He changed Tiwat

After an unknown amount of time, the ship approached the coastline of Narukami Island.

As the "scattered soldiers" disembarked, the road before him unfolded, leading to the castle tower he remembered.

The "scattered soldiers" failed to enter the castle tower.

He was stopped at the gate by the "Ottomans" guarding the entrance.

Even with the golden feather bestowed by the General, he has no right to meet the General. In fact, the real General has already buried himself in the "Pure Land of One Heart," and the puppet general outside was created after him. The golden feather does not exist in the puppet general's "program."

However, the "Okuzawa clan" guarding the gate kindly pointed him in the right direction.

Shadow Mountain, Narukami Grand Shrine.

Han Fulai saw Yae no Miko in the memories of the "scattered soldiers".

To be honest, although he had spoken to Yae no Miko through that protective charm, this was the first time he had actually seen Yae no Miko's face.

The Yae no Miko in the "scattered soldier's" memory seemed younger than the Yae no Miko Han Fulai had seen in the game—not in terms of appearance, but in terms of demeanor.

The girl in front of me, Yae no Miko, looks really young and innocent, with that kind of "pure high school girl" vibe.

To put it simply, if she wore a name tag on her chest that read "Yae, Class B, 3rd year, 18 years old," Han Fulai would believe it.

Well, assuming Yae no Miko is over five hundred years old this year, she would have only been training for thirty to fifty years at this time, and had only recently inherited the Narukami Taisha Shrine. According to Gan Yu, she would be a "little fox" who had just learned the art of transformation.

Considering the lifespan of demons, the divine child at this time was truly still just a young girl.

The lively and beautiful priestess accepted the golden feather and patiently listened to the "scattered soldiers'" request.

Then she gave an affirmative answer: "This gold ornament is a certificate of identity bestowed by the General. The General will never abandon you. I will also do my best to send people to rescue you immediately... but applying for deployment, dispatching manpower, and crossing the sea by boat will all take time. Please wait patiently for a few days."

However, the "scattered soldiers" could not wait a few more days.

He snatched back the golden feather and turned to leave.

The "scattered soldier" said to Han Fulai with no small amount of sarcasm, "Look, this is how the shogunate has treated its people for more than four hundred years."

Han Fulai ignored his sarcasm and calmly replied, "That's why Inazuma needs to change."

As a civil servant in Liyue, he actually understood Yae no Miko's predicament quite well. At this time, the young Miko had neither power nor real authority, so how could she mobilize anyone? Her willingness to help plead for help was already quite commendable.

Moreover, Lei Yingdong's seclusion and neglect of state affairs have left a power vacuum that will likely be coveted by the Tianling Fengxing and Kanding Fengxing in this generation. There will probably be no shortage of infighting and shirking of responsibility in the process.

Ultimately, however, the Shogunate's failure to respond promptly to the disaster was indeed their fault. If it were Liyue, the relevant officials would certainly be held accountable.

As for Inazuma... he can probably get away with it by simply bowing afterwards.

The "scattered soldier" chuckled dismissively and said nothing more.

Having failed to secure reinforcements, the "scattered soldiers" gave up hope of returning to Narugami Island and returned to Tatsumara overnight.

The "scattered soldiers" who returned to Tasha did not see any familiar faces.

Waiting at the port was a craftsman whose face was indistinct—meaning that this person was already a blur in the memories of the "scattered soldiers".

"...Lord Nagamasa and Mr. Katsuragi have been searching everywhere for Lord Niwa, and have begun to evacuate the residents and craftsmen of this area... Some say that it was Lord Niwa's modification of the furnace core that caused the evil spirit to leak out, and that he has now fled to escape punishment..."

"He won't run away!" the former "straggler" retorted decisively.

The craftsman did not argue, but simply said, "Lord Danyu is not here, and no one can repair the treadmill he personally modified... The treadmill is probably about to explode..."

Han Fulai looked in the direction the craftsman pointed.

Thick smoke and visible purple mist were rising from the Tabuan sand factory area.

Having visited the "Imperial Shadow Furnace," Han Fulai naturally understood what this situation represented—the "evil spirit" had been leaked.

It turns out that more than 400 years ago, Ta Bei Sha experienced a "spirit" leak.

In this era, the "Kage Furnace Core" still has responsible engineers like Xavier who stay behind, opening the protective shield to prevent the "evil spirit" from leaking out, while trying to repair it... but the Tadakara from four hundred years ago is completely ignored.

Even the main person in charge, Hisahide Niwa, has run away... Tsk, why does this feel so Inatsuma-esque?

