Jiang Ning didn't attend the trial of Kujou Takayuki and others, as there were more important matters at hand.
That matter was going to the Grand Narukami Shrine to find Lumine.
Originally, Jiang Ning had planned to take his time getting there.
However, he had overlooked one thing: he was now the consort of Narukami. Once this news was published, all of Inazuma was thrown into upheaval.
"So there are two Narukami now?"
And then just as the first Narukami returned, both sisters were to be married?
And to the next Geo Archon of Liyue, no less?
This string of news left people bewildered.
However, what followed was curiosity about this successor to the Geo Archon.
What kind of divine being could attract their nation's deity?
Divine beings, sisters, and both of unparalleled beauty - truthfully, it made people incredibly envious.
Then, everyone learned of Jiang Ning's appearance.
This was also announced by Raiden Makoto.
After all, he would be family soon. How could it be right for the people of Inazuma not to know what their future male sovereign looked like?
When the people of Inazuma learned what Jiang Ning looked like, they fell silent.
How to put it... The timid ones could only offer blessings to their two deities.
The bolder ones were distraught - how had Inazuma come to this? They didn't even have enough food, and now they were involved in this?
However, most people envied their deities. Damn it, this divine consort was just too adorable.
As a result, Jiang Ning found himself surrounded by onlookers on the street.
Some particularly devout followers of the Raiden Shogun even knelt before him.
Although Jiang Ning was used to such treatment in Liyue, it still made him uncomfortable.
"Damn it, no kneeling! Even the Geo Archon has abdicated, what's worth kneeling for? Stand up!"
"I'm here in Inazuma for three things: to clean house, to clean house, and damn it, to clean house!"
The surrounding crowd praised his wisdom, and under the Tenryou Commission's guidance, they eventually dispersed.
Arriving at the Grand Narukami Shrine, several young shrine maidens stood nervously. During Jiang Ning's last visit, they hadn't known about his prestigious status.
Now that he had returned... oh no, he had become their superior.
"Where's the Guuji?"
"Lady Guuji is at the Sacred Sakura tree..."
"Alright, I'll go there myself. You can return to your duties."
"Yes, General... um, my lady."
The shrine maiden struggled to say the title.
"General's lady? Who? Me?"
Jiang Ning's smile froze as he pointed at himself in disbelief.
The shrine maiden said, "Lady Guuji told us to address you this way..."
Jiang Ning gritted his teeth. Very well, you crafty fox.
"Just call me Jiang Ning from now on... not General's lady!"
"Yes..." The shrine maiden felt exhausted.
Why did the important people have to tease lower-ranking servants like them with these titles...
Jiang Ning stormed off toward the Sacred Sakura tree, ready to settle accounts with Yae Miko, only to find Raiden Makoto with closed eyes and Raiden Ei beside her.
"What's happening... I seem to sense traces of time."
Jiang Ning frowned as he approached the two women.
Yae Miko explained from the side, "Sister Makoto is helping Ei plant the Sacred Sakura tree... The Sacred Sakura contains a fragment of the authority of Istaroth, the God of Time."
"Right now, they're working to plant this Sacred Sakura tree five hundred years in the past... it should be done soon."
Jiang Ning muttered, "Why do I feel like I've fallen behind on updates after just one morning apart..."
"A lot can happen in one morning..."
Raiden Makoto's voice rang out as both of them opened their eyes.
Jiang Ning remained noncommittal: "How did it go? Was this morning's trial successful?"
Raiden Makoto sighed, "Well, it went fine. The main perpetrators have been brought to justice, though it's a shame about Kujou Kamanji, the second son of the Kujou family, and Hiiragi Chisato, the eldest daughter of the Hiiragi family. They were both very promising talents."
"Don't say that. At least without their family constraints, they can become commoners and find love as they wish," Yae Miko smiled.
Raiden Ei remained silent, not quite understanding these matters.
"I haven't settled accounts with you yet. Why did you tell the shrine maidens to call me General's lady?" Jiang Ning glared at Yae Miko.
"Oh my, isn't it a nice title?" Yae Miko giggled.
