Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

“I’m glad you’re finally facing reality.” Raven shrugged. “That’s how it should be. At worst, we can just bring Anna back. Maybe she’ll give up on that little boy after spending time with you. I’ll help you win Anna over then… Don’t look at me like that. Only when Anna is gone can I take her place to comfort poor and adorable little Pandora. Who knows, I might even take over her place.”

The owl remained silent for a long time before sighing.

What Raven said is not impossible. Pandora thought she had possessed Anna, but how could World Serpent really give up Anna... That was the body of a Herrscher, a precious, genuine Herrscher.

Just pretend she's only having a fleeting crush on someone else... but she'll eventually come back to him. They're an inseparable couple, only occasionally making mistakes.

They just made a mistake.

--------

Time flies, and half a week has passed in the blink of an eye.

Shen Liang woke up on the spacious tatami mat in Wuyou Pavilion, and as always, he didn't recognize the girl beside him.

Yesterday, Xiaogong dragged me to some kind of Jianghu (martial arts world) social gathering, supposedly to get to know the unofficial forces of Daozu City so that it would be easier to communicate and exchange ideas in the future.

Shen Liang hadn't expected that Xiao Gong was not only a brothel owner, but also, in essence, one of the "local bullies" among the non-shogunate nobles in Inazuma Castle. The Naganohara Brothel held a high position in the martial arts world, and many people who would be arrested by the Tenryo Magistrates, such as stowaways, street thugs, and even holders of the Eye of God, were protected by the Naganohara Brothel.

It is said that because her ancestors were half nobles, she had connections and could talk to many people in the shogunate, and many matters in the martial arts world were expected to be resolved by her. She had a wide network of connections, from the insiders of the Heavenly Territory Enforcement Bureau to the soldiers of the Coral Palace and even the Adventurers' Guild of the Winter Kingdom, she could speak to them all.

He's a local bully.

If it weren't for the fact that Xiaogong doesn't actually engage in any yakuza-related work and that her main job is selling fireworks, Shen Liang would seriously suspect that she had adopted the demeanor of a yakuza heiress from the Kansai region of Japan.

Japanese yakuza are also divided into Kanto and Kansai. Kanto is like Raiden Mei, who runs an agency to do shady business and then runs a legitimate company to whitewash her image. Kansai is like Yonomiya, which organizes a bunch of idle people who ride motorcycles around like bikers. They have a lot of connections but are just street thugs, and they make their money entirely from local gangsters.

Yesterday, Xiaogong had arranged for him to socialize with many martial arts factions. After drinking quite a bit, he was half-pulled and half-dragged away by several pretty young ladies. More and more of them reluctantly left along the way, until finally, when they arrived at Wuyou Pavilion, only he was left.

Shen Liang rubbed his eyes, looked at the girl's fair back and black hair next to him, then at the green and white dress that resembled a waiter's uniform that she had thrown aside, and thought for a while.

I still can't remember the name.

Then Shen Liang glanced at his phone; the time jumped to six o'clock. Immediately afterward, the girl next to him opened her eyes and turned her head to see the boy with an innocent look in his eyes.

"Towards the stars and the abyss, welcome to the adventure..." Catherine's voice paused briefly, as if she had just remembered where she was, then she laughed, "People at work are all numb, Mr. Ryoko, you're up really early."

Shen Liang stared at the tiny gaps at her joints and finally remembered.

Last night, the last person to stay was Ms. Catherine, the mascot of the Inazuma Adventurers' Association. The two had a pleasant and in-depth conversation until 2 a.m.

Shen Liang remembered it so clearly because when it was time to take a bath at 2 PM, Catherine refused to go to the hot springs, and then revealed that she was actually a cyborg and couldn't stay in the water for too long. Yes, the mascot of the Adventurers' Guild is a robot with human intelligence and a humanoid body.

She even possessed a physical body nearly indistinguishable from a human's, and was even capable of swallowing and eating! Shen Liang quickly proved this!

Of course, he was also very curious about what kind of cutting-edge technology this level of mechanical technology was, but the signboard girl refused his request to take her apart to take a look and then put her back together.

Are you going to work?

“Yes, I still have many adventurers to receive. It is Catherine’s duty to face each adventurer with the most positive and beautiful face.” Catherine sat on the edge of the bed and put on white knitted pantyhose. Her appearance was no different from that of a normal human girl, so this scene was also very beautiful. “Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Ryoko. This is my first time having close contact with a human male. I am very happy.”

"You don't even have the 'experience' function..." Shen Liang scratched his head, puzzled.

