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

Ayaka Kamisato then realized that Shen Liang's gaze was somewhat offensive. She quickly covered her chest and glared at him with embarrassment and annoyance.

—That's the expression! These days, the girls around me rarely show that shy and annoyed girlish expression anymore! Even a shy and aloof girl like Anna will just smile gently and lock the door, without any sense of accomplishment!

—And it's quite something that a typical well-bred young lady can get angry.

Shen Liang calmly reached into the light screen and took out a Glock.

"Do you know this?"

Ayaka Kamisato already knew all the information about Shen Liang by heart. Although her mother was puzzled, she reacted quickly: "A musket?"

Then she frowned slightly. "Ryoko wants us to fight with muskets in the arena? No, it's useless. In fact, the Hundred-Man Rebellion has no shortage of firearms, but how can someone who uses such an external weapon compare to someone who is skilled in martial arts? Not to mention Tartaglia of the Northern Country Team and Kujo Sara of the Karasu Team, it won't work on me either."

At this moment, Kayo Kamisato chimed in: "Kayo has watched many matches. Once a firearm is fired, a skilled martial artist can dodge it right in the opponent's eyes and then close in. The speed of a musket bullet is not much faster than a person, and once they get close, the fighter wielding the firearm is completely helpless against Ayaka."

Shen Liang just smiled at this, then loaded the bullets and said, "Open the main gate."

From outside the gate, you can see a large cherry tree in the yard, with wooden plaques tied around it. Shen Liang casually aimed his gun, "See that wooden plaque in the very center?"

"Oh!"

One shot, and it hits easily.

Shen Liang turned to Ayaka Kamisato and said, "Now do you see? If you were asked to dodge bullets like these, could you manage to dodge them?"

Upon hearing Shen Liang's words, Ayaka Kamisato finally realized what was happening.

She didn't even see the bullet leave the barrel! It was just a flash of light, and then it shattered the wooden sign on the cherry tree in an instant!

"Such speed!" she exclaimed in surprise. "If bullets travel at this speed... how are we supposed to dodge them in a ring like this?"

Seeing her surprised and suspicious expression, Shen Liang raised his chin slightly and smiled smugly, "So you still don't have enough information about me. I always carry two guns, and there should be records of their power. And how could the guns from my world be compared to the firearms of your world?"

"Guns? Firearms?" Ayaka Kamisato asked.

“The firearms of the Winter Kingdom have a muzzle velocity of only fifty meters per second, while the muzzle velocities of guns on Earth, even pistols, are generally at least two hundred meters per second, and four hundred to five hundred meters per second are not uncommon,” Shen Liang said. “This Glock has a muzzle velocity of 360 meters per second and an effective killing range of fifty meters. Although it is not very powerful, it can be loaded with various tranquilizer bullets, which can prevent it from killing opponents who do not know its power directly in the arena.”

Ayaka Kamisato, who had just been about to ask how to avoid directly harming people, happily shut her mouth.

Although she didn't understand initial velocity or tranquilizer darts, she understood it just by looking. She could even see the flight trajectories of firearms when she was focused, but this was completely invisible; the gun's speed was almost ten times that of a musket! And there was no need to consider the limitations of rapid fire!

Looking at her expression, Shen Liang thought to himself that there are plenty of sniper rifles with initial velocity exceeding 1,000 on Earth. Trying to catch the flight trajectory with the naked eye or even dodge at close range... even Superman wouldn't dare to act like that.

If the battle takes place in the wild or in a city with obstacles, the Teyvats, with their physical abilities far superior to those of humans, might be able to determine the location of the gunman by looking into his eyes and avoid his firing trajectory as much as possible.

But on the arena, the area is only 100 by 100 square meters, so what can you use to hide?

Even if his individual combat skills weren't invincible, with a gun, there weren't many who could beat him... no, there weren't any at all. The Hundred-Man Uprising was a competition for young people; those old monsters who weren't afraid of bullets couldn't possibly compete with him.

At this moment, both Ayaka Kamisato and Ryo Shen noticed the silver-haired woman who hadn't spoken since the beginning. She was staring blankly at the cherry tree in the yard, her expression sorrowful, lost in thought.

"Mother?" Ayaka Kamisato looked at her strangely.

“That wooden plaque…” Kayo Kamisato sobbed softly, “That was an ema (votive plaque) that my late husband hung on the newly planted cherry tree when he married me. It contained his wedding vows: We will live and die together, grow old together, and be one and only for life…”

“But Mother, weren’t you married into this family through an arranged marriage…” Ayaka Kamisato said softly, “You weren’t this heartbroken when Father passed away.”

Kagami Kayo coughed twice. "How could Ayaka understand my sorrow? With the ema (votive plaques), I had solace. Now that the ema is gone, sob sob, I'm so sad... Why did Ryoko act so quickly? I didn't even have time to stop her, and the sight of it triggered my grief, sob sob sob..."

