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

He wasn't there the first two times, but he came again today. It's like the story of the Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage.

"What does the war have to do with Ryoko?" Sango Mikoto asked疑惑地. "Ryoko is here to plant seawater rice, isn't she?"

"I don't know, but it's said that something was found out about the sea monsters that you and Mr. Shen Liang killed on the road last time... Anyway, you just left the battlefield and you're already urging me to come again! Mr. Shen Liang, you'd better hurry up and go. You have a bad temper, and if you can't be invited three times, you might get your house confiscated!"

Sea Demon?

The only thing Shen Liang could think of was the wound inflicted by the Desert Eagle and the bullets left at the scene.

He was disgusted and didn't want to deal with it at the time, but sure enough, someone on Haiji Island still had their eye on his weapons.

That makes sense. How could the leader of an island engulfed in war not value "weapons"?

----------

Coral Palace Shrine, sleeping quarters.

Inazuma shrines are generally divided into a main hall, a worship hall, and a rear sleeping quarters where the priests live. However, on Umijima Island, politics and religion are integrated. Sangokyu Taisha itself is both a shrine and a place of political importance. The sleeping quarters are not only the living quarters of the shrine maidens, but also the residence of the living shrine maiden, where she handles political affairs and receives important people.

At this moment, in the inner chamber, a mature woman dressed in an elaborate and alluring twelve-layered kimono leaned against the tatami mat, resting against the warm kotatsu. The kimono hung loosely on her, revealing her fair shoulders and beautiful back. She held a lady's pipe between her slender white fingers and exhaled a smoke ring with a dreamy gaze.

A young shrine maiden dressed in traditional shrine maiden attire was bandaging her. Upon closer inspection, one would notice that her beautifully curved back was covered with gruesome wounds, many of which were fresh, with blood flowing along the scars, as if forming a tattoo of a demon on her back.

Chapter Twenty-Nine Aunt

"Oh! Be gentle...it hurts!" The mature woman's body twitched, letting out a soft moan that would evoke countless fantasies. "Sihe, don't be so rough. After all these years with me, don't you know which part of my skin is sensitive?"

"We must teach Lady Coral a lesson!" The priestess Shizuru continued applying the medicine, showing no mercy. "How many times have I told you? Lady Coral was there to boost morale. All she needed to do was supervise the battle. What kind of priestess, a living god, would personally go into battle? Isn't that just causing trouble for General Goro and the others?"

"What do you mean by causing trouble? In terms of combat strength, I might be stronger than Goro and the others. I can kill dozens of enemies by myself. Isn't it shameful to waste such strong combat power?" The mature woman showed a pained expression. "Sihe, be gentle!"

"Humph!"

This mature woman, who had just removed her armor and put on a beautiful twelve-layered kimono, was none other than the current Human God Priestess, the High Priestess of Coral Palace, and the highest leader of Umijima Island—Coral Palace Ruka.

She is also the leader of the resistance in this war. As long as she lives, the people and soldiers of Haizhi Island will remain united. As long as she steps onto the battlefield, the warriors of Haizhi Island will fight to the death. As long as she is willing, the entire Haizhi Island will have only one voice.

In the eyes of many Umiji people, the status of the living human god priestess is comparable to that of the thunder god in the eyes of the Inatsume people.

Even her title reflects this: "Human God" means that humans borrow the power of God, are the preparatory force for the gods, and are humans who will inevitably become gods.

"Is that young man really that important, Lord Coral Palace, that you have to invite him three times?" Sihe asked. "Seawater rice? I've never heard of it. How can you grow food in a place full of salt? Even the Seven Gods couldn't do such a thing, could they?"

"There are many things that God can't do, but just because God can't do something doesn't mean humans can't," said Coral Palace Ryuka lazily. "If he's lying, we'll chop off his head. Right now, not even a bird can fly off Haizhi Island. Are we afraid he'll run away?"

"But I'm afraid he's just a fame-seeker, and I've heard that Lord Quan Gongsi is very close to him."

"Xin Hai?" Coral Palace Liu Ge suddenly perked up. "My niece has taken a fancy to a man?"

"No, no, no, how could Sihe dare to speak ill of Lord Quan Gongsi? Lord Quan Gongsi..."

"I'm asking you, is my niece having a crush on a man? Why are you asking so many questions?" Coral Palace Liuge asked, swaying back and forth as she chewed on her pipe, frowning. "How's it going? Did they get together? I was wondering why Xinhai had been seeing someone these past few days. So she's been having a secret rendezvous with her lover, huh? Tsk, I wish I had a man to meet in secret when I was young!"

"Why do you seem to not mind that Lord Quan Gongsi is getting close to men..."

"What's there to mind? Why should I mind?" Coral Palace Ryuka scoffed. "You mean to say that priestesses should remain pure? Ha, do you think this profession of priestess, which is maintained by bloodline, has been passed down through generations? If I had found a satisfactory man when I was young, would I be a priestess now? Besides, it's good for me that Kokoro is in love. If she quits being a priestess for love, I'll just stay in office until I'm old. Isn't it better to have a secure job for life?"