“You can experience both joy and pain.” Catherine pinched the boy’s cheek and smiled slightly. “So, you almost overloaded Catherine last night. If she misses work today, she’ll lose her perfect attendance record.”

"Robots need performance evaluations? Your Winter Solstice Kingdom is terrifying."

"After all, it's a country without love." Catherine and Shen Liang finished their farewell kiss. He watched the neatly dressed girl leisurely step out of the room to go to work, without even saying goodbye, and could only yawn.

Inazuma experiences this every day, so there's really nothing to say about it. Who knows, Catherine might come looking for him again tonight; that little robot got all the other girls drunk last night before finally getting what he wanted.

It's pathetic that little guy Xiaogong doesn't understand at all. Adults attend matchmaking parties with impure motives!

Shen Liang lazily lay in the warm morning room for a while, then remembered that today was the last treatment for Shen Li Hua Dai, and it seemed that the Hundred People's Rebellion was almost halfway through.

He finally managed to get up.

Normally, at this point in the story, we should see the Hyakunin Iskkyuu uprising, and perhaps we'll see Ayaka Kamisato and Yoomiya being knocked down in the ring, resolutely shouting "I will save Inazuma!" and getting up again and again. Then, the protagonist, Shen, is inspired, abandons his past prejudices, and angrily steps onto the stage to save Princess Shiraga and Queen Summer Festival from danger!

Then comes the kind of plot where the girl secretly harbors feelings for someone, and so on.

However, Shen Liang was genuinely uninterested in Ayaka Kamisato. Although the young lady was very beautiful, he had seen at least eight or ten young ladies before, and he would rather avoid any young lady who had designs on him.

As for Xiaogong, a good girl like Xiaogong shouldn't be with a scumbag like him. If she really falls for him, he'll have a headache... He's probably unable to refuse Xiaogong. What if they get together?

So don't bother watching the matches, or you'll feel bad seeing those two little girls get beaten up.

Let's just go find Lady Kamisato.

With the large tree connecting Inazuma Castle and the foot of Kageyama Mountain, Shen Liang quickly arrived at Kamisato House by motorcycle. After completing the last course of treatment with Kagai-getsu for Kamisato Kaga, the silver-haired woman finally sighed softly, pulled up her kimono to cover her exposed beautiful back, and felt her body almost back to health.

“Heart disease can relapse. Once it’s cured, maintaining a regular lifestyle, moderate exercise, and a light diet will allow you to recover.” Shen Liang, who was already used to Madam Shenli’s beauty, said calmly, “You still have to take your medicine on time. In our world, there’s actually no way to completely cure heart disease.”

Kayo Kamisato didn't notice any of this; she was just staring blankly at her rosy hands and her fair, jade-like skin.

Actually, it had been a long time. Starting last week, her complexion was no longer pale; her skin had become firmer, and a delicate, rosy glow, a sign of good health, had returned to her body. She was already young and beautiful, and now that sickly, withered look had almost completely disappeared, as if she had returned to the body of a twenty-year-old.

A healthy body is something she desperately wants.

Countless times she looked in the mirror, fearing her beauty would wither away, the fear of dying before she even grew old making her yearn for the beauty, freedom, and prosperity of the world. The reason she had the identity of "Chun" was to experience more things she had never experienced before, including the life of ordinary people.

She wasn't weak at heart; rather, she was filled with a longing for everything she hadn't experienced. She was filled with a longing for "living" itself.

If she were given three days of normal human body, she would exhaust all her efforts to experience wonderful things.

Now, she may have three, thirty, or even more years to experience beauty.

Kayo Kamisato touched her chest, her beautiful eyes gazing intently at the boy whose clothes were soaked with sweat.

Just as the boy was about to leave, he heard the married woman's sexy, husky voice behind him: "Thank you, Ryoko, but since Ryoko cured Hua Dai's old ailment that no one else could cure, what kind of reward do you need to give Ryoko?"

Shen Liang thought for a moment, then scoffed, "Your Shenli family can't afford a single penny, what can you give me? Forget about real estate, I don't like fixed assets. Do you want to marry your daughter to me?"

“Selling my daughter… that won’t do.” Kazuyo Kamisato said softly, “I heard from Yae-no-miya that Ryoko wants to build up her own power, but building power requires territory and people… Is that what Ryoko is struggling with?”

Shen Liang suddenly turned his head, "You know what to do?"

At that moment, he heard the system issue a precise prompt.

[The current Stigmata Elixir ...

Name: Kayo Kamisato

[Progress: 100%]

Even the snow-covered camellias, dormant through winter, possess a yearning and longing for life when they awaken; that vitality cannot be buried by snow.

