The Embers of King's Teyvat Journey

Ember patted the stragglers on the shoulder, freeing them from their petrified state. Then, he took out a yellowed, swollen finger and placed it in Oni Ryu's hand.

The Faded Hook—a hook-shaped, adipocere finger—is an artifact left by predecessors who intended to help those who come after them.

"What the hell is this?!"

"You also have a necrophiliac tendency?!"

"Dismemberment? We Fools don't do such things!"

The three reacted in different ways, with Gui Long reacting the most by throwing away the finger in his palm.

The reason was simple: the severed, bent finger was simply too gruesome. The finger, adorned with a ring, was stiff and bent, its withered skin covered in a patch of yellowish-brown paint.

The color was very incongruous; it wasn't a color produced by weathering or any other natural phenomenon.

One look is enough to tell who crafted this tool from a severed finger.

"What are you looking at me for? Did I pick this up?!" Yu Jin noticed all three eyes were on him and quickly distanced himself. He didn't want to be labeled a "psychopathic killer."

"What's the use of this thing?" The soldier bent down and picked up the severed finger from the ground to examine it closely.

The severed finger felt incredibly hard to the touch, without any fleshy texture. Similarly, its broken surface was pitch black, like old, aged wood.

"It's incredibly useful, let me tell you!" Yu Jin snatched the finger away and started scribbling on the ground.

The crowd gathered around to take a look, and there were indeed two large characters: "Ember".

Then the words on the ground emitted a golden light, and from the rising light, a phantom formed by yellowish-brown light stood up.

The phantom was none other than Ember.

However, before the phantom could fully stand up, Ember wiped away the words on the ground, and the phantom naturally disappeared.

"See this? If this guy is arrogant, you write my name on the ground with your finger."

"I promise I'll shove his head down!"

With a casual toss, Yu Jin tossed the faded finger into Gui Long's arms.

He had originally intended to give it to Cole and Galura. But one finger wasn't enough, and giving a little girl a finger just felt a bit creepy.

However, it doesn't matter for Guilong, this grown man.

"Okay...okay, I'll keep it safe." Gui Long nodded stiffly, clutching the faded hook in his hand.

Chapter 447 The Hidden Powder Keg

2024-01-26

After leaving Nashii Beach, Yu Jin and the young master rushed to Kujo Jinya without stopping.

Kujo Jinya, located behind Futabasa, was the main headquarters of the shogunate army.

Since we've already gone to Umijima Island, we should naturally make a trip to Kujo Jinya as well. This will both make things convenient for the shogunate and avoid any misunderstandings.

"Why can't there be more trust between people?" The young master looked at the vast ruins in the Mingzhui Beach from afar, as if he could see the scattered soldiers shedding tears.

"You can't say that. It's just a matter of people. For example, I trust you quite a bit." Yu Jin patted the young master's shoulder, making the latter happy to hear this.

"Really?"

"I mainly think that even if we leave you alone, you won't cause any big trouble."

The truth is always hurtful, especially for the young master now.

"Are there your Fatui here too?" Yu Jin asked with some surprise upon seeing the Shogunate's military flags standing tall on the sand dunes.

This place is clearly heavily guarded by the Shogunate army. How could there be any Fools here?

"I think... there should be, right?" The young master's hesitant answer made Yu Jin even more certain of his judgment of him.

This young master only knows how to fight, not how to cause trouble.

"What do you mean by 'should have'? Aren't you an executive officer?" Yu Jin questioned the young master's professionalism.

"Engineers don't manage everything, do they? Besides, this isn't a place for me in the first place." The young master immediately retorted loudly, as he was a bachelor commander in Inazuma.

"Moreover, it seems that the Fools here can't even control stragglers." Recalling the scene of their casual conversation on the sea, the young master added another point.

Upon hearing this, Yu Jin turned and glanced at the young master. "Is there anything you can't control? Aren't you the most powerful among the Inazuma Fools?"

"That's true in terms of the largest number, but some units are not under our jurisdiction, such as servants and doctors; their personnel can be found anywhere."

The young master waved his hand, saying he couldn't understand these intricacies either, after all, he was just a debt collector.

"You directly conscripted them."

Yu Jin turned his head back, and with a single sentence, he freed the young master from his position as a lone commander.

"But……"

"bass--"

The flash of the blade silenced the young master.

"If they have any opinions, they should talk to me directly."

"okay!"

The young master immediately echoed him like a lackey. Circumstances forced him to yield.

The main reason is that Ember is strong and has no ties. The Fatui have also caused trouble in the territories of many powerful individuals before, many of whom are stronger than the Executor.

