People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 578 Heart Sea: It's rare for Goro to be willing to participate in an event, I must go and support him...

The highest point of Inazuma Castle is the castle tower.

As the festival approaches, colorful flags and triple Indian decorations symbolizing the festival adorn this ancient building, adding a touch of vibrancy to its previously solemn atmosphere.

But unlike the expectant state of the public and even the guards, a certain living god priestess in her office on the second floor of the castle tower was unable to relax at all.

As the festival approaches, all work related to the people becomes increasingly important. The chaotic environment not only reflects the people's enthusiasm for the festival but also provides an opportunity for many unscrupulous individuals to take advantage of the situation.

Compared to the other two major branches, the staff of the branch did not suffer significant losses, as they had already relieved much of the pressure on Xin Hai.

But now that she has taken over the position of Kanjō Magistrate, which is almost entirely vacant,

Even ignoring the impending arrival of the Fools, the task of allocating funds and distributing supplies for this grand festival remains a headache.
"."

"Phew, the civil war depleted the national treasury reserves far too much, and many essential supplies are now in short supply."

"Fortunately, the amount of hidden funds discovered earlier was quite large, otherwise..."

It's hard to believe that I'm now somewhat grateful for the corrupt practices that were perpetuated by previous generations.
Upon taking office, Xin Hai was immediately tasked with compiling statistics on supplies. When she first saw the amount, she was initially overwhelmed but at one point felt a surge of gratitude.

But what surprised Xin Hai even more than that was that Ying and Paimon, who had found the treasure, had absolutely no intention of keeping it for themselves.

Even Paimon, who usually enjoys taking advantage of others, didn't seem to hesitate much when submitting the clue.
"According to the report, it seems they didn't even go inside to look, saying they were afraid they wouldn't be able to control themselves if they saw the treasure."

"Even if we stole some, no one would notice, and as the biggest contributor, even if they took it in front of us, we would choose to pretend we didn't see it."

I have the utmost respect for the character of these two travelers.

Faced with this seemingly shining noble character, Xin Hai suddenly understood why they had gained so many followers before.

"Fortunately, the general was not stingy with the rewards he deserved; the distributed assets were even enough to support the operation of a merchant guild."

He stopped flipping through the documents, let out a long breath, and felt most fortunate that Inazuma had such two outstanding outside helpers.
Compared to their exceptional reliability, consider the High Priest, who is often nowhere to be seen when he's busy with work.
Thinking about it,

Unconsciously, Shinkai's gaze fell on a poster in the document featuring the image of Yae no Miko. This was Yaedo's proposal to hold a light novel exchange event. That Master Ji had been quite attentive to such matters before.
"."

"—Oh? Little one, why are you looking at my portrait? Thinking about me?"

"—Let me make this clear beforehand, I didn't skip work. Sigh, Ah Ying won't be so kind as to allow me large blocks of free time."

!!!

His body stiffened, and he turned his head forward as if startled.
They had no idea when the pink-haired figure in front of the door had arrived, and they hadn't heard a single sound.

Quickly pulling his gaze away from the poster, and recalling his earlier inner monologue, he suddenly wondered if the other person could read minds.
"So, you mean you're handling the handover between those two Fools' Enforcers?"

"Just like we said before, the plan is to hand them over to Sumeru?"

They received a document from the other party regarding the transfer of prisoners.

Thinking back to the arrest report that was submitted at the time, Xin Hai was not too surprised by this approach.

"Heh, after all, it wasn't our people who captured them. The large amount of money we seized from the Northern Bank is barely enough to make up for the losses they caused."

“These are two troublesome fellows. Just keeping them locked up will take a lot of effort. At the moment, Inazuma doesn’t seem to have any reason to keep them. Could it be that you have some other ideas, little one?”

He nodded, responding to the question posed by the sea of ​​thoughts before him.
After a slight pause, the divine child also asked a question with an inscrutable expression.

"The shogunate is not the Kyoto Insho, and given Inazuma's current situation, there is no reason for him to continue to deal with the fools."

"Considering that no one except the General can effectively restrain them at present, like Yaeji, I also think that it is a good choice for Inazuma to hand over such a dangerous role as the executor as soon as possible."

