Genshin Impact, I, a mere mortal, cannot accompany you to the very end.

She hadn't laughed so happily in a long time; the long sash of her kimono slightly covered her lips, but her eyes curved into crescent moons.

She was so happy.

Just imagining it makes me laugh. That old man, that serious-faced guy who always wears a gray samurai outfit as if he's about to commit seppuku at any moment, suddenly calling me, Lady Motomiyaji, "Sister Fox"—just imagining that scene is so funny!

I'm so happy... I want to cry.

She laughed until tears streamed down her face, her purple eyes, shimmering with a transparent luster, reflecting Qing Nuoyan's retreating figure with a bright sadness. She laughed for a while before slowly stopping.

After a long pause, she said:

"Sister Fox heard that."

She looked at Qing Nuoyan and said very seriously, "Sister Fox will help you."

Is it really that fun?

Watching Miss Fox laugh so hard she was practically rolling on the floor, Qing Nuoyan felt a pang of unease.

The firewood in the stove was slowly burning out, and the night was gradually deepening. Occasionally, a dog would bark, but it would soon be swallowed up by the silence of the night.

And so the matter was settled.

But there still seems to be a problem.

“The current state of the Divine Cherry Tree may not be able to help you,” Yae no Miko said earnestly.

"Why?" Qing Nuoyan asked, somewhat taken aback.

"Because its roots are also tainted with too much filth."

Yae no Miko looked out the window, gazing at the Divine Cherry Tree whose branches wove across the sky. "It needs a ritual called 'Great Divine Cherry Tree Pruning,' which will purify not only the Divine Cherry Tree but also the remaining filth of Inazuma."

"So even Inazuma has its share of filth?"

Liyue is definitely not an exception.

"It's much less than before... really much less."

For some reason, even though she said "much less than before," Miss Fox's tone was somewhat low. She turned her gaze from the cherry blossom tree to Qingnuo Rock, her voice very soft:

"Because of some stubborn idiot."

"Because of a clap of thunder."

It shouldn't be an insult directed at me... Qing Nuoyan felt it wasn't an insult directed at her.

"In short, you must first complete this ritual, and in the process, purify the impurities on your body."

The somber mood seemed to be just an illusion; Miss Fox regained her sly smile, resting her chin on her hand, and said, "As payment, I must treat you to another bowl of 'Fox Udon'."

...All right.

When the topic of food came up, Qing Nuoyan suddenly woke up.

Qingnuoyan realized a cruel truth.

It seems like he... was going to bring food back for Ying?

Miss Ying, are you still hungry?

He's finished.

P.S.: Phew, it's another statement that Lao Si Gu always talks about. Just as Fu She is not the Fu She in the original work, this volume will also have some changes in settings and timelines. Please treat it as a secondary creation.

Chapter 119 "Pillar of State? That useless old man who died of old age?"

"...Pay attention to a mortal traveling from Liyue to Inazuma; he possesses the heart of the Geo Archon."

"...Bring that heart back."

The night was not yet deep.

This is an elegant and exquisite Japanese-style pavilion. The faint starlight covers the torii gate, and some pine and cypress trees are planted in front of the courtyard. The delicate branches and leaves cut the rare starry sky tonight into pieces.

The Fools' Chief Executive, Ms., sat alone in the center of the courtyard, gazing up at the starry sky, lost in thought.

The swaying silhouettes of pine and cypress trees danced on her delicate skirt.

She had insomnia.

Ever since arriving in Inazuma and meeting that annoying doll, her sleep has been poor, and she has never been able to relax. It's as if something precious will be stolen from her the moment she closes her eyes.

That thing that rightfully belonged to her.

It will be stolen by thieves.

The wind outside the courtyard tonight is quite noisy, making it hard to fall asleep. So I decided to walk outside to look at the stars and kill some time.

Just then, she received a new instruction—directly from the Kingdom of Winter, from Her Majesty the Empress.

"Mortals from Liyue...?"

The woman frowned slightly, pondering the intelligence.

The Geo Archon's Divine Heart has left Liyue Harbor...

That's interesting.

She needed to focus all her attention on her work; only in the midst of her busy work could she find brief moments of peace, all for the sake of that pure white world she sought... She needed to comfort herself with this thought.

She's already on this path, and she's never going to stop.

The most urgent task now is to find this person.

This shouldn't be difficult.

