"W-wait! We're here to show you something! About the Onmyou Art you entrusted to us!"
The Traveler said in a panic. Sure enough, upon hearing the words 'Onmyou Art,' the 'darkened' Shiki returned to normal, though she didn't put away the Nine-Letter Thunder Blade.
"Oh? Is that so? Where is it? Let me warn you, if you're tricking me, I can't guarantee you won't be struck by lightning halfway through your journey."
"Hehehe, how could I possibly trick you?" The Traveler forced a smile, then pointed to Shikifuda General not far away.
'Ahhh, please, Shikifuda General! You must save my life!'
Following the Traveler's finger, Shiki finally saw the small paper figure floating in mid-air, just like Paimon.
"Shikifuda General?"
"You know me?"
Shikifuda General seemed very surprised. It seemed the Traveler and the others were right; this girl definitely knew something about him!
"Sort of."
As Shiki spoke, the Nine-Letter Thunder Blade transformed into a flash of lightning and disappeared into the girl's chest. Seeing this, the Traveler let out a heavy sigh of relief.
'Saved...'
Shiki was quite familiar with Shikifuda General, after all, she had a'Shikishou' in her game account on Earth.
Created by the great Onmyouji, Kannazuka Harunao, hundreds of years ago. From the game, he has the ability to buff others, but it's unknown if this ability still exists outside the Domain.
Such things are never certain. Shikifuda General, the Chief of the 'Registry of Onmyouji Bureau,' has a high degree of control over the Domain and also operates through it; the two are complementary.
Shikifuda General can provide various powerful buffs within the Domain, but once outside, it's not necessarily the case.
"Then, may I ask, do you know who my master is? And what is the meaning of the 'Registry of Onmyouji Bureau's' existence?"
Shikifuda General wanted to know the meaning of his existence. As a Shikigami, why was he the Chief of a Domain filled with various monsters?
"…"
Shiki closed her eyes, pondered for a moment, then said, "First, to answer your first question."
"Your creator was the great Onmyouji, Kannazuka Harunao, hundreds of years ago. As for the meaning of the 'Registry of Onmyouji Bureau's' existence, we have to start with Kannazuka Harunao's experiences."
Paimon: "Miss Ryougi, why do you sound so much like Morax?"
Traveler: "Don't ask me, I don't know."
Shiki ignored the two playful individuals and called Xinyan over as well.
"About five hundred years ago, Inazuma's seas were plagued by disaster. A great serpent invaded Yashiori Island from the east. The young Kannazuka Harunao experienced the demise of important people and the disappearance of friends. That disaster, which swept across the entire continent of Teyvat, made him lose too much."
"Finally, the Raiden Shogun intervened, slaying the great serpent and eliminating the disaster, but his friends and master could never return."
"Kannazuka Harunao realized that human power was too weak; they had no power to resist the monsters formed by the disaster."
"So he traveled across the ocean to Liyue, on the other side, learned adeptal arts, and used them as a blueprint to create Inazuma's Onmyou Art."
"Upon returning from his studies, Kannazuka Harunao gathered ambitious individuals, determined to completely expel the disaster monsters rampant on the Inazuma archipelago. The 'Registry of Onmyouji Bureau' was where they trained."
"So it was a training ground? It seems you're a thoroughly good person!" Paimon said.
"But the 'Registry of Onmyouji Bureau' was soon closed." Shiki continued.
"Eh? Why!?"
"Because the Raiden Shogun led the Shogunate to completely clear out the disaster. People no longer needed to fight, so Kannazuka Harunao naturally closed it."
"That's all I know. As for the more detailed process, you'll have to search for it within the Domain."
"Moreover, memories heard through hearsay are ultimately not as real as those you find yourself, aren't they?"
Shiki looked at Shikifuda General. The plot points she remembered were only these. As for the 'important person'... calling them a beloved person wouldn't be wrong.
After all, who doesn't love a white-haired fox shrine maiden older sister? The buffs were stacked, so to speak.
Her Exiled Disciple, Kannazuka Harunao (laughs).
Kannazuka Harunao was the disciple of the previous Grand Narukami Shrine priestess. He and two others were known as the 'Three Retainers of Yougou.'
After Kitsune Saiguu was devoured by the disaster, Kannazuka Harunao was filled with regret over his own weakness, which led him to travel across the ocean to learn adeptal arts.
Upon his return, he inherited Kitsune Saiguu's last wish, continuing to protect this land and waiting for her return, even though he knew she would never come back.
They say a nine-tailed fox has nine lives, but that's just a saying... Shikifuda General fell into contemplation upon hearing this. Could it be that he was a Shikigami abandoned by Kannazuka Harunao? After all, once Inazuma was stable, he was no longer needed.
Just then, Shiki's voice carried over: "Go and take a good look in the Domain. Everything you want to know is there."
"...I understand. Thank you, Miss Ryougi, for clarifying."
"No thanks needed."
"Wow! Ryougi, you know so much! You even know about things like this. Are you really not an adeptus or something?" Paimon asked in surprise.
"How could that be? If I were, would I have been beaten bloody by that Balladeer?"
"But didn't you later fight him from underground to the sky, and even smash out a hundred-meter-deep pit?"
Paimon continued to ask, but then she saw Shiki's 'looking at an idiot' expression.
"Hey! What kind of expression is that?"
"Traveler, your emergency food is beyond saving. You explain it to her."
"Hey! Paimon isn't food!"
Paimon said, flying towards the girl, but the next second she was grabbed by the ankle by the Traveler.
"Paimon, let's stop embarrassing ourselves. It's precisely because we needed to deliver the sword later that she's not an adeptus. If she really was an adeptus who had lived for a long time, wouldn't she have just struck Balladeer down the moment they met?"
The Traveler awkwardly explained to Paimon, so embarrassed that she felt like she could dig a three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment with her toes.
Question: When your friend asks a very stupid question in front of many people, what is your reaction?
Anyway, the Traveler truly wished she could say she didn't know Paimon. It was just too embarrassing.
Meanwhile, Xinyan comforted Shikifuda General: "Shikifuda General, don't be so down. Now is a great time to retrieve your memories!"
"Miss Ryougi also said she only knows so much. Maybe there are some very important memories waiting for you to discover yourself!"
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