Lumine quickly sorted out her current situation. She seemed to have been struck by a giant wave, plunged deep into the ground headfirst, breaking through an unknown thickness of rock, and even directly smashed through the top of a shelter cave with her head, then got stuck here just like this.
Because the impact she had suffered earlier was too strong, her mind wasn't completely clear when she first woke up, and she almost thought she had seen the ancient ruins located under Inazuma.
Looking closely at the clothes this group of people wore, they were so fashionable, they were obviously the residents of Ritou!
Seeing that everyone was still alive and well, Lumine breathed a slight sigh of relief. At least her efforts had not been in vain.
She had almost been fighting with her last reserves before. Even now, the Elemental Power within her body was still a complete mess, and the Power of Nihility was eroding every corner of her body. Fortunately, she was immune to the erosion of the Power of Nihility, otherwise the grass on her grave would have grown three feet high by now.
What she needed to do now was to quickly escape her current predicament.
This wasn't difficult. It was just a matter of her hands and feet not being able to move freely, right? She had experience with this!
Back in Fontaine, she had learned the essence of wriggling. She was confident that if she tried it again, she could reduce the time by more than one-third.
Don't ask what use this skill had. Isn't this the perfect time to use it?!
But there was no rush. She was too tired, and this place was very safe anyway. The others had also taken shelter in time. Let's rest for a bit.
Just as Lumine was thinking this, a slippery sensation climbed up her legs.
Lumine's body suddenly shuddered. It seemed to be a long, soft thing, covered in many suckers. The cold and slippery sensation felt like a water snake coiling and burrowing deep into her leg...
"Boom"!
Lumine mustered the last shred of strength she could find from somewhere, even directly blasting open the passage that had trapped her. Then, she fell from the sky with a multi-tentacled sea monster, landing on the ground with a dull thud.
The cave instantly fell silent, with only the sound of the heavy rain falling from the sky echoing clearly.
Lumine crushed the sea monster in a fit of shame and anger, then tore the suckered tentacle off her leg. She took several deep, ragged breaths before gradually calming down.
As everyone's gazes converged on her, Lumine felt her face burning.
This was too embarrassing!
Because Lumine's entrance was a bit too abstract, the others present didn't know what to say, and the atmosphere became extremely awkward for a short while.
However, not long after, as the seawater on the ground gradually flooded over their ankles, everyone began to panic.
"The seawater is flooding in!"
"It's over, it's over, we're dead!"
"Everyone, don't worry, I'll block the cave entrance even if it costs me my life!"
"Please, don't you see the entrance is at the top? Are you going to use your head to block it?!"
-
Hearing the wails of the people around her, Lumine finally realized she had caused trouble. She then forced herself to keep her spirits up, stood up again, and raised her hand upward!
Nothing happened.
"What is she doing?"
"This is bad. She's probably fallen stupid. Look at how she fell from such a height, and she landed on her head too."
"There is actually such a big hole on the ground, yet her head is still fine, this is truly too ridiculous!"
"Who says she is fine? Can't you see her current state? The inside must be completely mush by now!"
"Hey, you're all focusing on the wrong thing! Hurry up and figure something out, or we're all going to be finished!"
"Actually, I can swim."
"You bastard! Tie a few stones to him!"
"Yamero (Don't)!"
Lumine silently lowered her arm, and her toes were practically digging a three-bedroom apartment into the ground.
Times this embarrassing only seemed to... well, it seems it has been like this ever since Sumeru!
She was definitely cursed by bad luck. How could she be this unfortunate lately?
Lumine felt like something had gone wrong, but she really couldn't figure out where the problem was. In the end, she shook her head and gave up thinking.
Now, it seemed she wouldn't be able to use her Elemental Power in the short term, and her body was also extremely weak. The struggle just now had drained the last shred of strength from her body.
Now Lumine just wanted to get some good rest, but this was clearly not the time. Not only was the water level gradually rising, but the chaos all around her was also making her a bit irritable.
Strange, could it be that no one recognized her?!
It wasn't that Lumine was overconfident, but she had previously made Raiden Ei revoke the Vision Hunt Decree, making her famous throughout all of Inazuma.