Sihe was speechless. Although she had followed Coral Palace Ryuka for so many years and had basically gotten used to the ruthless shrine maiden's mannerisms, compared to the kind and innocent righteous shrine maiden Coral Palace Kokoro, the current god of Umijima Island was truly without any image to speak of!

Fortunately, she rarely bothers to understand the people's situation, otherwise, if the islanders knew that their boss was so incompetent, it would really damage the reputation of Coral Palace.

At this moment, Goro knocked on the door. "Lord Coral Palace, Lord Quan Gongsi and Mr. Shen Liang have arrived."

Sihe then took his leave, and Shen Liang and Coral Palace Xin Hai stepped into the bedchamber. As soon as they looked up, they saw Coral Palace Liu Ge, who had been waiting for a long time.

Miss Liuge leaned against the table, her pipe lying beside her. Her posture was elegant, her shoulders partially exposed, exuding a noble and graceful charm. She raised her arm, holding a fiery red gemstone, and tilted her head to examine it.

Shen Liang was somewhat taken aback. He knew that the current human goddess priestess was the aunt of Coral Palace Heart Sea and should not be too old, but he did not expect the current human goddess priestess to be so... alluring.

He didn't know where to look. Beside him was the little witch, and in front of him was the little witch's aunt, whose shoulders, collarbones, and long white legs were exposed. It was really not appropriate to look at her beautiful elders in front of the little witch... although Shen Liang didn't know why it was inappropriate.

Only then did Ruka Sangokami look at the two. Facing the boy's averted gaze, she remained calm and unconcerned. However, when she saw her niece, a look of utter disbelief crossed her face.

"Xinhai, what are you wearing?"

Coral Palace Xin Hai had already changed into the black and white maid outfit that Shen Liang had forced her to wear. She didn't resist much because maid rules required obedience, and it didn't seem like a shameful outfit, as it was very revealing.

"I wanted to try a different style," Coral Palace Xin Hai said with shame, feeling that she had become bad and dared to lie through her teeth. "I heard that this is a popular style in Fontaine, brought by Ryoko."

Coral Palace Liuge gave Shen Liang an approving look.

Shen Liang instantly realized that maid outfits also existed in this world, and that Coral Palace Liu Ge definitely knew what maid outfits were for.

“Mr. Shen… no,” Coral Palace Ryuka put down the gemstone, smiled and reached out her hand to Shen Liang, “it’s cute, Ryoko-chan.”

Shen Liang blushed slightly.

He was a 21-year-old adult male, and an adult male like him was indeed powerless against such a charming and mature woman. Compared to immature high school girls like Kiana and Kokoro, what he truly desired were these mature, alluring older women!

It's a pity that this body is only fit to be called "sauce".

Shen Liang stepped forward and shook hands with her, "Miss Gong Si."

I thought I would get a smooth and tender hand, but I didn't expect it to feel so rough. Unlike the delicate and even gorgeous appearance of Coral Palace Ryuka, the calluses on her thumb and forefinger were thick and round.

A person who practices martial arts.

Coral Palace Heart Sea is clearly an administrative staff member. The Eye of God gave her combat power, but she is not actually a combat type. However, this Coral Palace Ryuka is probably not weak.

War witch, right?

Just as Shen Liang was about to let go, he didn't expect that Coral Palace Liu Ge would suddenly exert force, pulling him down and causing him to stumble and fall onto her!

"Insolence!" Goro shouted almost instantly, taking three steps into the reception room to make a move, but Coral Palace Ryuka waved her hand to signal him to step back, then pulled Shen Liang into her arms and sat down with her back against her.

Immediately afterwards, this unruly human-god priestess stroked his head while tilting her head and looking at Coral Palace Heart Sea's expression with a mocking smile.

"Auntie! What are you doing, Auntie!"

Chapter Thirty: I Guarantee with My Life

Feeling the warm, soft flesh nestled against the back of his head, Shen Liang was at a loss.

"Aunt! These are our distinguished guests from Haiqi Island. You should at least show them some respect!" Coral Palace Heart Sea was so angry she wanted to jump up and down, but she maintained her image in front of everyone and held back. Really, even she knew how to maintain her image, how could a dignified human goddess priestess not!

What if they feel humiliated and refuse to trade because of this bullying?

"Where is the disrespect? Does Ryoko-chan find it bothersome?" Sangomiya Rika smiled as she looked at the boy in her arms, then at Sangomiya Shinkai's actions, and then felt a little regretful. "It seems different from what I imagined. Don't talk about being more than friends but less than lovers. This isn't even a friendship. I'm really disappointed in my aunt."

