The Embers of King's Teyvat Journey

Not to mention the significantly larger number of soldiers along the roadside and in the city, Yinglian now doesn't even dare to walk on the main road, for fear of being recognized by the soldiers.

“Sleeping on the floor? No way!” Paimon looked around. The place was desolate, with only waist-high grass and not a soul in sight.

The thought of sleeping here at night made Paimon think that there must be many Hilichurls lurking in these bushes, and that he would definitely be captured by them if he fell asleep!

Paimon immediately remembered her duties as a guide, and she patted her chest at Bright, saying:

"Ying, you wait here. I'll fly higher and check the situation."

"Okay, okay! I'll wait for you!" Ying's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and she immediately nodded.

She felt a strange sense of relief because Paimon, who had always been lazy and good-for-nothing, had grown up and learned to share her burdens.

Unfortunately, Ying's joy was short-lived, as she saw Paimon, who had flown into the sky, fall back down.

"I'm afraid that if a gust of wind blows me away, I won't be able to find you anymore."

Paimon shrank back; the thought of life without Ying filled him with darkness.

"I expected this." Ying put her hands on her hips and then pulled out a bundle of rope as if by magic.

"Whoa! What are you doing!"

"do not move!"

Without saying a word, Ying grabbed Paimon's leg and tied the rope around her waist again and again.

"Alright! Paimon brand kite, here we come!"

"Hehe, Ying, you're so smart!" Paimon touched the rope tied around his waist and grinned foolishly.

"Alright, hurry up and check the situation." Ying waved her hand, released Paimon's leg, and let her fly away.

The ball of rope in his hand grew smaller and smaller, and Paimon's figure gradually disappeared from sight.

Seeing this, Ying shouted loudly, "Paimon—, do you see any villages—?"

Wow—I see so many people—

Paimon's voice came from high above, long and full of surprise.

Chapter 514 Infiltrating Inazuma Castle

2024-02-28

"A person?" Ying was overjoyed when she heard Paimon's shout. She quickly pulled the rope back and dragged Paimon back.

"Paimon, where is he? Take me to see him!" As soon as Paimon landed, Ying asked.

If there are people around, it means there is a settlement nearby, and it also means that you won't have to sleep on the streets today.

Although it wasn't the first time Ying had slept on the streets, who would want to lie on the ground if they had a place to shelter from the wind and rain?

"Hehehe~" Paimon shook his head, recovering from the dizziness of his rapid descent.

She untied the rope around her waist, glanced around briefly, and then pointed in a certain direction, saying, "In this direction! I remember there are a lot of people there, dozens or even hundreds!"

Paimon gestured with his hand, indicating that the people were lined up in a thin line in the emerald green field, making them very conspicuous in the air!

"So many?! Could they be soldiers here to search us?" Ying was taken aback when she heard Paimon's words.

What are so many people doing out here in this desolate wilderness?

"Then I don't know." Paimon shook her head. She was in the sky, and the crowd was far away, so she couldn't see clearly.

"We can always escape later! Let's hurry and check! What if they disappear by then!"

Seeing Ying hesitate, Paimon immediately grabbed her hand and tried to run over. She had no intention of sleeping on the ground.

“That’s true, Paimon, lead the way!”

After a moment's thought, Yingjue realized that Paimon's words made sense. Even soldiers and the like could run away, right?

Not long ago, I resonated with the Seven Gods Statue of Inazuma. With my current strength, I'm afraid there are few people who can catch up with me.

"Okay! Come with me!"

Without much hesitation, Paimon turned and ran across the waist-high weeds toward the direction where she had seen the figure earlier.

Paimon flew ahead, with Firefly close behind. Before long, they noticed that the dense grass had suddenly become much shorter.

Looking down for a closer look, I realized that the grass there had long since fallen flat. The weeds hung haphazardly on the ground, looking as if they had been trampled quite heavily.

Looking at the straight path leading ahead, Ying couldn't help but feel a bit more wary. If it were an ordinary caravan or civilians, their steps wouldn't be so orderly.

There must be some unspeakable secret behind this!

"Hey! Luminous, hurry up! What are you daydreaming about!" Just as Luminous was pondering the possible trickery, Paimon waved from the horizon.

"Coming!" Ying responded and followed.

When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it. With her current strength, even if the young master she's fought before were to ambush her, she'd still get a good beating.

Ying didn't think that she would be treated like an executive officer when she had just arrived in Inazuma and hadn't done anything yet.

Following the clearly newly opened path, neither Ying nor Paimon expected that the path in front of them would suddenly disappear.

The waist-high weeds around us have grown again, making it impossible to tell which way is which.

"What's going on? Where is everyone?!" Paimon wandered around for a while, but didn't see a single person.

