People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 572 Lin Feng: The journey went completely without any surprises... Could I be some kind of hidden boss?

".?"

"Unaffected by external factors. That certainly seems to be the case."

He thought for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully.

Lin Feng used to think he had an endless stream of commissions, but now he suddenly realized that nothing strange or low-probability events seemed to have happened to him.

I almost never get caught up in unnecessary trouble, and there are no clueless people causing trouble in front of me every day.
In most cases, after receiving a commission, one weighs the pros and cons and initiates action; there is no passive situation where one has no other choice.
"."

"So I probably can't be some kind of world-saving hero. No one's adventure is this smooth."

Just thinking about the "magnificent" adventure of the little blond guy made Lin Feng feel ashamed of himself.

In every country I visit, I'm guaranteed to encounter a once-in-a-century major event, often finding myself inexplicably wanted and facing perilous situations.
The most crucial moment, the most suitable partner, and the indispensable ability to face a desperate situation and then turn the tide.
Compared to the blond-haired kid, their side was less like some strange protagonist and more like a hidden boss stirring up trouble in the shadows.

After all, most of the major incidents that Little Yellow Hair encountered were caused by his own actions.
"However, this trait could also simply be because I have more and more authority over myself, and I might not be affected even if I leave Teyvat."

"Although my purpose in collecting these powers is so that I can easily reclaim them if Teyvat collapses someday."

"But I must say, once I'm able to do that, even transforming a lifeless world would be much easier for me."

The most prominent characteristic of his abilities is his strong independence; if he really didn't want to care about Teyvat, he could have chosen to leave long ago.

But if he had fallen to a different place at the beginning, things might have started differently. However, he clearly wouldn't give up all his efforts and start over halfway.
???

"—Huh? Leaving?? Friend, you must be joking, right?"

"Don't leave me behind, my friend! If all else fails, I'll share a few bottles of the wine I secretly borrowed with you!"

While secretly drinking the wine he had borrowed from the old man, he suddenly overheard something extraordinary.
Wendy froze, unable to imagine what would happen if they were allowed to escape.

"Her functions should be recovering soon, but the aura of her consciousness is slightly different from before. It seems that the battle with my friend just now had a much greater impact on that puppet than we imagined."

"Wendy and I helped to block the aftershocks of the attack. The lightning she initially summoned shouldn't have too much of an impact on the outside world. We just need to check it out a bit."

"Being able to escape the interference of fate is an enviable trait, after all, in many cases, a slight 'coincidence' can completely change the course of events."

As he spoke, his voice trailed off.
Zhong Li's expression froze, as if he had seen something he didn't want to see.

???

It was rare to see such a clear emotional fluctuation on the old man's face.
Somewhat puzzled, Lin Feng expanded his permanent reconnaissance area, then paused again, discovering a ship at sea that appeared to be returning home from Liyue towards Inazuma.
"Ah! What a huge storm! Sister Mizuki, are we too early? Has the lockdown order ended yet?"

"Hey Guoba, come on, step back a little, you're a bit too heavy!"

Southeast of Liyue Harbor, in the open sea between Liyue and Inazuma.

Facing the storm-raged waves ahead, a ship that didn't look very big floated on the ocean.

Two days ago, in order to better exchange culinary skills, Xiangling, as previously agreed, traveled from Liyue to Inazuma with her sister Mizuki.

Just now, she almost advised Mizuki to turn back temporarily because of the dark clouds in Inazuma's direction.

But after a flurry of frantic maneuvers, before they could even change course, everything inexplicably returned to calm.
"Don't worry too much. I've put up a lot of protective measures on this ship. It can withstand even a storm."

"But the lockdown order should have ended already; that thunderstorm just now was..."

With a hint of confusion, Mizuki, dressed in a purple dress, shook the tip of the tail wrapped around her leg and comforted Xiangling beside her.

I'm not unfamiliar with the general's power, but after creating such a large-scale thunderstorm, he quickly withdrew his power. Could it be that the general was simply in a bad mood just now, and has now come to his senses?

She was puzzled about what had happened ahead, but since it was just a false alarm, Mizuki did not plan to return.

"Ah, so it's alright? But the rain has definitely stopped. I've never seen this kind of weather in all my years of traveling."

