The Lost People of Teyvat

Chapter 279: War and Peace

Coral Palace,
Ying and Paimon walked into the political power center of Haigi Island and met the present-day divine priestess, Coral Palace Xinhai, who had been mentioned many times by Yae Shinko.

Perhaps influenced by Chen Tianfeng, the moment Ying saw Miss Miko, she naturally looked into her eyes. Gradually turning pink, her eyes were soft and peaceful, seemingly weak and harmless, like a beautiful fish swimming in the ocean. But if you look closely, you will notice the depth beneath this softness and peace.

But this is normal. Anyone who regards the Coral Palace Heart Sea as a harmless ornamental fish will fall into the trap of Miss Miko at some point, lose their weapons and suffer heavy losses.

Even though the Inazuma shogunate was corrupt and the three magistrates had their own calculations and were pulling each other's legs, the Inazuma shogunate was still several times larger than the Coral Palace on Umijima. In this situation, she was able to lead Umijima to a "balanced" situation with the shogunate, which was enough to show that this modern-day miko was not an easy character to deal with.

Ying smiled and nodded to Coral Palace Xinhai, looking up, noticing the pair of purple-blue "fins" on the witch's long pink hair, and couldn't help but think of a certain Liyue girl.

I wonder if her pair of "fins" could also be "hair accessories"... Ying guessed, feeling a little curious.

Under Ying's gaze, Shanhu Gong Xinhai felt inexplicably uncomfortable, as if these golden eyes could see through obstacles. No matter how many disguises he made, real or fake, it was useless. In her eyes, he was naked and had no secrets.

What a strange feeling... Coral Palace Xinhai muttered a few words in his heart, but did not show it on the surface. After some polite but ineffective greetings, everyone took their seats and started to get down to business.

Pingchuan looked around and confirmed that all the outsiders had left. After confirming that only the six people present knew what happened today, he took a breath and slowly said, "Master Coral Palace, we have received a very important news in Inazuma City. The god of the people of Coral Palace, our Kaigi Daimikami, may be resurrected!"

He looked quite serious, but he found that the expressions of Shanhugong Xinhai and Wulang were not as shocked or excited as he thought, but rather strangely calm. Especially Wulang, he looked as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Pingchuan thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, and emphasized: "It's not the rumor that Inazuma spread a while ago, but real secret information!"

Without waiting for Coral Palace Xinhai and Goro to answer, he told them everything that he and the other secret agents had experienced, including the news that they had obtained with great difficulty.

The demon god Oropus, the great god of the sea of ​​the sea island, does have hope of resurrection.

Thousands of years ago, Orobasi was killed by Ming Shen and died on Yagyu Island. But what the world does not know is that Orobasi still has a part of his consciousness, attached to a certain divine body. For the demon god, having a fragment of consciousness means having a chance to be resurrected.

As long as Kaigi Island retrieves the divine bones and holds a festival to provide the divine bones with the power of faith, Kaigi Daimikoto can return to protect Kaigi Island and the people of the Coral Palace!
Today, this divine corpse with residual consciousness is hidden in the secret realm of the Serpent God's Head, waiting for the people of the Coral Palace.

"Contrary to rumors, what the Yae Palace Master brought back from overseas was not the real God's Remains, but a replica of the God's Remains that took a hundred years to create. Its only purpose was to find the location of the real God's Remains. In the eyes of the Yae Palace Master, the real reason for the war between the Shogunate and the Coral Palace is that the God of our Kaigi Island has not really died yet."

"So, she has been preparing carefully for a hundred years, just to completely wipe out the vitality of Kaigi Daigodami! In the past hundred years, it is very likely that not only replicas of the god's bones were created, but also something that can truly erase the god's consciousness."

"Master Coral Palace, although we are disguised, the Yae Palace Master may see through our deception at any time and realize that the plan has been leaked. At that time, the shogunate will definitely take action in advance and try to destroy the divine remains. Master Coral Palace, we must get ahead of them and bring the divine remains of Kaigi Daimikoto back to Kaigi Island. We must not let the shogunate succeed!"

Pingchuan spoke earnestly and with a serious expression, he resolutely raised his hand and swore: "The Great God of the Sea, I, Pingchuan, a citizen of the Coral Palace, swear here: what I just said is all my personal experience, and there is no falsehood. If I break this, let my flesh and blood be turned into holy soil and become coral!"

Hisata was shocked by the news that Hirakawa said. He was in a daze, and when he heard Hirakawa's oath, he was frightened. His lips moved but he didn't say anything.

There was no other reason. Among the six people present, he was the only one who was there to listen and had no right to speak.

"Uncle Pingchuan!"