"Disappeared?" Ying touched her chin. She felt that this matter was very strange. Since no one had asked her to do anything, it was best not to meddle.

Of course, this might not be the case if there is a commission involved.

To ensure a 100% success rate in completing her commissions, Ying would do it even if it meant going all the way to the headquarters of the Fools!

"Hey, wait a minute, I suddenly realized we might run into some kind people!" Paimon's excited voice suddenly came from above.

When Ying looked up, she saw Paimon covering his brow bone with his hand, making a gazing motion.

"What do you mean?" Ying raised an eyebrow. She jumped up with all her might, but the grass was too tall. She used all her strength but only managed to jump halfway out and couldn't see anything.

"There's a city ahead! It looks pretty big. Could it be Inazuma City?" Paimon excitedly flexed his legs, which were clasped together. This was truly an unexpected bonus!

"A city?" Ying's face lit up with excitement. She waved her hand and said impatiently:

"Paymon, lead the way! We're staying at a hotel tonight, the best one we can get!"

"Great!"

Amidst laughter and cheerful chatter, Paimon and Ying hummed a little tune as they ran towards Inazuma Castle.

Are those anomalies really that important?

……

Meanwhile, Paimon and Luminous were moving forward on the surface, while Ember and his group were moving forward underground.

"Hey, Thomas, I'm telling you, we're not going to get caught, are we?" Washizu asked, a little worried, as he squeezed in front of Thomas.

"What do you mean?" Thomas asked as he guided the group through the intricate network of secret passages.

"Aren't the tracks we've made too obvious?" Washizu recalled the path they had made in the wild and became even more worried.

"Don't worry about that. Once we've all gone through it, this secret passage will be useless." Thomas waved his hand, telling Washizu not to worry.

The main purpose of building this secret passage was for this moment. Once all the people have been transported, this secret passage will no longer be necessary.

When the secret passage collapses, no one will know that "rebels" were once transported here.

"What are you worried about? This place is so interconnected, even if someone gets in, they probably won't make it to the exit of Inazuma Castle."

Yu Jin overheard Thomas and Washizu's conversation and chimed in.

Whether for insurance or for some other purpose, the underground passages were branched off in many places, and they were pitch black. Who could know where they led?

If they hadn't had Thomas to guide them, they probably would have been completely lost in the maze of secret passages.

"Haha, Ember, you flatter me. Didn't you come out alone back then? When the patriarch ran in to deliver the map to you, you were probably already out by then!"

Thomas said modestly. Although this secret passage had taken a lot of effort from the society's administrators, it was ultimately not a perfect thing.

Putting everything else aside, recently the Embers have been running off on their own without needing a map.

This further convinced Ayato Kamisato of his idea to destroy the secret passage after the deed was done. This thing, once used, would become a potential hazard; it was better to destroy it.

Yu Jin looked at Thomas, who was humbly waving his hand, and said nothing. What could he say? That he had used brute force to escape?

Who knows where the forks in the secret passages lead? Sorry, Ember really does know, because he's run through them all.

The group chatted and talked in the secret passage as they made their way forward in an orderly manner.

We moved forward through the pitch-black passage, not knowing how much time had passed or how many forks in the road we had crossed.

Finally, something other than sand appeared before everyone's eyes.

It was a brick and stone wall, completely different from the reinforced and compacted cave walls around it.

Upon seeing this, Thomas immediately gestured for everyone to quiet down. He walked to the front, pressed his ear against the wall, and let out a few strange, incomprehensible cries.

The strange cries subsided briefly, then the other side of the wall responded with several more of the same cries. Thomas shouted a few more times, and then the wall opened.

"Master, why did you come to meet us personally?" As soon as Thomas stepped out of the secret passage, he saw Ayato Kamisato with a smile on his face.

"This is a critical moment; the fewer people who know, the better." Ayato Kamisato nodded to Thomas, then began to beckon the others in:

"Everyone, come out. There's no one here today, so let's rest here for a while and make our move tonight!"

"Where is Miss? Has she returned to her room?"

Thomas asked Ayato Kamisato. The wooden-framed tea room was not only Ayato Kamisato's favorite place to work, but also Ayaka Kamisato's secret hideout.

"Today is a festival, and as the White Egret Princess, she naturally has to make an appearance to live up to the people's love for her."

Ayato Kamisato responded. To attract more attention to the festival, Ayato Kamisato wasn't even comfortable with free food and drinks; he even sent his beloved younger sister out to draw attention as well.

Having invested so heavily, Ayato Kamisato is determined to make this plan a success!

Chapter 515 A Lively Festival

2024-02-28

"Luminous, do you think we'll be discovered?" Paimon floated to Luminous's side as they walked down the street and asked in a low voice.