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

Shen Liang was speechless for a moment, but Kagami Shinri laughed happily.

Yae no Miko glanced at her, then gave a strange look. “Building your own power… Isn’t the White Heron Princess enough for the Kamisato Sect?”

Kagashiro raised an eyebrow, keenly sensing something, and replied, "Miyaji may have misunderstood. Kagashiro is only here to discuss something."

"Oh, let's discuss." Yae no Miko's expression remained unchanged, then she looked at Shen Liang, "Little wolf, don't always limit your sights to girls. If you want to build your own power, you also need to make some male friends. There are many things that only men can understand. As for confidantes, ten... no, twenty or less is enough. A harem is a very expensive thing, and it's a continuous expense. You can't afford to maintain one."

“I came to Teyvat in part to earn money to support my family,” Shen Liang coughed. “I don’t need money right now.”

"So your power is a group of high-quality girls attracted by you?" Yae no Miko covered her mouth and chuckled. "Oh my, you really don't follow the usual path. You've even saved on the money needed to develop your power. Who pays their confidante a salary? You're even more demanding of your employees than my Narukami Taisha."

"That's not what I meant! Besides, wouldn't it cost even more money to treat employees like wives?"

Yae no Miko and Kamisato Kayo couldn't hold back their laughter and were doubled over with mirth. Shen Liang's most frustrating thing was chatting with these mature, older-sister types of women. He couldn't break down their defenses, and they could easily tease him.

It was incredibly frustrating.

After teasing the little boy for a while, Yae no Miko and Kamisato Hanayo got down to business. The two tossed an orange to Shen Liang and asked him to peel it. Then Yae no Miko said, "Since you want to build up your power, little wolf, what exactly are you planning to do next?"

Shen Liang thought for a moment, "Tourism?"

“I know you want to travel around, but that’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking something more specific.” Yae no Miko asked seriously, “You’ve already made a name for yourself in Inazuma. The story of the Battle of Naizaki Beach may have spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms. Although people don’t know what you look like, they’ve all heard of the name ‘Shen Liang.’ This achievement is both an honor and an object of jealousy and anger. How do you plan to resolve this?”

Shen Liang replied quickly, "That's why I'm going to build my own power."

Then it was Kagami Kayo's turn to speak in a soft voice: "You are now a celebrity in Inazuma, the unparalleled one among the younger generation in the West. Many people admire you, and many people are hostile to you. How do you plan to use this reputation to build your power? What kind of power do you envision?"

Shen Liang was about to suggest hiring a powerful team of adventurers or recruiting a team of powerful Genshin Impact warriors for protection, since he was quite wealthy.

But that was clearly not building their own power; it was simply recruiting a mercenary force with neither loyalty nor a plan.

"Power" is not a "team of thugs", but an entity that can influence many things.

Most importantly, he has to travel around and it's unlikely he'll stay in Inazuma City, this so-called "power".

—He also had to follow him, traveling through the seven kingdoms.

Therefore, instead of talking about your own plans, it's better to directly consult an elder who has been immersed in the world of fame and fortune for many years.

"Then may I ask," Shen Liang asked, with a look of inquiry, "what do Sister Gongsi and Sister Huadai think?"

It was clear to the naked eye that the two mature women looked much more satisfied.

"The most important thing about power is influence. The simplest way to increase influence is for the members of that power to have high social status." Kazuyo Kamisato's voice was soft. She lifted the hem of her kimono and sat down on the ground, then smiled and patted her slightly plump thighs. "Mr. Ryoko, please lie down here. Before I got married, I often cleaned my father and brothers' ears. Would you like to try?"

Shen Liang could tell from her expression that she wouldn't continue talking unless he lay down in her arms and let her clean his ears, so he had no choice but to give in to her unreasonable request. Fortunately, the veranda in the backyard was fairly clean because the shrine maidens cleaned it every day, so even if he lay on his side there, he wouldn't get his clothes dirty.

Yae no Miko watched all this with a smile, then popped a segment of orange into her mouth.

"To give you an example, if Ayaka joins Mr. Ryoko's faction, as the daughter of the magistrate, she will have a very high status, and your power will naturally be elevated accordingly. It's a very simple principle: if someone wants to assassinate you, they have to consider the consequences of being discovered by the magistrate's daughter, as well as the cost of the magistrate's daughter avenging you." Mrs. Kamisato gently twisted her hair into a thin braid and played with Shen Liang's ear.

“Of course, this force may not be closely connected, but what Mr. Ryoko probably wants is a force that can assist you, that is, a team that follows you, so this direction is very likely. After all, Ayaka does have a good impression of Mr. Ryoko.” Kamisato Hanayo smiled, “And if the team includes Lord Yae no Kamiko, then this team can practically serve as a diplomatic mission, and there will be virtually no one who would dare to make a move against you.”

