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

Now that they're together, it's as if everything is back on track.

"Miss Gan Yu still doesn't seem sad at all. Seeing your confidence makes me confident too." Xilin, passing by Gan Yu, unusually spoke a normal sentence, "Are you really sure that human and my mother will come back?"

"They will come back."

"Very confident, huh? But Miss Gan Yu never gives a reason. Every time I ask you, you just say that there can't be a time paradox... Ha."

“Miss Sirin, the young lord will surely return. The Qilin is a benevolent beast, and benevolent beasts do not lie.”

Xilin tilted her head and looked at her, then after a long while, she pouted and walked into the elevator.

"Wasn't the benevolent beast also meant for him to ride?"

------------

Sea Island, Coral Palace.

Coral Palace Heart Sea opened its eyes from prayer.

It's been so long since I've seen my little queen.jpg

Chapter Seventy Whether as a priestess or as... a fox

"Whom are you praying to now?" Ruka Sangokami, dressed in a bright red strapless shrine maiden dress, leaned against the table listlessly while biting into an apple.

"Does the Coral Palace Shrine Maiden worship a second god?" Xin Hai finished the prayer ritual, rubbed her sore white silk insteps, and struggled to get up in her wooden clogs. She turned to look at her aunt, "Or does Aunt think Xin Hai isn't devout enough?"

"Of course I don't doubt my little niece's loyalty, but Xinhai, tell your aunt the truth, when you closed your eyes to pray just now, were you thinking of our Lord Orochi or your little regent?" Liuge peeled off the flesh from the half-eaten apple and stuffed it into her pipe. According to Shen Liang, smoking like this could filter out some harmful substances and also add a fruity aroma. Miss Liuge quickly took a liking to this method and even tried stuffing octopus tentacles into her pipe to try to taste the seafood flavor.

The little witch blushed slightly upon hearing this, but surprisingly, she did not refute it.

"I knew you were already Ryoko's shrine maiden." The high priestess sneered.

"What does it matter..." Coral Palace Heart Sea whispered, "Even the Great Serpent didn't say anything, and Aunt isn't someone who cares about the purity of faith, is she?"

"Of course!" The high priestess slammed her hand on the table, standing up with great pride.

If most people on Haiqi Island knew that neither of the current and former priestesses, the two women who hold religious and political power on Haiqi Island, are worthy of their status as priests... perhaps the faith and beliefs that Coral Palace has cultivated over the years would collapse.

But neither the aunt nor the niece believed in any deity.

Once you're truly in that position, you'll realize how powerless faith in gods is. The serpent god is dead, and they themselves are already battling the thunder god. In the end, it's not the gods who save Haiqi Island, but those who threaten them.

Coral Palace Heart Sea's heart is no longer with the gods. Rather than a priestess serving the gods, she is more like a priestess chosen by a regent to marry. And Miss Ryuka is even more outrageous. She is an assassin who dares to borrow the power of the Evil Eye and nearly beheaded Kujo Takayuki, who was protected by the Thunder God, in human form... It would be strange if such a person had even a little bit of awe and respect for the gods.

It's also possible that shrine maidens are, after all, a divine profession, and the closer they are to the gods, the less pure they become.

“It’s been a year since Ryoko last appeared in Liyue.” Coral Palace Xin Hai lit the lamp oil, sat upright at the desk, and opened today’s report. “A whole year has passed, and no one has seen him since.”

"Are you afraid that without Ryoko, you won't be able to defend Umijima?"

"No, although Ryoko has not appeared for a long time, after a series of purges on Narukami Island, the pro-war faction has almost disappeared. Judging from the reactions of all parties, the possibility of the shogunate sending troops against us is basically nonexistent. Our rice has become a key import resource for the shogunate, and the Tenryo magistrate has been severely weakened and it will take at least ten years to recover its state of readiness. In the end... the shogun probably has no intention of declaring war."

"Xin Hai, actually I think Rai Shen never intended to harm us at all. He's just been letting those two do whatever they want. Now that he's in charge, he won't continue to tolerate his subordinates doing such outrageous things... I guess so. Maybe Rai Shen is just scared by Ryoko-chan. I'm worried that if war breaks out, he might come back and, in a fit of anger, do something like a barbecue at the castle tower..."

The alluring former shrine maiden was speaking eloquently when she suddenly noticed her little niece had stopped writing, staring blankly at the lamplight, her pupils unfocused.

Coral Palace Ryuka sighed, knowing that her attempt to change the subject to national affairs had failed.

How could a teenage girl in the throes of puberty and the throes of new love possibly accept a whole year of separation? She would simply fill her time with official business and confidential matters to keep herself from thinking about it. But when she didn't need to deal with outsiders and was alone with her closest aunt, she inevitably revealed her vulnerable side.

The high priestess, barefoot and carrying a wine jug, walked over and scooped the little priestess into her arms.