Raiden Makoto watched the mischievous Yae Miko and shook her head helplessly. How did this little fox end up so troublesome...
Jiang Ning suddenly smiled and said to Raiden Ei, "Ei, you don't mind if I use lightning to strike your familiar, do you?"
Raiden Ei calmly replied, "It's fine... she won't die anyway."
Yae Miko's expression immediately changed, and she fled. The next moment, thunder struck from clear skies, causing Yae Miko's hair to stand on end.
"You horrible couple, truly birds of a feather... How can you both resort to lightning strikes at the drop of a hat!"
As soon as she finished speaking, lightning flashed in Raiden Ei's eyes, and several more bolts struck down, determined to teach Yae Miko about the consequences of loose talk.
As Yae Miko jumped around dodging lightning, Raiden Makoto smiled happily: "Truly... a peaceful day."
"No more, no more! Let's talk business!"
Yae Miko, looking disheveled, quickly said.
"Alright, speak."
Jiang Ning and Raiden Ei finally withdrew their divine powers.
Yae Miko caught her breath: "Wait, let me change clothes first... and wake up Lumine..."
After Yae Miko temporarily left, Raiden Makoto said:
"That girl Lumine has really worked hard these past few days, helping to suppress the Tatarigami and with the Grand Narukami Shrine's purification... She hasn't had a good rest in days."
Jiang Ning said, "Ah, no wonder. I noticed the Tatarigami in Inazuma seems to have decreased significantly, but the shrine purification... what a shame."
If Jiang Ning had known earlier, he wouldn't have gone to watch the excitement. He had thought there was only one Tatarigami sealed in the furnace core.
But there turned out to be many more, all sealed beneath the Sacred Sakura tree.
These things were all excellent supplements.
Perhaps after absorbing them, Guizhong could awaken immediately.
Raiden Makoto said, "There are still quite a few Tatarigami... Although it's nothing to be proud of, it should be enough to revive Havria."
Raiden Makoto knew about Havria's situation, and since she had cut in line, so to speak, she felt she should express her position.
"We're all family now, no need for such formality... But if there really is a place where Tatarigami gathers, that would be wonderful."
Jiang Ning said.
"Speaking of Tatarigami gathering places, there is one location - Orobashi's place of death. There are many Tatarigami there, and they automatically generate. We can make use of his remains later, though the crystallized marrow is becoming increasingly scarce."
Yae Miko walked back slowly, with a sleepy-looking Lumine following behind.
Lumine stumbled straight into Jiang Ning's embrace:
"Jiang Ning... I'm so tired..."
Jiang Ning patted Lumine's head like he was petting a golden retriever, comforting her:
"Later I'll go with you, and you can just watch. Think of it as a field trip."
Lumine perked up a bit, though still mostly exhausted: "It's a promise then..."
Jiang Ning said, "Yes, it's a promise."
Lumine suddenly sat up, as if remembering something: "Oh right, there's someone I want to introduce to you all. She says her name is Hanachirusato... but Guuji and I met her secretly, and Guuji says she's a memory collective of Kazari, born from the Tatarigami."
Miko chimed in: "Yes, I've confirmed it. That person, now..."
She sighed.
The once-renowned Kazari, the first Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, who had captured countless hearts.
Now, due to being born from impurity and infected by Tatarigami, her appearance had become quite unsightly, forcing her to wear a mask when meeting people.
Moreover... she had been waiting for someone to help with the shrine's purification, even though the price would be her complete disappearance.
After all, being born from impurity, her fate after the purification was obvious.
"Kazari?!"
Raiden Ei jumped up in surprise, then understood the connection, becoming anxiously restless.
"Sister, isn't there any way to save Kazari..."
Before Raiden Makoto, Raiden Ei always behaved like a child.
Raiden Makoto sighed: "I have no way... but Jiang Ning, do you perhaps have a solution?"
Jiang Ning pondered for a moment: "I can try, but without seeing her in person, I can't make a judgment."
"Then let's go now."
Saying this, Raiden Ei was about to drag Jiang Ning away.