"Let's forget about sharing life and death. Aunt Huadai is only in her thirties and has a long life ahead of her." Shen Liang interrupted Madam Kamisato, somewhat helplessly. When they first met, she thought Madam Kamisato was a typical gentle and quiet Yamato Nadeshiko, but now it seems that her true nature has slowly emerged after she recovered from her illness. She is more lively and mischievous than her daughter, and her mind is full of unknown thoughts!

"Sobbing, sobbing, I'm so sad, waaaaaah." Kayo Kamisato was still covering her face with a handkerchief and whimpering.

"Alright!" Unable to resist this wicked woman's tactics that were a mix of cuteness and threat, Shen Liang had no choice but to say, "I'm sorry, Aunt Hua Dai. I'll make it up to you. Name your terms for how you want me to make it up to you."

They're clearly elders... I just can't stand people like that!

Kazuyo Kamisato's eyes lit up!

“Since we lost an ema, we should naturally replace it with another one,” said Kazuyo Kamisato with a smile. “No, since it’s compensation, then we need one more, two ema!”

The group arrived in the courtyard. Kazuyo clapped her hands, and a familiar figure immediately came over carrying a box of small wooden plaques. It was Toma, the Kazuyo family's housekeeper. Seeing Shen Liang accompanying the two silver-haired beauties, he smiled knowingly.

Shen Liang had no idea what he was laughing at.

Thomas handed the two ema (votive plaques) to Shen Liang and Shen Li Linghua respectively, and then began to explain: "Mr. Liangzi probably doesn't know this, but it's a custom of our Inatsume. We write or draw our current wishes and blessings on wooden plaques and hang them on trees. Then the gods will see them and bless you... yes, bless you to achieve them."

When he mentioned divine protection, he suddenly paused for a moment, probably realizing that the gods certainly wouldn't want to protect this lecherous man who dared to challenge and threaten her in public.

“No, I’m quite familiar with this custom.” Shen Liang nodded.

Although he wasn't very sociable in Japan, he would still take the Arlene sisters on a Lunar New Year trip every year, and occasionally visit shrines for the first time to ring the bells. I remember that hanging an ema (votive plaque) cost 2,000 yen per person, although I couldn't find my ema the following year.

But the two little ones didn't care whether the shrine was a money pit or not. Whenever the fortune tellers said, "You will be with your brother forever," or "Oh dear, the fortune says one of you will marry your brother when you grow up," they would beam with joy and then buy a huge incense stick costing 100,000 yen to give as a reward.

"Then write down your wishes and blessings, and hang it up." Kazuyo Kamisato clasped her hands together, her gentle smile watching the two young people pick up their pens. "Quickly, quickly."

"So why do I have to draw ema too..." Ayaka Kamisato felt that something was off about the atmosphere. Originally, it was her mother who was making a fuss, but suddenly she was the one who had to draw ema with Ryoko.

Although things unfolded logically, Ayaka Kamisato felt a little shy under her mother's urging gaze.

"A wish...?" Ayaka Kamisato blushed slightly, as if she had remembered something, and picked up her pen.

Shen Liang looked at Kagami Kayo with a helpless expression. This married woman was still trying to maintain his relationship with Kagami Ayaka even now... She said she wouldn't sell her daughter, but in reality, she was selling her daughter more often than anyone else!

He also picked up a pen.

He didn't have any wishes, or rather, his wishes on Earth were something even General Thunder couldn't fulfill, so he was too lazy to make any.

"But, blessings...?" Shen Liang glanced at the two beautiful silver-haired girls, one older and one younger, and then together with Ayaka Kamisato, hung the ema (votive plaques) on the tree.

Kayo Kamisato was very satisfied with the tacit understanding between the two young people; her efforts in seizing the opportunity had not been in vain.

"Now that you've finished, may I see what you two have drawn?" Kanazawa Hanayo stepped forward with a smile. "Let's look at Ayaka's first—"

Princess Egret moved her body away from the ema (votive plaque) with embarrassment. Hua Dai glanced over, paused slightly, then smiled brightly, "Arara..."

The wooden sign depicts three small figures holding hands, leaning against the castle tower, with a large, bustling crowd behind them. Although the figures are simply drawn, it's easy to discern that one is an arrogant little boy with black hair, and the other two are silver-haired girls in kimonos.

“Ayaka’s wish since childhood has been for everyone in Inazuma to be safe and happy, and she still hasn’t changed her mind.” Kayo looked at her daughter gently. “Then these three people… well, never mind, let’s look at Ryoko’s.”

She was stunned again at that glance.

She was pretty sure Ryoko and Ayaka weren't peeking at each other, but...

The image also features three cute little figures, but this time there is no castle tower behind them.

