People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 560 Lin Feng: I remember Nasida's impression of the Tree King wasn't this mischievous, it can't be that even Zhen...

"Yes, I received the request a few days ago."

"Although their excuse for hitchhiking was to go to the festival later, it felt like their reason for going there wasn't just because they knew that Thunder God. It was as if Inazuma had something special about him."

After eating a piece of dessert in front of her, Nasida also shifted her attention away from her previous commotion.

Ignoring the two guys next to her who were just trying to bully her, she bluntly stated her guess.

"Going out? That's a valid reason for most people, but not for Wendy."

Knowing the personality of a certain drunkard very well, Lin Feng shook his head after hearing this reason:

"Wendy isn't as fond of wandering around as he seems. If he had a choice, I think he'd probably prefer to stay in Mondstadt's taverns for the rest of his life rather than go sightseeing elsewhere."

They may seem lazy, but they always have a specific purpose in mind when they go on long trips.
While there's no such thing as a god having no bottom line, if you truly believe he's just an ordinary drunkard, you'll likely be easily fooled at a crucial moment.
"Hmm, perhaps it's because they discovered that Inazuma has been severely invaded by the Abyss, and they want to check on the specifics?"

Nasita blinked, ignoring her sage's merciless criticism of a certain bard.

"That's part of the reason, but it can't be the whole story."

Lin Feng shook his head:

"Although I have never explicitly told anyone outside of you about my plans with Inazuma,

But based on the information I previously revealed in Mondstadt, Wendy shouldn't be unaware that this is related to me.

"But if he and the old man really don't know the reason why everything happened?"

Given the threat the Abyss poses to the nations of Teyvat, they wouldn't be leisurely trying to hitch a ride with the Council of the Dead in the usual way.

Mondstadt and Liyue are currently completely safe. With the cold energy from the ley lines completely drained, Venti is probably bored out of his mind right now.

If Inazuma really reaches a point where she can't resolve things on her own,
Even if it's just to prevent these abyssal monsters from spreading to Liyue and Mondstadt, he'll most likely have to drag someone to Inazuma to get some help.

"Well, we can't rule out the possibility that they just want to see old friends, since both sides actually have people filling in for them."

"Although it seems strange for gods to entrust the governance of a country to elemental dragons, upon closer examination, this situation is quite common nowadays."

It's hard to say what those original elemental dragons, who fought tooth and nail against the laws of nature, would think if they saw this situation.

But aside from unconditionally supporting Tvalin's capture of a certain drunkard, he was actually quite happy about this situation.

"."

As we were chatting, I suddenly noticed that Nasita had moved her chair a little closer to mine, and unusually, she seemed to be trying to squeeze next to me.

?

I inexplicably feel that the food was consumed rather quickly this time.
Seeing the little guy reach for the dessert in front of him, Lin Feng, who had just finished feeding Xiao Bai, looked up in confusion.
Then I immediately spotted a "reliable senior" next to me who had already emptied several plates while they were talking.

Lin Feng: "." The way he ate was indeed very elegant, but was the reason he didn't speak up because he was clearing out the food the little guy could reach?

I remember that in Nasita's memory, the Tree King didn't seem to like bullying people that much. How come he turned out like this as soon as he didn't need to work?
He glanced at the "previous generation's God of Grass," who was smiling and winking innocently at him.
Thinking back to the time when Nasita reached out for food but could only touch an empty plate,

Lin Feng suddenly worried that what seemed like the most reliable "truth" might actually be different from what he had imagined.
On the other side, in Liyue, at Jueyun Mountain.

It is unclear whether someone has developed an unconscious distrust of the gods of Teyvat due to the unreliable behavior of their "predecessors."

Taking advantage of the opportunity to "visit" the old man, a certain green-skinned liquor enthusiast was drinking bottle after bottle of the "free" wine in front of him.

"."

Silently staring ahead, he was momentarily at a loss for words as to how to evaluate the guy in front of him who had come to discuss something with him but had only been drinking and not talking.

After a moment's thought, in order to prevent the place he had borrowed from Liu Yun for cloud-viewing from being soaked in the smell of alcohol,
Zhongli, who was sitting in the center of the pavilion on the cloud top, waved his hand and decisively manipulated the three stone benches that the other party had occupied, directly knocking the guy down.

