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

Then, the burly general turned to look at Shen Liang and said solemnly, "You must be Mr. Shen who brought the seawater rice. I, your humble servant, would also like to express my sincere gratitude to you. Your intervention prevented the Third Division from suffering further casualties, held Tengdou Fortress, and allowed my son's vanguard to preserve most of its elite troops. I am very grateful."

Shen Liang recognized him from the two dog-ear-like animal ears on his head and waved his hand, "Your son has already thanked me on your behalf."

Barking Tail looked at him for a while, then said, “Since ancient times, those who turn the tide in desperate situations should be richly rewarded, but now Haiqi Island has lost everything due to the isolation order. The land is barren, the produce is insufficient to feed the people, the Coral Palace’s treasury has long been exhausted in exchange for weapons and supplies, and Mora has been completely seized by the Southern Cross fleet. With such great achievements, Haiqi Island has nothing to repay you with—it’s truly shameful.”

Shen Liang immediately narrowed his eyes.

—These words sound sincere, but they're actually a strategic retreat!

First you complain about being poor, then you say you have nothing to repay. What? Having nothing to repay and "not repaying" are two different things. I, surnamed Shen, came to your Haiqi Island seeking wealth, and now you eat my food, use my things, and even rely on me to fight wars. And you just say "I have nothing to repay your great kindness" and that's it?

I know you guys love to get something for nothing, but you can't do it like this.

But Shen Liang didn't speak; he just looked at Coral Palace Liuge.

The high priestess glanced at him with a slight amusement, then beckoned. Shen Liang immediately understood her meaning, hesitated for a moment, but still walked over. He was then immediately picked up by the tall high priestess and placed on her lap, her chin resting on his head as she comfortably squinted her eyes.

The action was so natural that the military personnel present were all taken aback. Generals like Hoo-o raised an eyebrow as they watched Sango-miya Ryuka's skillful technique.

"The morale of the army depends on rewards for merit. Liangjiang has done such a great service, she definitely deserves a reward." The High Priestess shrugged. "However, it's true that we don't have much money right now, so let's give her something intangible for now. Liangjiang, don't rush—"

She sensed that the boy in her arms was becoming restless upon hearing this, so she quickly hugged him tighter and tried to soothe him, saying, "It may be unbelievable, but at least listen to me first. After the war ends, I'm going to give you a fiefdom, this Tengdouzhai. You'll have complete autonomy here, and your words will carry the same weight as those of the Coral Palace!"

Isn't this still trying to get something for nothing?

"Furthermore, given that you single-handedly saved this battle, Liangjiang, your achievement is more impressive than that of all the old fogies here... It's decided! I'll give you the position that's been reserved for you for decades!"

Before Shen Liang could reply, the generals' expressions changed drastically.

"Wait a minute! Lady Coral Palace! There's never been a precedent for this with outsiders!"

"Think twice, Lord Coral Palace! This is the exclusive honor of the Seafolk, and Mr. Shen is a Liyue citizen!"

Shen Liang became curious to see so many military personnel holding negative opinions so quickly.

Coral Palace Ryuka's eyes turned dangerous. Behind her, the priestess Shizuru looked at the generals who were vehemently denying the accusations and shook her head slightly.

—This is truly... not worth discussing with.

Sihe glanced at Coral Palace Liuge and Shen Liang again.

Indeed, similar people always end up together.

"Shut up," said Ruka Sangokumi coldly.

The generals promptly fell silent.

It's not that they're cowards; the current generation's goddess priestess is notoriously capricious and eccentric, yet she possesses extraordinary strength. She is not only the leader of the priestesses but also the leader of the military—if she's unhappy, she can dismiss you with a single word without fear, since she can simply lead her troops to deal with you herself.

"Imperial decree: You are hereby awarded a thousand pearls, a hundred giant clam shells, and a magnificent crown," Coral Palace Liuge said, rubbing Shen Liang's smooth cheek with a bright smile. "You are hereby given the name 'Sea Emperor,' and will be ranked as the most powerful person below the gods and men, residing in the main hall of the Coral Palace."

Once the word was spoken, the deal was done.

The generals, though dissatisfied, had nothing to say. Shen Liang, however, was puzzled. Then, Sihe, who was attending him, leaned down and whispered to him, "'Sea Queen' was originally the younger sister of the first living goddess priestess, one of the 'Twin Princesses' who led the Sea Gods. She was unparalleled in bravery and could fight against the sea demons and giant beasts. Nowadays, this title is only bestowed upon warriors with extremely outstanding military achievements. In the past hundred years, no one on Sea God Island has been able to receive this honor. Lord Coral Palace has truly shown you the utmost favoritism."

