People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 577 Lin Feng: The Fools are coming to ransom us. I'll just ask about Feng Dan's situation.
"Who are you?"

"Sister Fox Palace??"

"But, clearly five hundred years ago you... Is this all a dream?"

In front of the dessert shop, a certain Baku who had just left Qiusha Qiantang (a type of hot spring bath) paused, standing there incredulously.

I never imagined I would see such a figure here and now.
Recalling the fate of her neighbor, the fox spirit maiden, five hundred years ago, Mizuki could only conclude that she was most likely trapped in a chaotic dream.
"A dream? Perhaps. After all, I never imagined I'd have this opportunity to stand here. This 'dream' is almost too beautiful to be true."

With a slight smile, Hana Sanri was not unfamiliar with the Baku that had always clung to the Divine Child in front of her; she had many memories of her.

But just as the little creature in front of her is no longer the chubby, floating, and wonderfully soft little dream-eating tapir from five hundred years ago, she is also no longer the white fox from her memory.

"."

“I’m sorry to have confused you, Miss Mizuki.”

"Even if this were a dream, it would make perfect sense."
But based solely on what I can perceive, everything you see right now is not an illusion, and I am not that "Fox Abode Palace."

Ah Ying's mental block has been overcome, and she no longer has any reason to continue impersonating someone else.

Looking at Mizuki, who was so different from the one in her memory, Hana Sanri offered a frank explanation.

"."

"It does seem somewhat different, but this appearance also carries Bai Chen's bloodline."

Move for a while,
She vaguely sensed a slight discrepancy between the person's attitude and that of the Fox Maiden in her memory, but this difference was not even as great as the changes that had taken place in the Divine Child over the past few hundred years.

At most, I just felt that the Fox Maiden in front of me wasn't as fond of teasing people as she used to be.
But if the person in front of me really is Sister Fox Palace, then in my memory, her ending was clearly...
Her mind was in complete turmoil, and Ruixi felt she couldn't understand what was happening before her.

"Don't worry about it. If you're interested, you can ask the Divine Child later."

"The moon is not the same moon as before, and spring is not the same spring as before."

There will always be people and things in the world that are similar yet different.

"I'm quite similar to Kosai-miya, but for now you can call me 'Hana-sanori'."

Having foreseen this situation long ago, Hana Sanri was prepared to explain.

But just as Aying still occasionally calls herself Fox Palace even after knowing the truth, the connection between her and Fox Palace cannot be explained in a few words.

Having inherited her appearance, bloodline, and memories, even though she can recognize all of this, she is still occasionally moved by certain things in her memories, such as when she learned that the divine child had lost a large number of precious books.
"."

"Let's put this issue aside for now. If Miss Mizuki is planning to dine here, it would be better to go in first, as the desserts here sell out quickly if you arrive too late."

"If you'd like to chat with me, even though I'm not the person you knew, you're still welcome anytime."

"It might not be convenient right now. The person I'm waiting for has already arrived."

Seeing the three people walking together in the distance, she nodded to Mizuki beside her as a farewell, carrying a gift box in her hand.

The invasion of the Abyss has ended, and Hana Sanri has now figured out the ins and outs of the incident and knows the identity of the person who took her in.

She didn't intend to investigate whether there was anything else hidden behind this identity.

Just as the blessing that invited her to join the Faculty of the Church said, all she needed to know was that there were still many places that needed her.

"What the hell is this."

"So the Divine Child knew all along? Then why didn't she tell me?"

Inside the dessert shop, Mizuki, who had been invited in, sat at a table with several Fontaine-style desserts in front of her.

While pondering, I looked up and surveyed the newly opened, supposedly very popular dessert shop.

After just a quick glance, Ruixi noticed that the shop's interior environment was extremely unusual.

It's as if the elements of "nature" and "sweetness" have been perfectly blended. Sitting for a short while amidst the vibrant vines and flowers can calm one's mind without one even realizing it.

"I didn't introduce myself, but Ms. Hana-san immediately called out my name, as if she were seeing someone she hadn't seen in a long time."