？ ！！

"—Hey?! Old man, have mercy!"

"I've drunk too much, I'm feeling a bit weak—!!"

There were four stools around the square table, and Wendy occupied three of them by herself, sprawled out in a clump.

I didn't listen to his excuses at all.
Watching the wind god being hammered away, Zhongli sighed slightly, realizing that he had indeed been too lenient lately, letting him drink until now.

"Oh, old man, you're so heartless! I only drank a little too much, and you threw me off such a height!"

"You used to be so generous; you wouldn't even refuse to lend Mora."

They showed no remorse for what they had just learned and instead acted like victims.

But this trick has been used too many times and is no longer effective.

Feeling the death stare from his old friend, Wendy froze and ultimately gave up on stealing more wine.

"."

"From a purely rational perspective, I don't think the 'God of Wind' would encounter any danger because of such a slight increase in altitude."

"You've already drunk three bottles of fine wine with a thousand-year history. If you don't want to be thrown back to Mondstadt right now, just tell me why you invited me to Inazuma."

Not only did they sneak a drink, but the drunkard across from them even tried to take the opportunity to pack some leftovers.

Reaching back at his wine jug that never seemed to empty no matter how he poured it, Zhongli decided to give the guy one last chance before throwing him out and smashing him into a celestial abyss.

"Hey? Grandpa, you don't trust me at all. Why did you take the wine jug away?"

!!!

"—Wait, I'll talk!"

"—Grandpa, you should also know that what happened to Inazuma is related to my new friend, right? Judging from his behavior, he seems to have become much stronger."

"Back in Mondstadt, he had already amassed three elemental powers. Now, with the power of the Abyss and the authority of that Shadow Warrior, aren't you curious about just how strong he is now, old man?"

During the previous battle, I used the breeze to wander around Inazuma's area twice and could clearly sense that the power of the abyss was accumulating and sublimating on my new friend.

Having personally orchestrated such an abyssal invasion spanning an entire nation, this power is no longer the insignificant appendage it once was.

Pure abyssal power alone has an extremely high ceiling, yet my friend managed to fuse this highly exclusive power with the laws of the elements and even many other different powers.
"That's it?"

"I don't recall you being as passionate about martial arts as that deity from Inazuma, unless you suddenly feel like having a match." He paused his movements, deciding not to send Wendy flying for the time being.
Zhongli recalled that this guy's consistent tendency to avoid fighting whenever possible, and didn't think he would make a trip to Inazuma simply because his little friend's strength had increased.

"Hehe~ Grandpa, you really understand me."

"I'm so weak, of course I wouldn't even think about competing."

"However, even just going to see an old friend should be enough of a reason. Although the current shadow warrior in Inazuma and I don't get along very well, we are still acquaintances who drank together two thousand years ago."

"."

He didn't reply immediately, but instead gave the drunkard in front of him a deep look.
Thinking of what happened during the War of Kanria hundreds of years ago, Zhongli shook his head, deciding not to beat around the bush any longer:

"There's no need to hide it. As far as I know, you have more than just this one 'old friend' there."

“We both know very well that Inazuma is a country that should not be easily influenced by external forces, especially since your perception of ‘time’ is far more acute than mine.”

"."

A moment of silence,
Both sides are no longer hesitant to mention those shadows; they simply avoid calling them by name out of habit.

It is very clear why, five hundred years ago, the "God of Wind" who was least likely to be late arrived, but in the end, Mondstadt was a step late when it faced calamity.

Zhongli understood that even the other party's five hundred years of slumber was due to "time".

"Sigh, I knew I couldn't hide it from you, old man."

"But you used to be the most cautious about these things, never mentioning anything outside the scope of the 'contract,' yet now you're even more aggressive than me."

“I admit that our friend made quite a commotion in Inazuma, so much so that time could no longer bypass him and move forward, which would have created a considerable hidden danger.”

"But even though no one had told him about this, judging from his actions, he seems to be trying his best to maintain the trajectory of the key points, while also preparing to confront 'time' long ago."

He had been secretly keeping an eye on Inazuma's situation, planning to go to his friend and confess if things got bad.

But in Wendy's countless observations, every time he thought things were about to end, his friend was able to pull things back on track.

