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It takes two years at sea for Beidou to wind up back home.
She does so with riches and power to her name, her reputation as the slayer of Haishan and uncrowned king of the ocean having preceded her far and wide. And yet, when Liyue Harbour calls, she finds herself compelled to obey no matter her thoughts on home. This time, she returns because the 76th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour — the man who had kindly sent off the souls of Downriver's inhabitants at her behest — has passed, and his thirteen-year-old granddaughter will preside over his grand funeral.
Beidou thinks it is only right that she sees off the man who put her adoptive father to rest. So she gives her crew a few days off to visit their families, and dons fresh black garments for the funeral.
The 77th Director is just a little girl. But the way she lights each incense burner and reverently conducts every step of the ritual tells Beidou she truly loved her grandfather. Perhaps even more than Beidou ever loved her adoptive father.
After the funeral, Beidou takes her time to leave the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour, and waits near Third-Round Knockout for a certain businessman to catch up with her. She has felt his eyes upon her since the funeral began, and she has purposefully avoided him till she has finished mourning for the old man. What a rude person, she thinks— or perhaps he is desperate; desperate enough to interrupt a funeral procession for the Captain’s attention. At least Hu Tao got to send her grandfather off peacefully.
“What do you want?” Beidou demands before the man even opens his mouth. She has barely touched land for a few hours, and already she cannot wait to go back out to sea. Even so, as much as business leaves a sour taste in her mouth— it is necessary. The fleet, small as it is now, needs supplies. Mora. Cargo. It doesn’t mean she needs to be nice about dealing with these unscrupulous merchants, though.
“Captain Beidou, Slayer of Haishan... I have heard much of your feats!" the man exclaims while catching his breath.
The Captain of the Crux Fleet sizes him up with a scowl. He is a scrawny, willowy middle-aged man with a moustache, clad in intricate Liyuean garb made from the finest silk flowers. And these accolades he spews... they are worse than the derogatory names villagers once threw at her. She'd rather be pelted by rocks and called a curse than have such sickeningly-sweet adoration attached to her name. It's just one of the many reasons she rarely returns these days. Liyue is the nation she belongs to, but it is not her home.
“What do you want?” she repeats, crossing her arms.
“I have a job for you.”
He can afford to pay a pretty sum, she's sure. “It’ll cost you. A lot,” she adds, almost as an afterthought.
“Mora is not an issue. If you need funding to sail for three, four years— I can easily provide that.”
Beidou grunts. The offer is tempting. “So. What do you need the Crux to do?”
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Xuanming, and I have no need of the Crux. Only you.” The businessman’s voice drops to a low whisper. “You have heard, I’m certain, that the Tianquan is stepping down?”
She recalls, vaguely, that Xiangling had mentioned this when she stopped by Wanmin Restaurant for Jueyun Chilli chicken. The current Tianquan was getting on in age, and he had reportedly selected two bright contenders to succeed his role. One was the young head of the Yinyuan Hall, Yunling. Another aristocrat born with a silver spoon in their mouth, expected to take one of the highest offices in the nation as though it were a birthright. The other— who was the other again? A woman of no renown and status, if the rumours are to be believed. “What's it to you?”
“It is in the best interests of many that we remove one of the two from the picture,” the man continues tactfully.
You mean the best interests of the pompous and the rich. It takes all of Beidou's willpower to stop herself from rolling her eye. “I don’t do assassinations. It’s dirty money.”
“We don’t need her dead. Just… removed. Take her with you when you sail, anything. We'll pay as long as she is not in Liyue Harbour on the day of the examination.”
Beidou supposes it can be done. She’s done many jobs like this. Temporarily kidnap a person to ensure they are unable to halt a deal, hold them captive in her time as a pirate. She makes a point to release them none the worse for wear— it is business, after all. Still, she doesn't just blindly accept such requests. It is easy for the rich and powerful to exploit the poor and the weak. Such jobs require a finer... understanding, so to speak, of the circumstances surrounding it. “You should know that I don't just agree to kidnap anyone. So tell me, this person… what did she do?”
The man’s nostrils flare. “She is a swindler. She has tricked us out of several investments, exploited loopholes in the law to siphon Mora from us honest businessmen. She is no kind person! She has made thousands from her trickery! She should not be considered for the prestigious role of the Tianquan.”