Not long ago, she had also been put on Inazuma's wanted list. Even if they didn't know of her heroic deeds, shouldn't someone have heard of her notorious reputation?
Lumine scratched her head in confusion, then froze for a moment. The feel was not quite right.
Lumine grabbed a handful from her head, and then saw a large clump of ink-black seaweed in her hand. Her eye couldn't help but twitch as she finally discovered the reason.
And she also finally understood why, after she fell from above, she had attracted so many people's attention.
What, it was because of the sea monster?
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
After Lumine spent some effort cleaning off all the things on her body, the water level had already reached her waist.
However, when everyone saw Lumine's appearance clearly and recognized her, they actually stopped panicking.
"Traveler!"
"So she is the Traveler!"
"Sure enough, I guessed she was the Traveler long ago!"
"Didn't you just say she had damaged her brain from the fall?"
"I didn't, it wasn't me, you're talking nonsense!"
"Great, the Traveler is here, we're saved!"
-
Feeling everyone's intense gazes, Lumine nodded in satisfaction.
Look at this, this is the kind of grand entrance befitting the famous Traveler!
"You're the Traveler, right? I'm with the Kanjou Commission. You're wanted, please come with me!"
Just then, an untimely voice reached Lumine's ears.
Lumine stared at the person in confusion, then at the water level, which had nearly reached her chest.
Hey, how much do you even get paid a month? Do you have to be this dedicated?!
Before Lumine could even make a move, the samurai from the Kanjou Commission was swarmed by the people of Ritou, who directly carried him away.
"Hahaha, he's just joking, Traveler, please don't be angry."
"Yeah, yeah, I know him, he's always loved making jokes since he was a kid."
Facing everyone's eager gazes around her, Lumine stretched her arms and legs slightly. Her strength had recovered a bit, so it should be no problem. She prepared to take action.
After all, to her, even recovering just a tiny bit of power was an extremely formidable value.
She might not be able to move mountains and fill the sea, but finding something to plug the hole in the cave was an easy task.
Lumine gave everyone a reassuring smile, then leaped forward, her body slipping out through the cave entrance.
However, after emerging, Lumine found that the water level was already very low. No wonder the water inside the cave hadn't risen very quickly.
Although there was still some current, nothing should go wrong as long as she paid a little attention, so she planned to bring everyone out.
Thus, Lumine jumped back down through the cave entrance, grabbed a rock to plug the hole, and immediately began searching for the entrance the people of Ritou had used to get in.
When Lumine finally reached the entrance under everyone's guidance, she fell silent at the sight.
It was a passage slanting upwards, but it was completely blocked by a wall of human corpses.
At that moment, an old man standing beside Lumine, sobbing softly, began to explain in broken words.
As it turned out, these people were the ones who had spontaneously stepped forward to maintain order when the crisis first broke out.
With their help, thousands of people here were able to take shelter safely. Otherwise, if chaos had ensued, no one here would have survived.
However, while others managed to get inside, they themselves had run out of time.
Only the first dozen or so people managed to get inside safely. The rest, seeing they were too late to seek refuge, or rather, realizing there was no time left to block the passage, each clutched stones or sand and used their bodies to seal the entrance, buying a chance at life for those within.
The sobbing Lumine had heard earlier was the unrestrained grief of the people after learning the fate of these individuals.
Lumine's heart grew heavy. She never expected to witness such a tragic scene and felt a profound respect for these people.
It was precisely because of those who dared to sacrifice themselves that the world still held a brilliant light, even in its darkest moments.
Lumine took a deep breath and abandoned the idea of clearing a path through here.
If she did that, their bodies, even in death, would not remain intact.
Lumine believed these honorable people deserved for her to spend a little more energy to carve out a new path to the outside world.
After warning the others, Lumine clenched her fist and struck the thick rock wall with all her might.
With a single punch, everyone felt the entire cave tremble, and they were filled with immense awe at Lumine's strength.
They had only heard of it before, but seeing it with their own eyes was far more shocking.
After much effort, Lumine finally carved out a new passage. The moment she broke through the ground, a massive torrent of seawater poured in.
Once the flow subsided slightly, Lumine urged the others to evacuate through the passage in an orderly manner.