Looking left and right, I realized that the thunderstorm that had blotted out the sky was like a dream, leaving no trace.
The weather changed so suddenly that Xiangling, who had previously worked as a cook on the Southern Cross fleet for a period of time, was also full of questions.

"Hmm, that makes sense when you think about it."

"If the thunderstorm of the lockdown order were still in effect, Mr. Zhongli probably wouldn't have gone with the Imperial Academy's fleet some time ago."

"I was quite surprised when I heard that, since I had never seen Mr. Zhongli go to such a far place before."

"If we hadn't happened to run into the procession from the Temple of Rebirth returning from outside the city just as we were leaving, our plan to bring our friends might have fallen through."

Looking back towards the cabin, Xiangling was curious about what Hu Tao was doing inside, since she hadn't come out to check on things despite the commotion.

"Hmm, I remember she seemed to be busy with something before boarding the ship, and she said that she would have suffered a huge loss if she hadn't met us."

According to the ritual attendants at the Rebirth Hall, their headmaster seemed to have gone to the Wangshu Inn to meet someone and was delayed for some time before returning.

However, Xiangling remembered that Walnut had brought several pieces of wood with her before boarding the ship, probably to carve something in the cabin. She hoped it wasn't anything strange.
"."

"Oh no! Never mind!"

"I heard that Inazuma even has special food for yokai. I must study it carefully when I get there!"

According to Mizuki, in the beginning, the yokai were actually the most numerous residents of Inazuma, and they even lived with humans for a long time, leading to the saying that "the daytime belongs to humans, and the nighttime belongs to the yokai."

Since many powerful yokai like to hold banquets at night, they actually have cooking methods that are different from those of humans.

From the very beginning, the intention was to explore as many culinary styles as possible among the seven kingdoms, and the methods used by the monsters to prepare food were clearly unique enough.

With a burning desire to explore burning within her, and just like Mizuki, who was worried about the situation of her clan, Xiangling was now only thinking about getting to Inazuma as soon as possible!

On the other side, the outlying island.

"This"

Speechless for a moment, I really didn't expect that even after all this, the old man still couldn't escape this calamity.

Seeing that Master Hu had arrived was one thing, but Lin Feng also noticed that a certain skilled craftsman in the cabin had already made several promotional boards.
"How about I create some trouble over there and force them to turn back first?"

"Next, we just need to have Da Sheng stall Master Hu a little longer. By the time they set off again, Master Hu should be unable to find a way to get to Daoqi."

Looking at the old man in front of him, he tentatively offered a suggestion.
Normally it would be fine, but right now, Lin Feng felt that Master Hu's business promotion in Daoqi would likely not go very smoothly.

"."

"No need." After a brief silence, she finally shook her head, feeling somewhat weary.

Worried that the next time she would see her own master rowing over by himself, Zhongli was quite certain that she had the willpower.

"The medical skills of Bubulu became increasingly superb, and scholars from Guili Plain also frequently went to various places to provide free medical services."

"There are fewer funerals in Liyue now, so the child has more free time."

"That's just the way my master is; he won't give up until he finds something to do."

"There's no need for wind and waves. If you'd like, young friend, you can have the child come sooner."

The festival hasn't started yet, and there aren't many residents on the island. It's much more acceptable for them to come now than to cause trouble at the festival.

Our headmaster may have some differences in thinking from ordinary people, but his original intentions have always been good.

The business of Wangshengtang does not actually require sales.

Her preferential treatment was essentially an attempt to make people face "death" in advance, so that they would not have regrets when the day actually came, and thus be unable to cross the "boundary" and ultimately become wandering ghosts in the world.

One reason she came to Inazuma this time was that after Liyue cooperated with the Instruction School, the coverage of civilian medical care increased significantly, and the Hall of Rebirth was relatively quiet, so the Hall Master could temporarily step down.

Another reason is probably that they heard too many people had died here, and they were worried that the accumulated resentment would breed evil spirits.
“Sigh, few people can stop that child from doing what he wants to do. I had some expectation of that before I set off.”

“Xiao has already delayed long enough. Since things have come to this, we might as well give her more time to get to know Inazuma.”

"Knowing that there is no danger of evil spirits breeding here, the hall master should be much more obedient."