Shen Liang knew, of course, that it was impossible for Yae no Miko to follow him, and even it was unlikely that Ayaka Kamisato would follow him, but the silver-haired woman's words reminded him of that.

The power he wants to build requires some influential figures. Although he himself is influential enough, he doesn't have a strong enough background, so if he commits a crime, no one will protect him or stand up for him.

Then find some people with powerful backers. If their entourage is influential enough, they naturally gain influence. With influence, many people will hesitate to act against them.

However, Lady Kamisato's intention to sell her daughter was so obvious that she practically had "let my daughter develop with you" written all over her face.

Yae no Miko had finished eating the orange and said, "I can give you a heads-up. The general is already planning to kick you out of Inazuma. No matter how fierce, powerful, or strong you are, she thinks it's too dangerous to keep you here. She wants to send you far away from Inazuma and let you develop in other countries. So if you want to develop your power, it's urgent."

Kaori Kanazawa was slightly taken aback. This meant that Shen Liang would spend less time recruiting people in Inazuma. "Away from Inazuma? How far?"

“Across the ocean, as far as… Liyue.” Yae no Miko got up from the rocking chair and sat to the right of Kamisato Kadai. She casually plucked a strand of her hair to tease the boy’s nose. After being glared at by Shen Liang, she said casually, “It won’t be long before your residence permit on Narukami Island expires. At that time, you will either have to go back to Haiji Island or go to Liyue.”

"Can't I go to other countries?" Shen Liang frowned.

"Of course, Mondstadt? Sumeru? Fontaine? Nata? It's just that you once claimed to be from Liyue to disguise your identity, and we lodged a diplomatic protest with Liyue. Later, this news reached the Seven Stars and Eight Gates of Liyue, so those who are interested in you... are mainly from Liyue."

Shen Liang felt a toothache, which meant that the people of Liyue also knew of his existence, and that he might not have a good reputation in Liyue?

He did cause trouble for Liyue's diplomacy department, and I wonder who is in charge of territorial diplomacy in Liyue.

"Time is of the essence," Shen Liang sighed.

“Yes, Mr. Ryoko’s residence permit will expire in about a month, and we have to settle the selection of people in Inazuma before then.” Mrs. Kamisato sighed. “But how many people in Inazuma are willing to follow you? You have a terrible reputation in the eyes of the people of Inazuma, which is not a good thing. Only people who know you would be willing to go with you, right?”

"If you can't gather enough people to form your faction, I won't help you either." Yae no Miko smiled sinisterly, licking her lips. "This is your chance to use your personal charm, little wolf. But I still think it's pretty simple. For example, tonight you can throw a moon-viewing party at Narukami Shrine, gather all the girls you know, like Princess Shiraga, the Summer Festival Queen, and the Nine Tengu. They're all young people, and after a while, they'll get drunk, just like you did last night... Wouldn't that solve the problem?"

Kagayo Kazumi touched her face with her fan, her face flushed, but she still laughed and whispered to Yae no Miko, "The priest really has a lot of ideas." "But it's too scary. No matter how affectionate Ryoko-san is, she can't handle so many people." "My group of shrine maidens might also have a chance. I have to keep an eye on them." "Let the young people handle their own affairs."

That's enough, you bunch of middle-aged women!

Shen Liang stopped them from playing with his ears and simply covered them to continue thinking about how to recruit people to join him.

The idea of ​​him kidnapping Ayaka Yoshimiya is unrealistic; she has a career in Inazuma. Even if he wanted her to come along, how could she possibly agree?

Just then, Yae no Miko suddenly added, "In addition, in order to fulfill your goal of establishing a base for traveling through the seven countries, I did some research. If it's for tourism, you can build a floating palace, a mobile... base."

Shen Liang was taken aback.

“Liyue has a material called ‘Floating Stone.’ If it’s large enough and there’s enough of it, it’s not impossible to make an entire city float in the sky.” The fox smiled alluringly, watching the boy’s rapidly growing excitement. “Does this meet the little wolf’s requirement of ‘traveling through the seven kingdoms with a harem’?”

--------

After finishing a tournament, Ayaka Kamisato returned home exhausted and pushed open the door to the main hall. As soon as she stepped inside, she saw her mother kneeling in front of a screen, gently massaging the back of a familiar, handsome figure. The boy was lazily leaning back in his seat, picking up a piece of tuna sushi, enjoying the meticulous care of the mature, silver-haired Yamato Nadeshiko.

Shen Liang glanced at her and continued eating.

Arrogant and haughty.

This scene left Ayaka Kamisato speechless.

"Mother, Mother! What are you doing here..." Ayaka Kamisato suddenly felt no more backache or leg pain, and all the fatigue from just coming off the stage vanished. She was extremely angry!