...By the way, why do your Inazuma stoves keep exploding? What happened to the craftsmanship spirit?

Han Fulai couldn't help but complain in his heart.

Speaking of "reincarnation," this furnace explodes every few hundred years, which can indeed be considered a kind of "reincarnation"... Of course, the "reincarnation" that the "scattered soldier" wanted to show him was probably not this.

The "scattered soldiers" of that time were clearly aware of the seriousness of the problem.

Now that Hisahide Niwa, the technical director of the Weaponry Bureau, has disappeared and he has failed to get assistance from Narukami Island, who else can save Futsuna?

At this moment, the craftsman took out a small mechanical device that looked quite sophisticated and complex.

"'Kabuki-san'... This is what we found in Lord Niwa's room. He left a note saying that this was something he found on his attendants, and that it contained a gift he wanted to give you—something you've always wanted."

The soldier's voice was clearly filled with confusion: "Left for me...? Then why didn't he hand it to me himself?"

The craftsman gave a wry smile and said, "I told you that Dan Yu had already fled to escape punishment, but you just didn't believe me."

“…I will protect Tasha…protect this ‘home’,” the “soldier” in my memory said.

In reality, the "scattered soldiers" unceremoniously snatched the mechanical box from the craftsman's hands.

"The naive doll thought that if he protected this place, everyone could come back—but he didn't expect that all he would get was betrayal."

He maintained his sarcastic tone, even when he was mocking himself.

Han Fulai could only remain silent and changed the subject: "Aren't you going to open this box and take a look?"

The "scattered soldier" once again wore that forced smile: "It's not open yet, but you'll see it soon."

The two followed the footsteps of four hundred years ago into the Tabusha factory, which was about to explode. All they could see was a distorted and blurry mess.

As beings of the soul, these "demons" in their memories cannot actually affect their vision, but since the scene is based on the memories of the "stragglers," the scenes here faithfully reproduce what the "stragglers" saw back then.

At that time, his power was sealed by General Thunder, and apart from a sturdy doll-like body, he was not much different from an ordinary person. The effects of the "Evil God" on ordinary people were also reflected in him, and blurred vision like this was one of the symptoms of being corrupted by the "Evil God".

"The burden here is far greater than I imagined. In fact... I almost died here. At the critical moment, the box left by Danyu protected me."

The "scattered soldier" spoke of the past with a nonchalant air.

As he said, the small mechanical device began to glow faintly, seemingly absorbing the surrounding evil spirits.

However, the purification power of this device is actually very weak, and it can only barely protect the area around the chest of the "scattered soldiers".

For humans, such protection is actually of little significance, as the energy of the "evil spirits" flows through the body via the bloodstream, and even a little bit of it is already considered contamination.

However, the "scattered soldier" is a puppet, and its body structure is different from that of a normal person.

This small mechanical device acted like a "firewall," protecting his most important sense of self from being corrupted by "evil spirits."

Therefore, he can still move around in this environment full of "demon" pollution.

Han Fulai watched as the "scattered soldiers" found the furnace that exuded the aura of a "demonic spirit," and watched as he approached the furnace core, which was so hot it would melt the skin, step by step. Then, he used his hands to close the valve, which was already red-hot.

The "scattered soldier" quietly looked at his own hands.

Those hands were once reduced to charcoal.

But it doesn't matter, physical damage is insignificant to a doll.

The scene changes again.

Outside the factory, the weary doll found the craftsman who had given him the mechanical device, and held the box with his broken arms.

“This device seems to be protecting me. What’s inside?” he asked.

The craftsman shook his head: "I don't know, but I can help you open it."

Then the craftsman found the tools and turned on the mechanical device.

Inside is a heart, a human heart.

Because it was tainted by "evil spirits," the heart had turned black and completely withered.

"Imagine a doll with the exact same appearance as a human. It can move, talk, and think... Even if you dissect its body, you can't tell the difference between it and a human. So, in your eyes, what is the difference between a 'human' and a 'doll'?" "Skirmisher" asked.

"Hmm..." Han Fulai did seriously consider the answer. In fact, this question often troubles scientists in modern times as well—for example, "Is an artificial AI that looks exactly like a human a human?"

In fact, Ningguang's "Master Tianyi" is a good example. She is the crystallization of the wisdom of the God of Dust Returning to the End, and is a "highly intelligent assistant unit". But in Han Fulai's eyes, she is already a human.

As an "artificial human," who can deny that Abeldo is a truly human being?

"In my opinion, it should be the soul, or rather, self-will. Humans possess self-will, and if a puppet has self-will, then it is a human," Han Fulai replied.