The same could be said of you. Beidou sighs. These merchants and tradesmen will always be at each other’s necks. Even if the nations went to war, she’s sure they’d still find something pointless to bicker about. That said, if it's just for the sake of a petty mercantile dispute, it will be easy money, all things considered. She just needs to keep the woman on her ship for a few days and drop her off at Guyun Stone Forest before she sails. With any luck, this businesswoman would be more careful in the future. “And the pay?”
He produces a large pouch of Mora, dropping it into Beidou’s outstretched hand. “Half in advance, half after the examination is concluded.”
Her eye nearly pops out at the weight. It’s easily a million Mora in there, maybe more. “You really want her out of the picture,” she says slowly, “Who is this contender for the position of Tianquan?”
The man tucks his hands into his sleeves. “She is called Ningguang,” he murmurs, “And you will find her home in the bowels of Feiyun Slope.”
“Ningguang, huh.” A lovely name; one that rolls off the tongue with ease. Beidou opens the pouch, checking the Mora within. Genuine. She’ll need to get Mora-Grubber on this quickly, verify its authenticity. And then, she supposes, they’ll have to get to work. “Consider this job accepted,” the Captain says as she pockets the heavy pouch, “I’ll see you again in a week at this spot.”
The man dips his head in acknowledgement and hurries away.
***
The plan is simple: on the night before the selection process begins, Beidou will break into Ningguang’s home at midnight. Furong has ascertained through days of tailing that this young upstart of a businesswoman typically returns home by ten, and does not leave till dawn. Beidou surmises that she’ll be asleep by midnight, or at least relaxed enough that they can catch her off-guard.
Once Beidou has knocked her out, she’ll carry Ningguang back to the Alcor and set sail for Guyun Stone Forest. There, they’ll keep her in one of the ship’s guest rooms until the new Tianquan is appointed. Then… well, she’s free to go. Another million in her lap just for that. The lengths these cutthroat businessmen will go to just to rid themselves of a thorn in the side leaves a sour taste in her mouth, but that is precisely why the Crux does not lack for Mora.
Anyway. After this job is done, she can set sail for another year or two, perhaps. See the rest of Teyvat, maybe venture forth into the dark sea once again. There might be more Haishans out there, sea gods that could threaten her home should they draw closer. Or maybe they could catch some seriously big fish. Who knows? The thought of the unknown is exhilarating, at least. Focus on the big picture, Mora-Grubber once said, for ultimately they need Mora to accomplish all that Beidou dreams of doing.
The pirate stops at the gate to Ningguang’s house and circles to the back, where she deftly hauls herself up the brickwork and drops silently into the yard. Light streams out from one window to her left. Beidou creeps to the nearest window and peeks in; she sees no one. Out of curiosity she tries the window latch— strange. It’s unlocked.
A small oversight, perhaps. Ningguang would not be the first businesswoman to have missed a latch when locking up the house. Just her luck, Beidou supposes. She carefully opens the window and slips in as quietly as possible, landing on soft carpet that muffles her footsteps in the living room. Darkness settles on her shoulders like a cloak. Taking steady, quiet breaths, Beidou makes her way towards the main hall. At this time, Ningguang should be upstairs in her bedroom. She glances out at an empty hallway, crouches down and takes one step into the light—
“Ah, I was wondering when you’d come,” a smooth voice speaks, low and calm.
Beidou freezes. She slowly turns to her left, where a tall and slender woman leans against the wall, fingers idly twirling a long pipe. For a moment, Beidou forgets to breathe. The woman named Ningguang is every bit as lovely as her name: her silvery hair falls in waves to her knees, its tips dusted in auburn; her silk nightdress, adorned with gold, hangs off her shoulders like a delicate web. Curiosity, cool and wine-red, shifts to meet Beidou’s gaze, and a smirk tugs at the corners of Ningguang’s soft lips.
Beidou swallows thickly and rises to her full height. Ningguang’s gaze does not waver. “You were expecting me?” the pirate asks.
“Not… you, specifically,” Ningguang replies, choosing her words carefully, “But I expected someone to come.”
“Then you know what this is about.”
“Hardly. Humour me, Captain.”
Beidou’s brow shoots up. “You know me?”