That's it.

Although it may seem like a mere empty title, the title of "the number one person under the gods" is indeed quite outrageous, and it cannot be said that Coral Palace Ryuka is without sincerity.

The fiefdom itself doesn't really matter; rewards like pearls and giant clams are ultimately just seafood. But the title "Sea Queen" and the privilege of residing in the main hall of the Coral Palace are different. This means that he is now not only addressed as "Master" by the priestesses, but even in the army, the commander-in-chief would have to bow down to him and say "Your Excellency's opinion is most esteemed" with a smile.

With such a reputation, wouldn't he be a highly honored guest wherever he went after leaving Haiji Island?

Although Shen Liang knew perfectly well that this was all part of Coral Palace Liu Ge's scheme, she was now doing everything in her power to bind him to Haiqi Island. Every single one of these generous conditions was something he could only enjoy while Haiqi Island still existed…

If Umijima Island is destroyed, no one will acknowledge his title as Umi Gozen or the number one person under the gods.

Thinking of this, Shen Liang felt even more at ease enjoying the Great Witch's soft embrace, while also taking a bite of the cherry she fed him.

—Oh, by the way, I'll have Coral Palace send over a few tons of cherries so Rosalia can take them back to eat.

Chapter 56 Is Ayaka Kamisato there?

Now that Shen Liang's title had been decided, further argument would only invite criticism, so the military representative shut up and it was the witches' turn to speak.

Coral Palace Heart Sea stepped forward, opened her notebook, and said, "The surplus in the granaries across the region is sufficient to pay military expenses and should last until spring. (Note: Spring here does not refer to the arrival of spring in the season, but rather to a climate suitable for starting the first round of planting; in the case of Haizhi Island, this roughly means April or May.)"

“But this year’s grain reserves have been almost entirely depleted, and the grain reserves from this autumn’s harvest must be used to support next year, so this year’s war must end,” said Coral Palace Heart Sea. “There is no hope of continuing this year, and the shogunate has already sent people to sue for peace. It seems that both sides want to get through this winter peacefully.”

“It’s alright, we have Mr. Shen.” A witch spoke up at this moment. Shen Liang looked up and saw that she was a beautiful girl he didn’t recognize. At this moment, she was looking at him with eyes full of admiration.

—I have admirers now!

"The seawater rice that Mr. Shen brought me will increase our yield many times over starting next year, and we'll have enough grain for many years to eat!"

"Next autumn harvest, we will be completely unafraid of the Shogunate!"

"Moreover, Mr. Shen's rice has already been planted in experimental fields, and it is indeed very effective in the greenhouse! Let's call a ceasefire; they might not be able to defeat us next year!"

indeed.

The ceasefire is wonderful; everything will be hopeful once the seawater rice matures next year.

This winter is cold and poor. Wouldn't it be better to stop fighting, catch our breath, and wait for next year?

But when Shen Liang looked down, he saw that the hand of Coral Palace Liu Ge, who had been touching his face and taking advantage of him, had stopped.

Shen Liang recalled the words that Coral Palace Liu Ge had spoken to him during their late-night conversation a week ago—words that... directly addressed the core of Haiqi Island.

He knew what Ruka Sango was thinking, so he showed an expression that was hard to tell whether it was sarcastic or helpless.

"Does everyone want a ceasefire?" Ruka Sangokami looked at the crowd.

“It’s not just about a ceasefire; we need more time to catch our breath. Ideally, we should maintain peace until the autumn harvest.” A priestess stepped forward and replied, “Lord Coral Palace, we can’t collect any grain now, so we can only rely on Mr. Shen’s seawater rice. The seawater rice needs to be harvested next autumn, and that’s our lifeline. We can only wait.”

lifeline?

Before Shen Liang arrived... did Haiqi Island have this kind of "lifeline"?

How come it's available now?

A general stepped forward and said, “Lord Coral Palace, although we do not agree with a ceasefire, we have just won a pyrrhic victory, and starting another war would be seen as exhausting our resources. Seeking peace with the shogunate would be a win-win situation.”

Coral Palace Ryuka scanned them.

“Do you know… the price of a year of seeking peace?” she said slowly.

The general fell silent, and the priestesses and military personnel all fell silent. Then, the most authoritative of them all, the Supreme Commander, stepped forward with a stiff upper lip and said in a deep voice, "The shogunate's terms for peace are: release of all prisoners of war, reparations of 30 billion Mora to be paid in three years, a decree of self-reproach from the current priestess to be posted on Narukami Island, and..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Liang understood why Liu Ge of Coral Palace had such a cold and indifferent expression.