"Hey! Auntie, what are you doing... Ugh, glug glug! Glug... Waaah!"

"Drink up, you're about the same age now. I've been drinking since I was twelve, how can you not drink when you're an adult? You know Ryoko can hold her liquor all night long... Drink up, you'll get drunk easily once you get used to it, and it'll feel much better."

While holding the struggling little mermaid, forcing the pure and innocent shrine maiden who had never had any bad habits to learn bad ways, Ruka Sangokami gently bit her lip, looked up at the beam with a dazed look in her eyes, and whispered in her heart.

"I really envy you, Xinhai... You can still show a lonely expression at a time like this, and you can still drink sake and hide in your aunt's arms, openly missing your sweetheart... But... Ah..."

--------------

Castle tower.

Today, in the living quarters of General Raiden in the castle tower, hot pot is being cooked again.

Although the general is a puppet, he was created from the body of the Thunder God. He has both a puppet body and a spiritual body, so he can eat.

Although he can eat, General Thunder does not like hot pot.

Although she knew that General Raiden didn't like hot pot, Yae no Miko preferred to have hot pot at the castle tower.

"It's been a year already." The pink-haired fox spirit stared intently at the gradually boiling copper pot, grabbing a fried tofu puff and preparing to be the first to dip it in, eager for the first delicious bite with only the flavor of the broth. "Make your own dipping sauce. The frozen one is chive blossom sauce; drizzling it with hot sesame oil makes it very fragrant. But I'd prefer you try something else. There's only one jar of chive blossom sauce left; every jar is precious... This isn't a Teyvat flavor; it's a specialty that little guy brought me from another world. It's best paired with fried tofu. General, perhaps you could have some natto instead?"

General Thunder was slightly taken aback.

Yae no Miko's first words were, "It's been a year." She had just realized, after a moment's thought, that the fox's opening line referred to the black-haired boy from another world, and was about to respond. But Yae no Miko's next sentence steered the conversation to hot pot, so quickly that even her AI was a little stunned and couldn't grasp the main point.

"Shen Liang, did I bring this specially for you? Is it food from another world?"

"Oh~ Of course, I brought a lot, but my favorite is what goes well with fried tofu. Besides chive blossom sauce, there are also a lot of weird condiments, like bright red Lao Gan Ma chili sauce, some kind of dark cola, bright yellow mayonnaise, and oh, and stinky canned herring... Ugh, what rude and barbaric otherworldly people, liking such unclean things! I wanted to take off all my clothes right then and there!"

"Undress?"

"The General has no idea how awful that herring can tasted. It felt like my clothes were tainted with filth and evil spirits. When I returned to the shrine, I couldn't bear to bring the smell back and pollute it, so I was even forced to turn into a fox to burn my clothes before going back to wash them and change into a new dress..." Yae no Miko said with lingering fear. "I never expected that the little wolf-dog would eat the can without batting an eye. Good heavens, I can't even imagine the scene of him kissing that living goddess priestess on Umijima Island in the future..."

The general glanced at her from head to toe, and finally revealed a faint smile. “A good anecdote. I find it interesting, but… that child has shown you respect, yet he has never offered anything in return.”

Yae no Miko picked up a piece of bamboo fungus, glanced at her, and said, "General, is your tone... one of jealousy?"

"absurd."

"Hmm?" He chuckled softly.

"How absurd!" General Raiden flicked his sleeve, turned his face away, and picked up a large mouthful of chive blossom sauce, making Yae no Miko's ears twitch with heartache. "He already had a grudge against this body, and besides, it's understandable that someone from another world wouldn't respect Inazuma no Suho. But since he's been coming and going from the Shogunate, he should have eased his relationship with this body so he could make his plans... Hmph, he's just young and impetuous, and doesn't know any better."

"However, he has been gone for a very long time. It seems like it has been a year since we last saw the little wolf dog going in and out of the two worlds. He had a bunch of female confidantes in Liyue Inazuma, but he left them all behind."

General Thunder narrowed his eyes. "Dead?"

"Does the general care about this?"

General Thunder pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Indeed."

"It's not fair to say he's dead. Although some people, like that little girl from the Shakai family, are a bit upset, most people remain silent. For example, on Umijima Island," Yae no Miko said with a smile, her eyes flashing slightly. "I'm not talking about the current human-god shrine maiden, but the former shrine maiden, Ruka. Through spies, it can be discovered that Sangomiya Ruka doesn't seem to care much about Shen Liang's life or death... or rather, she believes more than her niece that Shen Liang will definitely return. It's said that... there's a kind of telepathic connection between Sangomiya Ruka and Shen Liang, similar to a 'life-or-death perception'."

"telepathy?"

