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

"Why would you say I miss Mr. Shen?" She didn't need to use Pandora as a substitute when Shen Liang wasn't around.

"Girls who've met my brother always have that kind of expression on their faces, that look of envy for Rosalia." Rosalia chuckled. "Rosalia loves seeing that kind of expression on your faces! Hehe!"

"Envious?" Anna scoffed. "Why would I envy you?"

"What's there to envy? Anna knows perfectly well," Rosalia blinked her big eyes, looking innocent and naive. "But Rosalia won't be jealous or possessive. On the contrary, Rosalia likes Anna very much, even more than Kiana! By the way, Kiana and brother are still just friends, but who knows when they'll take things to the next level? Time waits for no one!"

Anna's expression was a little strange. "What nonsense... I don't understand any of what you're saying."

"Hmph." Rosalia grinned. "It's okay if you don't understand now, you'll understand later~"

"Such a precocious child!" Anna muttered under her breath.

Rosalia didn't reply, staring at the dark night outside the porthole for a while before slowly speaking: "But Sister Anna, my brother is very weak. If he acts recklessly like this, he might die. But my brother doesn't know how to interact with people, so he won't ask the Shaniat family for help... I can only ask you, Sister Anna. You're so powerful, please help my brother."

“I’m here to do translation and can offer some help, but to ask me to join the war directly…” Anna hesitated.

"If something happens to my brother, Rosalia doesn't want to live anymore..." The little girl gently grabbed Anna's hand and said pitifully, "Please, help Rosalia, okay? Rosalia will let you pat her head."

Such a ridiculous condition was impossible for anyone to agree to, but Anna looked at Rosalia's pleading little face and pulled her hand to her head, and she really couldn't bear to refuse.

Moreover, Rosalia feels great to the touch; the little girl's hair is fluffy, soft, and straight.

"Alright then." Anna smiled. "Are you two really doing these things behind your brother's back? He has no idea."

"Whether Rosalia knows or not doesn't matter to her," the pink-haired loli hummed. "Anyway, whether she knows or not, her brother loves Rosalia the most, and Rosalia never worries about anyone taking away her brother's love."

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

Coral Palace's Heart Sea was reviewing documents by lamplight; it was already four in the morning.

“Ryoko’s seawater rice can actually improve the land that has been turned into sacred soil. This change has attracted the attention of the Order of the Church. The scholars of Sumeru have been studying it on the island for a long time.” Sangokami Ryuka walked in with a plate of bird egg sushi and placed it on the table in front of her. “Take a break and eat something. You can’t always stay up so late.”

“Ryoko said that no one can replicate seawater rice. It’s a ‘scientific’ creation from another world. We don’t have that kind of production capacity, so no matter how much we study it, it’s useless.” The little shrine maiden picked off the egg roll and ate it, then looked at her aunt with a complaining expression. “I’m so busy because my aunt was idle during her term and dragged everything onto my term.”

Coral Palace Ryuka showed no embarrassment whatsoever, and said matter-of-factly, "It's because you've been reliable since you were little that I decided to entrust Haiqi Island to you! Your aunt is a war priestess, you only need to be responsible for fighting, and your aunt has even risked her life!"

The little witch pouted, too lazy to argue. Anyway, she was still alive, and Coral Palace Heart Sea could demand that she not slack off and had to manage state affairs with her.

Both the elder and younger priestesses are currently extremely busy. Since the lifting of the isolation policy on Umijima Island, it has become even busier than Narukami Island. Visitors from the seven countries need various procedures to arrive at Narukami Island, but not to Umijima Island, resulting in an unprecedented boom in tourism on Umijima Island over the past year.

If it weren't for Coral Palace's Xin Hai's strong opposition, Coral Palace Liu Ge would have considered opening tickets to Coral Palace. Mr. Shen Liang's bedroom, which is comparable to that of a god, costs 10,000 Mora to visit and 20,000 to take a picture.

"Speaking of which, it's been almost a month since Ryoko left, hasn't it?" Sangomiya Rika slumped down, resting her heavy breasts on the table, and said listlessly, "Kokoro, don't you miss him? Shouldn't you two be in the throes of new love, talking on the phone for hours every day?"

What is a telephone?

"It's a cell phone."

Coral Palace Heart Sea knew what a cell phone was, but she still didn't understand her aunt's meaning. However, she could roughly guess what she meant, and shook her head with a smile, "I'm a living goddess priestess. They call me Lady Coral Palace, so I have to work hard for them. Lover... Actually, for a living goddess priestess to have a lover is already quite arrogant. I wonder what people are saying about me behind my back..."

"Oh, stop pretending! You're my niece, I watched you grow up, why are you acting like some kind of high-ranking lady, Coral Palace... I was a shrine maiden of the current gods and humans, when I was your age I was a woman of passion and courage, everyone called me 'Grandma'!" Coral Palace Ryuka snorted. "So what if you have a lover? The snake god hasn't spoken, so why should the believers speak? I've been annoyed by this rule for shrine maidens for a long time!"