Wu Lang was also startled and said quickly: "We will definitely not doubt you. This oath is too heavy, take it back!"

"There is no reason to take back a vow once it has been made. Although I am not from Liyue, and I did not swear to the God of Rock, so there is no need to say "those who break their promises shall be punished by eating rocks", but I also understand that vows cannot be changed or violated lightly."

Pingchuan shook his head with a determined expression. He looked at the heart of the Coral Palace and said in a deep voice: "Master Coral Palace, the Sea Island is in trouble now. Only by reviving the Great God of Sea can we survive."

In Teyvat, there are countries without the protection of gods. If nothing happens, it will be fine. But once they are swept by a storm, these godless countries will soon be torn to pieces.

Coral Palace Xinhai naturally understood this truth. She rubbed her eyebrows and was reluctant to make a decision.

The Umi Island is blocked by a thunderstorm and is about to be destroyed by the wrath of the Narukami. At this time, a method to revive the Umi Omikami suddenly appears, along with a traveler who can lead people through the thunderstorm... How can this not make people suspicious?
Everything was so coincidental, just like a person who fell off a cliff and was trembling on a fragile branch, not daring to move at all, and suddenly a seemingly solid and reliable vine appeared in front of him.

No one knows what the outcome will be if you grab the vines and climb up.

Maybe the vines were not as strong as they looked, and they broke before they climbed halfway, causing people to fall completely into the abyss; maybe the vines were released intentionally, waiting for Kaigi Island to climb up and fall into a trap that had been set for a long time; maybe there was nothing wrong with the vines, but when Kaigi Island climbed up the cliff with all its strength, who could be sure that thunder would not suddenly strike from the sky and smash Kaigi Island, the vines, and the cliff to pieces?
Coral Palace Xinhai clenched his hands silently, looked up at Ying, and seeing her smile and nod, he responded with the same smile, but sighed again in his heart.

But apart from this vine that suddenly appeared, the only thing left for the Coral Palace on Haigi Island was to wait for death in silence.

There is no choice for Haigi Island.

"I……"

Just as Shanhu Gong Xinhai was about to speak, there was a sudden noise outside. She raised her eyebrows slightly and winked at Wu Lang.

Goro nodded, stood up and pushed the door open. Although his expression could not be seen from his back, from the expression of his tail, one could guess how serious the dog general's expression was at the moment.

Not long after, Goro returned and bowed to Coral Palace Xinhai: "Master Coral Palace, it's Ishikura Yuzhi and others."

"Ishikura Yuji...what are they doing here?"

Coral Palace's heart narrowed his eyes, glanced at Pingchuan, and said thoughtfully: "Is it for Pingchuan?"

"Yes."

Wu Lang nodded and said, "Those families have all come, shouting that they have the right to know about the outside world, but they were blocked outside by my guards. Lord Coral Island, do you want to drive them all away?"

"Who is Ishikura Yuji you are talking about?"

Ying suddenly spoke up, interrupting their conversation, and seemed a little curious: "And 'those families', what happened to them?"

"..."

Coral Palace Xinhai pursed his lips and followed his intuition without hiding anything: "Ishikura Yuzhi and his people... are considered the war faction. All along, these families or small forces, which are vaguely headed by Ishikura Yuzhi, have insisted on not integrating into Inazuma, urging the people not to forget the hatred between Umijima and Inazuma, and always thinking of using war for so-called revenge."

"The war faction..." Ying nodded, thinking of something, looked at Coral Palace Xinhai, and said with a smile: "So, Miss Xinhai is the peace faction?"

Coral Palace Xinhai hesitated for two seconds and nodded: "You can say that."

"Then what they said makes some sense. The war faction and the peace faction together form a complete force. They naturally have the right to know the intelligence."

Ying's smile remained unchanged, calm and elegant: "What do you think, Miss Xinhai?"

Coral Palace paused for a moment, and many thoughts quickly popped up in her mind and disappeared quickly. She felt that there was a glimmer of light close at hand, but she couldn't catch it. She looked at Ying deeply, took a breath, and smiled calmly: "You are right, they have the right to know the truth."

She turned her gaze to Wu Lang and nodded, "Wulang, please let Mr. Ishikura come in."

"Lord Coral Palace?" Wu Lang looked surprised.

"Go."

"……Yes."

Hisada and Heikawa looked at each other. Although they didn't understand what was going on, it was clear that what happened next was not something they could get involved in. The two hesitated for a few seconds, looked at each other again, stood up at the same time, and asked Coral Palace Xinhai to take their leave.