“Heh.” “Scattered Soldier” chuckled and said, “That’s the same answer that person gave me back then.”

He once went to his "family" and "friends," Hisahide Niwa, with this question in mind.

Hisahide Niwa told him that the difference between a human and a doll is that a human possesses a "heart".

Yes, they are "passing on their knowledge with one heart," and the thing they value most is "heart."

Whether you call it the soul or the will, it is essentially the "heart".

The doll didn't have a "heart," so he asked Danyu for one.

Niwa laughed and said to him, "I think you're human too, aren't you?"

He never expected that what he craved would be presented to him in such a cruel form—Danyu really gave him a "heart," a heart dug out of the chest of an innocent person.

Chapter 138 A Defiled and Evil World, Where All Beings Are Sinking [4k]

The doll was originally created as a container for a "heart," but it sheds tears in its sleep.

The creator helplessly realized that he was too fragile, whether as an object or a human being.

For some reason, the creator did not destroy this "defective product," but simply let it continue to sleep.

Later, the doll awoke and was taken by the kind warrior to Tsuruga to live among the people. He began to imitate humans, learning their habits, wanting to live as a human being.

He saw many hearts—kind, upright, resolute, and tender… The doll also wanted to have a heart.

Later, the doll finally obtained the "heart," which was the meaning of its birth and the purpose of its existence.

However, it is not what the doll truly desires, for it contains no blessing; it is merely a sacrifice wrapped in a friendly exterior, filled with selfishness, hypocrisy, cunning, and curses.

Han Fulai sighed softly.

Is this what they mean by "every hateful person has a pitiable side"?

No wonder when "Sanbing" met Niwa Hisahide before, he described him as "a former 'friend' and 'family member'".

This subtle "past tense" is not solely due to the fact that Hisahide Niwa has passed away.

From the perspective of the "stragglers," Niwa not only betrayed his responsibility as the head of the weapons production office and fled to avoid punishment, but also harmed the "family members" of Tatsumara.

The heart in the box, whose origin is unknown, likely came from the "friends" and "family" of the "scattered soldiers" back in Tasha.

This heart represents the "human heart" that the doll craves, yet this "human heart" is corrupted in the most vile way before him.

The "stragglers" certainly had reason to resent this.

But the resentment of the "scattered soldiers" was not only because of Niwa Hisahide.

"The treadmill was modified by the Director of the Weaponry Bureau, Hisahide Niwa, and his deputy, the Director of the Weaponry Bureau, Kanetaka Miyazaki. One of them died and the other escaped, and no one has seen them since."

"Scattered soldiers" recounted the past in a very calm tone.

“But the evil spirits leaking from the hearth have indeed killed many people—including the child we just saw. His parents were corrupted by the ‘evil spirits’ in this accident and died in agony. I can’t remember their names, but I still remember their suffering at the end of their lives… Someone always has to bear this responsibility.”

"The shogunate's people arrived late after the disaster. They were too late to provide relief, so the relief efforts became a matter of accountability. The one held accountable was Mikoto Nagamasa, who was then serving as the magistrate of Futabasa.

Han Fulai smiled wryly. He was all too familiar with this tactic—putting aside the facts, even if we didn't come to provide disaster relief, didn't you do anything wrong?

How can you avoid being held responsible? The answer is to hold others responsible first!

Since the main responsible parties, Hisahide Niwa and Kaneo Miyazaki, are both gone, doesn't this blame fall squarely on Mikoto Nagamasa? The shogunate officials may not be good at disaster relief, but afterward, they might behead a few people to "appease the people," which is considered doing something "real," right?

The "straggler" sneered.

"Lord Mikoto Nagamasa bears the responsibility of reviving the Mikoto family, and he cannot let this small incident tarnish his reputation. Therefore, he needs a few scapegoats."

"He chose two scapegoats, one of whom was Katsuragi, who was loyal to him and willing to die for him... After the disaster, Katsuragi was executed for 'dereliction of duty'."

"The other scapegoat is the only non-human being who entered the disaster site during the accident."

"After all, in the eyes of humans, if this matter has nothing to do with the doll, why would the doll risk its life to deal with the furnace core? It has a close relationship with Niwa Hisahide, so the only reason it would do such a thing is because it feels guilty and wants to make amends, right?"

Mikoto Nagamasa's sharply defined and stern face appeared before the two of them once again.

He looked down majestically at the kneeling doll and tossed the golden feather back into its hand.

"This gold ornament is a token of your identity bestowed upon you by the General, but you are neither human nor an object... This is the only way I can deal with you. Please do not resent me!"

He read out his verdict, sentencing the doll to exile.