People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 575 Nasita: It's a promise, we'll come here together from now on.
!!!

"Clang-"

?

"What's wrong, Shinji? Why did you even drop the teacup?"

Are you feeling unwell? Would you like me to give you some physical therapy?

"No it's nothing."

"I just suddenly felt a chill all over my body, it's probably just my imagination, Mizuki, please continue."

In the town, next to Fuchigami Sweet Shop, is Akisa Samenju (a type of hot spring bath).

Sitting upright on a brown futon in front of the coffee table, I suddenly had a strange, ominous feeling.

The pink-haired priest looked left and right.
Unable to pinpoint the reason for her sudden chills, the Divine Child ultimately decided not to dwell on it.

"In other words, you can't find the problems that exist in other Dream Eaters."

Although the situation is slowly improving, it will likely take a very long time to return to normal.

"No wonder I didn't see those two adorable little ones today. It's a pity I don't understand dreams very well, so even if I wanted to help, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to."

He looked left and right, and finally sighed.
Actually, the pink-haired fox used to quite like transforming into different forms to come here and soak in the hot springs, and now it feels a little regretful about the current situation.

"If by 'cute' you mean suddenly reaching out and pulling their two tails or scaring them, then I think the absence of other employees might actually be a good thing."

Undeterred by the divine child's performance, and knowing her old friend's character all too well, Yumezuki calmly shook her head.
"Baiyin and Yezi have complained to me a lot since I came back. The tail of the Dream Eater is much more fragile than that of the Fox Spirit. Even if you want to scare them, you should try a different method next time."

There was a hint of helplessness in his tone.
While it's true that a yokai's personality might change after a major upheaval, Mizuki doesn't know why the cute little fox from her childhood has turned into the mischievous creature she is today.

"Tail."

His expression froze awkwardly, and he almost subconsciously turned around to check if he had hidden his tail properly.
Determined not to reveal any clues, the divine child paused, chuckled twice, and then decisively changed the subject:

"—So, your current guess is that there's something wrong with the collective dream of the entire Inazuma community, that is, the 'Frontier'?"

"Yes, that's a reasonable guess. Although Inazuma ultimately won the previous war, the negative emotions accumulated during that time could indeed have piled up in the collective dream."

There is no intention to mention the truth behind it.

Until they get permission from the dessert shop owner, this secret should be kept between Ah Ying and herself.

However, if the problem lies with something like dreams, then perhaps...
The image of the three gods who had come as a group from the dessert shop subconsciously flashed into my mind, but what if I asked them for help?
His movements froze, and he couldn't help but recall the tragic experience from last time.

The image of her with her tail bald and being held in someone's arms was still vivid in her mind, and the goddess felt that it was best not to go there unless absolutely necessary.
"Hmm? Are you really okay? I'm fine, helping you relieve some stress shouldn't be a problem."

Looking at the goddess in front of her with some doubt, Mizuki felt that she was acting a little strange today.

After all, they have lived together for hundreds of years.

Although the atmosphere when they meet is not very harmonious in most cases, their relationship is much better than it seems.

The way the divine child looked at her, often lost in thought, was no different from the dream-eating beasts in her tribe who were constantly having nightmares.
"It's nothing, I was probably just too tired from planning the festival recently. I'll be fine after a short rest."

Quietly change the subject.

The shrine maiden, who had been very busy lately, shook her head. Thinking about the fun that was about to unfold at the festival, her mood improved considerably.
"—Tell me the solutions you've come up with so far. Since you've asked me to come here, I don't think you're just going to do nothing."

She looked up at her old friend across from her, whose purple dress had a touch of waiter style.

She had heard the other party say that this kind of clothing was to reduce the pressure on patients when they were facing her, but Shenzi felt that her own temperament and appearance were already approachable enough.

"It's related to the festival you're presiding over. You should know that if negative emotions like fear and sadness accumulate too much, you can use an equal amount of positive emotions to dispel them."

"The situation of our people is gradually improving. According to my prediction, as long as the festival is held smoothly and we can also find a way to dispel the remaining negative emotions in the hearts of the people, the proportion of nightmares in the border region should decrease significantly."

"Although the simplest and most direct way to solve this problem is to find a deity with authority over dreams to help me, I am just an ordinary monster after all, and I probably won't have the chance to meet those two deities."

I am well aware of the difficulty mortals face in seeking an audience with the gods, and the most mysterious and elusive gods at present are probably those from Mondstadt, Liyue, and Sumeru.