But they all had their concerns; they were either leaders of a faction or needed the help of the Fools.

It seems there's only one person like Yu Jin, a complete and utterly aimless wanderer who roams the world.

No, there are two now. A girl with white fairy-like aura appeared in the young master's mind; Ying seemed to be a similar idle person.

However, although she was stronger than the executive officer, she wasn't significantly stronger.

The young master suddenly felt an itch to fight. Ying was stronger than him, but not by much, and that was his ideal opponent. The young master couldn't wait to find Ying and fight her for three hundred rounds.

But when he saw the embers in front of him, his fighting spirit was immediately doused with cold water and completely cooled down.

Let's figure out a way to stop Yu Jin from messing with him first.

Just as the young master was lost in thought, his nose itched, and then he suddenly sneezed.

"Ah!"

"Are there evil spirits here too?"

Yu Jin stopped and looked towards the mountains inside the island. Surrounded by distant mountains, a purple light shot into the sky.

"A malevolent spirit? I reckon that steelmaking furnace in Tasha is about to explode!" The young master also saw the purple pillar of light rising in the sky and said with a hint of amazement.

"Is it going to explode?" Yu Jin was speechless for a moment when he saw the mountain shrouded in purple.

"Why does Inazuma have so many problems?" After a long while, Yu Jin finally spat out a sentence viciously.

"Hehe, who knows?"

"I heard this is Inazuma's Tamagotaki production base. If it explodes here... tsk tsk tsk!"

The young master wasn't as worried as Yu Jin; his current mindset was more like watching a good show.

Seeing the young master's carefree appearance, Yu Jin was immediately filled with anger.

"If it weren't for you Fools, all this trouble would be reduced by at least half!"

"I think that broken stove might contain one of your Fools' pots. So it's decided, you guys are in charge of fixing that stove!"

With a wave of his hand, Yu Jin entrusted the heavy responsibility of repairing the Shadow Furnace to the young master's shoulders.

"This... Yu Jin, are you sure you're not joking? Do I look like a technician?"

The young master's relaxed expression instantly turned into distress. Yu Jin was truly putting him in a difficult position; even if he really wanted to do it, he didn't know where to begin.

Tadalia simply doesn't have that ability.

“It’s not you, it’s all of you!” Yu Jin emphasized his words, then continued:

"Don't tell me this whole group of Fools are illiterate? Surely you Fools aren't so incompetent that you can't even fix a broken furnace in Inazuma?"

"No way? No way?"

As Yu Jin spoke, he almost pressed his head against the young master's forehead.

With his head shaking and swaying, he brought immense pressure to the young master.

"Alright! I accept!" The young master took a few steps back, gritted his teeth, and agreed.

"Great! That's great! If you encounter any difficulties, just let me know!"

"The biggest problem is that you've got me trapped!" the young master muttered under his breath.

"What did you say? Speak louder! I can't hear you?" Yu Jin raised his ear and asked the young master.

"It's nothing, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Upon seeing Yu Jin's expression, the young master immediately stood up straight, afraid that he would pursue the matter further.

Seeing that the young master's entire being exuded the word "knowing what's good for him," Yu Jin nodded in satisfaction and stopped making things difficult for him.

Thus, under the persuasion (and intimidation) of the embers, the Fools had one more task added to their repertoire.

However, neither the young master nor Yu Jin took it too seriously.

As Ember said, the technology of the Fools is far inferior to that of Inazuma.

While Inazuma was still in the human stage, the Fools had already mastered flying, teleporting, and invisibility. If it weren't for the powerful weapon that was Thor, Inazuma would be utterly outmatched by Shifu.

Therefore, the young master and Yu Jin were very confident in the furnace that had been damaged by the sand.

The young master had confidence in the skills of the Fools, while Ember had confidence in his own abilities.

What? It can't be fixed? Just look at how sharp this straight sword is, and that's it!

Bathed in purple light, Yu Jin and the young master's group crossed the sand dunes and finally arrived at the Kujo Jinya, the garrison of the shogunate army.

Looking at the rows of watchtowers ahead and the soldiers patrolling everywhere, Yu Jin and the young master both stopped in their tracks.

"Hey! How are we supposed to meet the commander of the Shogunate army?" The young master glanced at his slovenly gray suit. A dignified executive officer, he looked like a refugee.

Without realizing it, his cheeks became wet. He didn't know if it was from the seawater splashed up while traveling, or from the tears that had flowed down his face.

"Just go directly. Once you mention your title as the executive officer, the commander-in-chief will have no choice but to come out obediently."