"Vanish!"
"Sing for resistance!"
Lumine leaped high and unleashed a tornado, while Xinyan, standing nearby, cooperated perfectly by using her Elemental Burst, imbuing the tornado with the Pyro element.
"Ya!"
The Hilichurls were swept into the sky by the fiery tornado, but instead of falling to the ground as corpses as they usually did, they simply vanished.
"Huh? What's going on?" Paimon was stunned. Since when did the Traveler become so powerful that a single Elemental Burst left no corpses behind?
"This isn't right."
The Traveler frowned slightly. Based on her experience clearing monsters from Mondstadt all the way to Inazuma, monsters always left behind corpses when they died, except for Elemental Residues left by Slimes and the like.
These corpses would then be broken down by the Ley Lines within a week and reappear at some unknown time.
This was the so-called respawn mechanism in the game. Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain why Hilichurls couldn't be completely eliminated but also didn't proliferate, seemingly maintaining a fixed population.
"It's probably related to this Domain. Maybe we'll understand once we go inside," Xinyan said.
When they arrived, the army here could barely resist the monster assault, but exploring the Domain would have been completely impossible for them.
When the group requested to venture deeper, they were naturally rejected by the leading Hatamoto General.
However, the Traveler eventually brought up Shiki. Upon hearing that name, the Hatamoto immediately made a gesture of invitation without a word.
Currently in Inazuma, Shiki's command is equivalent to the Raiden Shogun's command. Therefore, anyone entrusted by Shiki must be trustworthy in terms of ability.
So the Hatamoto confidently let them pass, while he needed to ensure no monsters escaped from Araumi.
"Hey! Come quickly, I found... uh... a paper doll?"
At the entrance of the Domain, Paimon saw a small figure made of paper. It was overall grayish-blue and looked quite amusing.
"A paper doll?"
The Traveler looked at the paper doll on the ground, completely confused, but Xinyan seemed deep in thought.
"What is this? Why is it appearing near the entrance of the Domain?"
"I think... this might be a Shikigami?" Xinyan said after thinking for a moment.
"To create songs, I've researched the cultural legends of various nations. Inazuma, for instance, has a peculiar sorcery called Onmyōdō. These small figures made of paper are called Shikigami, and they are said to protect ordinary people from harm caused by demons."
"That sounds a lot like Liyue's Adeptal Arts!" Paimon exclaimed. "Speaking of which, didn't Miss Ryougi ask us to help her find artifacts related to Onmyōdō? I wonder if this counts?"
"Should... should be fine?" The Traveler wasn't sure. She didn't know Onmyōdō, so how could she know if this little paper Shikigami was useful?
"Hey! Whether it's useful or not, we can just show it to Miss Ryougi later! Since she commissioned us to find things related to Onmyōdō, she must be able to tell if this item is useful!"
As Xinyan spoke, she bent down to pick up the paper doll on the ground, but just as her hand was about to touch it, the paper doll suddenly flew up from the ground.
"Whoa!? What's happening!?" Paimon looked startled.
"I am..."
The little paper doll shook its head, seemingly trying to clear its thoughts, but for some unknown reason, its memories were currently fragmented, and it could only recall a portion.
"Ah, darn it! Did you see the monsters that just escaped?"
Xinyan said, "Monsters? Do you mean the ones around the Domain? The Traveler and I have already cleared them out!"
"Phew..." The little paper doll sighed in relief upon hearing this. "Thank you. It's a good thing none of them got away. It would have been bad if they hurt anyone."
"Say, are you a Shikigami?" Paimon asked curiously. "Also, what's with those monsters? Did you accidentally let them out?"
"I don't think so, right? Didn't Xinyan just say that Shikigami are used to ward off evil and eliminate demons?" the Traveler said, shaking her head.
"There are many types of Shikigami, so I can't say for sure. Anyway, let me introduce myself. My name is Shikitaishou. I apologize for letting you see me in such a difficult state upon our first meeting."
"The Domain you are currently in is called the [Ketsuro Onmyōdō Shrine], and I am the Ryōshi here, managing all matters within the shrine."
"The [Ketsuro Onmyōdō Shrine] and I have been dormant for many years, but last night, this Domain was somehow affected by an unknown power, causing the monsters to awaken on their own and opening the gate..."
"Furthermore... I seem to have lost some of my memories. I only know that this kind of situation shouldn't be happening."
"But I didn't expect that once those monsters were defeated, they would turn into talismans. Seeing these talismans made me recall that these monsters, like me, must be creations of Onmyōdō."
Shikitaishou offered an explanation, but this only seemed to confuse them further.
"Creations of Onmyōdō? Does that mean Onmyōdō can even create life?" Paimon widened her eyes. This was even more outrageous than Liyue's Adeptal Arts!
Shikitaishou scratched its head upon hearing this. "I... I can't give you a clear explanation. I've lost too many memories."
"I... should be... uh..."
"Sigh. Right now, I only know that I am the Ryōshi of this Onmyōdō Shrine, but I know nothing else—not even my creator or the purpose for which I was created."
"In other words, you don't even know if you're good or bad?" Paimon asked.
"Yes, that's the case for now," Shikitaishou nodded.
"I see... Speaking of which, Traveler, doesn't Shikitaishou's name sound familiar to you?"
"It certainly does. Paimon, it's rare for you to think along the same lines as me."
"Hehe, who can blame me when Miss Ryougi's name is so unique?" Paimon chuckled.
However, Xinyan and Shikitaishou were confused now. What were they even talking about? Especially Shikitaishou, who didn't even know who Paimon's "Ryougi" was.
"Um, what are you two talking about?"
"Someone who might know about your situation, of course!"
"You said the [Ketsuro Onmyōdō Shrine] woke up last night, and last night just happened to be when Miss Ryougi and that Balladeer guy were fighting. Plus, your name is very similar to Miss Ryougi's, so we think she might know something."
Paimon was surprisingly intelligent for once, analyzing the situation logically and quite convincingly.
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