Not to mention the "God of Authority," whose whereabouts are often unknown even to the people of Sumeru, the location of the "God of Wisdom" is also completely random.

It is said that if you don't actively seek out someone, even if they are right beside you, only those you acknowledge will notice.
"Hmm? Divine Child, where are you looking?"

After a pause,
As we were talking, I suddenly noticed that my old friend's expression had become very subtle, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Not knowing where she had gone wrong with her statement, Mizuki looked over with some confusion.

"."

"It's nothing. You're right, it's indeed very rare to see a god with authority over dreams."

A slight silence fell, and I clearly understood what it meant to have something to say but be unable to express it.
He couldn't possibly tell Mizuki the truth without the consent of those others, but this wasn't an ordinary situation; there were actually three gods with dream authority right next door.
"Ruixi, why don't you go to the nearby dessert shop sometime? Eating some dessert might cheer you up."

"But... given your current state, are you sure you still want to apply for that psychological therapy experience booth?"

"While I would probably agree with helping more people resolve their nightmares and alleviate their panic, if you collapse from exhaustion there, I'll have to personally make a trip to pick you up."

Looking up, the divine child could sense that his old friend's current mental state wasn't actually that good.

Setting up an experience booth at a festival is a risky business; it's hard to say whether it could sustain the business.
"This is the only thing I can do. After all, the little ones still call me Sister Ruixi, so I have to at least try a little harder."

"However, you seem to have been much more frank since you came back this time, thank you for your concern."

I feel like something has changed about my old friend in front of me.

After a moment's thought, Mizuki decided to agree to a request that the divine child often made, but which she herself rarely granted in the past:

"In this case."

"—Let's go to the hot springs together. Consider this my way of repaying you. Hmm? What's wrong?"

"."

"Oh, I suddenly remembered I have some work to do, so I'll skip this one."

"Next time, after the festival is over, I'll bring Aying along when I have time."

Ruixi:?
Why aren't they coming? What's going on?
Several visible question marks seemed to appear above her head, and Mizuki even thought she had misheard.

The reason for the refusal seems normal, but it's quite wrong when applied to the goddess.

The other person used to frequently invite her to go to hot springs, and he loved showing off his big, fluffy tail in the hot springs, but today...
He looked at himself, then at the other person.

Filled with doubt and confusion, Rui watched his old friend turn and leave, and suddenly a desire to investigate the truth arose within him.
"Alright, we've done a general tour. Overall, there were quite a few relatively normal activities. If we come again next time, the festival should officially begin."

"The Kyodo News Agency has applied for some activities, and they should be coordinating with the Enforcement Office right now. You can take a look if you're interested."

After wandering aimlessly for a while, Lin Feng led Naxida to a wooden bridge some distance from the castle tower for a temporary rest.

Although it was actually just a regular stroll around, with the most I did buying a few mediocre local snacks along the way,

But unlike these ordinary experiences, Nasita's emotional state was unbelievably good in Lin Feng's perception.

"Is there anything else you'd like to know? We still have plenty of time."

"Or, if you're interested in other parts of Inazuma, we can go explore those together." He leaned his hand against the wooden railing of the bridge.
Lin Feng watched as the cherry blossoms on both banks fell from the trees, drifted into the river, and slowly disappeared into the distant, boundless green mountains.

A gentle breeze blew by, carrying the cherry blossom scent that Lin Feng had grown accustomed to in Inazuma. He ruffled Nasita's hair, who had also leaned closer to him, and inexplicably felt that perhaps continuing like this, aimlessly, wouldn't be so bad.

"."

"I almost forgot, you might not be able to see this perspective."

"How about this if we don't want to use force?"

As I touched it, I realized that the little grass god was shorter than the railings on both sides of the bridge and could not see the scenery in my eyes.

It would be a shame to miss such a beautiful view.
Before Nasida could respond, Lin Feng picked up the little girl and placed her between himself and the railing, letting her feet rest on the protrusions of the railing.

"."

".?"

Caught off guard, she blinked, momentarily stunned.

As her mind finally recovered from its excessive relaxation, Nasita stiffened upon realizing what had happened, and the tips of her ears beneath her white hair flushed slightly.

？ ！！

"—Huh?! Wait a minute!"

"—This is outside, people might walk by, can I borrow a stool from the side?"

It's one thing to avoid using power for the sake of immersion, but quite another to have this undignified solution exposed to the world.

Being patted on the head is one thing, but being hugged in front of someone in public is another.
"Don't worry, just relax."