Coral Palace Xinhai did not try to persuade them to stay. After watching them leave, he turned his gaze to Ying and Paimeng. His tone was gentle and not coquettish, which was very pleasant to hear: "To be honest with you, I have also thought about leaving Inazuma to travel around the world, but unfortunately I have the will but not the strength to do so. I can't even set off."

She sighed as she spoke, her gradient eyes showing longing, and she chuckled, "But fortunately, there are many amazing people like you in Teyvat who travel around the continent and record their travel notes. All along, I have seen many beautiful sights by reading these travel notes."

"I see..." Ying thought for a moment and said, "I took a lot of photos during my trip. They are all beautiful natural scenery. Although they are a little different from seeing them in person, they may be more accurate than describing them in words."

As she spoke, she took out a dozen photos from her bracelet, handed them to Coral Palace Xinhai, and said with a smile, "I give them to you."

"Thank you!"

The joy in Coral Palace's heart was not fake. He took the photo, flipped through it, and said casually, "It seems there is no view of Inazuma here?"

"I thought Miss Coral Palace must have seen the scenery of Inazuma, so I didn't take it."

"I see. By the way, have you two seen any unforgettable sights since coming to Inazuma?"

"Yes, and quite a few."

Ying looked at Coral Palace Xinhai who was spinning around and trying to get a few words out of her, and recalled Yae Shinko's description and evaluation of her, with a natural smile: "For example, the quiet and mysterious Guardian Forest, the tall and majestic Thousand-armed Hundred-eyed Statue, and the ever-blooming sacred cherry tree in the Narukami Grand Shrine are all very impressive."

Thousand Hands and Hundred Eyes, Narukami Grand Shrine, the Sacred Sakura Tree… Coral Palace's heart lowered his eyes and repeated these words silently. The light in his mind seemed to become clearer, but it was still not clear. He only had three or two vague ideas.

"Master Coral Palace, he is here."

Goro led Ishikura Yuzhi back and saluted to Coral Palace Xinhai. He glanced around and didn't see Hirakawa and Hisada. He felt a little confused, but didn't ask anything.

Ying glanced at the old man who came with Goro, and seemed to be thinking about something.

"Lord Coral Palace!"

Ishikura Yuzhi simply and carelessly bowed, his eyes moved around the room, and his brows furrowed: "Where's Pingchuan?"

Why is there only one blond traveler left?
"What does Mr. Ishikura want to ask Pingchuan for?"

Coral Palace Xinhai spoke in a calm tone. Goro did not sit down but stood aside. He had a knife hanging on his waist and stared at Ishikura Yuzhi expressionlessly.

This damn mad dog... Ishikura Yuzhi's face twitched, he felt angry and envious, but his attitude was no longer casual. Regardless of what he was thinking in his heart, he finally showed respect on the surface.

"Master Coral Palace, didn't you agree to let me know the truth?" He was a little nervous: "Are you going to regret it?"

Maybe she will not only regret it, but also want this mad dog who only listens to her to bite him to death - the situation on Haiji Island is becoming more and more urgent, and no one can be sure that Coral Palace Xinhai will not go crazy.

Ishikura Yuzhi felt a little regretful. He should have brought a few more people along.

"Of course not, but knowing the truth does not require Pingchuan's presence."

Coral Palace Xinhai shook his head and looked at Ying: "This is the traveler who quelled the dragon disaster and suppressed the demon tide in Mondstadt... and her partner, Paimon."

Noticing Paimeng's eyes, Coral Palace Xinhai paused, added Paimeng's introduction, turned back and said, "They are of noble status, noble character, and know everything. With these two adults here, Mr. Ishikura does not have to worry that I will lie to you."

"...I trust Lord Coral Palace."

Ishikura Yuzhi bowed his hands and rolled his eyes: "However, I haven't seen Mr. Hirakawa for a long time, and I miss him very much... Lord Coral Palace will not stop us from chatting in private, right?"

"It's up to you. I have no reason to stop Mr. Ishikura's normal invitation and chat." Coral Palace had something in mind.

"Don't worry, Master Coral Palace."

Ishikura Yuzhi heard the hidden meaning, relaxed a little, and smiled: "Please let Lord Coral Palace know the news that Mr. Pingchuan brought back and how they passed through the thunderstorm."

Since Coral Palace Xinhai didn't stop him from looking for Pingchuan, it meant that she really intended to tell her the news... It was really strange, why did she suddenly become so generous?
Ishikura Yuzhi thought about it, became secretly alert, and decided to go to Pingchuan to verify whatever Coral Palace Xinhai said.

As for whether Pingchuan will cooperate...haha, Pingchuan is an honest man with an impatient temper. Even if he is unwilling to cooperate, a few probing words will reveal the truth of the news.

(End of this chapter)