People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 473 Lin Feng: Bring other monsters here so I can touch them? My morals won't accept this kind of corrupt deal…

"Ah, it's done!"

"With such perfect ingredients and my impeccable craftsmanship, even those tasteless demons would definitely admit that this is the most perfect fried tofu in Inazuma."

In the side hall of the shrine, the altar originally used for worshipping the gods has now been unceremoniously used as a dining table.
Not only that, but even things like starting a fire and cooking are done directly inside the shrine for convenience.

"."

He paused for a moment, glancing at the golden, crispy fried tofu on the counter and the disrespectful fox in front of him that showed absolutely no reverence for his deity.
Lin Feng, inhaling the aroma of fried tofu in the air, couldn't help but cast a sympathetic glance at the statue in front of him.
No wonder your family's books got damp and infested with insects, and even the records of the Divine Cherry Blossom Great Purification were lost.

Leaving aside major issues, judging from various minor details, your palace official really has some problems.
For a moment, due to various subtle senses of déjà vu, it was as if I saw Wendy's Inazuma Bundō.

Given the fox's various actions towards its own deity, Lin Feng sincerely felt that one must be very careful when seeking out the shrine's head and appointing a "high priestess," otherwise, forget about any scriptures and offerings, you might even end up smelling like fried tofu on your own deity.
".?"

"Why are you looking at me, Miss Yae?"

As I was thinking, I noticed a very obvious gaze fixed on me.

Most strangely, the expression of one of the pink foxes seemed to have changed; it wasn't as wary as it usually was.
Slightly puzzled, Lin Feng turned around, wanting to know what the Eightfold Divine Child was planning to do.

"Hmm~ I didn't expect you to be such a big fan of fried tofu. I've never seen such a complete and high-quality selection of ingredients before."

"How about we make a deal? Trade our ingredients for an unlimited supply of fried tofu?"

"Such a good deal is rare, you'll definitely agree, right?"

Having acknowledged that the other person's love for fried tofu might only be slightly less than her own, Yae no Miko reluctantly accepted this fellow fried tofu enthusiast, even though the person before her was not a fox.

"Miss Yae, have you forgotten that you already promised to help make fried tofu? You can't use that as payment now."

"If you really want an unlimited supply of materials"

"."

"And what are your requirements?"

She blinked, following the other person's gaze to look at herself, and had a vague sense of foreboding.
But after all, this quality of ingredients might only be available in one place on the entire Teyvat, and Yae no Miko was really reluctant to give up such an opportunity, so she tentatively asked.

"Requirements? Well, they're not that complicated."

Pack up this unexpectedly useful fried tofu on the table, and save it to lure another fox.
Although he didn't expect the pink-furred fox in front of him to agree right now, Lin Feng still frankly told her what he had always wanted to do:
"—Just like Miss Yae mentioned before, how about I touch her ears and tail?"
Although I know you probably shed a little bit, I'm not allergic to fox fur, so it's not a big deal for me.

"."

"."

After a blink, the scene fell silent.

Having been active for hundreds of years, I never imagined someone would say something like this so directly to my face.
The pink fox, which was shedding fur, froze, filled with regret for its earlier slip of the tongue:

—Having witnessed what happened to Qi Liangliang, we should be more vigilant. Why bring up your own tail if you have nothing else to do?

As for shedding, that's absolutely not the case.
"—Heh, you jest. I am the inheritor of Bai Chen's bloodline, a wise and beautiful fox fairy. How could I shed fur like an ordinary fox? There must be some misunderstanding."

"As for touching the tail and ears, well, I'm just a fox. Although my fur is fluffy and soft, what's so special about touching my ears and tail that are everywhere?"

"I wonder if it would be possible to substitute some of the unique yokai found in Inazuma, such as tengu, cat demons, tanuki, and dream-baku?"

She brushed off the matter of the shedding fur with a nonchalant air. This was a matter of great demon dignity, and if other demons found out, it would be an extreme death sentence. She would never admit it, nor would she give them any chance to prove it.

But since she didn't want to be touched, yet didn't want to give up the fried tofu,

If we offer fried tofu to these monsters who come to "help" later, they will definitely be willing to make a small sacrifice for it.
Lin Feng:? ? ?
—Could there be any unexpected gains? Didn't you even consider refusing outright? You really are a heartless scumbag who'd betray his teammates without batting an eye?

