Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

What the historians failed to record is that when Raiden was admiring his beloved general's beautiful dance, he casually buried the cherry blossom petals that had once obscured his eyes in the soil.

This small gesture was so unintentional that not even one of the relatives and friends at the banquet noticed it.

It's as if everyone has forgotten the dream she just had, a dream so real it felt unreal.

"Let's just consider it a casual move," Raiden Shin thought to herself. She kept thinking about that black-haired boy and that land that looked exactly like Inazuma's.

It was just a dream, but I can't let it go.

"So, your name is..." She held her wine glass, but her thoughts weren't on the magnificent scene before her, "Liang?"

--------------

"cold!"

A gentle call is like a stone falling into a calm lake, shattering the illusion of a mirage in an instant!

Shen Liang snapped out of his brief moment of shock.

He was still standing at the entrance of the town outside the wooden teahouse, with the fireworks shop owner, a girl, clinging to his arm with a flustered expression.

"You also... had a heart attack?" Yomiya anxiously patted his chest. "What happened, what happened, Ryoko! Say something! Why did you suddenly stop moving... Ayaka, should we do CPR on him? Um, why don't you do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation? I haven't learned how to do it yet..."

Shen Liang reached out and pulled Xiao Gong's groping hand away, saying irritably, "You just learned a word and you're already using it carelessly. I'm still standing here, and you're already trying to give me CPR?"

"Because you suddenly stopped reacting to everything! You were frozen in place for at least a minute!" Xiaogong exclaimed happily, then quickly explained, "I thought you were suddenly possessed by something, but it turns out you were just spacing out."

"I suddenly remembered something," Shen Liang replied casually.

Just now, in the last minute, he seemed to have seen many things.

Raiden Shin, who died during the Great Calamity 500 years ago, the current Raiden Raiden movie, Fox Saikyuu and Torachiyo, who have long since died or even entered the ley lines, and various legendary figures from history, all in a joyful and lively banquet.

Inazuma, during the Heian period a thousand years ago?

It was like a dream, but it came out of nowhere, without warning, so suddenly.

"Did you see it?" Shen Liang asked in his heart.

[What did you see?] Torachiyo was baffled.

Shen Liang understood. The information he had just received during his momentary lapse of concentration was known only to him; even Hu Qiandai, who could communicate with him through thought, was unaware of it.

"You actually got drunk and danced into Raiden's arms, and even kissed him?" Shen Liang suddenly said. "How pampered were you back then? Such disrespect to a god, and all you got was a beating from Lei Yingdian."

"That's right, I'm A-Zhen and A-Ying's favorite retainer. You think Inazuma's title of 'Number One Beauty' is just an empty boast? I'm the sister who can bathe and sleep with the gods! It's just that A-Ying never holds back when she beats me up, and I'm always bedridden for a month..." Torachiyo said smugly, but then suddenly froze. "Wait, how did you know? The Inazuma historian wouldn't dare record such intimate details about a shogun."

Shen Liang didn't explain. Under Hu Qiandai's curious and continuous questioning, he continued to ponder, then stroked his chin and looked at the distant horizon.

But that casual glance made his jaw drop.

Right on the northern cliff of Inazuma Castle, a bundle of divine cherry tree roots that stretched from the direction of the Guardian Forest came straight down and stuck to the cliff of Inazuma Castle!

The enormous tree roots connect Inazuma Castle, which faces the forest across the strait, and the Forest of Guardians, forming a path that leads directly from Inazuma Castle to the foot of Mount Kageyo—the Giant Tree Path!

These tree roots, stretching for several kilometers and nearly twenty meters wide, resemble a bridge spanning the sea. Previously, it required circling half of Narukami Island to reach Kagemachi from Inazuma Castle, but now, thanks to this tree root bridge, one only needs to walk in a straight line!

Perhaps after thousands of years of weathering, this tree root spanning the sea has been polished into a flat path by humans, with pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages on it!

"Are you looking at that bridge?" Ayaka Kamisato approached him, looking up to see the towering tree roots. "Isn't it magnificent? That's a cherry tree planted by the Great Lord himself a thousand years ago. To make it easier for the people of Inazuma Castle to visit Kagehikoyama, the Great Lord planted the cherry tree, using its roots to connect the two sides, saving Narukami Island a lot of transportation inconvenience. You see, we'll be going through here to the competition this time."

Chapter 200 What should Ayaka Kamisato do?

The enormous tree root connecting Inazuma Castle and the Guardian Forest across the sea seems to have existed for a thousand years. Traffic flows across it, locals seem unfazed, and tourists are taking photos on this side of the bridge. This massive tree root is truly a local landmark.

Ayaka Kamisato's words shocked Shen Liang beyond measure. He felt that his memory was in disarray because, in his impression, there was no such bridge in Inazuma Castle!

