Every man in the Shogunate troops knew whom this hard-won victory belonged to. It belonged to Ye Xi.
However formidable the Raiden Shogun might be, she could only hold back those Demon Gods bearing down on them. The savage sea-beasts lurking beneath the waves were beyond her reach. The only ones who could stop those creatures were the Shogunate troops themselves.
And with nothing but crude wooden hulls and worn-out gear, they had never stood the slightest chance.
The tide had turned for one reason alone: Ye Xi. He had built ten cruisers, carried the navy straight to the front line, rescued the wounded, and pressed the advantage all the way through.
None of them knew what had happened up in the sky, but they had won, and that meant one thing. Ye Xi had helped the Raiden Shogun, and helped her a great deal.
By now, whispers were running the length of the deck.
"Just who is this Master Ye Xi, anyway!?"
"He's no ordinary merchant, that's for certain."
"Merchant? Can a merchant trade blows with a God? Can a merchant help our Lord Shogun beat that many Demon Gods!? Not a chance!"
"If you ask me, Master Ye Xi isn't human at all! He's far more terrifying than any youkai in Inazuma!"
"Speaking of which, these ships. They aren't being handed over to us, are they!?"
"Hsss... now these are fine vessels! So big, and so fast on top of it!"
"Right? A patrol circuit of all the islands used to take us a month at least. With ships like these, we could make the whole round in a day or two!"
Apart from Narukami Island and Watatsumi Island, the other islands held hardly any villagers, but they were still Inazuman soil.
So the navy still had to patrol them, day in and day out.
That patrol duty was brutal work, scarcely easier than crewing a cargo run across the sea.
The waters around Seirai Island were the worst of it. Legend held that the Raiden Shogun had once struck down a thunderbird there, and the storms born from its death were monstrously violent.
One bolt of Electro was enough to blast a ship apart and scatter the pieces.
With cruisers under them, they would never have to fear that again.
While the crews traded talk back and forth, the fleet set its course for home.
Raiden Ei ran her hand along the armored bulkhead of the bridge island, wonder written across her face.
"Miko, have Inazuma's warships truly advanced this far?"
"Hardly." Yae Miko folded her arms. "These ships were all made by Ye Xi. You spent five hundred years shut away in the Plane of Euthymia. Since when were Inazuma's craftsmen anywhere near this capable?"
"I see..."
Understanding dawned on Raiden Ei.
"That reminds me, Ei. Ye Xi did an enormous amount for us today. Shouldn't you be thanking him?"
At Yae Miko's words, Raiden Ei nodded. "You have a point."
With that, she walked over to Ye Xi.
"Ye Xi. You have done Inazuma an immense service. I must reward you."
"Tell me. What is it you want?"
Ye Xi had been talking with Kokomi about matters on Watatsumi Island. Hearing Raiden Ei, he shook his head. "No reward necessary. Isn't this simply what I ought to do?"
Inazuma belonged to him now, after all.
Stepping in had been for his own sake as much as anyone's.
Though of course, that no-good fox clearly hadn't let word of that get out yet.
Raiden Ei, however, would not be moved. "That will not do. A sovereign's word is no jest."
"I said I would reward you, so a reward you shall have."
"How about this. I will cook you a meal with my own hands. What do you say?"
"Cough, cough..."
Ye Xi nearly choked on his own spit.
Raiden Ei, cooking?
Last time she had spent half a day studying under Xiangling, and what came out of the pot could pass for industrial waste!
That wasn't a reward. That was attempted murder!
Kokomi, standing beside them, stared in open astonishment.
The mighty Raiden Shogun, announcing that she would cook for a man!
That... that was beyond belief! Raiden Ei was an awe-inspiring God!
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