"People are arriving" said Ayato, looking at the sea and sipping his weird drink.
"I can't see them" replied Kenshin. "I only hope everything is ready".
"We borrowed money from Ningguang to buy food, we forced people from Watatsumi to give us pretty things to put around, the army is working as cleaners and the police are ready to help people land. It's good" said Ayato, more worried about seeing his family again.
Sara and Ei stood with the both of them.
Sara, because she wanted to see her biggest rival, the Radiant Knight, for herself.
'I will not lose' she thought with fire in her soul, not knowing that a dastardly plan was forming behind her back.
"Are you that excited to help people Sara?" asked Kenshin with a mocking smile.
"Shut up Kenshin, I'm not in the mood" replied Sara, using her youkai bloodline to scrutinize the ships.
"Even I can see that" replied Kenshin.
"Why am I here?" asked a confused Ei. "Also, why are you here?. The Shogun shouldn't be the one to receive the invited people, it will look like you are trying to appease them. It doesn't reflect well in our image".
"I am here as Kenshin to receive friends. And our image can't be any lower than it was with you in power" Kenshin replied disinterestedly.
"Lie" said Ayato. "You are here because he wants to parade you around. It satisfies his ego to show how the former ruler is his subordinate now".
"Is that true?" asked Ei with a dark face.
"Yes" Kenshin openly admitted.
"I'm leaving".
"You are not. Morax and Barbatos are here, and I don't know how will they react to Makoto. They are not going to go on a rampage, but they saw Makoto die after all" Kenshin said. He was not worried at all, he had a few excuses, but he really wanted to parade Ei around. He was going to look so cool.
Ei, hearing that, immediately got serious and prepared for the worst. She finally got Makoto back, she wasn't going to let anyone else take her away.
Makoto sighed at the density of her little sister.
"Oh, I can see them now" said Kenshin. The first ship had already entered his senses. "*Sigh*, what the hell are they doing here?"
10 minutes later, the first ship arrived.
"Hahaha" a huge man with a beard got off the ship in a single jump, making the whole dock tremble.
"Varka, weren't you on an expedition?" said Kenshin with a wry smile. They didn't have enough food to feed this man, he ate like a black hole, not that he knew what it was.
"Of course!" Varka replied with a smile. "But I needed to assist with your wedding!"
"What?!" shouted Sara, looking at Kenshin in shock.
"Oh, okay" Kenshin nodded, waving to Sara to not care. "Please get in then, there are people around who will guide you".
"Hmmm!" he hummed and went to Ritou.
"Kenshin, what wedding?" asked a worried Sara. Did she lose even before meeting her opponent?
"I have no idea" said Kenshin with a calm voice. "Mondstadtners are weird. He could be talking about me eating pork and saying that I kissed the pig".
"Oh" Sara said and stepped back. She knew from Kenshin how weird they were, so it indeed sounded like something they would think.
Then the ship docked, and around 100 people came out. The whole expedition had come.
"What the hell...." Sara was shocked to see how an ongoing expedition had been halted because of a party.
"Hmm" Kenshin said, looking at a woman who just got down. "Excuse me!" he approached the woman.
"What do you want?" Frederica looked curiously at the guy who approached her.
Kenshin had his eyes closed, so she couldn't see his purple eyes Jean had talked about to her.
"Are you Frederica Gunnhildr?" he politely asked. She was known to be a scary woman after all.
"Yes, and I deduce you are Kenshin" she looked appraisingly at Kenshin. He looked like a handsome young man, but she couldn't see his eyes. "Can you show me your eyes?"
Kenshin complied, and his purple orbs with golden particles were shown to Frederica.
'Just as Jean said, they are beautiful' Frederica nodded in approval.
"Well thank you for that" Kenshin said, having felt Frederica's admiration. "Please come in, I stopped you because I wanted to have a talk with you later".
"Of course, I need to talk with you too" Frederica said with maliciousness. She knew exactly how to avoid letting this young man escape from Jean's grasp.
"I don't know what you are planning, but please, come in" Kenshin said without fear. He was the Boss here, he would accept any challenge.
If only he knew about Frederica's viciousness, he would have deported her right at this instant.
"Hey look!" a nearby soldier said looking at Kenshin. "It's the Princes- ofuh!"
"Shut up" said Frederica in a calm voice kicking him in the guts. "Get going, all of you".
