People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 508 Shadow: All the battle reports are normal; this feeling of unease is probably just my imagination.
Northwest of Narukami Island, on the edge of the island, lies a secluded beach.

Under the cover of night, a group of burly men were gathered here, discussing something.
At the very front of the crowd, in front of the scarlet-haired boy, was a small boat, considered a top-level contraband on the outlying island.

"."

"Manyo, are you sure you want to disembark temporarily? Things haven't been peaceful in Inazuma lately."

"It's a chaotic battle, divine intervention, and I've heard there are also pitch-black monsters and dragons that have appeared out of nowhere."

It wasn't that she didn't know her partner still had unresolved matters on his mind in Inazuma; he seemed to be constantly thinking about something lately.
However, as the first mate of the Death Star, and a colonel who had frequent contact with Manyo, he still sincerely tried to dissuade him:
The Southern Cross fleet had extensive connections, so it was not difficult for them to use those connections to help their partner smuggle himself away from the island.

But at this moment, Inazuma was in unprecedented chaos. Although the fleet never prevented the crew from leaving, it was hard to say whether they would encounter any natural or man-made disasters if they disembarked now.

"Tsk, have you thought it through? I'm not trying to scare you, but Inazuma's situation is not simple right now."

"That girl from Haiqi Island hired us for a lot of money to help her, and I was originally planning to take you with me."

But Ningguang, as if she had foreseen the future, advised me not to get involved and even used the other seven stars to intimidate me.”

Even if she occasionally did something out of line, Qixing would at most send her a few tickets; in reality, they were turning a blind eye.

But this time, when she wanted to make some extra money, Ningguang actually sent Gan Yu all the way to warn her.
Although I don't know what the situation is like inside Inazuma, it's clear that going to Inazuma now would be a terrible idea.

"."

"Big Sister Beidou, I've made up my mind."

"Not only the breeze around me has provided the answer."

It's clear that everyone on the team is only thinking of themselves.
But when Wanye looked up at the falling maple leaves around him and the bright moon overhead, he ultimately stuck to his decision:
"I once thought that as long as I ran far enough away, I could forget everything that had happened in the past."
After losing their noble status, the Kaedehara family no longer needed to pay as much attention to Inazuma's situation as they did when they were still the "Five Masters of Raiden."

"But while the body may be far away, memories remain forever."

No matter where I flee, the fear of that fatal blow still haunts me, and the helplessness I felt while evading the pursuers of the Eye Hunter Order remains unforgettable.

"I heard that someone recently faced Wu Xiang's knife head-on and ultimately saved his friend and escaped successfully. I think there's probably not much point in continuing to hide."

"Inazuma has many people who have helped me in the past, and the Eye Hunting Order is by no means something that people expect."

Even if my role is very small, I will try to make some changes, just like "him".

Almost the same situation, but completely different outcomes.

After hearing about what happened in front of the Thousand-Handed Hundred-Eyed God Statue, Manyo often wondered if he would have had a chance to snatch anything other than the God's Eye if he had been a little braver back then.

His friends wanted to witness that unexpected strike, and also wanted to convey everyone's wishes to the gods.

I may not have his decisiveness, but even if I can save more refugees like myself and save some innocent civilians...
"."

"Tsk, now that you've made up your mind, no one will try to stop you. We all know your personality."

"Take these Mora and spare supplies with you, and don't forget to return to the ship as agreed."

She knew very well that the boy she had saved was actually very opinionated, and once he made up his mind, nothing could change it, not even if ten oxen pulled him back.

Although he always says he's just a homeless wanderer and seems to care about nothing,

But Beidou felt that Wanye's sense of responsibility for others was more like that of the chivalrous heroes in Liyue stories.

"Don't worry, boss, I'll be back."

"I heard that most of the people forced to flee by the shogunate escaped to Kaigi Island, and many of them joined the resistance."

I plan to take a quick look around Inazuma Castle, and then go find Coral Palace Heart Sea.