So what exactly are you trying to say?

"So you mean..." A slight blush suddenly appeared on Sangokami Ryuka's beautiful face as she lowered her voice and asked, "Kokoro, have you and Ryoko been... doing it secretly... hmm?"

"Hmm what?"

"Hmm?" Auntie winked.

The little witch knew what her aunt was asking, and her face flushed slightly. She rolled her eyes at her, "No, I'm a witch, after all..."

The high priestess immediately showed a disappointed expression.

"Don't use the shrine maiden as a shield! If I were your age, I would have already won Ryoko over and made him unable to leave me!" Sangokami Ryuka was furious. "You bastard, I thought you two had been secretly in love and living happily ever after behind my back! Turns out you're both such taciturn types! No, only you are. Ryoko is very free-spirited. Do you know how many young girls from the Fool Clan that blonde, big-breasted woman from the Winter Kingdom has sent to his bed?"

"Forty-seven," Coral Palace Heart Sea said calmly.

Coral Palace Liuka's initially imposing rebuke faltered, and she was caught off guard. "You even know this?"

She had no idea! But thankfully, it was less than she expected!

"Coral Palace's security capabilities are not weak. Although they can't stop that executor called 'Lady,' they can still stop some of the Fools. Who do you think allowed them to sneak up Ryoko's window?" Coral Palace Shinkai glanced at her aunt. "I had Ruko screen them. Only the prettiest ones can pass through Coral Palace's hidden sentries."

Coral Palace Liuge felt a little unfamiliar with her naive and innocent niece for the first time, but she still couldn't help asking curiously, "Why?"

Cute Yoomiya! .jpg

Chapter 111 Cecilia's Serious Illness

Coral Palace Xin Hai put down her pen and glanced at her aunt. Coral Palace Liu Ge felt that her aunt's gaze was like that of someone looking at a fool.

“Ryoko is getting on in years now, and teenage boys are always hot-tempered.” Coral Palace Kokoro shook her head. “If he stays in the Coral Palace all the time, he’ll cause trouble sooner or later. Rather than the shrine maidens making mistakes, we should use the people from the Winter Kingdom. After all, they’re not exactly cooperating with us, right?”

"The priestesses?" Coral Palace Ryuka realized belatedly.

"Auntie, do you really have no idea how popular Ryoko is among the shrine maidens?" The little shrine maiden sighed and picked up her teacup. "He lived in the Coral Palace for a year, and I received more than twenty resignations, more than all the resignations I received in the past thirty years combined... What do you think our shrine maidens are thinking?"

"What are they thinking?" the high priestess asked, bewildered. "Doesn't this just show that your rule is too weak and your popularity is not as high as mine?"

Coral Palace Heart Sea resisted the urge to smash the teacup in her aunt's face.

“Our shrine maidens are all chosen from various families and raised in the palace from a young age. They haven’t seen much of the world. How could a genius like Ryoko, who is like a shooting star, not attract their attention?” The little shrine maiden pushed the documents aside and rested her chin on the table wearily. “Even I… let alone them.”

"So it's all a problem with the system! I've always thought that the Coral Palace's requirement for priestesses to remain celibate and chaste is the dregs of the times!" Coral Palace Ruka shouted. "My aunt is the one who was ruined by this regulation and is now retired and an old lady! The Coral Palace owes me a boyfriend!"

Xin Hai glanced at his beautiful aunt, who looked to be no more than twenty years old, and wanted to roll his eyes.

"So, Shinkai, you just tolerate the Fools like this?" Coral Palace Ryuka still tried to figure this out. "You don't have some kind of mental illness, do you?"

“Ryoko will eventually make her way in the Seven Kingdoms. Compared to Umijima Island, the Fatui might offer her more support in the future. As her first lover on the Teyvat continent, I can’t stop her future and lock her away on Umijima Island.” She said, her voice growing softer. “As for tolerance… I wouldn’t call it tolerance. I don’t really care about these things. Rather, this unequal relationship makes me feel at ease.”

Coral Palace Liuge remained silent; she could vaguely guess what her niece was thinking.

Because Shen Liang and Haiqi Island were not equals, what Haiqi Island gave him and what it owed him was insignificant compared to what it owed him.

Coral Palace Heart Sea turned to look out the window. The air quality on Sea Spirit Island was excellent, and the pitch-black night sky resembled an inkstone washed clean. She organized her thoughts and began:

"Actually, it's not just the shrine maidens; I feel the same way. I also feel that Ryoko's appearance is like a shooting star suddenly streaking across the long darkness. The shooting star is dazzling and beautiful, but everyone can see it, so it doesn't belong to just one person's eyes. It's just that the first person the shooting star met was quite nice, so it stayed. But how long can a short stay last? Will there be a sequel?"

"If you want the shooting star to shine on her forever, what conditions must you pay? Her life, her country, everything she has has let the shooting star down. Does that mean they are not suitable for each other and will eventually become strangers? But does liking someone have anything to do with being suitable? Does being incompatible mean you can't be together? Do you still want to try everything to keep the shooting star, even if it shines on more than just her, as long as it's always in her eyes?"