"Why is this happening? Am I really dreaming?"

Unconsciously, two small purple dream-eating tapirs materialized around me.
Realizing that her emotions were somewhat unbalanced, Mizuki sought their help as usual.

I used a spoon to take a small portion of the dessert from the plate and put it in my mouth.
Still unable to let go of the matter, the purple-haired dream-eating tapir turned to look outside the door.

"."

"Those are... scholars? Are those boxes full of gifts for them?"

"Hmm? It's open? A long, pink object? It looks like a scarf. Could it be made of wool and then dyed pink?"

? ? !

"—Wait? What was that feeling...?"

"This doesn't look like wool? Why does it look so familiar?"

Unconsciously, I stood up from where I was, a strong sense of doubt rising in my mind.

Unable to understand why she felt a strange sense of familiarity with several scarves, and even her tail turned into a question mark shape, Mizuki blinked and suddenly became curious about their materials.

"What is this one?"

"You didn't knit this white scarf yourself, did you?"

"Actually, I only wanted to bring some souvenirs for the two people next to me at first, two would have been enough, but I didn't expect you to give me an extra gift."

From the very beginning, Lin Feng felt that the quantity was a bit off. When he was plucking hairs from the divine child, he had estimated the final product.

Although the fox spirit in the divine child's true form is quite large, even after shrinking, there are still many more furs that can be plucked than they appear.

But the situation back then wasn't like shearing sheep, where you shave them completely. It was already quite an achievement to be able to make two scarves out of them, and this extra one was indeed...
"Yes, you guessed right. This is indeed a gift that I wove using the materials I combed myself."

Hana Sanri nodded, giving a frank response:

"You previously spent a lot of effort collecting the finest celestial fox fur and entrusted me to weave those materials into two scarves as souvenirs for your family." "The value of a souvenir is never in itself, but in the person who takes it back. You spent so much effort to finally obtain these two gifts, and the two people who receive them will surely feel the care you put into them."

After a slight pause, Hana Sanri took out the third scarf and began to explain:

“The obstacle in Aying’s heart has been removed, and your journey in Inazuma is about to end. This is something you told me before.”

“From being a filth destined to be cleansed to becoming an individual needed by others, you have never asked me to repay you, or rather, you have never asked me to give back for your help.”

"This scarf isn't a token of gratitude, nor does it have any other meaning. If I had to say, it's simply a small gift that 'I' wanted to give."

"."

"Thank you. Actually, I could have just bought a regular one. You've already helped a lot, and even assisted the Kyoto Inazuma with a lot of work."

“You haven’t been back for long, and you don’t have any stored materials. It must have taken a lot of effort to make this.”

Looking at the large tail that was sticking out, although it wasn't as uneven as the one that looked like it had been gnawed by a Hilichurl, Lin Feng felt that the hair on the tail was still a bit sparse.

"Oh, please don't worry, a few hairs won't have much of an impact. Foxes shed naturally, it just means you'll have to comb some more down."

"If the Divine Child had collected all the hairs she shed over the past few hundred years and hadn't chosen to destroy them, it would have been more than enough to give one to everyone around her."

"."

"Well, I won't take up too much of your time. Your companions seem to have already bought the things. Please take this gift to them."

"This festival is quite grand, even compared to those I remember. Experiencing a festival together is a very important memory for me, and I wish you a wonderful time."

Looking into the distance, I noticed that the two people buying apple candy by the roadside seemed to have already chosen their favorite candy and were paying Mora.

Not intending to spend too much time on giving gifts, Hana Sanri clasped her hands together in front of her and bowed slightly, sincerely offering her blessings.

A moment later, at the stall selling candied apples.

Nasida looked at the three scarves in front of her—two pink and one white—and was somewhat surprised that Lin Feng would give them gifts at this time.

"Hmm? Is this a hand-knitted scarf? The pattern on it is so beautiful."

"Two pink and one white scarf, just the right amount. The white scarf really suits you."

He glanced around and temporarily handed the candied apple in his hand to Lin Feng.

Although the season seemed a bit off, Nasita still really liked the scarves embroidered with fox and cherry blossom patterns in front of her.

