Yes, Lady Funina!

Before coming to Inazuma, Hotaru had actually returned to Mondstadt and met her brother there.

However, this reunion was far too short; they only exchanged a few words before losing contact once again.

However, Ying did not come away empty-handed; at least she learned that the Abyss seemed to have some connection with her brother.

The reason for continuing the journey is twofold: firstly, to see her brother again, and secondly, to find out what happened during the years she was asleep, and why her brother was standing on the side of the Abyss.

Paimon noticed Ying's low spirits and realized he might have said something wrong. He quickly tried to make amends, saying, "Sorry, sorry, that's not what I meant. I meant that if Richard knew about your brother, we wouldn't be so confused right now."

"Don't worry, I'll be there for you no matter what. Paimon will always be Ying's best friend!"

"Thank you." Ying indicated that she was fine, and that she had just been overthinking things.

No matter what, as long as she keeps going, everything will become clear, and she will eventually be reunited with her brother.

The Otsuki clan, leading Paimon and Ying, stopped in front of the main hall of the General's Mansion, knocked twice, and then the door was opened.

"General, the two guests have been brought in."

"You've worked hard, you can go now."

"Yes!"

Upon hearing the words "You've worked hard," the soldiers of Otsuki were visibly excited, as if they hadn't expected their general to be so kind.

I have a feeling... the general has changed a lot. Although he is still dignified, he seems to be more humane.

"You've arrived?" Richard spoke first, and seeing the two still standing there, looking like they didn't know what to do, he pointed to the two empty seats.

Please take a seat.

“Oh, okay.” Paimon readily agreed.

After taking his seat, Paimon's eyes lit up when he saw the snacks with Inazuma characteristics laid out in front of him.

After all, there was hardly anything good to eat along the way from Liyue to Inazuma. They hadn't even had a chance to sample Inazuma's cuisine after disembarking. Under Thomas's arrangement, they arrived at Inazuma Castle after a long and tiring journey. When they met Lynette, Paimon and Luminous only ate a few bites of dry rations before hurriedly following Lynette to the General's Mansion.

This was the first time Paimon had sat on a soft cushion and tasted delicious food since he set foot on the land of Inazuma.

Because all of this was so hard-won, Paimon felt a strange sense of emotion.

Of course, the necessary etiquette is still required, especially since there are not only acquaintances present, but also the deity of Inazuma.

“It’s been a long time, Richard. Uh, thank you for the introduction…” Paimon said very politely.

“No need to be so polite. When you’re traveling, it’s natural to lend a hand to your friends. It’s just a small favor,” Richard said. “Besides, even without my introduction, I believe that with Ying’s abilities, she will eventually achieve her goal.”

"That's true, but I still want to thank you for saving us so much trouble. After all, Thomas said that the general of Inazuma is quite difficult to meet." Paimon said, looking at the other two women present, both of whom had outstanding appearances and temperaments.

One of them stood very close to Richard, almost touching him; just by looking at them, you could tell their relationship was more than just casual.

"Um... I wonder which of you two is the Thunder General?" Paimon asked cautiously.

"Little fellow, you didn't even greet me when you saw me, but instead kept talking to my husband. Don't you think you're taking me too seriously?" Yae no Miko spoke up at the right moment, and at the same time, a look of anger appeared on her face.

Little Paimon was even more stunned when he heard Yae no Miko's words. Husband? General? He doesn't respect me at all?

These few words instantly overheated Paimon's brain CPU. What happened?

How did Richard become someone else's husband? And was the woman dressed as a witch the real Thor? She thought the one dressed as a warrior was the Thunder General.

So, when Richard was pulled into the alternate dimension, did he not subdue General Thunder by beating him, but by sleeping with him?

That's how it was solved! That's outrageous!

"I'm so sorry, General, I didn't mean to," Paimon quickly waved his hand and apologized.

"Pfft." When Yae no Miko saw Paimon's silly look, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Paimon:?

Amid Paimon's puzzled gaze, Yae no Miko's smile remained unchanged as she spoke to Shadow across Richard, "It seems I resemble the General more than you, Shadow."

“Divine Child, don’t tease the guest. It’s very impolite.” Shadow scolded Yae Divine Child, then apologized to Paimon, “I’m sorry, she is Yae Divine Child, the priestess of Narukami Shrine. As for the Thunder General you mentioned, she is currently under repair.”

“However, you’re not looking for the Thunder General, but rather Narukami of Inazuma, right? My name is Kage, and I am the Narukami you’re looking for,” Kage said.