Looking into her eyes, Ruka Sangomi was unable to answer the question.

Shen Liang has completely lost hope in Haiqi Island, and maintaining this relationship is simply impossible. If Coral Palace Xin Hai wasn't the so-called "human-god witch," then it wouldn't be impossible for her to abandon everything and elope with Shen Liang, or even leave this world altogether.

But she couldn't give up Haizhi Island, so if she hoped to maintain it, she could only give up other things.

In fact, Shen Liang was intentionally breaking away from Haiqi Island. Coral Palace Liuge tried hard to get him closer to Xin Hai, even using the promise of "fiancée" as leverage to bind him, but even so, Shen Liang still did not show much enthusiasm.

He did not deny his romantic relationship with Kokoro, but his intimacy with the Fools was far greater than that with Kokoro. Coral Palace Ruka knew very well that he was intentionally or unintentionally driving Kokoro away from him and even making her hate him, and that when Kokoro truly became a stranger to him, he could abandon everything on Umijima without any pressure.

He could actually do it now, but he still has some tenderness and affection for Xin Hai.

As soon as Coral Palace Heart Sea loosens her grip on his hand, the shooting star will leave her sight without hesitation, disappearing from the night sky above Sea God Island.

From now on, we'll be separated by vast distances and boundless horizons.

This annoyed Ruka Sango.

"Although I also believe that a good man should have ambitions beyond his hometown, and I don't mind having multiple wives and concubines, or even a harem. It's unlikely for a man not to have a few confidantes. But you're being too... unconventional." Coral Palace Liuge suddenly touched her niece's hair and said quietly, "Xinhai, you've been reading too many books, and your speech has started to sound a bit like a literary youth. What shooting stars, night sky, eyes, who understands all this nonsense you're spouting?"

"Ok?"

"For your aunt, if Umijima stands in your way, just shout that you're not going to be a shrine maiden anymore. If Ryoko tries to distance herself from you, just pin her down on the bed—she's not as strong as you anyway. If Ryoko is dissatisfied with Umijima, just play with her until she's satisfied! Then force her to say 'I love you' a thousand times!" Sangokami Ryuka grabbed her niece's ear and lectured her sternly, "What shooting star streaking across the night sky? No way! Bomb it down and turn it into a bracelet to wear on your wrist for life. What's mine will always be mine. Giving others a taste is already the mercy of us modern-day shrine maidens!"

Coral Palace Heart Sea stared at her blankly.

Then both of them saw what looked like a real shooting star falling from the pitch-black night sky. A white light burst in the air and then crashed into the courtyard of the Coral Palace with a thud.

--------

Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria.

The Schariac family has been deeply rooted in Germany for a millennium, and the underground facilities of Neuschwanstein Castle are even larger than those on the surface. Tens of meters of concrete layers prevent most detection devices from finding the underground fortifications, and could even withstand nuclear bombs.

This is the Schariac family's super basement. Generally, such places are only used as temporary residences, as humans prefer to live on the surface most of the time. The Schariac family often used the basement to store antiques, fine wines, and various rare collections, as well as some private shooting ranges or libraries.

But overall, the Shaniat family rarely went underground.

But at this moment, in the elevator leading to the underground, Kiana sat helplessly on the sofa, because the Shaniat family's house had more than twenty floors underground, and the spacious elevator was even big enough to fit a leather sofa and a wine cabinet.

"Lady Cecilia...is she in the basement?" Kiana's expression was grim. "Has it gotten this far?"

“That’s your mother. You should call her ‘Mom.’” Celine said expressionlessly, with her legs crossed.

Chapter 112 Underground Ice Cellar

“I can’t bring myself to call her that,” Kiana said. “Besides, don’t you always refer to a human old woman?”

“I am the next head of the family, the embodiment of beauty and power in the Shaniat family. Even she must bow down before my brilliance. I have the right to do so.” Sirin said with a nonchalant double standard, “And your actions will make her feel uncomfortable.”

"hehe."

Although she was still sharp-tongued, Kiana was indeed thinking about how to change her tune.

She grew up with Siegfried from a young age, and only returned to the Schariac family after Siegfried's death. She could never bring herself to call her estranged mother "Mom" from the bottom of her heart.

It wasn't that Cecilia treated her badly; quite the opposite, Cecilia was gentle and respectable, showering her with maternal love that seemed to make up for all the past decade or so. Even though Kiana loathed the Schicksal organization, she couldn't hate her. Besides, her mother had suffered such pain while trying to protect her father… though she hadn't managed to.

But ultimately, it's hard to say it aloud; the title "Mom" needs time to settle. Fortunately, the Shaniat family has Sirin, that arrogant, immature, and unfilial daughter, who addresses her as "Lady Cecilia," which is already considered quite polite.

Kiana sat in the elevator and looked around. She saw that the elevator had descended to the -19th floor. She had always lived in the castle on the surface of the earth at the Shaniat family's house and had never been to a place like this before.