“By name, at least.” Ningguang takes a drag, puffing out tobacco as if Beidou had come in by the front door as a guest, and not broken in like a criminal. “Captain Beidou of the Crux Fleet, Slayer of Haishan, the uncrowned dragon king of the ocean… few have not heard of your mighty exploits.”
Heat rises in Beidou's cheeks. There is something about the way Ningguang speaks of her; the way those accolades roll off her tongue— as if she sees them not as astounding feats of strength, but simply things of note that Beidou has accomplished in her lifetime. As if killing Haishan was as easy as buying a house in Feiyun Slope. “And what of yours, Lady Ningguang?” the Captain challenges, studiously ignoring her burning cheeks, “Surely you have an inkling of why I’m here.”
The businesswoman shrugs — even that careless motion carries the grace of a swan with it — and turns, beckoning her to follow. “Well, since you’ve taken the trouble of breaking into my home… care for a game of chess?”
“Hah?” Is she not frightened in the least? Intimidated by an intruder in her home? Is she stupid?
Ningguang glances at her, nonplussed. “You’re here to kidnap, are you not? We have a few hours before sunrise; there’s no need to rush. I’ve taken the liberty of setting up the chessboard.”
Beidou simply stands in the middle of the hallway like a decorative statue. “You’re not… uh, protesting?”
Ningguang laughs; a clear, bell-like sound. “No, Captain. Rather, I’d much prefer we take the time to get to know each other.”
“Through… chess?” she asks dumbly.
An insufferable smirk tugs at the corners of Ningguang’s lips again. It makes Beidou want to crush her lips with hers, if only to wipe it away. “Let me put it another way, then. Humour me with this game. If you win, you get to finish your job.”
“And if I lose?”
Ningguang disappears into the room, but not before replying: “You hear me out. That is all.”
There are worse deals to accept, Beidou supposes. So she follows the slender woman into the adjacent room, where a chessboard has indeed been set up on a table. She awkwardly settles on a stool while Ningguang pours tea for them both, and looks around. Affording a house in Feiyun Slope is no easy feat for a woman as young as Ningguang looks to be. Despite the house's prime location, Ningguang has opted for modest decorations for some reason: simple, practical wood cabinets, plain walls and a traditional Liyuean sofa. It doesn't look like the home of a rich businesswoman. It feels like the home of a simple villager, and yet, the grace with which Ningguang carries herself is far from the everyday merchant. She is a paradox. An enigma whose thoughts Beidou can't quite place.
“You have played chess before, I presume?” Ningguang asks cheerfully.
“Yeah.” This close, Beidou can’t help but notice that the other woman is completely unarmed and unprotected. That flimsy nightdress won’t stop even a needle from piercing her skin. “You’re rather gullible, aren’t you? I could slip a knife between your ribs right now before you get to scream.” She makes a swift, jabbing motion as she speaks. To her surprise, Ningguang doesn’t flinch.
“Perhaps. But you seem to be a reasonable sort,” the businesswoman replies mildly.
“What does that mean?!”
Ningguang hums, folding her sleeves and seating herself on the stool opposite. “If you’d please.” She gestures to the board.
“I’m going first?” Beidou asks uselessly.
Ningguang inclines her head.
Her face flaming from this flagrant display of sheer idiocy, Beidou drops her gaze to the board. It’s classic Xiangqi, she reassures herself. It can’t be that hard to win. She opts for the most straightforward of openings for red, the central cannon opening, and shifts her cannon accordingly.
Ningguang’s eyes twinkle with interest. She picks up her black horse — as expected — and moves it towards the cannons. Beidou’s brow furrows. There are two potential ways this could go, and red could be in a tough spot if she guesses wrongly.
“Relax,” Ningguang’s smooth voice slices through her thoughts like a knife on butter. “It will not do to have your thoughts trip over themselves.”
Beidou grunts, sparing the other woman a glance. She sits as if some higher power has elegantly draped her form over the table and stool, slender fingers drumming lightly on wood. She does not fit the house she inhabits; she would look right at home in some gilded castle with a grand garden. Heck, she could walk into the Palace of Alcazarzaray without standing out. Yet she does not seem uncomfortable in her modest surroundings.
Ningguang's lips slowly curve upwards in a terribly insufferable smirk, as if she's caught Beidou gawking. As if she knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that victory is ultimately hers.