"It's very remote here. Nobody knows who you are. At most, they'll just think you're a tourist who looks like you have some strange blood."

"Besides, if I'm not mistaken, you should like this peaceful scene before you."

"After all, in this eternal land illuminated by lightning, the Inatsuma people have been watching this scene for a thousand years."

"."

The struggles in front of him gradually weakened.

Looking at the scene before her, a sight that could calm anyone just by gazing at it, Nasita, who had been somewhat flustered, suddenly understood why Lin Feng beside her had suddenly raised her perspective.

"."

"Is this your perspective? Is this feeling... 'eternity'?"

I paused slightly, and inexplicably sensed from the environment before me a will etched into every inch of Inazuma's land.

Cherry blossoms that never fade, flowing water that never stops, tranquil fields, and residents working in the distance.
Gazing at the peaceful and serene Inazuma before me,
Without a word, Nasita suddenly understood why the gods here wanted to preserve everything exactly as it was.

"Yes, the character of a country is closely related to the will of the gods."

"Throughout thousands of years, not only the 'Shadow' of this moment, but also her sister 'True' has walked the path of eternity, and the environment and architecture here have naturally been affected."

"Mondstadt, Liyue, Sumeru, Inazuma."

"You should be able to see that the influence of the gods on the nation is reflected in every aspect. It can be said that the seven nations on Teyvat are a manifestation of the will of the gods."

"Therefore, I think that when traveling to other countries, the underlying essence is naturally an important part of the journey, rather than just the scenery."

"."

Lin Feng also loved the beautiful scenery before him, which seemed to last forever. Compared to those magnificent and spectacular wonders, he actually found it easier to relax in such a view.

The idea that eternity is not entirely without merit exists in everyone's mind.

The more you care about something, the more you want to keep it forever, whether it's a person, an event, or an object.

Just like her obsession with repairing Teyvat, Narcida and the Tree King always carry a commemorative camera with them when they go out.
"But eternity is probably unattainable. The scene before us will always disappear, just like the most beautiful festival will eventually come to an end."

Nasita recalled the predicament faced by the god of thunder, her tone tinged with regret.

"Perhaps, but it's more about making choices."

Lin Feng nodded and casually patted Nasita's head:
"—Inazuma previously wanted to preserve everything, which is not impossible, but it would require a sufficiently powerful force and an absolutely enclosed space."

"Then, when Shadow realized that she couldn't do all of this on her own, she made a choice: what she wanted to preserve became her people themselves."

He paused briefly, then took out the phonograph camera that Nasita had given him and snapped a picture of the scene before him.
Lin Feng handed the phonograph to Nasita and said comfortingly:

"I know that's not what you want to hear. You're just lamenting that the beautiful scenery before you will eventually disappear."

"But there's no need to feel sorry about it. You see, we still have many ways to record it."

“Scenes may change and crumble over time, but memories do not fade.”

"It's like how, although the festival will eventually come to an end, we can always rush to the next festival."

From the very beginning, I knew that I had much more options and room for maneuver than Ying.

Not forgetting his initial purpose for coming here, Lin Feng ruffled the little one's hair, not intending to let Nasida's trip end in regret:
"—Cheer up. I was just showing you the true nature of this country, not asking you to feel sorry for it too."

"Perhaps a country's festival only happens once a year, but we don't only have to come here once a year."

"The Geo Archon of Liyue has lived for over six thousand years, witnessing the rise and fall of countless nations."

"We still have a long time ahead of us, and there are no restrictions on the countries and regions of the world we can visit."

"If you're willing, a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times."

"As long as you want, there will always be endless festivals waiting for you."

Sometimes I'm not used to this time span that's almost like heaven and earth for ordinary people, but objectively speaking, the little guy will spend more time at festivals than an ordinary person's entire life.

I've only been here a short time, and I have no idea what the future holds.

I wonder what level I'll reach in a thousand or ten thousand years, and whether I'll be able to leave childhood behind.

But in any case, Lin Feng was certain that he could at least give those around him ample choice.

"."

"Okay, it's a date then. Let's come here together again next year."

She paused for a moment, then revealed a smile even brighter than before.

Having discerned the hidden meaning in his sage's words, he no longer worried about what had yet to happen.

Looking down at his own height, which required someone to hold him up to get over the fence, he realized...

Nasida pursed her lips, suddenly wondering if they would remember the feelings they had when they made this promise when they stood here again thousands of years later.

(End of this chapter)