People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 537 Ying: Is the abyssal aura around me getting stronger? What if it continues to devour...?

"."

"Sigh, as expected, it's not that simple after all."

"Ah Ying's personality is just as awkward as I expected."

The castle tower, an empty training ground.

It was rare for him to be so direct and blunt as to point out Inazuma's current problems, but his own A-Ying buried her head in the sand like an ostrich.

Even though she knew perfectly well what the truth was and understood that Inazuma's eternity could not exist independently of the entirety of Teyvat, she ultimately avoided giving a direct answer by going out to hunt monsters.
"It seems that if we want Ah Ying to think, we really have to make sure that she can't solve the problem with force."

"As long as there is still a possibility of resolving the issue by force, she will choose to abandon her own thinking."

I have come to a profound realization of just how "complex" and unique my daughter Aying's thought process truly is.

Helpless against this bizarre thought process that always leads to "drawing a sword and cutting the other person down" no matter how she thinks, Yae Shinko shook her head and, before returning to the temporary shrine, decided that she really needed to use some serious force.

A moment later, at the Narukami Taisha Shrine, opposite the Tenryo-bōjō (Heavenly Commander), in front of the fortune-telling area.

Because the shrine maiden who interprets fortunes has received far more positive reviews than before, Yae no Miko has also chosen to come in person to see this "imposter" who is even more dedicated than the original owner of the body.

"Hmm? Lord Kuji, what's wrong?"

"The number of people coming here to worship Narukami and draw fortune slips has increased several times over recently. If there are any areas that have been overlooked, please point them out."

In front of the royal lottery box,

With short black hair and dressed in a red and white shrine maiden's outfit, Ringo Genfu looked at the Yae no Miko in front of her with some confusion.
Although her overall expression and demeanor were flawless, her hand movements were slightly stiff, despite behaving indistinguishably from those of an ordinary shrine maiden.

"Oh, little one, don't worry, there's nothing wrong."

"Recently, people have been saying that the shrine maiden in charge of interpreting fortune slips has improved a lot. Not only can she pronounce all the terms correctly, but her attitude has also become much more approachable."

"Because of your hard work, everyone at the shrine feels that their work has become much easier recently. So, as the chief priest of Narukami Shrine, I just wanted to come and reward you."

She already knew that the "Mysterious Winter Ringo" in front of her was an imposter, a spy from the Fools, but she didn't expose him in her words.

The fortune teller at Narukami Shrine was originally "Momoyo" from the final episode of the anime series, and she was often complained about by the public for her "bad attitude."

But when she faced this Fool spy, the shrine maiden discovered that not only was the man's professional competence decent, but his passion for the job even surpassed that of many of the shrine maidens within the main shrine.
".?"

"Huh? An award? Well... I didn't really do anything special, I was just fulfilling my duty by receiving the public."

Compared to me, who was in charge of interpreting the fortune slips, Ms. Inashiro Hotaru's job was much more important.

This turn of events caught them somewhat off guard, and even the expressions on their faces became a little more lively.

Lyudashka, who had never imagined that her work as a priestess would receive such recognition, even felt a little flattered.

"Heh, don't refuse. It's not easy to love what you do, and you deserve it."

"Keep trying. If you can keep going, you might be pleasantly surprised in the end."

After close contact, even without using any special abilities, one can sense how much the other person cherishes their current life.

According to the report, this imposter "Okra" has not committed any acts of vandalism since its arrival.
Although the other party's squad originally belonged to "The House of Hearths," it seemed that she had been delaying orders from her superiors.
"Hmm? It seems two new guests have arrived?"

"You can continue working, I'll leave for a while."

Seeing the traveler and her little follower appear at the street corner in the distance, the goddess, who was already looking for them, decided to go over and have a talk.

He turned around and waved to the uncooperative spy in front of him.

Considering the recent surge in positive reviews for the shrine,
The shrine maiden felt that if her shrine could have another shrine maiden who was both cute and proactive, it would actually be a pretty good ending.

Meanwhile, at the entrance to the town.

Unaware that their tracks had already been discovered by a pink-haired fox desperately needing workers, both Ying and Paimon are currently in a less than healthy emotional state.

During yesterday's abyss invasion, due to the initial rout of the two extermination teams, the monsters actually posed a threat to the civilians.
Although the two of them and the soldiers behind them, who had been appointed as "special operations teams," successfully covered the evacuation of the civilians.

