I, from the Celestial Empire, have parachuted into Teyvat.

Ivan stroked his chin and said, "Hmm, it's basically consistent with the situation in Qindao City that we received from the rear... Okay, let me tell you about the information we have here."

Afterwards, the Chinese side shared all the information they had regarding this incident with the Inazuma side, including the deductions about the World Tree.

Regarding the World Tree, Shadow didn't say much. Ivan had taken the time to consult Wendy and Zhongli about the World Tree after coming down from the snow mountain, but the two replied that they didn't know anything about it. Shadow was the same, and even showed a hint of surprise when he heard the theory about the World Tree.

The World Tree deals with the essence of the Teyvat world, which is far more ancient than the Seven Gods, so it's not surprising that Ivan guesses it might be something even the Seven Gods didn't understand.

Of course, whether beings higher than the Seven Gods understand the essence of this world is unknown.

"The aura of destruction is like a virus that has infected the World Tree. The appearance of those Destruction Stones is a manifestation of the World Tree's illness."

Ivan stated the conclusion that everyone had reached at the founding meeting of the Pan-China Xiatiwat Organization, and then slowly revealed his own deduction.

"Now, the symptoms caused by this destructive aura have worsened. The disappearance of Inazuma Mishima and the disappearance of Hata Island City are likely external manifestations of this worsening condition. It is easy to verify this."

Ivan snapped his fingers: "I think all we need to do is check if those blackish-red films that envelop the vanished regions contain any destructive energy. Those blackish-red films are actually a thin layer of mist, but they are so thin that they look like a film. We just need to extract the films from Qin Island City and Inazuma Mishima and compare them with the purest destructive energy in the Destruction Stone to get the result."

Actually, compared to extraction and comparison, Ivan had a simpler and more direct method: he could go and walk around the membrane himself. As long as the membrane contained components of the aura of destruction, he, who possessed the Heart of the Wind God, would definitely be able to sense it.

But instead of wasting time on something that could be done by someone else, Ivan had many other things to do.

After all, the investigation into this event spanning two worlds has only just begun.

Chapter 384 Site Visits and Investigations

The first investigation meeting at the castle tower did not end until the evening of that day.

The two sides exchanged a lot of information during the meeting.

After the meeting, a welcome banquet was held at the Shogun's Mansion. Afterwards, the Shogunate staff arranged accommodations for the Chinese personnel in Inazuma Castle, while Ivan continued to live in the small courtyard of the Shogun's Mansion where he had lived in Inazuma.

The next day at daybreak, all parties began a further investigation into the incident, and Ivan did the same.

Accompanied by Xiang Feng and Mu Ze Changhui, Ivan first went to the Tianling Magistrate's Office and questioned the patrol soldiers who had initially discovered the anomalies in the southwestern sea. After leaving the Tianling Magistrate's Office, he began a random survey of the residents of Inazuma Castle.

Inside Inazuma City, Ivan randomly "grabbed" some passersby on the street and asked them questions. Of course, almost all the Inazuma residents' first reaction to seeing Ivan was surprise and excitement.

"You...you are Lord Wang Furen? I..."

"Don't be nervous, I just want to ask a few questions."

"Your Majesty... Your Highness, please ask me, and I will answer to the best of my knowledge!"

"It's about the strange phenomena in the southwestern sea and the three vanished islands..."

After finishing his visit to Inazuma Castle, Ivan left the castle and went to several well-known large fishing villages on Narukami Island to continue his investigation.

An unusual phenomenon has occurred in the southwestern sea area. Fishermen who need to go out to sea all year round are naturally the most qualified to speak about the changes in the sea. They may be able to notice some details that others have not noticed, such as the uncle in front of Ivan now.

"Now that you mention it, something does seem a bit off about that period..."

In the village of Fish Village, Ivan raised an eyebrow at the middle-aged man holding a sun hat: "Is something wrong?"

The man's eyes subconsciously tilted to the upper left; this is a natural conditioned reflex when a person is lost in memories.

"I remember there were significantly fewer fish in the sea during that period."

Ivan asked in confusion, "There are far fewer fish in the sea? What do you mean?"