Shaking his head, he had no objection. Xin Hai looked up at the Eightfold Divine Child before him and voiced the question that truly concerned him:
"—Aside from the diplomatic request from the Fools' Enforcers to ransom people, it seems you intend to allow some foreign tourists to pass through before and after the festival?"

"Although the lockdown has indeed ended and Inazuma no longer restricts residents from going out, all industries are still struggling to operate. If foreign chambers of commerce seize the market during this period..."

"."

"Don't worry, there are no plans to completely open up the connection and procurement with the Chamber of Commerce at the moment, otherwise the result would probably be no different from when those winter merchants were still around."

"But the Inazuma community needs some new vitality right now. Since A-ying has already abandoned the unchanging 'eternity' of the past, starting with ordinary tourists should be a good first step."

The significance of festivals lies not only in the celebration of one's own people, but also in the opportunity to attract residents from other countries and promote the flow of funds.

As for the technology, it is currently lagging behind.
—The Education Council has already proposed a collaboration with local authorities to promote technological upgrades.

Having completely disrupted its original order, Inazuma, compared to other countries that were unable to reverse their inertia, now has ample opportunity for transformation.

It is not impossible for a latecomer to surpass an earlier one. With the cooperation of both gods, the divine child is certain that Inazuma will complete the transition between the old and the new in a not-too-long time.

"."

"Alright, such attempts should always start slowly, but the first step must be taken with caution, and the detailed regulations need to be carefully considered."

After a brief pause, I also came to understand the many reasons behind this.
The duties of the surveying and investigation team included port management responsibilities. Now that the country was closed off, Xin Hai knew that this was a problem that would have to be faced sooner or later.

"Alright, little one, you can get back to work now. I should probably head back too; I still have a ton of work waiting for my approval."

"Ah Ying has more important things to think about these days. Just leave the documents you need to submit to her with me. We'll have to work overtime a bit more one last time."

With a slight sigh, she knew she needed to give A-Ying enough time to think about Inazuma's whereabouts.

Although Yae no Miko doesn't want to work, there's not much room for her to slack off right now.

Just hold on for a little while longer, until Aying has resolved her health issues.
Forcing himself to stay calm, he turned to leave, but as Yae no Miko reached the door, a voice came from behind him:
"I'd like to ask why Yaegami personally helped Goro ask for leave? What has he been busy with lately?"

"While he certainly deserves a break after fighting on the front lines for so long, why haven't I seen him much lately?"

Having been in charge of commanding soldiers since the beginning of the Sea Prayer Island incident, Xin Hai had no objection to letting Goro take a break to participate in the festival. However, while relaxation was certainly welcome, the fact that the High Priest himself was suggesting a leave always made her feel that something was amiss.
But after all, it was just a holiday to attend a festival, and Xin Hai felt that maybe she was overthinking it.
"."

"Heh, don't worry, the little guy is fine. He was just invited to an event."

"General Goro has helped many people before, are you really worried that I would harm him?"

She responded with an assurance that there would be no danger, and when faced with Shinkai's question, the divine child's expression was flawless.

"You've been invited to an event? No wonder I've noticed that Goro has been acting a little differently lately."

"That's good. He's spent too much time in the military and hasn't had much time to develop his hobbies."

Actually, besides his military strategy, Goro is more skilled at comforting others and communicating with people. Hopefully, he can relax and enjoy this festival.”

He nodded, finally relieved.
Completely surprised that Goro would be willing to participate in the festival activities, Kokoro forgot to ask Goro what event he was invited to, but she felt that no matter how busy she was, she should still make time to show her support.

On the other side, there is a special prison located below the castle tower.

While the entire city of Inazuma is gradually being immersed in the festive atmosphere, this place alone remains eerily cold.

Deep within this special prison, in a space isolated by a dazzling barrier of lightning,

D'Artagnan, who had been imprisoned for some time, was doing push-ups in place while sharing his experiences from his previous imprisonment with the "Eighth Seat," who was being imprisoned for the first time, through his cell:
"I'm telling you, you'd better give up on your escape plan as soon as possible. Haven't you already tried many times?"