In order to obtain the raw materials for fried tofu, they tricked other monsters into coming so they could touch them.
"."

No, this is just too strange no matter how you look at it.

As a wholesome god with no peculiar fetishes and normal interests, I absolutely cannot engage in such a corrupt deal with this pink-haired fox; I should firmly refuse.

"."

"—Ahem, I originally wanted to refuse, but since Yae-no-miya is so sincere, it wouldn't be right for me not to agree."

"Considering that I am indeed quite curious about the ecology of the yokai in Inazuma, I'll leave the cat demon aside and leave the rest to Yaegami."

"."

"Oh, it's a pleasure doing business with you?"

"Well, it's a pleasure to work with you."

They reached out and shook hands on the table. The two, who had been somewhat strangers before, formed a revolutionary friendship that felt like they had known each other for a long time.

Ignoring the possibility and option that other yokai might "not be willing to sacrifice themselves for fried tofu," Yae no Miko, having achieved a win-win situation in terms of both "fun" and "delicious food," twitched her ears, feeling that the god before her was truly in sync with her:

—Not to mention how amusing it was to see those little guys looking so troubled, getting the raw materials for fried tofu without any cost was a huge win.
Most importantly, once the other party has seen enough other monsters, wouldn't they lose interest in an ordinary fox like me?

The secret about shedding, of course, is also revealed.
He smiled slightly, and his handshake became even more sincere.

Under the powerful barrier-breaking effect of "doing bad things together", the slight sense of unfamiliarity that existed before has unknowingly disappeared.

—Anyway, it won't be her who suffers in the end. She shook the tail hidden under her clothes and suddenly looked forward to everything in the future.

"Achoo! Why did it suddenly become cloudy? It was sunny just a moment ago, how strange."

"—Thoma, is the weather in Inazuma always this strange?"

On the path leading to the Kamisato Residence, on the south side of the mountain.

Now wanted criminals, Ying and Paimon followed the blond young man ahead, cautiously making their way to the place where "Princess Egret" was to meet them. The weather had been sunny and bright, and the white fluffy creature even felt a little hot, but for some unknown reason, the weather suddenly turned gloomy and windy.

"Haha, after all, spring is almost over, so it's understandable that the weather is a little strange."

Furthermore, a powerful fox priestess resides at Narukami Shrine; perhaps the weather here is related to her.

The Kamisato Residence is located at the foot of Mount Kagehira, and it was already used to all sorts of unusual things happening there.

Thomas looked at the two guests behind him who had suddenly become "wanted criminals" without him noticing, and for a moment he didn't know what to say:
—Wasn't everything perfectly normal when I first arrived? There was absolutely no sign of anything going wrong.

How come, after I left for a day or two, a Fatui Executor was suddenly beaten unconscious and also gained the title of an Abyss spy?
"Perhaps you two truly are the 'game-changers.' Although I don't understand, this performance should be the 'game-changer' that Miss values."

? ?
"Huh? Thomas, what are you saying? Are you praising Paimon for being so amazing?"

"That's right, after all, Miss Paimon is a powerful figure who can bring down a Fatui Enforcer without even making a move."

His lips twitched, and he repeated what the white-haired lady had emphasized several times along the way.
Thomas looked at the other party, who seemed to have no fighting ability at all, and was very curious about what the battlefield situation was like.

"Hehe, he's not actually that amazing, but if Paimon were to make a move, 'Young Master' would definitely suffer an even more crushing defeat!"

With his hands on his hips, Paimon twirled around in the air a few times, then nodded smugly, completely ignoring the blonde girl beside him who was practically bursting with exasperation.

"Alright, we've reached Kamisato-yashiki. Miss is waiting for us inside."

"Considering your current special circumstances, I'll take you through a special passage to avoid some unnecessary trouble."

In the lush green mountains and forests, I pointed to a simple, ancient house in the distance with three Pakistani inscriptions above its gate.
As the housekeeper responsible for managing the place on a daily basis, Thomas proudly introduced the main house belonging to the Kamisato family to the two guests.

"Huh? Is this the courtyard of the Inazuma family? It feels completely different from the style of Liyue Mondstadt."