Two spare tires followed closely behind.

Name: Naganohara Yominomiya

[Progress: 81%]

[If Ryoko-nii doesn't come to my rescue soon, I'm really going to surrender!]

Name: Ayaka Kamisato

[Progress: 51%]

[If Ryoko-nii doesn't come to save me soon, I'm really going to die!]

There's another lady whose progress has remained stable since we haven't been in touch for a long time; even keeping her in sight seems like padding in the word count.

Even if these three people max out his progress, they won't grant him the qualification to summon a Heroic Spirit, making it difficult for his combat power to improve significantly. After all, the abilities extracted from Yoomiya, Hanayo, and Ayaka aren't necessarily combat-related powers.

For example, what he extracted from the High Priestess was healing ability, but in reality, that ability didn't match his bloodline and was quite useless.

Without power, there is no territory; without heroic spirits, there is no population. So how can one establish their own power?

However, does Kamiri Wataru have the ability to bring territory and population?

This is much more useful than your daughter!

Chapter 230 How could you let Linghua's mother serve as a servant!

The matter of establishing power requires careful consideration, so Shen Liang and Shen Li Hua Dai came to the shrine on the top of Ying Xiang Mountain to discuss it with the fox.

Kamisato Residence is actually located at the foot of Mount Kagehira, but given Kamisato Hanayo's physical condition, climbing the mountain would be virtually impossible. Fortunately, Mount Kagehira has specially arranged some cherry blossom trees as anchor points for a quick ascent, in order to provide a way for distinguished guests to pass through.

Specifically, one can pluck a petal from a Thunder Cherry Tree and then briefly use the lightning elemental power within the petal to transform their body into lightning and quickly reach another Thunder Cherry Tree, repeating this process several times to reach the mountaintop.

This was Yae no Miko's method. After all, the shogunate always had some pampered high-ranking officials and nobles who, despite their potbellies and bloated bellies, still had to visit the shrine every year. If they couldn't make it, it would become a scandal.

Upon entering the backyard of Narukami Shrine, Shen Liang suddenly discovered that there was more than just Yae no Miko in the courtyard. Two pretty shrine maidens dressed in red and white dresses were serving her. She had set up a rocking chair and was sitting leisurely under the sacred cherry tree, enjoying herself while the maidens peeled oranges and fed her. She was extremely comfortable.

Feudal society is so great! Shen Liang couldn't help but envy this fox's wonderful life. He also wanted a beautiful girl dressed in a red and white shrine maiden's outfit to serve him respectfully and obediently every day, not even having to open his mouth to eat, freely squandering the girl's youth to satisfy his laziness and perverse pleasures... How wonderful that would be!

Only feudal societies could order people around like that; it would be too difficult to do so on Earth.

Seeing Shen Liang and Shen Li Hua Dai enter, Yae Shinko bit into an orange segment and gently sucked on Inashiro Hotaru's finger. The innocent red and white shrine maiden blushed instantly.

Yae no Miko clapped her hands: "Ten thousand Mora, a bet's a bet. I told you I'd come to see me this morning, but you didn't believe me."

Inashiro Hotaru and Kano Nana, the two pitiful little shrine maidens, reluctantly took out a gold coin from their pockets. Inashiro Hotaru glanced at Shen Liang with a mixture of joy and resentment, and whispered, "What is Mr. Ryoko doing at the shrine so early in the morning... Ugh, all my work for nothing!"

Shen Liang pulled out 100,000 Mora and casually stuffed them into the pockets of the two priestesses, not caring whether they wanted to accept them or not. Then he frowned and looked at the fox, asking, "How did you know I went back to Inazuma?"

"I've marked you," Yae no Miko chuckled. "Do you remember when I kissed your cheek?"

Shen Liang's expression darkened. "You fox, you're spying on me?"

"How can you call it surveillance? The mighty Vulcan of the Western Kingdom, the Fire God of Shiina, is now on Inazuma's land. Such a dangerous person, it's not unreasonable for me to make necessary identifications, is it?" Yae no Miko waved for the two priestesses to leave, then manipulated the armrests of the rocking chair, turning the curved legs little by little to align with Shen Liang, before continuing to lie lazily. "It's mainly to confirm whether you're still alive. The mark disappeared when you left Teyvat, but I sensed it when you returned."

"Clean it up right now."

"No," Yae no Miko said lazily. "I'll kiss you after cleaning up. I, Yae no Miko, am the dignified priestess of Narukami Shrine. Do you think you can just give me a kiss whenever you want? Although I'm a fox, I'm virtuous, kind, and completely innocent, okay?"