Kenshin nodded at Frederica's show. If you had power, you had to use it, looks like Jean's mother knows about how the world works.
"The next one is coming" said Ei with a tense expression. She could feel Morax and Barbatos' in that ship, along with a lot of strong presences.
"I know, the Boss of the Lands is coming. But now I am the Boss here" Kenshin said standing firm with a heroic expression.
After a while, the ship finally arrived, and Guizhong came down the ship.
"Useless, Goddess" Kenshin said with a magnificent nod. "This one welcomes you to these wondrous lands. Show your respect" he extended his hand.
"Kenshin" Guizhong was sweating. "Run away, there is a plot forming, and you are the target". She knew that even if she was pissed with Kenshin, if he didn't run he will be trapped for Eternity.
"Please" Kenshin scoffed. "My assistant can take care of most of the trouble, and I'm the Boss here, I won't run away. I will crush all plots with my (assistant's) overwhelming power!".
"I warned you" said Guizhong sadly. It looks like her friendship wasn't strong enough. "I am sorry for you".
"W- What are you talking about?" Kenshin could feel how honest Guizhong was saying that, and he was getting nervous.
Guizhong didn't reply, and went to Ritou, making Kenshin's anxiousness sky-rocket.
"Ei, dear Ei, present of Celestia to the world" he immediately kneeled in front of the surprised Ei. "You will protect this foolish person, who out of pure goodwill has been mocking and mercilessly scolding you for a month right?"
Ei, obviously, didn't know how to react to this.
"I didn't expect you to be kneeling to another woman" a calm voice came from the dock.
"Don't pay attention to that foolish woman" Kenshin immediately teleported in front of Arlecchino, making a bow that hid his big smile seeing Alrecchino was able to come. "Her dim light can't compare with your blinding radiance, which let me say, has improved a lot in this last month"
Arlecchino nodded, knowing what Kenshin was talking about.
"Please believe me" Kenshin added. "A useless Goddess warned me of a dastardly plot aiming to target my head, so I was nervous and sought reassurance in her sword."
Ei saw this and realised that she needed to re-think about Kenshin's shamelessness.
While Makoto sensed that something funny was going to happen in this meeting.
'So that woman warned him' thought Arlecchino, glancing at the direction Guizhong was leaving.
Guizhong sensed her gaze and looked back, making their eyes look at each other. But Guizhong looked away quickly and started walking faster. She didn't know anything about Arlecchino, but her gaze was making her shiver.
And Kenshin never thought that Arlecchino, whom he had a deep relationship with, was the one devising the plot.
"Move woman, you will have time to do that and more" grumbled Signora coming down the ship.
"You brought the hot woman? That's an interesting choice" mumbled Kenshin, looking at a soul he hadn't seen in a long time.
"You should show some respect kid" said Signore in a cold voice.
"You need to earn it" Kenshin shrugged. "I find it difficult to respect a thief".
"You shouldn't have left a diamond in the street then" she smirked and left, her heels echoing on the wooden floor.
"I will leave, but we need to have a talk later" Arlecchino said before following Signora.
"Of course, milady" Keshin said with an arm on his waist and a bow.
"Kenshin" Ei tensely.
Morax came down the ship with his usually carefree way of walking. He was still thinking about what he had learned during the trip.
The book reaching Snezhnaya was obviously bad news, but there was little he could do now. But he felt conflicted.
'I don't know if I should warn Kenshin of the plot. As a friend I should, but I don't think making an enemy of Snezhnaya is wise' he thought.
The moment he saw Kenshin looking at him with an air of superiority, he lost all his interest in warning him.
"The Boss of Lightning greets the Boss of the Lands" Kenshin said with a 'noble' look.
"Boss of Lightning? Is that your way of telling that you are the Shogun?" Morax couldn't fathom Kenshin's thought patterns.
"No" Kenshin shook his head, pointing with his thumb to the place he knew Ei was. "I meant that literally".
Ei and Morax looked at each other. Morax with surprise, and Ei with hostility.
She thought that Morax might attack her sister to 'keep the balance' or whatever.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" asked Kenshin with gritted teeth, pinching Ei's cheeks. "You ruined my majestic introduction with your stupidity. If he wanted to attack you, Inazuma would be nothing more than a crater. Think for a bit woman, or did all proteins go to your stupidly long hair?"
