the rest of my words however, my enhanced hearing caught a commotion from afar. I quickly turned East, and [Hawk Eyes] activated as my eyesight stretched far into the distance.
And what I saw was…interesting, to say the least. It seemed to be some sort of artificial construct, made of eight cubes stuck into a larger cube, bound together by the gem-like core at its center. Some people were crowding around it, unsure if the thing that'd suddenly appeared was harmful or not.
But just looking at it made me feel uneasy, and it took me a moment to remember why.
Cubes. Blocks. There was only one being that was associated with such constructs. The very same one that had fought Lumine and sealed her strength with blocks that glowed blood crimson.
Did I not just talk to Orobashi the night earlier about that book he handed to me? A book filled with tales regarding Celestia's creation of Teyvat, even if such contents were written through a biased lens. An action that caused a Shift in Orobashi's Destiny.
And what else was Celestia if not incredibly protective of Destiny?
"The people are in danger!" I shouted. Lumine flinched at my sudden shout, but I quickly turned to her with grit teeth. "I see a strange construct of cubes in the distance. I cannot be sure, but I believe such creation belonged to-"
"Say less." Lumine whispered, voice frosty. She stomped her foot down, the ground cracked beneath the incredible force. Her knees bent, she leaned forward, and the winds exploded behind her as she leapt forward, flying across the air through sheer strength alone.
I smiled thinly. It really was terrifying to see at times. Lumine might have had most of her strength sealed away, but most of her physical strength remained. And just that alone easily placed her at the same leagues as some gods.
I shook the thought away. A sharp hiss left my lips as I took a breath, and a swirl of Anemo rose around me as my Attributes rose several fold. I quickly took off, running towards the strange construct I could see in the distance.
At our speeds, it didn't take long before we reached the strange construct. The people were shocked when they saw Lumine rush in like a cannonball, but they quickly backed away when Lumine shouted. "Back away!" She said. And the people did just that, having never seen the usually gentle girl like so.
And just in time, because the cuboid construct soon came to life. The inert blocks began glowing bright blue, and a powerful surge of Hydro arose from the construct as a giant land-locked whirlpool. Everyone screamed in terror as they saw it, having only ever seen such feats be performed by their own god.
I arrived not long after, and I played a quick melody infused with [Windblume Festival] to calm everyone down. "Peace, everyone." I said, gentle but determined. "Return to our encampment, and call for Lord Orobashi. This is not an enemy to be taken lightly!"
A samurai who'd been in the crowd nodded and gathered the people, and they quickly began running back towards the encampment to seek aid from Orobashi.
With the coast clear, I brought out my sword and walked up to Lumine's side. "Verdict?"
"Oh yeah, this definitely feels like something that bitch created." She growled, still furious.
I frowned. "That is certainly worrying." And it was odd. Celestia has never been as overt as this. Even when I diverted Guizhong's Fate, Celestia did little to compensate. What changed? What made Watatsumi, or perhaps Enkanomiya, so special?
The reason mattered little at the moment.
I inhaled deeply, and a powerful surge of Anemo rose around me. I'd normally also use my [Freedom Song], but I couldn't let my halo or wings be seen by anyone else. "Well then," I smiled. "Are you ready, friend?"
Lumine flashed a bloodthirsty smile. "I've been waiting for this."
I chuckled lightly. And then together we charged towards the storm of Hydro.