Seeing that a single passage was not enough, Lumine carved out several more new paths from different locations. At the same time, she broke through the rock layers below, allowing the accumulated water to drain away smoothly.
After some time, when everyone had safely reached the surface, they looked out at the completely submerged world before them and couldn't help but burst into tears once more.
On one hand, it was the joy of having survived. On the other, it was the confusion over why all of this had happened.
When most of the people had emerged, someone in the crowd suddenly let out a mournful wail.
"My house!"
This piercingly desolate cry made everyone else freeze for a moment. Then, they all turned to look toward Ritou, and the tears on their faces flowed even more freely.
"No! I still have thirty years of mortgage left to pay!"
"What's the point of living now? I might as well just die!"
Hearing the people's wails, Lumine hurriedly tried to comfort them.
Although this disaster was not caused by the Raiden Shogun, she was certain it was a result of the battle with Persephone, so the Shogunate should be responsible for some compensation.
Upon hearing the news, everyone stopped grieving, and smiles even bloomed on their faces. The speed of the change gave Lumine quite a shock.
Lumine looked at the high wall she had previously constructed with her Geo Elemental Power. Now, the originally hundred-meter-high rock wall had almost completely collapsed, with only a few meters of height remaining, causing Lumine's lips to twitch involuntarily.
No kidding, her body was really tough.
After this experience, Lumine even found a combat style that suited her even better.
Since she was so tough anyway, she could just grab others and self-destruct with them during battle!
Just as Lumine was lost in thought, a familiar and joyful shout suddenly came from the distance.
"Traveler!"
"Thank goodness, Traveler, I finally found you!"
Paimon burst into Lumine's arms, sobbing.
"I'm so glad you're okay, you have no idea how worried I was!"
Lumine patted Paimon's head, feeling a bit touched. It seemed Paimon was truly worried about her, making all her usual pampering of the little one worthwhile.
"Right, Traveler, about the big meal you promised me for acting as bait, when are you going to make good on that?"
Paimon looked at Lumine expectantly as she spoke.
Lumine's body suddenly stiffened, and then her hand started to itch a bit, really wanting to punch something white.
"Traveler."
At this moment, Kamisato Ayaka also stepped forward. Seeing that there seemed to be no injuries on the Traveler, she revealed a relieved smile.
"Thank you for intervening earlier. Otherwise, I'm afraid this disaster would have resulted in even more casualties."
Kamisato Ayaka spoke with great gratitude, as she had seen that Lumine had gone all out in the end.
Otherwise, with Lumine's current strength, this tsunami would have posed no threat to her at all.
Hearing Kamisato Ayaka's words, the crowd around also came forward to thank Lumine one by one, while also discreetly asking Kamisato Ayaka about the issue of reconstruction after the disaster.
"Everyone, please rest assured. Even if the Shogunate does not pay this sum, our Kamisato Clan will also solve everyone's housing problems as soon as possible."
Kamisato Ayaka smiled and promised everyone. Matters of this nature were the responsibility of the Yashiro Commission.
Although she and Kamisato Ayato had been driven out, they were by no means without the power to counterattack.
If Kamisato Ichiman was unwilling to compensate these people, she and Kamisato Ayato would definitely make him fall completely to the bottom.
Hearing Kamisato Ayaka's promise, everyone was completely at ease.
After settling these people down, Kamisato Ayaka and Lumine split up again to search for other survivors. Their state of mind was already completely different now.
Although there was still no news of Kujou Sara and Yoimiya, with their strength, as long as they didn't give up resisting and throw their lives away for nothing, they basically wouldn't be in danger. Finding them was only a matter of time.
However, what made Lumine a bit curious was, where had Enjou, who was previously responsible for Paimon's safety issues, run off to now?
Paimon did say that Enjou had gone to find her in other places, but where would he be looking?
At this moment, in a stretch of sea far away from Lumine and Paimon, a huge bunch of bubbles suddenly popped up from the originally calm sea surface. Soon, Enjou poked his head out from the seawater and spat out a mouthful of salty seawater.
Looking at the boundless ocean, Enjou muttered to himself a little sadly.
"Your Highness the Princess, where on earth are you?!"
"You couldn't have been swallowed by a sea monster, could you..."