Ei slapped Kenshin's arms away making him fall to the floor, but calmed down.
"Looks like your Boss of Lightning title was not that impressive" noted Morax, and his calm voice devoid of any mockery only made it worse for Kenshin.
"Be ready Ei" Kenshin muttered standing up. "The next volume will be something else".
"Oh" Morax had an illuminated look that Kenshin liked a lot. Ei, not so much. "I need to congratulate you Beelzebub. I heard the news. I wish you live a happy life with your familiar".
"Indeed" Kenshin added with a malicious look. "Ei, go away. You furball is missing your tender touch and soft lips. Shoo shoo".
And Ei obeyed with a dark face, knowing that staying here would only invite even more ridicule.
And Makoto squirmed. Knowing that even Morax knew of Ei's 'affair' with Miko made her body tingle.
"Come in" said Kenshin, gesturing for Morax to pass. "I need to receive a few people, but I will be there soon. I hope you have fun, god knows Liyue is too boring".
"Hmmm" Morax nodded and entered Ritou like the rest. He was curious about that plot, and how it will shape the world.
Kenshin saw something pass above him and realized what happened. Barbatos skipped all introductions and greetings and went straight to the wine.
"Ohoh, so now you come back crawling" said Kenshin seeing who stepped down the ship. "You are so shameless, you abandon us in time of need and come back to enjoy our fortune".
Kayo and Ayaka looked stunned at Kenshin.
"Ouch!" Kenshin rubbed his head after being hit by Ayato.
"Shut up Kenshin" Ayato said before grabbing his confused family and leading them to Ritou. "Come with me, Kenshin has been too annoying lately".
"Ohoh, so now you come back crawling" said Kenshin seeing who stepped down the ship. "You are so shameless, you abandon us in time of need and come back to enjoy our fortune".
"Kenshin, heard you say the exact same line" Shinobu sighed tiredly. "I spent a few months with normal people, and I forgot how much of a pain you are".
"Well, whatever. Go and see the Arataki Gang, they are planning to challenge the Shogun to a duel to stop the Sakoku Decree" said Kenshin rolling her eyes.
"The same Decree that you abolished a month ago?" asked an incredulous Shinobu.
Kenshin only shrugged. The Arataki Gang was special.
"Hey, you! Don't run" Kenshin shouted, but it was useless, Yanfei used the time Kenshin was talking with Shinobu to run away. "I will deal with her later. How did this many people fit into the ship? Oh".
Cloud Retainer stepped down, Shenhe following her.
"Big Bird, I welcome you to my land" Kenshin spoke grandiosely. "Just be careful, if you see brown food, it's not a mushroom, it may be your niece".
Cloud Retainer stepped past him with a dark face. She grabbed and pulled Shenhe, trying to avoid contact between them, but she almost fell to the floor when Shenhe stopped abruptly.
"I see you came" said Kenshin with a malicious smile, which Shenhe found charming due to her lack of EQ.
"I came" she nodded in her blank voice. She felt very happy and excited inwardly, but all Kenshin could see was inner Shenhe thrashing against his bindings.
"I am so pleased that you could come" said Kenshin with an ironic Shenhe wasn't able to recognize. But Alter-Shenhe did.
"Hmm" Shenhe nodded happily.
"I hope you have so much fun here" said Kenshin with a sarcastic smile. "It may be a bit cramped, but I hope you understand, there is nothing much I can do".
"Hmmm" Shenhe nodded, and Alter-Shenhe roared in anger, fighting to free herself of the binds that were making the space 'cramped'.
"Shenhe, let's go" said Cloud Retainer, grabbing Shenhe.
"No" Shenhe replied with a frown. She hadn't seen Kenshin in years, there was no way she would be satisfied by such a short conversation.
"He is busy now, I can see another ship coming" insisted Cloud Retainer.
"Oh.....okay" Shenhe sadly said.
"Don't worry" said Kenshin in a mocking tone that Shenhe didn't recognize. "We will have a loooooooot of time together".
"Hmmm" Shenhe hummed happily and let Cloud Retainer drag her.
'You fucking mole! I will enjoy your suffering under the plot! You will..trem..ble' Alter-Shenhe stopped thinking. 'Am I not the one who started that? Doesn't it mean that I'm also affected?'