The Infinite Journey of a Certain Flame

Originally, she could have simply chosen to wait for death and prolong her life, but in order to alleviate Shenying's pain, she single-handedly pushed forward the Great Exorcism and finally accepted her fate with equanimity.

"Before the final purification ended, Hana-sanri said something that sounded just like what Kotsai-gumi said. I don't know if it was her intention or because she couldn't distinguish between her own memories and Kotsai-gumi's... Kage, what do you think?"

Kiana, suppressing the weakness caused by squandering the power of the gems, had already spoken what needed to be said.

She felt that the shadow's stagnation was so that Inazuma's time could stand still, thus allowing the kingdom to endure forever.

Hana-sanri guides the Great Exorcism for this ultimate goal, but the method she uses is to actively solve difficult problems.

Like Fox Palace, she was a true believer willing to sacrifice herself for the will of the gods...

"Sakura seems to have recovered very well... They must be overjoyed to see this. Kiana, you once mentioned that the owner of this mask only had a subtle connection with me. So, this is her keepsake?"

"That's right, but it might be a mask that Fox Maiden once wore, or it might be a mask lost by some unknown shrine maiden. What's wrong?"

"It's beautiful. The owner of this mask must be a lovely person..." Ying said, seemingly both admiring and explaining.

Seeing that she didn't genuinely feel disgust as Hana Sanri had mocked herself for, Kiana finally felt a sense of accomplishment.

At the same time, a system notification sound suddenly rang out.

[Ding! Host behavior has been detected causing a disruption in the world's causality, which will significantly alter the course of subsequent events! Please complete the main storyline quest as soon as possible, otherwise the quest will be altered due to the emergence of unstable factors.]

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully gaining an extra 1000 Herrscher Points for disrupting the world's causality. Keep up the good work!]

"I didn't expect there to be an extra reward? This is kind of a bonus for the change in the plot..."

Kiana was wondering what was going on when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest, followed by a feeling that all the strength in her body had been drained away.

"What... happened...?"

"What's wrong?" Ying looked at Kiana clutching her chest and felt a pang of heartache for some reason. She slowly moved to support her.

However, it seems that they were worried about missing an opportunity, or perhaps there really wasn't anything special about it.

Sweating profusely, Kiana took a step back and replied with a shy smile, "I'm fine, cough! I'm just... a little tired..."

"really?"

"Of course," Kiana covered her mouth and answered softly. Then she turned her head and looked at her hand. She saw that the combat gloves, which could not even be left with a trace by lightning and fire, were now stained with blood and had a different color.

"What exactly is this...?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a system warning sounded.

[Warning: The host has not yet unlocked all power, but has been using gems continuously, pushing their body to its breaking point. To avoid endangering their life, the system will force the host into a short period of hibernation and consume Herrscher Points to restore their health!]

"Using gems can cause such a heavy burden... Could it be due to the different worlds? Cough..."

Despite the system's good intentions, Kiana did not want to fall down, and she reached out to try to grab Shadow.

"I...will take you back, absolutely..."

Kiana covered her head, struggling with her blurred consciousness, and desperately tried to grab Kage's hand to bring him back to the castle tower.

However, overusing powers that shouldn't exist in this world will ultimately come at a price.

Seeing Kiana suddenly looking dejected, Shadow avoided her with some confusion and asked:

Why do you look like you're sick?

"I'm not sick! I'm just... a little tired..."

Dizzy Kiana took a step without thinking, attempting to grab Shadow again. This time, although she successfully touched the bewildered deity, the danger was too great, and she was ultimately forced into a deep sleep by the system.

"Uh..."

Seeing Kiana charging towards her, Ying was caught off guard and was knocked down onto the grass. Before she could even react, she felt a heavy weight on her chest.

"Is she... asleep?"

Ying never expected that the terrifying girl who had just displayed power no less than that of the Heavenly Law God would now be sleeping obediently like a white cat.

Staring at her innocent and carefree sleeping face, Ying felt a sense of peace within herself for some reason.

"Come to think of it, I only realized now... that it can be so warm here. Is it because of her presence?"

Shadow held Kiana's head and back with both hands, and unconsciously fell into memories.

"I... understand your good intentions, but Ying... perhaps you, in your high position, haven't considered whether your people truly need an eternal dream, or the watchful eye of the gods..."

"An eternal dream, and the gaze of the gods..."

Feeling that warm and gentle breathing, Ying felt tired... and relieved for some reason.

On the path of pursuing eternity, I once had companions by my side.

The memories with them will be forever etched in my heart, and I will never forget them.

However, centuries later, after his sister also passed away...

Time like this has become a luxury.