However, she froze before taking a step.
"I say, when will you ever change that impetuous nature of yours, my divine lady?"
Yae Miko rubbed her temples helplessly.
"Only Lumine, Paimon, and I know the location. We're not rushing, so why are you?"
"But isn't Kazari's condition critical?" Raiden Ei said.
Yae Miko said, "It's not that bad. As long as the impurity isn't completely purified, Kazari can exist for another day... Let's wait until tonight. Hanachirusato, or rather Kazari, prefers to move at night to avoid attention."
"I understand..."
Raiden Ei could only give up.
Jiang Ning said, "Then, if we're dealing with Kazari's situation tonight, what about the body creation..."
Raiden Makoto said, "It's fine, a slight delay won't matter. What about you, Havria?"
Havria said, "It's alright, a few more days won't make a difference. Priority should be given to urgent matters."
Compared to their stable situation, the unstable one was more pressing.
"Then it's settled. Traveler, you all rest well this afternoon, and we'll go together tonight," Yae Miko clapped her hands and said.
...
Night fell quickly, and Lumine and Paimon had rested well, just waiting for the evening departure.
To prevent Raiden Ei from frightening anyone, only Yae Miko and Jiang Ning went with Lumine and Paimon.
"Konda Village? Here?"
Jiang Ning looked around. Although subsidy policies had begun, the sense of decay and decline couldn't be changed immediately.
"Follow me."
Yae Miko wasn't in the mood to continue talking, simply leading everyone along.
Soon, they arrived at an abandoned house where a woman in red and white shrine maiden attire, wearing a fox mask, stood.
"Traveler, you've come... and Lady Guuji, you're here too."
Seeing Kazari, who clearly knew who she was but dared not acknowledge their connection, Yae Miko's nose stung with emotion, and she couldn't bear to stay.
Hurriedly leaving with the words: "I'll leave the rest to you."
Then she departed.
Lumine looked at Jiang Ning: "Jiang Ning, is there a way?"
Jiang Ning said, "Wait a moment..."
"System, can we solve this?"
He silently asked the system, because in his perception, the shrine maiden before him was entirely composed of impurity.
The system said: [Yes, this counts as a negative status. You just need to absorb it, but be careful, as it might purify Kazari's memory collective along with it.]
[The safest method would be to use Liyue's adeptal arts to make her your shikigami. This way, you'd also save on materials. The downside is that she can only be where you are, with a maximum separation time of one week. Beyond that, she'll automatically lose consciousness and return to your mental sea, waiting to be summoned.]
Jiang Ning nodded: "I see..."
Lumine watched Jiang Ning staring at Hanachirusato, nodding and shaking his head, growing anxious: "Can you fix it?"
Jiang Ning said, "It's possible... but let's get Guuji back in here. Really, she has no patience at all, how could she just leave..."
Miko quickly returned, looking hopefully at Jiang Ning: "Tell us."
Jiang Ning explained the two methods, and Yae Miko decisively said:
"Obviously the second one!"
Jiang Ning was already considered family now, and with the Teapot, distance wouldn't be an issue.
Most importantly, they absolutely couldn't risk anything now.
But Hanachirusato said from the side: "There's no need for such trouble. I'm already dead... I should be purified along with the impurity."
Yae Miko immediately bristled: "Shut up! You don't get a say! Makoto is already back, and you, Kazari, aren't going anywhere!"
"But I'm not Kazari, I'm Hanachirusato..."
Yae Miko snorted: "That might fool little Lumine, but how well do I know you? You can't fool me! Don't make excuses, you know it yourself - Kazari is Hanachirusato, and Hanachirusato is Kazari... It's decided then, you'll be Jiang Ning's shikigami from now on!"
As they say, even a cornered rabbit will bite, let alone a fox.
Yae Miko looked at Jiang Ning with mischief in her eyes:
"This one is in your hands now... Once she's fully recovered, I'll settle accounts with her."
Jiang Ning nodded: "Leave it to me..."
The two conspired together, leaving only Hanachirusato shivering in fear.
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