The Infinite Journey of a Certain Flame

“Hmm…” Paimon said, sounding a little aggrieved.

She simply suggested giving it a try, but ended up being lectured by the two of them.

While it makes a lot of sense, it's still incredibly infuriating.

"I want to try, wait for me."

"Paimon..." Ying was speechless at her companion's willfulness.

However, since she has already made up her mind, there's no point in saying anything more.

Thinking of this, Ying turned her head to look at Kiana.

Should we wait for her?

"Wait a minute, keep going Paimon, I believe you can definitely lead us to God!"

Kiana suppressed a laugh, but looked like she was cheering him on.

Paimon was quite pleased with her encouragement and straightened his back as he walked toward the samurai in front of the Kamisato family's gate.

At that moment, the samurai was patrolling back and forth, the katana at his waist swaying with his movements.

Even though it wasn't drawn, it was still imposing and gave people a sense of oppression.

"Who goes there?!" The warrior looked up abruptly, staring intently at the little creature flying in the sky.

"I...I...I want to see Kamisato!"

Paimon was gesticulating wildly, looking utterly panicked.

She came to visit alone this time, and only after getting closer did she belatedly realize that what the two men had said was actually true.

Looking at the sword at the samurai's waist, she couldn't help but swallow.

"Is...is it okay?"

"That's ridiculous. Does the young lady think you can just see her whenever you want?" The samurai crossed his arms and flatly rejected Paimon's request.

The Kamisato family is a prestigious noble family in Inazuma. Although the eldest daughter is approachable, she is not someone that outsiders can meet casually.

Besides... is this a person?

"What exactly are you...? Why can you fly?"

The samurai raised his head, his eyes filled with not only seriousness but also terror.

"Huh? Paimon isn't a thing, Paimon is—!"

"Is it some kind of evil spirit or filth?! Get out of my way!"

The samurai drew his sword, poised to strike.

No one was surprised by Paimon before, largely because she followed Ying.

So people mistakenly think it's some strange alchemical doll, pet, or other weird thing.

Now she's all alone, and Ying isn't there to explain.

The samurai in charge of guarding the area was quite sensitive, so he directly mistook her for something terrifying. Of course, in a sense... his premonition was indeed correct.

"Hey hey hey! Paimon is just Paimon, ugh! I don't want to see Kamisama anymore..."

As soon as the knife was pulled out, Paimon chickened out and turned to leave.

But you think you can just run away after offending the security guard?

"Halt! You are no ordinary person. Could it be some kind of evil magic from the Sea Demon... Never mind, I'm taking you to Narukami Shrine and begging the Divine Child to exorcise you!"

"What? No way! Hehehe!" Paimon turned around, made a face, and then ran away.

"You! Stop right there, or don't blame my blade for being merciless!"

Enraged, the samurai raised his sword with both hands and chased after Paimon.

This terrified her, and she flew while shouting for help at the two onlookers.

"Help! The security guard is so mean!"

“I already said it won’t work…” Ying sighed helplessly at Paimon, who was complaining.

The approaching samurai's momentum diminished upon seeing the two extraordinary girls, Ying and Kiana.

"Who exactly are you...?"

"A traveler wandering in a foreign land." Kiana, her right hand on her hip, was somewhat speechless. "Even if her recklessness was ridiculous, did you really have to chase after her with a knife in hand?"

Seeing Kiana's extraordinary bearing, the samurai gradually began to consider retreating.

He sheathed his knife, crossed his arms, and gave a cold snort:

"Hmph, this is my mission. These are your foreigners' pets? Remember to keep them under control..."

Having found a way to save face, the samurai turned around and swaggered away.

Before he had taken two steps, he suddenly felt someone tap him on the back of the head.

"Who threw the stone!"

The furious samurai turned around and saw Ying and Paimon whistling with their heads turned to the side.

"Pee pee~"

Judging from their appearance, it's obvious what's going on without even looking at them.

The samurai guarding the gate hesitated for a long time, gripping the sword at his waist.

"Bah..."

In the end, not daring to make a move, he had no choice but to leave.

With that guy gone, Ying and Paimon breathed a sigh of relief.

"The gatekeeper at the Kamisato family's house is so fierce. I hope she's just as fierce."

"Paimon, didn't Kiana and I already warn you? Let's go, stop dawdling..."

"It can't all be blamed on her."

Kiana smiled at the dejected Paimon, then called out to Luminous, who had taken a wrong turn, and led the two to a spot not far from the fox statue that had been used to obtain the town's treasure.

"So high..."

Ying looked at the steep cliff, then at the fox statue, and realized what she needed to do next.

"It's okay, let's jump."

Kiana held out her hand, gesturing for Ying to give her her hand.

After some hesitation, Ying relented, letting Kiana carry her as she leaped off the cliff...

The howling wind was much stronger than when using the Wings of Wind, so much so that Ying had to squint and shrink her neck to snuggle up to her.

Feeling the strength in the girl's small hand, Kiana whispered comfortingly:

"Don't be afraid, I'm holding on tight."

"Um..."

Because Kiana jumped directly down, the group landed in front of the spirit fox statue in just a short while.

As soon as the two landed, Paimon came over and whispered something.

"Kiana flies so fast, I can hardly keep up."

Kiana didn't immediately answer the little guy's complaint, but instead calmly released Ying.

Once the other person had settled on the steps, she turned around and stared at Paimon, saying:

"You're only catching up because you're smaller. If you were the same size as me, how could you possibly not catch up?"

"Really?" Paimon asked, hands on his hips, looking curious.

Kiana did not answer her question.

Seeing that she was silent, Ying thought she was annoyed by Paimon's noise again, so she coughed to attract their attention.

"Paimon, stop arguing. We still need two more places to purify the roots, hurry up."

After Ying finished speaking, she began to observe the fox statue.

The Song of Flames and Lightning (Genshin Impact Inazuma Main Story): Chapter Twenty: The Dangerous Lightning Calamity

The fox statue is located in a very tricky spot, surrounded by steep cliffs and below it is a soft sandy beach.

Overall, it seems to be a terrain deliberately created to avoid being discovered.

Beneath the towering tree, old steps, as if cut in half, extend upwards, finally stopping at the foundation where the spirit fox statue stands, flanked by plants with pale blue flowers.

All of these factors combined make this a stunning coastal landscape.

"Who on earth would erect a statue here?"

Ying withdrew her gaze, squatted down, and gently stroked the little fox statue.

Behind her, Paimon, with his hands behind his back, muttered somewhat boredly:

"Maybe it's not human? Ying, can we just get the talisman directly?"

Upon hearing Paimon's suggestion, Ying casually tossed out several lightning shuriken, accompanied by flashes of lightning.

The statue showed no reaction whatsoever, and there was not even any visible damage.

Clearly, this is not the statue that concealed the treasure...

Ying and Paimon exchanged a glance, looking somewhat troubled.

Just then, Kiana suddenly crouched down and pointed at the little fox statue:

"These little foxes look so cute. Haven't we seen a lot of them before?"

"Hmm? Oh, I remember now."

Ying suddenly realized what was going on, took out a keepsake mirror, and looked at the little fox.

Under the influence of this rare object, a particularly large spirit fox statue suddenly appeared on the previously empty stone steps.