However, due to the overuse of the Evil Eye and many other reasons during this process,

Even though the general cleared out the monsters as quickly as possible after he was freed up, casualties were still inevitable.
"Ugh, everyone, it's all Paimon's fault for not going back to help them in time. Those runaway guys are really awful."

"Mr. Gu Zhong and Mr. Harden also comforted us and told us not to be sad for the deceased."

"They said that from the beginning everyone was not afraid of losing their lives on the battlefield, and that even if they died, they would return to others in another form, which is clearly impossible."

Paimon often receives food from his squad members, and he really likes these reliable soldiers.

It was clear that their words were just a consolation to make themselves and Ying less sad; the white fluffy ball couldn't even muster the appetite to eat.

"It's a pity they rushed too far ahead; in the end, they didn't even recover their bodies. Let's hold a memorial service for the fallen soldiers later."

My mood was also somewhat low, after all, this was probably a reduction in personnel that was difficult to avoid.

The only consolation now is the significant increase in the level of unity between the military and the people.
Having gone through life and death together, they will definitely be much more in sync when fighting monsters in the future.

"Speaking of which, everyone said the original casualties would have been even greater, but thanks to Ying, you destroyed those teleportation portals in the center of the battlefield in time."

"But elemental power is clearly ineffective against those things, so why can you destroy them so easily, Ying?"

Even the general couldn't easily destroy those strange teleportation points, but on the battlefield, Ying single-handedly cleared out the vast majority of them.

Paimon vaguely felt that something had changed about Ying after she returned, but he didn't know if it was just his imagination.

"."

"I didn't destroy them, I just found that I seemed to be able to drain the power that kept those things going."

"Extract it?"

"—Doesn't that mean all that abyssal power has flowed into Ying's body?!"

Completely unprepared for this outcome, and worried about potential unforeseen circumstances, Paimon nervously looked at Ying beside him.

"There are no problems so far, it seems I have this ability all along." "The situation was too urgent at the time, there was no time to consider the consequences of doing so, otherwise the casualties among civilians and the military would have been unbearable."

"If I had to put it into words, it would probably be that the abyssal aura around us is more entrenched, and perhaps extracting a little more would cause further changes."

The original plan was to destroy the portals with an attack, but it was later found that doing so was extremely inefficient.

Left with no other choice, they instinctively tried to transfer the power that held those doors together, which was how they were able to stop the Abyss General from growing stronger with such high efficiency.

She absorbed a considerable amount of abyssal power in one go; even the general advised her to return and rest for a while.
But for some reason, Ying not only felt no discomfort, but also had a vague, inexplicable feeling urging her to absorb more abyssal power.
"Why is it that, apart from those few doors, the abyssal power on those ordinary demons doesn't have this feeling?"

What would happen if it continued to devour them?

It is unknown where the power that created those doors came from, but Ying strangely discovered that they seemed to be "ownerless".

It's as if it has been cleansed by some kind of force, and it has no connection with any existence, which is why it can devour itself so easily.

"Epaimon thinks it's best for Luminous to be careful, since the power of the abyss sounds very dangerous."

"How about we go to the shrine to have our fortunes told? It's been a while since we last chatted with Miss Gento Ringo."

I have a feeling that my partner is thinking something dangerous right now, and I suspect it might be a lingering effect of absorbing those powers last time.

With the idea of ​​changing the subject, Paimon pointed to the newly built shrine in front of them and decided to take Ying there to draw a fortune slip.

"Oh, little ones, what a coincidence! You also want to visit the shrine?"

"Since you're already here, why don't we talk? Are you short of funds lately? I happen to have a small request for you."

fluorescent:"."

I always feel like I have an endless amount of work to do, as if everyone knows I'll be assigned tasks.

Based on past experience, no matter where you travel,

Whenever she shows even a hint of free time, she'll suddenly be stopped on the street and "coincidentally" given a task that only she can do.
"Hey? You have funding? Of course!"

The precise keyword trigger caught Paimon's eye, and the call was answered instantly.

Before Ying could even rub her forehead in exasperation, her face contorted with embarrassment...

Seemingly realizing something was amiss, the white fluffy creature scratched its head and looked at the Yae no Kami in front of it:
"Well, as a member of the gods' family, Inazuma must have a lot of special powers at his disposal, right? Is there anything that only the two of us can do?"