The place where the tree root was located was clearly just a cliff north of Inazuma Castle. Because Inazuma Castle is situated on a high elevation, it's surrounded by cliffs on three sides except for the west. He would have seen something so magnificent on his first day in Inazuma, because the bridge across the sea could be seen from any high vantage point. He knew perfectly well that Inazuma Castle didn't have anything like that!

As evidence of his memory, Shen Liang recalled chatting with Xiaogong Shaluo (Kani) and hearing them say that the people of Inazuma Castle needed to prepare a day's worth of food to visit Narukami Taisha Shrine at Kagehizan because the journey was long and difficult. The reason it was so difficult, with no shortcuts, was to filter out those worshippers who lacked patience and perseverance. With millions of people in Inazuma, Narukami Taisha Shrine couldn't be overwhelmed by countless worshippers.

Therefore, Shen Liang keenly realized that there might be a problem with his or others' perceptions.

“Yōmiya, I remember when we went to Kamisato House, we didn’t take this route.” Shen Liang asked cautiously, trying to find something in Yōmiya’s answer that didn’t match his memory.

"Huh? Didn't you say you wanted to go for a drive back then? So we chose the road with the best scenery, and we even sang while we were driving." Xiaogong hummed a melody. "I remember... um, drifting, drifting, drifting triumphantly?"

Shen Liang's heart sank.

As expected, the flaw in her perception was repaired. When reality deviates from her memory, the person's memory is subtly corrected. Shen Liang did indeed take her and Kujo Sara for a drive, but that was just a side trip. However, in Yoomiya's case, that became the reason.

In other words, apart from Shen Liang, no one else in the world was aware of the changes.

He didn't doubt that his perception might have been distorted, because when he saw the tree bridge, he wasn't the only one shocked; Torachiyo was equally astonished. This proved that reality indeed didn't match his understanding.

But why is that?

For some inexplicable reason, the first thing Shen Liang thought of was the cherry blossom petal that the god named Lei Dianzhen had casually planted in his dream.

"A casual move?" Shen Liang pondered the lightning's every move in the dream. "Does it refer to this? No, it's just a dream. How could a dream have such a wide-ranging impact on the world... Even a god's dream couldn't do that."

Rather than saying that, it's better to believe that some force has directly altered the world's perception... most likely it's the earth's vein fluctuations? I've heard that anything can happen when the earth's veins fluctuate.

Just then, Xiaogong suddenly hugged his arm from behind. Shen Liang looked down and saw the fireworks girl shaking his hand and saying coquettishly, "So, you've been stunned for so long, have you decided to agree to take us? Brother Liang, Brother Liang, I'll call you brother, okay? I'm two years older than you! Please, take me and Linghua with you."

Previously, I refused on the grounds of insufficient time, but now it seems that with a bridge in place, I can get across, so the world has automatically corrected its previous logic of rejection.

If I refuse again, I'll have no reason to do so.

"The carriage has stopped at the post station at the foot of Inazuma Castle. Let's hurry!" Shen Liang led the way towards the city gate.

The reason he repeatedly refused was simply because he didn't really like Ayaka Kamisato.

Firstly, he disliked dealing with the bureaucratic families of Inazuma, and secondly, he felt that the Kamisato family's naive approach to saving the country was utterly pointless. The Shakeshogun was perhaps the most benevolent of the three magistrates, but ultimately, he also failed to see through the realities of society.

Or perhaps it was simply a limitation of the times. Shen Liang always remembered that on Mingzhui Beach, he heard General Lei Dian repeatedly say, "I will remember everything in my heart."

Wherever the lightning strikes, it is the hand and eye of the Thunder General. She knows everything on this land: the evil deeds of the Enforcers, the evil deeds of the Heavenly Enforcers, the suffering of war, the suffering of isolation—she knows it all. No matter how much the Enforcers struggle and try, it is all in vain, because there has never been a sovereign whose ears are deceived.

But what does it matter to the people of Inazuma? He has already done his best once. No one is expected to be a saint who saves a country. Shen Liang has done everything he could. No matter how chaotic or suffering Inazuma becomes, he will only watch coldly from the sidelines.

A nation that always needs a savior is beyond redemption.

Upon hearing Shen Liang's agreement, both girls showed delight. Xiao Gong jumped up and skipped ahead of him to lead the way, while Shen Liang walked behind. Shen Li Ling Hua quickly caught up with him, keeping pace with him.

"Perhaps Linghua has figured it out," Princess Bailu whispered beside him.

"what?"

“Mr. Ryoko comes from a country whose system is perhaps much better than ours. He looks down on Ayaka’s stupidity and doesn’t like Ayaka’s identity.” Ayaka’s voice was slightly somber, probably because as a young lady from a prestigious family, she rarely encountered an environment where she had to compromise. “Ayaka has always wanted Mr. Ryoko to help teach her how to save the people… but perhaps in your eyes, Inazuma is riddled with problems, and you may even think that the magistrate is useless… so you will no longer come to help.”