"Thunder General, Shadow, Yae no Miko, Shrine Master?" Paimon was almost dizzy from all these terms. "N-excuse me, could you say it again? I...I might not have heard you clearly just now."

"Hello." Ying had figured out the connections between the characters, although she still didn't quite understand what Ying meant by 'General Thunder is under repair'.

But all she needed to know was that the gentle, purple-haired older sister in front of her was the Inazuma Narukami she was looking for.

As for the priest of Narukami Shrine, Ying had actually heard of him. He was quite famous in Inazuma, and Toma spoke of him with great respect.

Although the actual shrine chieftain I saw today was somewhat different from the solemn and mysterious image I had imagined, it still matched the general description.

The only thing that bothered Ying was that the other person referred to Richard as her husband...

Does this mean Richard is already married in Inazuma?

If that's the case, why did Richard take a position in Fontaine?

In a fleeting moment, Ying's mind flashed through a family drama with millions of words of content.

Of course, that's not the point. More than Richard's family drama, Ying wants to know if the Narukami-sama in front of her knows anything about her brother.

“I am aware of your purpose in coming, but I’m sorry, I have no information regarding your brother,” Ying said directly without keeping him in suspense.

"I see..." Ying's eyes darkened. In fact, she had already guessed it, but she still held a glimmer of hope. Therefore, when she heard Ying say that she didn't know, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

“Because I have been in seclusion, I may not know as much about worldly affairs as the Divine Child. Do you know anything about the Divine Child’s brother?” Shadow looked at the Divine Child.

Yae no Miko was also helpless in this matter, saying that she was not very clear about it either. At least in the last five hundred years, she was certain that the other party had never been to Inazuma, or perhaps had been to Inazuma but had never had any contact with her.

Richard also spoke up, "Besides the description of his appearance, is there any other specific information about your brother? For example, what he has done, what his personality is like, his social circle..."

"Well... actually, I had already met my brother once before I came to Inazuma," Ying said after a moment's hesitation.

"Have you already met him?" Richard didn't ask. If she had already met him, why was Ying still searching for her brother?

Clearly, although Ying had met her brother before, they were unable to reunite for various reasons, which is why he continued her journey.

“Yes, my brother… might be connected to the Abyss Cult.” As Ying said this, she was actually feeling uneasy.

After all, on the continent of Teyvat, only the Abyss Order can be considered a true public enemy of all nations. Regardless of what happens in private, all nations openly harbor hostility towards the Abyss Order.

In the seven kingdoms of Teyvat, there is no doubt that the Abyss Order is an even more despised organization than the Fools.

"The Abyss Order..." Richard pondered. He had long expected that Ying's brother would not be so simple, but he did not expect him to be this complicated.

Therefore, the 'Prince' of the Abyss Order must be the brother of the girl in front of us.

Not much was actually known about that 'Prince Richard', except that there was such a person in the Abyss Order, and he didn't know any more specific information.

Shadow was clearly sensitive to the word 'Abyss' in the Abyss Order. She glanced at Richard without making a sound, and after seeing Richard shake his head slightly, she said nothing more.

“I’ll keep an eye out for you. Perhaps… my aunt knows something about the Abyss Order,” Richard replied.

“Your aunt? You mean Cleo’s mother, Ms. Alice?” Paimon asked.

If it were the renowned Teyvat adventurer, Ms. Iris, she might indeed know information about the Abyss Order, to which Luminous belongs.

"Yes."

Everyone present knew about Richard's relationship with Alice, especially Yae no Miko and Kage, both of whom had dealt with Alice before.

Previously, they were basically on equal footing with Alice, but the future... well, that's hard to say.

"Thank you for your trouble." Ying knew just how powerful that Ms. Alice was; like Richard, she had connections with many gods.

Take Zhongli for example. She had heard Zhongli mention this lady's name before. Now that the lady is guarding the border of Teyvat, she is indeed likely to know more about such an important person.

"Although I couldn't answer your question, since you're here and Richard's friend, let me do my best to be a good host and treat you both well." As Shadow spoke, he had someone bring out some more desserts, and then said to Paimon and Ying, "Please enjoy yourselves, don't be shy."

"Actually, you wanted to eat it yourself, didn't you?" Yae no Miko leaned close to Kage and said in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Ying didn't reply, but instead used chopsticks to pick up the fried tofu snack that was specially prepared for Yae no Miko, and then used it to forcefully seal Yae no Miko's cherry-like mouth.