I'm still not ready to face the gods directly, but I feel that I should do something.

He had honed his martial arts skills considerably during his time on the ship and didn't believe that Inazuma was in such a dangerous situation that he couldn't handle.
Manyo decides to take a look at the current living conditions in Inazuma and find his own answers on his journey.

"You mean all the residents of Hiki Village perished, the entire village was frozen solid, even the corpses..."

"So many abyssal monsters, of all times, at this time."

Coral Palace in the center of Haigi Island.

While writing in a thick book, Xin Hai, who had almost finished writing half of this brand-new guide, paused, as if hoping that what he was hearing was just an illusion:
—Finally, all the wounded soldiers on Haiqi Island recovered from the previous incident, greatly enhancing the resistance's fighting strength.

But before she could even relax for a moment because the shogunate army's offensive had temporarily slowed down, she had to deal with another enemy that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
"Well, I don't know if you've ever seen those monsters called Abyss Apostles, or if you know their combat strength."

"But there were just so many Abyss Apostles back then. Even ignoring their leader, Ying and I weren't confident we could defeat so many enemies."

"If they are allowed to roam there, it might affect refugees who want to reach Haiqi Island later."

Although they had never directly fought one before, they had heard about the power of the Abyss Apostles from Dain.

This is an enemy that is almost impossible to deal with without using elemental power, and even most holders of the Eye of God would find it difficult to defeat alone.

Given the sheer number of those creatures at the time, one can easily imagine the despair ordinary people would feel upon encountering them.
If this is not dealt with quickly, the manpower and morale of Haizhi Island may suffer extremely serious damage.
Heart Sea: "." Energy -8
I have a feeling that Haigi Island has been plagued by an excessive number of misfortunes lately, as if it has been infected by some kind of bad luck.
He sighed deeply, already overwhelmed with worry, and even the weariness in his body seemed to intensify.

"Xinhai, are you alright?"

"Actually, we also wanted to ask you about their leader, to see if you know who these guys are."

She personally used her impressive drawing skills to depict the two figures that they had previously seen, which resembled monsters.

Paimon thought that if it was a monster from Inazuma's local legends, then Shinkai might know something.

"."

"This painting, hmm, is indeed quite unique."

The moment I took the paper, I was momentarily stunned by the abstract drawing on it.
It's unclear what painting style this is, but after looking at it several times, Xin Hai felt that at least the characteristics were quite distinct.
"Hey. I was in a bit of a rush, so I just sketched it out quickly. Anyway, I think I've drawn everything I can remember."

"So, Xinhai, do you know them?" "They're all wearing masks, so we can't see much."

I know this work was just a quick doodle in an emergency, and it doesn't reflect my true skill level at all.
Paimon skipped over the discussion of the painting's artistic merit and moved on to the issue that concerned them most.

"It's impossible to tell their identity just from this, but the characteristics are well recorded. It can be seen that they are probably oni and fox among the Inazuma youkai. Oni horns and fox tails are their unique features."

"But... since it really is a monster, did you see anything else that wasn't an Apostle of the Abyss?"

For a moment, he was also puzzled by the current situation. He couldn't understand what kind of monster could be in a leadership position among such a large group of Abyss Apostles.

"Oh, and there's also a strange mechanical puppet with huge demon faces on both sides? It seems that the chilling aura is coming from it."

"A demon mask? Could it be one of those puppet sword demons roaming around Bayun Island? Can it be controlled by those monsters?"

The situation became increasingly confusing.

Xin Hai couldn't find anything special about Fei Mu Village that would make these invaders go there specifically.

"Ruko from the shrine once studied in Sumeru. She mentioned that the abyss invasions from Nata sometimes take on unique forms, based on memories from the ley lines."

"But since the mimicked monster can serve as a leader, it might be a famous historical figure."

"."!

"—Wait, is this horn broken off?! And what color is this tail? It's the same as the one on the paper?"