"Now that you see this, you're not entirely stupid," Shen Liang commented.

“You’ve been heartbroken by Inazuma, haven’t you?” Ayaka Kamisato asked.

"That's not enough."

“So you are no longer swayed by emotions. You have entrusted your few remaining emotional attachments to Haiji Island. It is impossible for you to draw your sword again for our people.” Kamisato Ayaka smiled. “Your heart is now very hard. Ayaka has figured it out.”

"So?" Shen Liang straddled the Harley, and Xiao Gong jumped in front of him with practiced ease, eagerly preparing to be buffeted by the wind. Shen Li Ling Hua straddled the seat behind him, and as Shen Liang twisted the handlebars, the immense momentum caused her to immediately hug Shen Liang's waist tightly.

The motorcycle quickly sped onto the tree bridge. Xiaogong enjoyed the impact of the speed and whistled. In the wind, only Shen Liang could hear Shen Li Linghua's voice. Her tone was somewhat complicated, like a request or a sigh.

"Therefore, what you need is not to appeal to emotions, but to lure them with benefits."

How to entice them with benefits?

Shen Liang didn't receive a reply from Ayaka Kamisato, and he didn't bother to ask. So he didn't notice the expression on Ayaka Kamisato's face in the rearview mirror, as if she had made up her mind, and the slight sorrow she seemed to be anticipating her future, as she tilted her head back to avoid being seen crying.

Chapter 201 Princess Egret, you bastard!

At the same time, inside the castle tower, the Thunder General, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly opened his eyes.

She did not get up immediately, but remained seated.

"Yes, the earth's veins are disordered. The power of the earth's veins has been borrowed by an unknown entity. In Inazuma Castle, there, by that cherry tree root that appeared out of nowhere," General Raiden suddenly said.

“Yes, just like the Divine Cherry Tree, it appeared abruptly, yet it has existed in the minds of outsiders for thousands of years, but no one has noticed anything unusual,” General Thunder added.

“Yes, in fact, the memories of this body have also become distorted.” General Thunder continued to mutter to himself, “The memories of this body have also been tampered with. If your memories were not interconnected with those of this body, you would really think that the tree bridge had always existed… This strange correction of common sense has happened twice already. It seems that only your Shadow Demon God-level will can resist it.”

"Don't you need to borrow this body? Fine, then I'll take care of it."

"That child, that child from another world? There is indeed something about him that is hard to fathom, but he is still human after all. Rest assured, I have no reason or desire to harm him. As for dignity... dignity is worthless in the face of eternity, that is the instruction you wrote into me."

"The scent of a ghost...? Is that even possible? Heh, perhaps this body needs a more acute sense of smell."

"But how would you evaluate that child?" The general paused for a moment, then said softly, "Five hundred years ago, Orobas died, and its priestess became the new sea serpent. A year ago, the body of the current human goddess priestess sank to the shore of Tengdouzhai, and her shadow emerged from the sea. I don't understand, but perhaps this is the endless potential of humanity. That child uses the power from another world not for squandering but for balance, which I admire. I might try to befriend her."

"However, compared to befriending and testing each other, it might be a better solution to simply throw this eternal variable, this seed of chaos, to another country." The general looked into the distance of the castle tower, his gaze passing over the towering buildings and the boundless sea, all the way to the neighboring country across the ocean.

----------------

Harley sped across the tree bridge. When Shen Liang looked down, he saw the wood grain of the tree roots beneath his feet and realized that the roots had been worn into a flat and wide road by the passage of the Inazuma people over the years. There were even ruts in the middle for horse-drawn carriages, and sturdy railings had been erected on both sides of the bridge.

It seems that this tree has indeed existed for a thousand years, and the traces of human intervention alone could not have been created in a hundred or so years.

As his motorcycle crossed the bridge, he saw a small cherry tree at the bridgehead. The tree stood atop a cliff on the east side of the Forest of Guardians, surrounded and protected by a structure resembling a viewing platform. This tree was the very structure of the tree bridge; though small, its roots were essentially grown by the power of the Thunder God, making it a well-known tourist attraction in Inazuma.

The location of that tree looked somewhat familiar to Shen Liang. He quickly remembered the place in his dream where Raiden had laid out a mat to take a nap, and the cherry tree that had once disturbed Raiden with falling cherry blossoms... seemed to be this one.

A thousand years have passed, and even though its roots have grown to block out the sky, it remains so simple, its height and size perfectly sized to provide shade for those drinking and composing poetry under its branches.

After a long wait, a guest arrived and sat beneath the flowers, startled, and flew away.