We’ll see about that. Beidou quickly drops her gaze towards the chessboard. If it’s the last thing she does tonight, she’s going to wipe that smirk with a resounding victory and a snide remark. Beidou picks up her cannon and slides it over. She will not be fooled by the woman’s lies, nor the contradictions she lives and breathes, nor that mesmerising smile; she will stick to her original opener.
“I see,” Ningguang murmurs, taking a drag from her pipe. “You are a woman of your word.”
“Of course I am. You know what’s more valuable than Mora?”
“Time?” Ningguang slides a cannon across as she speaks, between her two horses.
Beidou drops her gaze to the chessboard again, decides to move one of her soldiers. “No. It's trust.”
Ningguang hums, wine-red eyes twinkling in mirth. Beidou makes the mistake of staring at them, into them. Her eyes are captivating; a whirlpool that snags at the bows of her ship and drags her, hull and all, into its fathomless depths. Her eyes are the ocean upon which she sails; her soul the blanket of stars that guide her home; her voice the siren song that leaves her shipwrecked on her sandy curves and—
“Tea for you?”
Beidou blinks. Ningguang holds a teacup out for her. The Captain accepts it, hands trembling slightly. “Pah. You business folks and your leaf water.”
“Have you not heard of the art of reading tea leaves?”
Beidou glances at her teacup. Several loose leaves float idly in the warm water. “Fortune-telling is a load of bullshit.”
“Is that so?” Ningguang smiles, sipping at her tea delicately. “Do you not believe in fate, then?”
“I’m not stupid,” Beidou snaps between gulps of warm tea. “I know gods exist. I’ve seen them, I’ve prayed to them, I’ve fought them. But I’d be a fool to place my life in their uncaring hands.” The people of Downriver. Her home. They sent her away. All for what? Beidou's grip tightens on the teacup, the chessboard forgotten. “Our fates do not define us,” she grinds out through clenched teeth.
Ningguang’s smile is gentle, her words probing. “What defines us then, Captain?”
And Beidou feels the answer drop from her lips before she can stop herself: “Our choices do. From the moment we’re born, till the day we die.”
Why did I say that?
Beidou expects more pointed questions, but the other woman only nods, satisfied. She swirls her teacup and turns it over, placing it on a saucer. “An astute answer.”
What the heck? Beidou scowls, downing the rest of her tea and setting the teacup aside. She’s done here. Done with this woman and her questions; done with this crazy game of chess and talk of tea. She’s here to do a job, and she’ll damn well do—
“I believe it’s time.” Ningguang turns her teacup back upright. Beidou glimpses a bunch of tea leaves stuck in various shapes and clusters. Ningguang spares it only a cursory glance and rises. “I’m afraid you have lost.”
With a jolt, the Captain gawks at the chessboard. Their game is nowhere near completion, but Ningguang is right— in terms of pieces, Beidou has lost more, and her cannons are in awkward positions near the river. The heck— “That’s because you keep distracting me with all these stupid questions,” she snaps, “Sit back down, woman— I’m beating you fair and square!”
Ningguang laughs, a clear, tinkling sound. She lowers herself back onto the stool, a coy smile on her lips. “It will be sunrise in an hour or two. Do you not have a job to do?”
She’s right. And Beidou hates that she’s right.
“I’m going to make sure you shut up,” the Captain growls, leaping to her feet, “All that chattering…”
“You did promise to hear me out if you lost, though,” Ningguang says slowly.
If glares could kill, Beidou is certain hers would have burned a hole right through Ningguang’s thick skull. For a moment, she briefly considers just knocking out the insufferable woman and ‘hear her out’ later, on board her ship. But, she reminds herself, she’d agreed to this. It was by no means a contract under Rex Lapis, but it was still an agreement. A loss is a loss, however unfair it might have been, and she must honour her end of the deal.
That doesn’t mean she can’t express her annoyance, though. So Beidou grits her teeth and drops back down onto the stool. “Ten minutes. No more.”
“I’ll be frank, then. You are here because someone wishes me to be out of the picture for the position of Tianquan, yes?”
Her languid tone causes Beidou’s brow to shoot up. “Uh… yeah.” Ningguang could afford to care a bit more, couldn’t she?
“Do you know why?”
“You’ve been swindlin’ them merchants,” the Captain recites dryly, “Making money off their investments or somethin’ like that.”
“Lawfully.”