Simply avoiding it isn't a solution, even though after his own boss promoted it so much, he seemed to have gradually come to regard it as a hobby.
But as long as she understands that Inazuma is not in any real crisis, things will be much better than they were at the beginning.
"."

"Bringing them over in advance is indeed one solution."

"I think once you get through the first wave, you should be able to relax a lot more, sir."

Lin Feng was slightly surprised by Zhong Li's line of thinking; he hadn't expected the old man to do the opposite.

I suddenly realized that this probably means minimizing the loss as much as possible when it's unavoidable.
After reviewing Master Hu's actions, he had to admit that the old man really understood Hu Tao.

"It's just a last resort, since that child's personality is just like the previous generation's hall master."

"."

"That's fine, it's never a bad thing to have more time."

"Since you've said so, sir, I'll call two Lanaro and send them over as a small compensation for the aftermath of the previous battle."

Setting aside his slight curiosity about the dream-eating tapir, Lin Feng decided to deal with the immediate matter first.

Even if the original intention is good, the way it is presented is not acceptable to most people.

If you give Master Hu too much time to think about sales plans, it's hard to say what strange things he might come up with with his unconventional thinking.

Worried that things might change if he delayed, he directly contacted the nearest Lanaro and planned to have the little guys help him with a teleportation.

"Hmm, it seems there's no sign of thunderstorms anymore. It must have just been some kind of coincidence."

"Ah, the weather is so nice, I really should go fishing for some fish to make food!"

On the ocean, there are ships that are almost entirely powered by magic.

After observing for a long time, Xiangling realized that there was no need to continue being on guard, so she decided to make a fishing rod on the spot and go fishing for today's lunch.

But before she could get up and go to the cabin to borrow a piece of wood from Walnut,
Looking at Mizuki, who seemed to be in low spirits, Xiangling scratched her head, a hint of concern on her face.

"What's wrong, Sister Ruixi? Are you still worried about your clansmen?"

"Don't worry, since Guest Elder Zhongli is in Daoqi and we've also invited Hu Tao, we shouldn't encounter any problems afterward."

"Ah! How about you tell me what kind of fish you want to eat, Mizuki-nee? I'll try my best to adjust the bait and catch it for you!"

"There are many fishing experts on Sister Beidou's boat. They told me a lot of relevant knowledge, such as using live shrimp to catch giant octopuses and that sea bream love to eat snails and crabs."

"."

"Thank you, I'm fine. It's just that after getting close to Inazuma, I also felt a little uncomfortable, like indigestion after eating too many nightmares, or like uncontrollably falling into a whirlpool."

He blinked, puzzled as to where this feeling came from.

I haven't been having nightmares lately, but the closer I get to Inazuma, the stronger the feeling becomes.
"Could it be that something's wrong with the collective dream?"

"Could it be that some of the invading monsters, like Nightmares, have hidden in the borderlands, or perhaps some excessively powerful monster has left its projection there, causing..."

"—Hmm? What kind of feeling is this?"

As he was speaking, he paused.
For some reason, I suddenly felt better, and several vibrant dreamlike auras appeared around me.
This feeling of being similar to yet different from one's own kind is somewhat familiar.
Following the source of the aura towards the bow of the ship, Mizuki forced herself to focus.

???

"Cabbage? Mushrooms?"

"No, this feeling... this should be the Lanarara of Sumeru."

With an excellent ability to perceive dreams, Mizuki can see these little guys.

Some people didn't understand why they would appear on their ship, after all, this was a race favored by two gods.

But before she could even greet these beings that she could only occasionally see in Sumeru...
Emerald light emanated from one of the leading individuals, enveloping the entire ship.
"The wind and waves are the aftershocks of the 'battle,' and the 'gods of trees and grass' compensate for it."

"The 'fight' is over. We'll help get the 'boat' ashore."

"."

Ruixi:? ? ?
A fight? Who's fighting whom? These little guys are actually sent by the gods?

It seems a deity from Sumeru intervened in Inazuma before. If that's the case, then wouldn't that mean...
Thoughts flashed through my mind, and I was even a little overloaded for a moment because of my surprise.

The information I received so suddenly was completely unexpected.
A flash of light appeared before her eyes, and before she could react, a familiar yet somewhat dilapidated island appeared in front of Mizuki.

(End of this chapter)