Upon discovering that the mansion ahead, though vast in area, was surprisingly low, Paimon scratched his head, unusually being tactful for once.

"Haha, I get it, it's not as grand as I imagined?"

"The architecture here is indeed very different from that in Mondstadt; you rarely see buildings as tall as windmills."

"Although I don't fully understand the garden design philosophy of 'though made by man, it seems to have been created by nature' that you mentioned, I've gotten used to it after seeing so many."

Not being an Inatsume herself, Thomas wasn't surprised by such sentiments. He waved his hand dismissively and smiled as he led the way for the two guests behind him.
"The path to get in is over there. Let's go. Miss must have been looking forward to your arrival for a long time."

The blond youth greeted them cheerfully and volunteered to lead the way.

Following closely behind, Ying and Paimon, still wary of entering the headquarters, exchanged a glance and realized that the magistrate might not actually have any hostility towards them.

"White sand? Rocks that look like turtles and birds? And pine trees and unfamiliar plants?"

"What a huge courtyard! It feels bigger than the house itself."

Following the path, we entered the Kamisato Mansion, where the land layout was vastly different from that of the Mondstadt region.

Various flowers, plants, and unusual rocks used for landscaping, along with ponds and corridors, occupy the majority of the building's area.

It seems that the ingeniously designed courtyard is the key to the design, rather than the house itself.

"."

"Ah, your observation skills are indeed far superior to those of ordinary people."

"The Kamisato family's location is remote; it would be a huge waste to build all the land into houses and leave it vacant."

In addition, I don't usually have much free time to go out and enjoy the scenery, so my elder brother deliberately left large blank areas during the renovation.

As for the landscaping Miss Paimon mentioned...

"Yes, the flat stones symbolize Turtle Island, representing longevity; the slender stones symbolize Crane Island, representing good fortune; and the plants are the cloud pine and the Kamisato family crest, the 'Camellia.'"
However, as travelers from outside Inazuma, you're probably more used to calling it "camellia."

A calm and gentle voice came from the side, patiently answering the questions of the two visitors.

Her input was incorporated into the design of the courtyard during the previous renovations and maintenance.

As the "White Heron Princess" in the eyes of outsiders, and the eldest daughter of the social administrator in charge of people's livelihood, Ayaka Kamisato is interested in a large part of traditional culture such as flowers, tea, chess, and scenery.

? ? !

"Eh?! My brother? You're the 'White Heron Princess' Ayaka Kamisato?"

“But didn’t Thomas say that according to the tradition of the Kamisato family for the last hundred years, we need to be received behind a screen?”

Blinked and turned his head to look in the direction the sound came from.
Then, in a nearby pavilion, I saw a white-haired girl with a folding fan in her hand and a smile on her face.

Turning his head, he realized from Thomas's reaction that the girl who embodied elegance and nobility in every movement was none other than the previously mentioned "Ayaka Kamisato".
Ying and Paimon were also surprised to see the owner of the place as soon as they entered the courtyard.

"Thoma was not lying; it is indeed a tradition of the Kamisato family not to meet guests directly."

"But tradition is just tradition after all. You two have traveled across the ocean, endured a long and arduous journey, and now you find yourselves in this unexpected predicament."
"From both a moral and practical standpoint, and out of sincerity towards my partners, I should personally come to greet you."

Having waited so long in the unchanging "eternity," all that came was news of the Fools and the other two great lords persecuting the people.

With a slight sigh, covering her face with her folding fan, Ayaka Kamisato, who had been looking forward to this day for a long time, looked at the two "reinforcements" who had just arrived and caused a change in the situation. Amidst the surprised expressions of Hikari and Paimon, she took the lead in presenting the commission and sincerity of the company magistrate:

“I know that you two have come here hoping to see the gods, and the magistrate does indeed have the right to recommend outsiders to the Grand Master.”

"But things are different now. Not only are there officers of the Jujin Clan stationed in the castle tower, but you two are also wanted criminals."

"—If you two are willing to listen to the magistrate's request, and confirm that you still insist on seeing the Grand Master under these circumstances,

Please give us some time. I promise the Society's Executive Director will find a way to assist you two in completing this "appointment."

(End of this chapter)