“Lawfully,” Beidou corrects herself, “But it’s still a con job. I gotta say, though— fact that you can skirt ‘round the laws for that… pretty smart, aren’t ya?”
Ningguang inclines her head gracefully. “Perhaps. In any case, I don’t suppose they told you why, did they?”
“I don’t ask.” Beidou shrugs. “Y’all business types are the same. I could open up your head and all I’d find is Mora.”
The other woman lets out a low chuckle. Beidou finds herself grinning at the sight.
“Let me be clear, then.” Ningguang raises a hand. “I have only ‘swindled’, for want of better word, three businessmen so far. The first” — she lifts a finger — “has not paid out salaries for four months.”
“What?!”
“The second,” she continues without missing a beat, “blackmailed several honest merchants from Fontaine and Sumeru, who sought opportunities here. And the third is a landlord, who has raised his prices to exorbitant levels, leaving entire families homeless. Perhaps his name is familiar. What is it… Xuanming, I believe?”
Beidou nearly falls off her stool. The man who gave her this job. On hindsight, it makes sense that he’d be one of the businesspeople Ningguang had… legally acquired money from through befuddlement and confusion, for want of a better phrase. Still, what does all this have to do with this job? “He didn’t want you dead, at least,” she mutters.
“Of course he wouldn’t. That would have sparked an investigation. The current Tianquan is, after all, very aware that I might be attacked tonight.”
Beidou’s eye narrows. “You knew?”
“Suspected,” Ningguang corrects, “If it had been anyone but you… I would have followed the plan.”
“Chess and tea ain’t part of the plan?”
Ningguang smiles, lifting her General piece and turning it over. Enclosed within it is a small gust of Anemo: a signal of sorts, Beidou realises. All she’d have to do is smash the piece, and the gust would escape. Perhaps shatter a window, or set off a chain of reactions that would undoubtedly send whatever message she intended for the Tianquan to see.
“You didn’t alert him,” Beidou says slowly.
“There was no need to. Like I said: you seem to be a reasonable sort.”
“Why go through all this trouble?”
“Because you, of all people, would understand: the Liyue Qixing has been governed by corruption for far too long.” Ningguang leans forward, fingers interlacing together as she continues, “The Tianquan wishes to break the cycle.”
Her breath catches in her throat. “How?”
“For generations, the Qixing have been chosen not from the best of the best, but from the best of the rich and powerful. Yunling is one such example.” Ningguang tilts her head, and Beidou glimpses a fiery passion deep in those wine-red orbs. “If given the chance, my nomination to the role, however… would be through pure merit.”
“Because you’re a nobody,” Beidou speaks aloud, the rumours surfacing in her mind. “You’re just a commoner.” Like me.
Ningguang smiles, her eyes lighting up all of a sudden. “And that is how it should be, no? Liyue should be governed by a Qixing formed from the smartest and brightest of all. Imagine the possibilities. A city where even the poor have a chance to change their fate, should they work hard and well. Where the laws are fair and just.”
“It will not always be.” Beidou has seen too much, heard too much. “There is no paradise in Teyvat like this.” It surprises her, nonetheless, that Ningguang can be such an idealist—
“That is why I need your help.”
—Or maybe not. Insufferable woman. Just when she thinks she’s got the woman figured out… “Hah?”
Ningguang lets out a low, breathy laugh. “You are indeed correct, Captain. The Liyue I envision is a dream. But, as you’ve rightly said— it is the choices we make that define us, not the stars that write our fates. And I would be lying to myself if I do not try to realise this dream. Just as you did.”
Her bright eyes, her voice, filled with hope, reminds Beidou of… herself. It makes her think of the years she’d spent preparing to recruit a crew brave enough to hunt Haishan. How the fishermen had said she was crazy, that Haishan was too powerful. Too strong. Haishan was the terror of the seas and the bane of all sailors, they said, he was a god— how can a mere human kill a god?
How can a mere human change the world?
First, Beidou recalls herself declaring, they must dare to dream.
And after that… they must dare to try. Just as Ningguang is doing now. She may not succeed at first. Heck, Haishan proved elusive for four years. Beidou spent another two years simply gathering stories and legends of its appearances, and pursuing the sea god from one end of the ocean to the other. Close to a decade's worth of work— for a dream.
“What do you want me to do?” Beidou asks, crossing her arms.