The man continued, "Based on the usual amount of fish we catch at sea, the amount caught in those two weeks was at least half less than usual. Moreover, we have found many fish in the catch that have been gnawed on by something."

"A fish that has been eaten? Was it eaten by some kind of large fish?"

The man shook his head: "No, the bite marks on those fish are definitely not left by other fish or marine creatures, but more like the tooth marks of some land creatures. I've been fishing for over twenty years, and I'm absolutely certain of this."

After leaving Fish Village, Ivan seemed lost in thought.

Xiang Feng asked in bewilderment, "Is Inazuma some kind of wild animal that likes to eat fish halfway and then throw it back into the water?"

Kizawa Nagaki shook his head: "I grew up in Inazuma and have never heard of such an animal."

Xiang Feng asked again, "What about the monsters? There should still be quite a few monsters roaming in the wilderness of Inazuma, right?"

This time, Ivan answered Xiang Feng's question: "That's unlikely. Most monsters on the Teyvat continent are weak to water or even afraid of water. You're asking them to go into the sea to catch fish, then eat them halfway and throw them back in? Putting aside how unrealistic that is, the intelligence of most monsters alone wouldn't allow them to do that, unless..."

Mokusawa Nagahiro asked curiously, "Lord Ivan, please stop keeping me in suspense and tell me, unless what?"

"Unless it's a monster from the sea."

Ivan stroked his chin, lost in thought for a moment: "There is indeed an amphibious monster in Inazuma called the Deep Sea Dragon Lizard. Calling it a monster is a bit of a stretch; they're more like an intelligent species... But the Deep Sea Dragon Lizard shouldn't be appearing in the waters off Inazuma, and what necessary connection is there between this and the strange phenomena in the southwest sea and the disappearance of the three islands...?"

Mu Ze Changhui and Xiang Feng looked at each other, unsure whether Ivan was asking them a question or talking to himself.

"Commander Yi, are you asking us?"

"Oh, no, it's nothing, I was just a little distracted."

"Lord Ivan, shall we continue the investigation?"

Ivan nodded: "Of course, our next destination is the Kageyama Shrine."

An hour later, Ivan sat in the back hall of Narukami Taisha.

"Oh my, you busy man, you actually had time to come see me without Ying knowing? Aren't you going to take care of important business?"

Faced with Yae no Miko's teasing, Ivan coughed twice and said, "I'm here on business."

At the same time, Ivan was also somewhat relieved that he had cleverly sent Xiang Feng and Mu Ze Changhui away in advance. Otherwise, with other people around, Ivan might not have been able to withstand the verbal attacks of the Eightfold Divine Child.

Yae no Miko knelt on the futon opposite Ivan, her eyebrows and eyes half-closed in a smile, revealing a sly look.

"Oh dear, so you mean coming to see me is the important thing?"

Ivan rubbed his temples.

He admitted that he had made some misjudgments; after not seeing him for a while, Yae no Miko's verbal skills had improved again...

Seeing that the jokes had gone far enough and noticing Ivan's embarrassment, Yae no Miko covered her mouth and chuckled, saying, "Alright, enough joking. Ask me whatever you want."

Relieved, Ivan asked, "Regarding the strange phenomena in the southwestern sea and the disappearance of the three islands, have you noticed anything unusual?"

Yae no Miko said, "If I can spot something amiss, so can the Shadow. You should be able to find out by asking the person who first noticed it and the Shadow, right?"

Ivan nodded: "Yes, but what I mean is, before and after the anomaly occurred and Mishima disappeared, was there anything unusual about the Divine Cherry Tree?"

Yae no Miko exclaimed in surprise, "The Divine Cherry Tree? Is it related to the incident?"

"There might be a connection."

Ivan said, "We still can't determine whether those disappeared places were teleported away or erased. I personally lean towards the idea that they were teleported somewhere. If they were truly teleported away, then the ley lines would definitely have reacted when the teleportation occurred. The Divine Cherry Tree is connected to Inazuma's ley lines, so if the ley lines reacted, the Divine Cherry Tree would also have reacted. Therefore, if all the above assumptions are true, we can find the node where the ley lines reacted abnormally, and through reverse calculations using spatial technology, we might be able to find out where those disappeared places went."