I don't know what materials these scarves are made of, or what techniques they were woven into.

However, even though it was summer, when Nasita tried wrapping it up, she discovered that it seemed to be covered by a spell that kept the surrounding temperature constant, so it could be used as decoration at any time.

"It smells so good. This ingredient seems very special."

"So you said you'd prepare gifts for us so far in advance, just to find the right materials? Hmm, but I haven't decided what to give you in return yet."

I vaguely felt that the material used to knit the scarf looked familiar, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't recall when my sage had ever shaved an animal.

It was clear that a lot of time had been spent weaving these scarves, and Lin Feng must have put a lot of thought into selecting the right people and materials.
Nasida ultimately chose to express her gratitude frankly, without dwelling on issues like the materials.

"Speaking of which, if I remember correctly, that was the youkai you invited to join the Kyoryūin in Inazuma?"

"The fox bloodline holds special significance for Inazuma, let alone these scarves."

After adjusting the scarf details for Naxida and Lin Feng,
The little green bean touched the material of the gift and began to guess what its maker was.

It was clear from the beginning that these scarves were made from the fur of foxes of a special lineage, but the weaving technique was very ancient, and the Tree King was always curious about who was in charge of making them.

While I was shopping with Naxida, I paid a little attention to the people delivering the items.
She had heard that the fox spirit of Inazuma cherished her own fur, and she never expected that the person responsible for weaving these scarves was also a fox.

"It's extraordinary; the Inazuma fox lineage is almost extinct."

Lin Feng nodded, agreeing with the Tree King's statement:
"The calamity of the abyss hundreds of years ago nearly wiped out the Bai Chen bloodline. After the fall of the Bai Chen Fox King, foxes with high bloodlines turned into stone statues like the mythical beasts of Liyue, waiting for the other's return."

"The one I rescued isn't strictly speaking a pure fox. Her origins are complicated, and her identity can't be easily defined."

"However, she definitely has the ability and knowledge to manage the Inazuma branch. If you meet her at the festival, you can try to talk to her."

After the Abyss invasion ended and the dust settled, Chiyo, who returned at the same time as Hana Sanri, has been very busy lately. She didn't even have time to rest before a certain otaku girl, who was short of manpower, directly invited her to the Tenryo Magistrate's Office to help train troops.

However, Hana Sanri's situation is quite special. Although she inherited the memories of Kozaikyuu, she is essentially a completely new individual.

If she were to enter the shogunate, surrounded by familiar strangers, her identity would become quite awkward upon closer examination.

Joining the Order Academy is the best option right now. She can stay in Inazuma and, while being needed by others, have enough time to think about where her future should go.

"."

"Alright, now that you've successfully received the clothes and gifts, you can go back and rest for a bit."

"The festival officially opens tomorrow, and I can handle the remaining tasks."

After a slight pause, Lin Feng, who had reached the entrance of the dessert shop, did not go in. Before leaving, he explained:

"After being captured for so long, the two executors of the Fools have finally made a move. The previous plan has been completely ruined. I almost thought they were going to just leave them in jail like that."

"However, since it was our special research team that captured the 'Eighth Seat' and 'Eleventh Seat,' the shogunate seems to intend to hand over the prisoners and subsequent negotiations to Sumi."

"Coincidentally, it seems that someone I met once before is coming. When she arrives, I should be able to ask her a few questions that interest me."

The closer it got to a festival, a time of great interest, the more work the shogunate had to do.

After learning that the shogunate wanted to hand over the prisoners, she then received news from the special device she had left for her "servant" in Mondstadt that she had been sent to ransom the prisoners.

Lin Feng was somewhat amazed that she and the Hearth House were indeed like outsourced workers, being sent wherever there was danger.
However, because she seems to have been slacking off in Fontaine under the guise of gathering intelligence,

Considering her concern for Fontaine's fate stemmed from her connection to the orphans within the Hearth House,

Lin Feng also wanted to ask her when she came over whether the "prophecy" or the whale had reacted strangely because of his appearance.

(End of this chapter)