There were quite a few books about legends in the shrine, and suddenly I realized something.
Recalling the eyewitness report from hundreds of years ago near Bayun Island, Xin Hai, who had been listless and slumped over the table, suddenly sat up straight.

"Huh? It's definitely broken, but what's wrong with the other guy's white fur?"

Paimon scratched his head, somewhat puzzled.

Xin Hai: "."

What else can we do? What if the gods come knocking on our door?
"It's nothing. You guys are very observant."

"Now I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

"Oh, good news?"

Paimon tilted his head, somewhat puzzled by the reaction.

"The good news is, if these two are indeed as I suspect, perhaps we can meet the gods without even fighting our way to the castle tower."

？ ！！

"Huh? Can this really be considered good news?! Then what's the bad news?"

"Bad news"

Xin Hai paused slightly, looking rather listless.

"The bad news is that if the general sees them in their current state, he might be in a bad mood and cause a few more Musou-no-Kage to appear on Haigi Island."

It's unimaginable how displeased the already hostile gods would be upon seeing their friend replicated by the abyss, especially if they happened to take the opportunity to wipe out any disliked rebels.
I feel like the situation is completely out of my control.
Xin Hai sighed deeply, hoping that the abyssal monsters that Ying and Paimon had seen would cause trouble in the areas controlled by the Shogunate army, and not always bother Haiqi Island.
"Ah, General! Please come in!"

"We've recently launched several new desserts. Please wait a moment, they'll be served to you shortly."

Narukami Island, Inatsuma Castle, Fuchigami Confectionery Shop.

As usual, a special customer arrived just before closing time.

Seeing the figure with purple hair and eyes and highly recognizable clothing in front of them, the staff had already made ample preparations for this situation, and the store staff served the prepared desserts as quickly as possible.

".Thanks."

He nodded and habitually went to his usual seat.

Once again, at the general's suggestion, Ying came to improve her mood and politely thanked him.

"Hmm, you always seem to go out late at night, and during the day it seems that the magistrate's office handles the purchasing?"

Her usual job was to accompany and chat with the film crew. Having just finished a field trip, Hana Sanri showed absolutely no flaws.
Although setting aside her goals of restoring order and rallying people's hearts, she is currently causing a lot of trouble for Aying, but since there are so many accomplices including Chiyo and Miko, she doesn't need to feel any psychological burden.
“My travels during the day would disrupt the normal work of the residents, and my attendants would also take up a lot of space.”

"Unless it is necessary, I do not intend to cause too much disturbance to the public by going out for a stroll."

There's nothing to hide, and I always feel a sense of indescribable relaxation when I come here.

"I don't think a dessert shop will have any impact on the overall situation in Inazuma," Kage replied honestly, eating the dessert on his plate.

"Hmm, but you seem very tired lately. Would you like us to order some more dessert?"

"We reserve enough Mora when we make purchases, so you can place your order with confidence."

Seemingly aware that their general didn't have the habit of taking Mora with him when he went out, the castle officials who came to help purchase sweets during the day had left a large sum of money beforehand.
Having overcome the embarrassment of always forgetting to bring money, Aying has found it much easier to order here recently than the first time.

"No, there's nothing bothering me, it's just that something feels off. Maybe it's just my imagination."

All the battle reports looked normal; both the abyssal monsters and the rebels were being defeated one after another by the army of the Heavenly Territory.
When she set out, she didn't sense anything amiss in the state of Inazuma Castle, and Kage figured that her unease was probably just her overthinking things.

"Ah, so it wasn't because of the monsters that have recently appeared in the desolate sea area? It seems that's probably just a baseless rumor."

It seemed like a casual remark, and then the topic was immediately changed.

Despite being astonished that the Heavenly Commander had lost so many soldiers in the desolate sea region, he still chose not to tell the gods the truth about their defeat.

Realizing that the magistrate's office seemed to have become too deeply entrenched in problems due to previous falsification of battle reports,
Hana Sanri smiled slightly as she looked at Aying, who seemed lost in thought, and suddenly wondered how long these guys could hold out.

(End of this chapter)