He had absolutely no idea where Lin Feng got this information; he could only sigh that his friend remained as mysterious as ever.
"Well, I didn't lie to you about meeting old friends at the beginning. This is one of the parts I'm most looking forward to."

"Hehe, even if you only met him once two thousand years ago, you must know how determined that shadow warrior was in his pursuit of martial arts, right, old man?"

"Our new friend caused such a commotion that he gave that guy a complete and utter defeat."

"Given her personality, she'll definitely find someone to spar with in various ways later, and who knows, some even more interesting things might happen."

"It's been so long since we've seen our friend make a move. Aren't you curious about what it would have been like back then, sir?"

As he spoke, he secretly tried to take the wine jug that was placed opposite him.
Although there is an "old friend" over there who is probably locked up in jail now, Wendy plans to handle this kind of thing on her own when the time comes, and there is no need to tell the old man.

"."

"That's certainly a reason you would come up with, but you should know that watching the spectacle isn't without its risks."

"However, the 'Descendants' interference in the world has now reached a critical limit."

"Compared to these, I'm more curious about what those once high and mighty people will do now that it's clear they can't avoid meeting each other."

He knew that in that final moment, his little friend would definitely meet the one who maintained time.

And they had long since lost the possibility of being their enemy.

Compared to watching that shadow warrior find someone to spar with, and then having a small chance of being accidentally injured by an unknown attack,

Zhongli gazed at the towering mountain of Inazuma, where cherry blossoms were falling and the mountain reached into the clouds, and wondered how these shadows would prepare their methods of currying favor.

Meanwhile, Inazuma, castle tower.

It was unclear that many people were waiting to watch the "malfunction repair" that followed, nor was it clear what was so special about Inatsuma.

Just so as not to cause too much trouble to the benefactor who might resurrect "True", Shadow, sitting in the center of the meditation area, is trying to talk to the general.

Undoubtedly, the general has his own thoughts, but the most fundamental underlying logic is to serve "eternity".

However, if we consider only the identification with one's own identity, the general is even more aware of being a god than she is.
"."

"Inner self, there is no need to try to persuade this body with words. I will not accept losing the confidence to pick up a knife just because of unfounded speculation."

"You've failed too many times. Your blade is no longer as sharp as it used to be. Now, you don't even have the courage to challenge your former self."

In the pure land of single-minded devotion, I sit cross-legged before another "self."
The general looked at the figure, who was preoccupied with too many trivial matters, and showed no intention of changing his mind.

“Inazuma cannot leave me now. I cannot abandon my people who need me as I did five hundred years ago.”

"I know you might think that I'm no longer a pure martial artist, but..."

His expression was far richer than the other's; a hint of helplessness could be seen on Ying's face.

She knew, of course, that the general's personality was modeled after her own from five hundred years ago, yet she would immediately draw her sword and charge forward no matter what happened. Her experiences with those failures were the best lessons she could learn.

“Protecting Inazuma is not just about driving away foreign enemies. I was able to ignore these trivial matters because they were truly taking on my burdens.”

“I am not afraid to challenge my past self, and I am willing to wield my sword against a strong enemy, but now is definitely not the time for me to fight you with peace of mind.”

I have the confidence to fight endlessly against myself, but that's not what I should be doing right now, just like the general choosing to challenge the god who helped him.
“This time, I will not accept your baseless intuition.”

The general opened his eyes and gripped the naginata hanging at his side:

"-- Sumeru is also ruled by two gods, just like you and me. Based on your memories of the previous generation of grass god two thousand years ago, I don't think the other party's power is strong enough to make you lose the courage to wield your sword."

"You are no less skilled than I am in your pursuit of martial arts. Compared to your current obstruction, the answer I get from your heart is not so."

From a purely logical standpoint, the premise of a co-governed state is that the differences between the two sides are not too great; otherwise, unless there are special reasons, the two sides will find it difficult to coexist.

Judging from the aura they exuded, the one that appeared before them was clearly born a very young time ago and was far from reaching its peak of power.

I have never seen the current God of Grass, but upon examining his inner memories, he is undoubtedly a mature and gentle individual.

Finally, this is combined with the title of "Sage" that was given to those who served the gods.
The result is obvious. Perhaps he will become so powerful in the future that no one can match him, but facing such a young individual who is being cared for by a mature god, the general does not intend to retreat before they have even truly clashed.

(End of this chapter)