“The space in the prison is very limited. I suggest that you use your energy to move around more to prevent your body from rusting.”

My mindset is still relatively peaceful.

Although it was indeed a pity that I couldn't go back to see Tok and Donya, the environment I faced when I first met my master was much worse than that of a prison.

In addition, having had a previous experience of being imprisoned in Liyue, the young master inexplicably felt that he was somewhat adapting to prison life.
"Humph"

He snorted coldly, having absolutely no desire to have anything more to do with that colleague next to him who showed absolutely no sense of responsibility as an executive officer.
Rosalyn listened to the commotion coming from the side and suddenly began to wonder if this guy was enjoying himself.

"."

"Speaking of which, do you think anyone will come to rescue us this time?"

"Although we have many colleagues, you are probably the only one so determined to obtain the Heart of God?"

“Coming here to redeem people is not a risk-free thing. Even if we don’t face that general and the god of Sumeru, the enemy who can knock out both of us at the same time is not easy to deal with.”

"Based on my understanding of most of them, I don't think any of my colleagues would be willing to sacrifice themselves if they were in danger."

He continued to train diligently in preparation for his reunion with his master, and he also looked forward to the day he would be released from prison.

But despite his anticipation, D'Artagnan, who had been subjected to much ridicule and sarcasm since his last arrest, was already prepared for a long period of imprisonment, just thinking about his unique colleagues.

"."

"Being captured is a disgrace to an executor, but compared to the hypocrisy of other gods, only the Queen's lofty ideals are worthy of loyalty."

Even if no one comes, I won't enjoy it as much as you do.

"—But even if our opinions differ, you still got arrested, didn't you? I think in that respect, you and I should be about the same."

!!!

"crunch-"

Before the argument was over, the sound of the door being opened came from the outside.

Even though she knew that D'Artagnan was deliberately provoking her, Rosalind, who was still unable to tolerate it, calmed down temporarily and subconsciously looked at the entrance in the distance.

The meal delivery hadn't arrived yet, and to minimize the risk of human error, this prison, which specifically houses dangerous criminals, had no visitors, not even other inmates.

In this situation, the person arriving at this time is definitely not a regular visitor; they might be...
"."

"Well, the place where they are imprisoned is passable, and it's not for nothing that Lanalo and the others specially helped to seal it."

"While it wouldn't matter if we kept it locked up indefinitely unless someone was willing to act as bait, since we're already here, we might as well take the other one along."

???

I vaguely heard a few words that sounded like a work inspection, but I couldn't see anyone around.

I still don't understand what those strange terms like "fish bait" actually mean.
After a moment of darkness and a slight dizziness, Rosalyn looked around, not knowing what had happened, and suddenly realized that she seemed to have been transferred to another prison.

"."

"Received successfully. Cave heavens are indeed convenient; they're perfect for using as prisons."

"I wonder if someone will ever roll this thing into a ball, fill it with something, and throw it out to fight."

In the dimly lit center of the tunnel, they did not enter the lightning barrier constructed by divine power that stood before them.
Lin Feng stood outside the barrier, completely ignoring the fact that this thing was transferring the imprisoned Tartaglia and Rosalind into the cave.

At this point, things like Mora and technology that can be obtained by exchanging the Executors of the Fools are not crucial to Sumeru.
But one of the young masters, who has already been caught twice, is still useful; perhaps he can be used as bait afterward. The other one could be used to inquire with the Hearth House about whether they need a nanny.
"Tsk, thinking about it, Inazuma's festival is quite lively."

"Including the two I have, three Executors, a host of gods, Kanria's Sword of the End, and that huge group of Abyssal Apostles in the sky..."

Shaking his head, he knew that even with just Kurumi and Wendy present, the festival would likely not be peaceful, not to mention the castle tower seemed poised to reopen its gates.
Without lingering, Lin Feng put away the two portable cells in his hand and turned to leave.

While waiting for Arecino to come and redeem them on their return journey,
Recalling the "Sword of the End of Light" who seemed to be looking for someone recently, he suddenly became curious whether there would be any other strange guests at this festival.

(End of this chapter)