Shen Liang and Ayaka Kamisato also noticed each other's ema (votive plaques). Seeing the extremely similar paintings, Ayaka Kamisato's calm expression finally broke, her face instantly burning hot, and she quickly turned her head away. Shen Liang felt a bit of a toothache; he really hadn't prepared for this, and he didn't know how to explain this scene.

"Actually, you two should tell us what you wished for, but since they're exactly the same ema, there's no need for that, right?" Hua Dai kindly smoothed things over for the two little ones, then looked at the two embarrassed and confused individuals, took out a red string and tied the two ema together, smiling as she said, "That way no outsiders can see them, so there's no need to be shy, right?"

"Ahem, it seems Thomas has prepared dinner. I'm going to eat now." Shen Liang touched his nose and quickly left.

"I...I'll go get some rice for Ryoko." Ayaka Kamisato hurriedly chased after him, fleeing the scene.

Kazuyo Shinri stood gently in place, watching the two young people's hurried backs, her eyes revealing a cunning look like a fox.

"Although he is the most famous warrior in Inazuma, he is still a shy child, just like his appearance."

Then she looked at the ema (votive plaques) tied together and thought of the lovely scenes depicted on them.

"How wonderful, hmm~ it really puts me in a good mood."

Chapter 233 Respect, Blessing, Mio Ogura

"If we want to build a force that can travel throughout the seven kingdoms, besides strength, territory, and population, shouldn't we also consider employment?" Xiaogong asked.

In the backyard of the Shinri family's house, Shen Liang, Ling Hua, and Xiao Gong sat casually on the lawn. A coarse linen blanket was spread on the ground, and a basket contained some dried fruits and pastries, while a few small cups of wine were casually placed on a pear wood table.

However, these words silenced the two boys and girls whose names both started with "sl". Xiaogong looked left and right and noticed that they both seemed a little confused, so he said in surprise, "You didn't think about this question, did you? Then what are you going to Liyue for? Just for tourism?"

“Can’t it just be a simple trip?” Shen Liang shrugged. “I came to Teyvat mainly to experience the local customs. I’ve made quite a bit of money in Inazuma. I might as well go to Liyue to see if there are any business opportunities… Speaking of which, Liyue is the economic hub of the seven kingdoms, a place where merchants from all over gather. Life there should be much easier than in Inazuma.”

"Of course you can do it alone, but Ryoko, you want to build an organization. It's like opening a shop. If you want to recruit employees, you have to at least promise them something. I, Yoomiya, have been running a fireworks shop for over ten years. I may not know much about running a shop, but I know everything about it. If the employees don't even know what they're doing, how can they follow you all over the world?"

Shen Liang hesitated for a moment, "Really?"

"Yes!"

"But I don't think employees like empty promises. As long as the benefits are good enough, they'll be happy. I'm taking people on a trip to seven countries, paying them on time, and there's no work for them. Isn't that something most people would love?"

“That’s true…” Xiaogong said subconsciously, but she quickly realized, “Wait a minute! No one gets what they pay for. Even if Ryoko wants to do this, those who follow you will feel like they’re being kept by you! They’ll feel guilty taking the money! Rather, if someone really follows the boss and doesn’t work, they’re definitely just there to warm his bed!”

Shen Liang turned his head and saw that Ayaka Kamisato was using a fan to cover half of her face, revealing a flushed complexion.

Shen Liang chuckled, "Why don't you refute that?"

“What Yoomiya said makes sense,” Ayaka Kamisato said softly. “If Ayaka also travels with Ryoko, she will be idle all day and will become a waste of her life.”

Shen Liang rolled her eyes speechlessly, an expression that reminded Ayaka Kamisato of her cat's disgusted look when she caught it trying to be lazy.

Sigh, the people of Teyvat are too simple-minded. Who would have the idea that they'd get sick from being idle? On Earth, those corporate slaves would love to take the money without working, they wouldn't feel guilty, they'd just think how great it is to have such a boss! The feeling of feeling guilty is impossible for them!

"Alright, Ryoko, let's think about what we should use as a pretext to build our power." Ayaka Kamisato gently picked up a piece of wagashi (Japanese sweet), held it to his lips, and then wiped his mouth with her sleeve.

Yoomiya frowned. "Why does it seem like your relationship with Ryoko has become so close without me knowing? Wait, you two? Ayaka, are you going to Liyue with him too?"

Princess Egret was taken aback.

Indeed, although she had been trying her best to repair her relationship with Shen Liang and get closer to him, it seemed that Shen Liang had changed a lot during this time. He wasn't as distant from the Shen family anymore, and he would even bring her clothes from the other world according to his preferences, like what she was wearing now...

Have they unknowingly become so close that they've become like normal friends?

Am I now no worse than Xiaogong?

Ayaka Kamisato collected her thoughts and then smiled, "Theoretically speaking, yes."