"It's strange, isn't it? But it's true." Yae no Miko chuckled and changed the subject. Of course, she knew that Shen Liang couldn't possibly be dead. If Shen Liang were dead, Coral Palace Liu Ge wouldn't still be alive. "So don't worry about the little wolf's life or death for now—speaking of which, General, I always feel that you seem to admire this otherworldly boy quite a bit. Hmm, is it because he fits your aesthetic standards in every way?"

"Divine Child, you're very bold today."

"Just kidding, General. Why are you looking at me with such a sharp gaze? Oh, there's no need to be so protective of the dignity of a god. If it were Shadow here, he wouldn't be so fierce to me."

General Thunder narrowed her eyes, picked up her wine cup, and pondered for a long time whether to punish the fox for making a scene according to the law. However, after much deliberation, she decided to forgive the Eighth Divine Child. After all, after thinking for a long time, it seemed that there was no law in Inazuma that dealt with "speaking ill of me to my face," and it seemed that only the fox dared to speak to her like that.

"I didn't want to discuss these trivial matters with you, but since you asked, I can answer. Shen Liang doesn't fit my aesthetic standards."

"Isn't the General's aesthetic sense the same as his shadow's? How come it doesn't match?"

General Thunder stared intently at the Eightfold Divine Child and whispered, "What are you testing, Divine Child?"

"I wasn't testing anything, I was just asking casually," Yae no Miko replied with a smile. "I might as well tell the general that the little wolf dog is very much to my liking. I like children who are cute yet sharp... I'm not exaggerating when I say that I'll wait for him to come and wipe us all out."

"A fox is a fox; even a celestial fox can be tempted by love."

"No, no, no, I will not have romantic feelings, just like you, General. You may like someone, but you will definitely refuse."

"What a joke! How can you say that this body 'likes it'?"

"Don't rush, General. I didn't say you like this little wolf. The little wolf you like... do I need to say it out loud?" Yae no Miko chuckled, but a hint of melancholy appeared in her eyes. "Alright, alright, General. You and I are both women who will never fall in love with anyone again. Talking about these things between us feels like old women licking their wounds."

General Thunder remained silent.

"Is this why you, Divine Child, have always been so protective of that boy from another world?" General Thunder finally spoke. "You... see some of his traits in him, don't you?"

“They’re just too alike,” Yae no Miko said softly, picking up another piece of meat with her chopsticks and blowing on it to keep it warm. “The same handsome young man, the same spirited demeanor, the same extraordinary talent… I can’t bring myself to dislike such a child, whether as a shrine maiden or as… a fox.”

"Even their names are so similar, aren't they, General?"

General Thunder's slender fingers unconsciously tightened around the food table.

------------

According to the Liyue Ancient Chronicles, five thousand years ago on the continent of Teyvat, there was no such thing as the "Seven Rulers".

At that time, humans, demons, immortals, strange beasts, evil spirits, and demon gods—many creatures roamed the earth simultaneously. It was a chaotic and barbaric era, filled with human suffering and without redemption. Even the war between demon gods to save humanity did not occur until a very, very long time later.

In the valley northwest of present-day Liyue Harbor, south of the Southern Gate, lies a massive ruin called "Dunyu Mausoleum." Legend has it that this ruin was formed long before the War of the Demon Gods, and geological surveys even suggest it is 5,400 years old.

In that unforgettable ancient time, when even the Geo Archon was still young, a celestial star fell in the wasteland west of Liyue!

The earth shattered with a deafening roar!

A deep blue meteorite crashed into what is now known as the "Layered Rock Abyss," transforming the wasteland into a vast and profound abyss. Within the meteorite, fragments of beautiful jade, shaped like white eggs, clean and resolute, sprang out. These fragments leaped into the rocky outcrops on the back of Lisha Suburbs. Although the jade eggs were small, they smashed open a deep pit, not as large as the Layered Rock Abyss, but still quite substantial.

People discovered that this deep pit was very close to the Abyss of Layered Rocks and also had a large amount of minerals to be mined, so they built a city in it and named it "Fallen Jade City".

In that era, a young demon god, who had not yet achieved the title of Rock King Emperor, led his people to establish a city, and preserved a fragment of a celestial star, resembling a blue and white jade egg, in the city center.

According to the Records of Jueyun, this jade egg was about the height of three people and the width of two people. After the Jade City was built, one day the jade egg suddenly opened and a large number of golden iron immortal spirits appeared from it.

The Golden Iron Fairy is tiny, entirely silver-white, and shaped like a spider. Its body is made entirely of gold and iron, yet it is extremely agile. The fairy does not eat or drink, working at sunrise and resting at sunset. It searches for various rare ores in the mines, and after digging them out, it carries them back to the jade egg. It can only be seen going in and never coming out.

Some curious citizens of Fallen Jade followed the Celestials and discovered countless mineral veins. From then on, Fallen Jade became a popular destination and one of the largest city-states in Ancient Liyue.