Due to the nationwide lockdown edict, all travelers arriving in Inazuma from other places were required to register at the [Kanjo-gun-gyo] (military administration office) to obtain a pass, and then submit their information to the [Sha-gun-gyo] (military administration office) for processing and storage.

It should be easy to find out by investigating all the Liyue people who registered in the past few days.

That's what she was thinking.

It's still early tonight, so let's go to the local official's office and check.

This matter concerns the heart of God and is of great importance; it needs to be dealt with as soon as possible.

-

The society is an organization that manages all aspects of the livelihood of the people in Inazuma.

The Kamisato family has always been in charge of all matters related to the company's administration, and among them, Ms. Kamisato Ayaka, who is known in the public as the 'White Heron Princess,' is directly responsible to the company's administration.

It was already dark, but Ayaka Kamisato was still handling various official duties.

"That new diplomat... she's here as the magistrate? Investigating the household registrations of the immigrant population?" Ryouka Kamisato frowned slightly. "What does she want to do?"

This is a very weak and offensive act.

She disliked the diplomats of the Winter Solstice Kingdom and had even less affection for the Fools.

The infamous Fatui have long been known both domestically and internationally, relying on their powerful military to conduct thuggish diplomacy... Now, with Inazuma's isolationist policies weakening the country and Lord Narukami nowhere to be found, the Fatui are stirring up trouble again...

The other two countries were even more obedient to the Winter Kingdom.

Thinking of this, she sighed softly.

If that person were still alive... perhaps the situation wouldn't be so passive.

How to deal with scoundrels and rogues... you have to be even more scoundrels and more powerful than them. Old man Kiyono is a complete scoundrel. Forget about diplomacy, for this old samurai, swords are the best form of diplomacy. If there's a disagreement, he'll sink the scoundrels on the other side into the sea.

But Rai is gone, and the future of Inazuma is up to Inazuma himself.

Linghua still remembered that clear morning after the snow, the old man's last words to her. He was wearing a thick kimono, coughing softly, the pure white snow covering the window frame behind him. He leaned against the fireplace and said calmly, "I'm going to die."

An era slowly passed, like the fine snow melting silently through the windowpane, dying away in silence.

The path of Inatsume can only be walked by the people of Inatsume themselves.

She stood up from the tatami mat, her white socks stepping on the osmanthus, and slowly tied her pale white hair up with a red rope. She was dressed in a snow-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and there was no other color on her body except for pure white. In the six months since Qingye left, she had always worn pure white clothes.

She was not Kiyono Takakuni's child, so there was no need for her to wear mourning clothes for him. But in her eyes, this respectable old man was like a kind elder to her—both her elder and her teacher.

The lady was in the guest room of the company, wearing a crimson mask and dressed elegantly and noblely. She was currently flipping through a scroll of documents that recorded all the outsiders who had registered in the past few days.

She was arrogant, as if she were the master of the place.

"Have you found what you're looking for?" Princess Egret asked calmly.

"...This is none of your business." The woman didn't even look at the little girl and put down her book.

She didn't find it.

There haven't been any travelers from Liyue in the last few days.

"It seems we didn't find what you were looking for." Ayaka Kamisato was very clever and realized this.

She replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "That is truly a pity, Your Excellency. Inazuma is very large. If that person has come here secretly, it would be difficult for the Fools to find his whereabouts with their current strength in Inazuma."

"The company magistrate has the most comprehensive intelligence network in Inazuma, so he should be able to find the person you want to look for very soon."

This bureaucrat from Inazuma is quite sensible.

The Kanding Envoy and the Tianling Envoy were always willing to grant Zhi Dong's requests because they were greedy and corrupt. She had thought that the She Envoy was an exception, but now it seemed that it was just because the benefits were not enough; they were all birds of a feather.

These mortals were like that, weak and stupid, yet possessing the most filthy appetites. In the lady's mind, they should all be considered filth that was burned to ashes along with the old world.

But for now, it's not bad to make use of it a little.

"What conditions do you want?" the woman sneered, a hint of mockery in her voice. "You want the support of the Fools..."

But before she could finish speaking, she saw Ms. Ayaka Kamisato slowly shake her head.

"You're mistaken, the Society's policy does not need your support."

"What are you trying to say? Do you want money?" The woman didn't want to waste any more time.

What I mean is...

Kamisato paused, her clear eyes reflecting the lady's face. From beginning to end, Miss Kamisato Ayaka's every move and word was in accordance with etiquette, but within this elegant etiquette lay a gentle yet resilient strength.

"What I mean is, aren't you being a bit too arrogant?"