The other woman smiles faintly. “Come back to Liyue. Once a year.”
Beidou stares at Ningguang like she has grown a second head. “H–huh?! Every year?!”
Ningguang nods. “Consider it a homecoming, perhaps? I’m certain your crew would love the chance to spend Lantern Rite with their families.”
“You want me to return every Lantern Rite, then?”
The other woman refills her tea and smiles. Beidou scowls. It is doable, she supposes. She'd just have to make Liyue Harbour a regular stop in their routes, work with Huixing on that. She wonders, briefly, if Ningguang had considered that when crafting her request. She is almost certain the woman did.
“I will have uses for you, Captain… and perhaps your crew,” Ningguang says mildly, swirling the tea in her cup. “I cannot tell you the nature of the jobs at this time, nor do I quite know what I might need, but I would appreciate knowing when you will be home, and where you will go.”
“Me and my crew ain’t some dog you can keep around and unleash for your little games, you know,” Beidou snaps, leaning forward.
“I know. And that is why this is merely a request.” Ningguang smiles. “I certainly have yet to earn your trust, and that is understandable.”
Beidou tuts.
“But I ask that you give me a chance. And when the time is right… that you will answer my call.” There is a sombre tint to her final words, a wisp of tension coiled around her throat. Like dark clouds brewing on the horizon, approaching a ship sailing the boundless sea.
Beidou swallows thickly. Ningguang is not an idealist. No, far from it— she knows her hope is impossible. But, like Beidou, she believes in a dream. And, like Beidou, she knows what it will take to realise that dream.
A Liyue for the people. Rich and poor, young and old— blessed and cursed.
A Liyue she would be proud to call her home.
Perhaps it will not be so in their time. But, if Ningguang lays the foundations right, if she even can— it will be a reality in generations to come. Just as generations before them tried and failed to slay Haishan, passing their legacy down in legend and song, till the dream was achieved.
What harm is there in daring to believe?
“Fine,” Beidou huffs, “I accept your terms.”
Ningguang smiles again. This time, it is a sincere smile, one that makes heat rush to Beidou’s cheeks. “May Rex Lapis be our witness.”
“May Rex Lapis be our witness,” Beidou repeats, stumbling over the words like a jittery teenager when she feels Ningguang’s gaze piercing into her like a spear through the heart. Archons, what is wrong with her?!
Sunlight streams into the room then, and Ningguang’s attention shifts to the window. Beidou sighs in relief. She rises to her feet and dusting her qipao, trying not to look at the other woman. “Well, I’d uh— I’d best go deal with my client, then. He’ll be bummed to know you weren’t home last night, and I spent so long looking, too—”
“Thank you.”
“—Yeah, uh, and I gotta run on a voyage though, but I think I could make it back for Lantern Rite I guess— uh. Sorry, what?”
“Thank you,” Ningguang repeats.
Beidou gawks at her. She was already ethereal by the light of the moon, but sunlight— it bathes Ningguang in a warm, golden glow, tinting her silvery hair gold. Warm light dances across her wine-red eyes like fireflies. Archons, she looks breathtaking, and Beidou wonders why she’s never noticed this before.
Ningguang is saying something again, her brow raising, and Beidou quickly slaps herself a few times on both cheeks. “R–right! Uh— that’s not a problem. H–how am I gonna get to ya when I’m back, though?”
The other woman blinks, and then shrugs gracefully. “I have my ways. If you’ll only be back for the next Lantern Rite, I will be Tianquan by then.”
“Oh? Confident you’ll beat Yunling, are we?”
“After our fun little night, do you still think I would lose?”
The Captain opens her window, getting onto the windowsill. She turns back, and flashes Ningguang a crooked grin. “Probably not. I look forward to your summons then, future Tianquan.”
“Oh? You plan to answer?”
“We have a contract, don’t we?”
Something drifts between them, long and iridescent, like a thread looping around their fingers. Ningguang smiles, and Beidou’s heart flutters. She drops off the windowsill and into the yard, cracking her knuckles as she makes her way to the bridge connecting Feiyun Slope and Yilong Wharf. It’s all in a day’s work for the Captain of the Crux. Unfortunately, she’ll have to sail with half the Mora she’d promised her crew, but they can make do with such an... intriguing proposal.
After all, Beidou thinks, it will no longer take her two years to come back home.
—FIN.