After Bai Luo stopped playing, the old man couldn't hold back any longer and came over to reclaim his instrument.
"Are you really not willing to give it to me?"
Looking at the erhu in his hands, Bai Luo couldn't help but sigh.
This erhu was clearly the work of a master craftsman. He had no idea where the old man had gotten it.
If he could keep it, Bai Luo would even be willing to pay for it.
"No. Your skill is far too extraordinary. For such an instrument to be in your hands would only be a waste of your musical talent. Please seek another masterpiece elsewhere."
"What a coincidence... my erhu teacher said the same thing."
To Bai Luo, the old man's words were nothing but praise.
He gazed at the erhu in his hands with deep affection, then after a long while, sighed quietly.
"Fine. Let me play one more piece. After that, I'll return it to you."
The moment Bai Luo said this, the refugees who had already started returning to their spots froze in place.
They looked at Bai Luo in horror, ready to flee at any moment.
"Never mind, never mind! Don't play it. Fine, I'll give it to you. Just... play it somewhere else, somewhere with no people."
Hearing this, the old man wore an expression as if he'd seen Arataki Itto himself. He didn't even dare take the erhu back, quickly pushing his wheelbarrow away to a distant spot.
If not for the Shogunate soldiers guarding the area, he might have fled the camp altogether.
Shaking his head helplessly, Bai Luo put away the erhu and returned to his tent with Tatyana.
It was a shame the erhu was too bulky to carry around easily. Otherwise...
[New weapon detected: Erhu]
[Would you like to integrate it into Jun Moxiao's Thousand Mechanism Umbrella?](Lord Grim's Myriad Manifestations Umbrella from "The King's Avatar")
"???"
Weapon? Those peasants might not understand, but how could the system not see it?
This is a musical instrument! A musical instrument!
How did it become a weapon?
What a clueless system!
No wonder it always gives me spells like "Heart of the Earth"—it must have some kind of cognitive disorder!
But still...
"Integrate it."
No matter how unreliable the system was, if it could merge the erhu into the Thousand Mechanism Umbrella, he might as well do it.
After all, carrying an erhu around wasn't exactly stylish.
The red oil-paper umbrella hanging at Bai Luo's waist shimmered with light, gradually enveloping the erhu in his hands.
Before long, the erhu had fully fused with the umbrella.
With a thought, Bai Luo willed the umbrella to transform—and it slowly took the shape of the erhu.
Quite convenient. Very nice.
After switching back and forth a few times, Bai Luo returned it to umbrella form and hung it at his waist again.
If everything could be integrated into the umbrella like this, it'd be like having a portable storage space. Super convenient.
So satisfying.
After Bai Luo's erhu performance, the nearby refugees lost all interest in a bonfire party.
Everyone went back to their own business, and even the old musician curled up in a corner and fell into a deep sleep.
Only Bai Luo remained awake, resting his head on Tatyana's lap.
Late at night, Bai Luo noticed some movement outside.
He glanced at Tatyana beside him, who understood immediately and clasped her hands together in a prayer-like gesture.
Splash—
The cold water from a nearby kettle rose up, gradually forming something like a water mirror.
Displayed on the mirror was the scene outside the camp.
The commotion came from a ferry.
This ferry was comparable in size to Beidou's Alcor, with multiple towering decks—enough to carry all the refugees present.
In Inazuma City, only noble families would have the privilege of boarding such a vessel. For the Shogunate to use it for refugees was nothing short of extravagant.
Once the ship docked, the Shogunate officers didn't wake the sleeping refugees. Instead, they directed soldiers to start loading goods onto the ship using wheelbarrows.
The contents of those burlap sacks...
"Can you zoom in?"
Bai Luo looked at Tatyana and asked.
Tatyana nodded slightly, her hands pressing together gently.
The image in the water mirror magnified. Though the resolution didn't reach legendary 1080P standards, by Teyvat's standards, it was definitely high-definition.
"Not food."
Back in Watatsumi Island, Bai Luo had seen locals transporting food.
Same sacks, same wheelbarrows, same sandy beach.
But the wheel tracks left behind were completely different—these were much deeper than those from food shipments.
Rather than food, it seemed more like... sand? Rocks?
That was certainly the impression they gave. But why would the Shogunate transport such things?
Unless...
Bai Luo already had his own answer, and these details only confirmed his suspicions.
After loading the sand and rocks onto the ship, the Shogunate soldiers began rousing the sleeping refugees.
"Wake up! Wake up!"
"Time to go!"
"The ship's here! Board now!"
First were those affected by the Tatarigami, followed by the relatively normal refugees. Under the soldiers' supervision, they boarded the ship in waves.
The madmen were placed on the first floor. According to the soldiers, having guards stationed there would prevent them from causing trouble.
The ordinary refugees were assigned to higher decks.
When it came to Bai Luo and his companion, they were given the topmost cabin.
The best room available.
Well, at least the money hadn't been wasted.
"The lower deck is..."
Bai Luo glanced at the completely sealed lower level and asked a nearby soldier.
Not just him—even the refugees had assumed they'd be placed below deck. Yet here they were, lodged in better quarters than the soldiers themselves.
"The lower deck is for storage, not passengers. Hurry up and go to your room."
The soldier didn't elaborate further. The only reason he even answered Bai Luo was likely due to special orders from the officers.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered acknowledging them at all.
Lost in thought, Bai Luo observed the soldiers for a moment before leading Tatyana to the ship's top floor and settling into the lavish cabin fit for nobility.
Eager to leave and spurred on by the soldiers, the refugees boarded faster than expected, and the ship departed ahead of schedule.
The Shogunate officer watched the brightly lit ferry and sighed quietly, turning his back to it and lifting his gaze.
His eyes settled on a towering man-made platform. The soldiers stationed there were clearly different from the rest—some even wielded Visions.
For a Shogunate soldier to possess a Vision was unusual.
It meant the Raiden Shogun had acknowledged them, permitting them to keep their Visions without confiscation.
What they guarded was concealed under a tarp emblazoned with the Electro Mitsudomoe crest.
Anything covered by such a tarp had to be extraordinary.
"If given a choice, who would want to aim such a thing at the very people we're meant to protect?"
Holding an envelope stamped with the Kujou Clan's insignia, the officer sighed softly.
The night was quiet, with no sound except the waves lapping against the shore.
But this peaceful silence wouldn't last much longer.