This isn't seeking peace; it's practically demanding that you confess your guilt!

Putting aside the issue of prisoners of war, the figure of 30 billion Mora is outrageous. Coral Palace's annual income might not even reach 30 billion! Even if he offered a miraculous product like seawater rice, his exorbitant asking price would only be 10 billion.

Moreover, there was the edict of self-reproach... The current shrine maiden of Umijima Island holds a position in the hearts of the Umijima people that is basically equivalent to the shogun in the hearts of the shogunate people. To have Sangomiya Ruka issue an edict of self-reproach and post it on Narukami Island is simply an insult to his face.

But then again…

After careful consideration, Shen Liang realized that although these requirements seemed harsh, they were nothing compared to the era of explosive growth in grain production a year later.

It's 30 billion, fine. I can't afford it right now anyway, so I'll just drag it out for three years. Paying later is a matter for later. If you give me a year to settle things, then who knows if I'll even be able to pay at all.

So what if it's a self-reproach edict? A true man can bend and stretch. This kind of rogue older sister, Coral Palace Ryuka, isn't afraid of making a scene or rolling on the ground, so why would she be afraid of admitting fault?

The shogunate's pleas for peace may seem aggressive, but they were actually taking into account the situation of the Sangokiya, showing that both forces genuinely wanted a ceasefire.

"And what? Keep reading." Coral Palace Liuge lay on Shen Liang's head, supporting her chin with her hands, gazing at the crowd below.

"And..." General Hoowei took a deep breath, glanced at Shen Liang in her arms, then at the cold expression on Sangokami Ryuka's face, and still gritted his teeth and said, "The shogunate wants us to hand over Mr. Shen to them, and they will treat him as an honored guest for a year."

----------

Narukami Island, Narukami Taisha Shrine.

"Hello, if you have any worries or wishes, you can go to the temple to draw a fortune stick, and the Thunder God will bless you."

"Ah, foreign guest, please wash your hands at the tactile shrine before making your offerings..."

"Please place the slip on the ema (votive plaque) shelf; please don't throw it onto the roof!"

The shrine maiden, Inashiro Hotaru, who was in charge of receiving worshippers, wiped her sweat and continued to greet each guest with a smile.

Although it is winter now, the approaching spring is the perfect time for "Hatsumode" (first shrine visit). Even though Narukami Taisha is located at the top of Mount Kagehira, worshippers with wishes can overcome all difficulties to reach the top using both hands and feet; or, if they are blessed by the thunder element, they can ride the thunder all the way up to the shrine shrouded by the giant sacred cherry tree.

Here stands the sacred cherry tree that reigns supreme over Inazuma. Its blossoms bloom eternally, regardless of the season, and Narukami Shrine has stood under its shade for countless years. This place is not only Inazuma's largest religious site, but also the residence of shrine maidens who worship the thunder god, much like the Coral Shrine is to the shrine maidens who worship the snake god.

However, Inashiro Hotaru suddenly felt that the number of guests was gradually decreasing, and the atmosphere was a bit off.

She looked towards the torii gate and saw a spirited young woman dressed in a pure black tunic, with a white kimono over it and a tengu mask on her head stride into the shrine. The other guests, seeing her decisive manner, guessed she was a soldier, and quickly finished their prayers and left.

Nine-striped sara.

Inashiro Hotaru was somewhat troubled. Soldiers like Kujo Sara rarely came to places like shrines, and their presence would cause worshippers to leave on their own... It was fine if the worshippers left, but the fact that Kujo Sara had come meant...

Something must have happened.

"What brings General Sara here?" Inashiro Hotaru stepped forward to greet him, saying as usual, "If you're here to see Lord Yae no Kami, unfortunately, he doesn't receive guests."

"When has Yae no Kami ever received guests?" Kujo Sara replied casually.

Inashiro Hotaru laughed awkwardly, because for people like the Third Magistrate who had a lot of interaction with the Shinto shrine, they knew all too well what kind of person their chief priest was!

The High Priestess of Narukami Shrine, also known as the Yae no Miko. Although nominally the administrator of Narukami Shrine, she essentially neglects all shrine affairs, spending her days sleeping in her sleeping quarters until late morning before heading down the mountain to her publishing house to read light novels.

Even so, Kujo Sara was just saying it casually. Yae no Miko is a high priestess, as well as a familiar and friend of the Thunder God. Any one of her identities makes her a figure whom all the people of Inatsume must respect. Her so-called frivolity and laziness are definitely just a disguise for the priestess.