His violet eyes stared at the sleeping girl's face, and he couldn't help but reveal a hint of tenderness.

"Is this what you meant by 'for me'? Heh. If possible, I hope we can meet again after many years... Kiana. Thank you."

As the gods whispered their thanks, the traveler fell peacefully asleep...

The Song of Flames and Lightning (Genshin Impact Inazuma Main Story): Chapter 54 A Huge White Slime

Kiana felt a little short of breath, perhaps due to the soft touch.

With her eyes closed, she couldn't remember what she had done before she fainted.

I have no idea what those two lumps of something were stuck tightly to my face...

"Is it a slime? Could it be a water slime? No, why is a water slime so soft and warm... Ugh, I'm so thirsty..."

Using the Plague Gem and the Conquest Gem in succession had left her exhausted, and at this moment Kiana desperately wanted to drink a lot of water to relieve her thirst.

Since there's a water slime right in front of us...

"Hmm...hmm~hmm!" A familiar murmur reached her ears, and Kiana, sensing something was wrong, quickly opened her eyes.

In an instant, it became clear.

"You!" Yingxing's eyes widened, and she hurriedly covered her chest. Then, in a very restrained tone, she said angrily, "You rude person!"

Accompanying the reprimand was a powerful chop to the neck.

"Eh eh eh!"

Kiana, who had been hit, scrambled to her feet, clutching her head, and finally realized what had been pressing against her...

Seeing Ying sitting up with a slightly angry expression, she could only awkwardly smile and scratch her head.

"I didn't mean it, please don't take it to heart."

"...Alright, let's leave it at that." For some reason, Kage felt his face burning and slowly sat up, then looked up at Kiana with an air of authority.

As the goddess of Inazuma, to be defeated by an unknown traveler is a disgrace that will be difficult to erase no matter who knows about it.

What's most hateful is... how dare she! Humph...

If he hadn't witnessed Kiana's strength, Kage would have wanted to erase this humiliation with the most solemn and cruel duel before the emperor.

This is infuriating! No one has ever dared to treat me this badly in my entire life!

Ying clenched her fist and waved it, trying her best to calm her inner excitement.

Having devoted herself to meditation in the Pure Land for many years, she never imagined that she would encounter such a change...

"Traveler, you are very strong, so strong that even I cannot match you. The result of the duel before the Emperor has proven this, but I am sorry that I cannot set an example. According to the rules of the duel, I should have ended it myself. As compensation, do you have any requests? I will do my best to fulfill them."

Ying was deeply troubled by the defeat, not because she was being stubborn, but because she knew very well that as a ruler, one must lead by example; otherwise, the ideals promised to one's subjects for thousands of years would become nothing more than empty talk.

However...

"I'm so hungry... Would you like something to eat, Shadow?"

Kiana clutched her stomach, completely ignoring Ying's serious question.

That's pretty much what "completely illogical" means...

Ying closed his eyes, feeling his anger meter rapidly increasing.

Are you playing me?

"Is there anything you'd like to eat? Oh, I just remembered I have some dessert I prepared for Ying. It feels like a waste to leave it uneaten. Would you like to try some?"

Kiana answered very casually.

To her utter surprise, after issuing such an invitation, the system then issued a notification for an emergency task.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have successfully triggered the encounter quest in the world [Teyvat]: Nobody knows more about desserts than me!]

[How to complete the task: Share the Thunder General Shadow item and a dessert.]

[Depending on the quality of the food shared and the feelings of both parties after tasting it, this task can yield a maximum reward of 1200 Herrscher Points.]

"..."

The system's online store offers a wide variety of products, including not only those that exist in real life, but also many things that are impossible in real life.

However, most of those things are ridiculously expensive.

In comparison, the food is much more affordable.

Tiramisu, Chibi Maruko-chan, cheesecake, dorayaki, green tea pastry, osmanthus cake, macarons, strawberry daifuku, donuts, mille-feuille cake...

As one delicious dish after another appeared, Ying's attention was completely drawn to them, and she didn't mention the compensation for the duel in front of the emperor again.

"Hey, why are you eating so fast? You looked like you were..."

Looking at the picnic blanket, I saw that the desserts, which had only been out for a short time, were already mostly eaten.

Kiana didn't have time to think and started eating heartily...

In the end, after a whirlwind of activity, there was practically nothing left on the picnic blanket except for traces of the desserts that had been there.

"This is so delicious, I still feel like I haven't eaten enough... Mmm..." Kiana licked her lips, scraped the remaining cream into her mouth and savored it, letting out a sigh of lingering satisfaction.

And at that very moment...

A gentle hand slowly reached out and gently cupped her cheek, followed by the wet, smooth touch of a small, fragrant tongue licking her cheek.