"."

"Oh, of course! How about we go inside and talk? This is a huge, lucrative deal."

Not only was a capable shrine maiden brought to the shrine, but Yae no Miko had also noticed the recent activities of the Fatui (Fools) spreading evil eyes everywhere.

While having more Evil Eyes is generally beneficial if one can be resurrected, it doesn't necessarily mean there are downsides.
But considering the track record of these two executive officers and the enthusiasm of that little white guy for taking on missions, she thought it wouldn't hurt to prepare for the post-battle cleanup in advance.

"—What?! Divine Child, are you saying that the Commissioner of the Imperial Guard has betrayed us and is planning to run away from Inazuma with lots and lots of Mora?!"

"—And you've also found out the whereabouts of some Fatui Enforcers. If we capture them, all the rewards are ours?!"

"."

I heard two major pieces of news as soon as I entered the door.
After a quick calculation of the amount of wealth involved, the two eyes of the white furball almost turned into the symbol of Mora.

Although the assets of the Kansei Magistrate will certainly be used to fund the military, with such a large sum of Mora added to the shogunate, the Executors of the Fools will definitely become more valuable.
"Heh, little guy, don't worry. Right now, you're the only ones who can handle this situation. No one will take Mora from you."

"This information is just to let you know in advance; there's no need to rush into action."

"Actually, there are enhanced thunderstorms near Narukami Island by Aying, so it's unlikely that anyone will escape until the monster invasion ends. They're being kept alive because they have some other value."

He shook his head and soothed the overly excited white fluffy ball.
Yae no Miko thought of the fools who, with the help of the Kansei no Housei, were diligently emitting evil eyes, and felt that they still had some remaining value.

That's roughly the situation.

"According to the intelligence we've gathered, the vast majority of the Fools' squads have been wiped out by monsters in the wild. Right now, only the spy organization that was infiltrated from the very beginning remains."

"These individuals initially appeared to belong to the 'House of Hearths,' but are currently under the command of the eighth seat 'Lady,' who is concealing the side effects of their use and spreading substandard Evil Eyes to the military and civilians."

The House of Hearths is not uncommon among the Seven Kingdoms, as most of the espionage work during the Winter Solstice is handled by its members.

Although it is unknown why these people do not follow their direct superiors, it does not prevent the Divine Child from finding them.

"But, Divine Child, you said there's no need to rush to capture them. So what are we supposed to do?"

The more I listened, the more confused I became. I didn't understand why I had to tell them this so much in advance.

Feeling that the invasion of the abyssal monsters was likely to continue for a long time, Paimon was also curious about the purpose of the divine child summoning them.

"Heh, it's actually not complicated. The answer is related to 'Mora,' which you two are most concerned about."

"—In short, I hope the two of you can become a little 'dull'."

"The locations where the assets are hidden are extremely cunning; even if a raid is conducted, not much might be found under normal circumstances."
As long as we don't incite the enemy to fight to the death, those spies who assisted in their relocation can actually be considered our helpers.

"Therefore, to prevent you two from accidentally capturing the entire Fools and losing the location of the executor and the treasure, we can only trouble you to pretend to ignore them for the time being."

After a brief pause, he got up and went to the back of the room to bring over a large, well-sealed box.

Meeting the puzzled gazes of the two people before him, the divine child opened the lid, pointed to the evil eyes that had been confiscated and sealed away, and also stated his other request:
"—Whether it's the executors of the Fools' Corps or the magistrates of the Imperial Censorate, these can be put aside for the time being. The most fatal problem is the lack of fighting power of the shogunate's army."

"I hope that you two can take these evil eyes that we have confiscated and give some basic training to the soldiers in the army who are willing to use them."

"The monsters' offensive will inevitably become more and more ferocious. Faced with enemies that can only be dealt with using elemental power, even if it comes at a cost, we must use it now."

The problems of the Kansei-bushi (military commissioner) and the Executor of the Fools could be left until the end of everything, but with the final assessment just around the corner, the shogunate army couldn't afford to be too much of a hindrance to the gods.

They promised extremely generous compensation to those who suffered damage from using the Evil Eye, while also making no secret of the side effects of this power.

Since there was a rare opportunity to be resurrected after death, the divine child decided to conduct a thorough talent selection process for Inazuma after everything had calmed down, based on the performance of these people.

(End of this chapter)