The phrase "more than friends, less than lovers" was in the dialect of Haizhi Island, not the common language of Teyvat, so Shen Liang didn't understand it. However, Coral Palace Xin Hai was both embarrassed and annoyed, saying, "Auntie, what kind of strange things are you thinking about! Let Ryoko go!"

“Calling him ‘Ryoko’ directly is not bad at all~” Sangokami Ryuka ignored her niece’s shouting and continued to rub his face. Shen Liang’s feelings were complicated. He couldn’t tell whether he felt embarrassed or secretly pleased, but considering that he had tried to struggle several times but was suppressed by the strange strength of this bad shrine maiden, he gave in.

He also lied to himself that he didn't enjoy the feeling of being hugged by his older sister; he simply couldn't resist.

"I didn't expect Liyue to be so full of talent. Such a cute kid doesn't stay at home enjoying the treatment of a young master, but actually dares to come to this war-torn land to make money." Coral Palace Liuge lifted his chin with her fingertip and asked flirtatiously, "This is not the country of contracts, this is the lawless Haiqi Island. To be honest, if you can't say something, I won't kill you. Just for your face, you can stay on Haiqi Island and be my mascot, of course, the kind that is locked in the bedroom."

Coral Palace Xin Hai's expression changed slightly.

She hadn't expected that her aunt would completely disregard Shen Liang's feelings from the very beginning and put pressure on him directly. She had been trying her best to make a good impression on Shen Liang and make him feel a sense of belonging to Haiqi Island, but her aunt suddenly changed the tone of the conversation.

Has the war become so urgent? Is Auntie even too lazy to put on a show of politeness? How will Ryoko view Umijima and Coral Palace? They are outsiders, after all!

Shen Liang, her face cold, raised her head to meet the gaze of Coral Palace Liu Ge, who was standing close by, without any emotion.

"Of course, Shen Liang came here for wealth, to earn Mora from your impoverished Haiqi Island that the Shogunate can't provide." Shen Liang adopted an adult's negotiating style, clearing away distractions, and explained calmly, "However, we Liyue have an old saying, 'If you treat me as a national hero, I will repay you as a national hero.' Is this how Coral Palace treats those who come to save you?"

When negotiating, you can't lose your confidence.

If you show no mercy, I won't either. Trying to intimidate others with power is a trick that's been around in the workplace for years, and we, the post-90s and post-00s generations, don't buy it!

"Ryoko-chan is pretty arrogant. She hasn't even started doing anything yet, and she's already established the stance of saving people. That's not how you do business." Ms. Ryuka said with a smile.

"My family is poor and we have no way to make a living. I also have several younger sisters who are crying for food. Although I am from Liyue, I am not from a wealthy family like the Seven Stars and Eight Gates. The sooner I complete the deal, the sooner I will be financially free."

Coral Palace Ryuka's smile widened.

The moment she saw Shen Liang, she set the tone for the negotiation. Even if a young person is genius, he is bound to be psychologically immature.

Calling him to the bedchamber puts pressure on him by creating a familiar yet unfamiliar environment; forcibly pulling him into her arms undermines his self-esteem; taking the initiative is a form of intimidation; and staring down at him subconsciously makes him feel inferior.

But Shen Liang was not affected at all. He remained neither humble nor arrogant in his speech and behavior, and even dared to fight back.

I like Coral Palace Ryuka more and more the more I watch her.

“Mr. Shen, please forgive my aunt’s rudeness.” Miss Liuge changed the subject, “The Coral Palace has heard about your seawater rice, but seeing is believing. You must have brought this divine object with you when you came to Haiqi Island to seek wealth.”

"nature."

Shen Liang took out the sealed seeds from his bag. Because he was still being held by Coral Palace Liu Ge in one arm, he couldn't move around much. But the next second, Miss Liu Ge took the seeds from his hand and tilted her head to examine them.

"This packaging uses a transparent bag..."

It was a plastic bag. Shen Liang was about to use the all-purpose excuse of "alchemy product" to get away with it when she heard her laugh: "Don't use alchemy to explain. I'm not as stupid as Xin Hai. I've seen a lot of scholars in Sumeru. Once this convenient and safe technology appears, it will definitely be popularized in Sumeru, even if it comes from some legendary alchemist."

“And the fact that you only use it to store seeds shows that it’s not some technology that can’t be popularized. But I’ve never seen a bag made of this material before, Ryoko-chan. If you’re going to make an excuse, you’d better think it through.” Ms. Ryuka smiled.

I've met a smart person.

Shen Liang remained silent.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it, Ryoko-chan. You have more and more secrets. For example, Beidou told me that none of Liyue could make the clothes you wear. How interesting.” She shrugged and then carefully examined the seed. “But it’s okay. Coral Palace doesn’t need to know how many secrets you have. It just needs your help.”

Shen Liang's palms were sweating. The people in power in Teyvat were all incredibly shrewd; all the excuses and pretexts he had come up with were easily seen through.