"Well……"

With the help of desserts and tea, Yinghe Paimeng gradually became familiar with the people present.

Paimon, in particular, asked a lot of questions about the recent situation in Inazuma, and what the relationship was between Yae no Miko and Richard, driven by curiosity.

To this, Yae no Miko replied, "We are husband and wife."

"G?!?" Ying and Paimon both widened their eyes in unison. So it wasn't a joke after all.

"Is that so?" Having been tricked before, Paimon decided to ask Richard, the person involved, directly.

Richard glanced at Yae no Miko and found that the other party was looking at him with a look that said, "If you dare to say no, I'll cry."

Although Richard knew that even if he answered no, Yae no Miko wouldn't actually cry in the end, to avoid unnecessary trouble, he hesitated for a moment and chose to remain silent instead of denying or admitting it.

—That's considered an admission.

When Yae no Miko saw that Richard did not directly deny it, her smile widened, and she also gave the cat a smug look with her fox-like eyes.

Lynette, on the other hand, had been quietly sipping her tea from the beginning, ignoring the fox's provocations and pretending not to see them.

Seeing that Lynette didn't react, Yae no Miko then said to Paimon, "Why don't you try to guess what Richard's relationship with Shadow is?"

"What kind of relationship do you have? Friends?" Paimon thought it couldn't possibly be a couple, could it?

After all, that's a god, G. A god wouldn't possibly steal a man from his own kin, would he?

“Unfortunately, I guessed wrong. What do you think, Ying?” Yae no Miko looked at Ying, who was standing next to Paimon.

"They should also be 'husband and wife', right?" Ying blurted out an outrageous answer without thinking much about it.

"How could that be!" Paimon felt that Ying was being too perfunctory and somewhat offensive, considering that the person in question was still right there.

What if we anger someone on their turf and they refuse to give us unlimited refills of desserts?

However, to Paimon's surprise, Yae no Miko looked at Ying with a look of astonishment, gently covering her red lips with her jade hand, and said with a smile, "Eh? You actually got it right."

"See, I told you... Wait! What does 'answered correctly' mean?" Paimon was shocked, his eyes darting back and forth between Shadow, Richard, and Yae no Kamiko.

Is your entertainment industry... really that chaotic?

Also, does the law in Inazuma allow polygamy?

Yae no Miko seemed to see through Paimon's thoughts. She smiled and said, "Kage is Inazuma's god. When have the laws used to restrain ordinary people been able to restrain gods?"

"Given Ying's doting on Richard, let alone the fact that I married Richard along with her, what harm would it do if Lynette were added to the mix?"

PS: There's one more chapter in 4K.

Volume 1: Chapter 146 The Heart of God Between the Ravines (4K)

Is that so?

Paimon felt that she understood the world less and less. She had a lot to say about Yae no Miko's explosive remarks, but she didn't know how to say them.

At the same time, the way she looked at Richard was obviously a little strange. Although Paimon had felt from the beginning that Richard was too lucky with women, she couldn't help but be amazed when the facts were laid out in front of her.

You must know that the other party is the God of Thunder, Inazuma, who possesses the most supreme and noble status and holds great power over the world.

To Paimon, it was something very difficult to understand that someone like that would be willing to share a man with another woman.

Sometimes Paimon even wondered if Richard had bewitched the Shadows.

Moreover, besides the shadow, there is also a god who secretly loves him, so is Richard some kind of succubus?

The kind that targets God.

Paimon didn't understand, but he was deeply shocked.

However, Paimon may not understand, but he respects everyone's choice. Moreover, Paimon is not really familiar with either Yae no Miko or Lynette, since they have only met once.

But Paimon had a pretty good impression of Shadow, thanks in part to the desserts Shadow provided.

Q: How can I quickly increase Paimon's favorability?

A: Give her something delicious.

On the other side, after hearing Yae no Miko's words, Linette's bright purple eyes flickered; she was unsure what Yae no Miko meant by those words.

Is the other party implying something?

For example, the possibility of peaceful coexistence?

Lynette wasn't sure, but she was certain that she had no intention of betraying the Fontaine Trio at the moment.

As for Shadow, after hearing Yae no Miko's words, aside from his cheeks getting a little hot, he, like Richard, neither denied nor admitted it, remaining in a state of tacit agreement.

Following Yae no Miko's inspiring speech, a brief silence fell over the hall.