Yae no Miko lowered her head and frowned in thought for a moment, then raised her head and said, "You're right. Half a month before the anomaly occurred, the Divine Cherry Tree did indeed show abnormalities."

Ivan was startled and pressed for details, "Could you elaborate?"

Yae nods gently.

"About two weeks before the strange phenomenon occurred, I suddenly noticed that the Kagura Tree was acting strangely. Its branches and leaves were curled up and it seemed less vibrant, like an ordinary plant that had suddenly encountered a frost. Moreover, during that period, the Kagura Shrine received a large number of reports from residents about encountering paranormal events, such as seeing the souls and images of the deceased."

"A paranormal event..."

Ivan stroked his chin and said, "I think those paranormal events are related to ley lines. Sometimes ley lines can carry images and memories of the past. When the ley lines are unstable, these past memories will return to the human world in the form of spirits, which are what people call ghosts."

"Moreover, this phenomenon must have occurred more than once in Inazuma. In the past, the souls of humans and yokai, wasn't the Moonless Night Ritual held by Narukami Shrine a ritual to let the souls return to peace?"

Yae no Miko chuckled, "I didn't expect you to know about the Moonless Night Ritual."

Ivan coughed lightly: "I've heard Ying mention it before."

Yae no Miko continued, "After I noticed this series of strange events, I investigated the Divine Cherry Tree and discovered that the ley lines connected to it had experienced abnormal fluctuations, which caused the tree to wither and the recent spate of supernatural events. However, abnormal fluctuations in ley lines are common, and the abnormality returned to normal after a few days, so I didn't pay much attention to it at the time. Moreover, to be honest, it was still quite a long time before the abnormal phenomena occurred in the southwestern sea area of ​​Inazuma, making it difficult to connect them to the subsequent strange phenomena and the disappearance of the three islands."

Ivan nodded and said, "Yes, the time span is quite large, and I'm only speculating about the connection between the two at the moment. Further investigation is needed to confirm it... Anyway, I understand the situation now, I'll be going."

Yae no Miko turned her head and smiled, "What? You're in such a hurry to leave? Aren't you going to stay and have lunch with me? Don't worry, I won't tell Kage."

"Ahem, I still need to continue my investigation. The analysis report on the black and red film should be ready soon... I'll take my leave now..."

Amidst Yae no Miko's giggles, Ivan hurriedly slipped out of the back room.

We have no choice but to run.

It's unbearable, so unbearable...

Chapter 385 The Unmanned Signal Station

Ivan could be said to have fled Narukami Taisha in disarray.

Seeing Ivan hurrying down the mountain, Muzawa Nagahiro asked curiously, "Lord Ivan, why are we in such a rush?"

Ivan grinned.

If we don't hurry, we might get eaten up on the mountain.

"Oh, it's nothing. I haven't eaten yet. I was in a hurry to get down the mountain so I could have lunch. I'll treat you to lunch today. Order whatever you like."

Upon hearing that Ivan was going to treat everyone, Mu Ze Changhui and Xiang Feng immediately showed expressions of surprise and delight.

"Lord Ivan, are you serious?"

"Haha, it's not easy to get a meal from Commander Yi. Rare indeed..."

Ivan grinned again.

Am I usually that stingy?

Twenty minutes later, at the Uyutei Hotel in Inatsuma Castle, the most prestigious hotel in Inatsuma Castle.

Looking at the dishes on the order form and their prices, Ivan grinned for the third time today.

The first two times I grinned because I was speechless, this time I grinned because it hurt.

How can it be so expensive?

According to the exchange rate of Monde Huaxia Bank, even the cheapest dish converted into Chinese Yuan would cost three figures.

After hesitating for a moment, Ivan put down the menu, looked up, and said, "Actually, I think the food at Munan Ryotei is also very delicious..."

Kizawa Nagahiro said, "Lord Ivan, the owner of the Kinan Ryotei restaurant is closed today because he has something to do. Didn't we all see that when we were conducting our investigation on the street this morning?"

Ivan clicked his tongue and said, "Um... really? I didn't notice..."

At this moment, Xiang Feng revealed a meaningful smile: "Commander Yi, you're not planning to renege on this meal, are you?"

"how is this possible?"