"Mr. Ryoko! How could you let Ayaka's mother be your servant?!"

Chapter 231 The ability Princess Xuechun gave you is...

"You're back." Shen Liang looked up and glanced at Linghua. "Have you eaten?"

For a moment, Princess Bailu had the illusion that this was Shen Liang's home, and that he was expertly greeting his daughter as the head of the household.

And I am that daughter who came home from the private school after class!

"Mr. Ryoko, are you satisfied with this force?" Kayo Kamisato asked with a smile, leaning close to the boy's face. "If you're satisfied, just say 'hmm,' and if you're not, just 'hum.'"

Ayaka Kamisato stared in disbelief at her mother's expression.

"Mmm," Shen Liang replied lazily.

“Thank you for your appreciation, Mr. Ryoko. Since you are satisfied with Hua Dai’s service, how about this Mora…” Kazumi Hua Dai chuckled, “Well, I’ll take 100,000 Mora from you.”

"100,000 Mora? Aunt Hua Dai, are you robbing me?"

"If the community's Mother Goddess were to massage and rub his legs and shoulders for an entire day, a mere 100,000 Mora would be far from enough for anyone else."

"What a rip-off..." Shen Liang muttered, reaching into the light screen to take out a row of large bills. "Three million Mora, for a month. I'll stay at your Shenli's house for the last month, consider it payment for food."

“Oh, Hua Dai is extremely grateful.”

Ayaka Kamisato's mind was completely blank, her thinking ability briefly freezing. She wasn't sure whether Shen Liang was bullying her or her mother was extorting money, so her angry expression disappeared. Hesitantly, she stepped into the house, took off her shoes, and entered the house wearing white tabi socks, casually placing her sword aside.

She originally thought that if Shen Liang was maliciously ordering her mother around, she should draw her sword and fight him!

"Why are you here?" Ayaka Kamisato asked Shen Liang, puzzled.

“Mr. Ryoko will be staying at our house for the next month. Well, it’s only for one month. Ryoko doesn’t have a family he can trust in Inazuma, so it’s understandable that he chose us.” Kazuyo Kamisato smiled. “These days, Ayaka, you and Ryoko should spend more time together and build a relationship. You’re all young, and you should have forgotten about the unpleasant things from before. We’re all under the same roof, so let’s get along well.”

"So sudden?"

"Because I'm leaving Inazuma." Shen Liang picked up another piece of omelet.

Ayaka Kamisato was taken aback. "Huh?"

In an instant, a thousand thoughts raced through her mind. She had expected Shen Liang to leave, but to do it so quickly... was truly unexpected.

I originally wanted to get involved in the uprising through him, but now that's impossible.

"So I've come to ask you, do you want to come with me?" Shen Liang cut to the chase. "I need to build my own power, but I know too few people in Inazuma, and even fewer with any real ability. Although we don't get along, you are, after all, a Genshin Impact, and your combat strength is quite good. Do you want to join me?"

"I appreciate your kind offer." Ayaka Kamisato hesitated for a moment, then decisively declined, "Ayaka has no plans to go abroad."

“I know you don’t. You’re from a high-ranking family in Daoqi, so of course you can’t come with me to start a business.” Shen Liang wasn’t surprised at all, and simply added calmly, “But what if my condition is that I help you with your competitions?”

The silver-haired girl's expression instantly became quite fascinating.

"While it's a bit much to use someone else's lofty ideals as a bargaining chip, I'm sure you, Miss Linghua, wouldn't mind. How should I put it? It's almost like trading your personal freedom for the next few years to become the leader of the Hundred-Man Rebellion." Shen Liang said calmly, "Don't worry, it's just personal freedom. I won't do anything to you."

“Then I will…” Ayaka Kamisato was about to agree immediately, but after a moment’s thought, she calmed down and said, “Let Ayaka think about it for two more days, and I will give you an answer before the next competition.”

She really wanted to agree immediately. She didn't care at all about Shen Liang's so-called "following me"! If Shen Liang could help her out, what did a few years of freedom matter?

Even if there were more... she was prepared!

At this moment, Shen Liang yawned, "Aunt Hua's heart disease has been temporarily cured."

Ayaka Kamisato's expression shifted from surprise and doubt to joy in an instant. "It's done? Really?"

She immediately understood why her mother was willing to abandon her image to smile and massage Shen Liang's legs and shoulders. She even wanted to hold the child's head in her arms and rub it hard!

The mental illness that had been bothering her for several years has finally been resolved!

"Phew... Thank you, Ryoko." Ayaka Kamisato suppressed her ecstatic gaze and immediately expressed her gratitude, "The Kamisato family truly has no way to repay you."