The Infinite Journey of a Certain Flame

Kiana smiled, then turned her gaze to Beidou.

As a mercenary employed by Xin Hai, her opinions are of paramount importance, and it is no exaggeration to say that they can influence the entire battle situation.

After all, he is a captain with the strength to destroy mountains and seas, so he shouldn't be unknown in the upcoming battles.

"What are Captain Hokuto's thoughts on the Coral Palace and the Shogunate?"

“No,” Hokuto simply shook his head casually in response to Kiana’s question. “Whether the Coral Palace or the Shogunate wins, it’s all the same to me.”

Kiana didn't have any particular thoughts on this answer.

She knew Beidou's character well and knew that this loyal and righteous strong woman wouldn't go to great lengths for a mere sum of money.

If you really want to make money, wouldn't you earn even more by continuing to work for Ningguang?

So, in the end, it was all for the sake of 'loyalty'.

However, Kujo Sara, standing to the side, couldn't understand Hokuto's straightforward answer at all:

"The same? If so... why did you join the resistance?"

Song of Flames and Lightning (Genshin Impact Inazuma Main Story): Chapter 76 Those azure eyes, there really isn't a single flaw.

"Let me state upfront that I am merely employed by the resistance and have never intended to join them. Even the Coral Palace has no authority to order me to act. How I will help them next is entirely up to me."

Beidou crossed her arms and spoke these words without any hesitation, making it seem less like she was an employee and more like a boss who earned her own money...

Seeing this, Kujo Sara could only smile awkwardly, and then said:

"You're really... carefree."

"Haha, you don't even know how many people have said this about me!" Hokuto said, suddenly leaning closer to Kujo Sara, then putting his hand on her shoulder and revealing a particularly cheerful smile.

Kiana, who was standing to the side, nodded with great relief when she saw that the two had finally stopped arguing.

As Hokuto had said before, she actually had no intention of supporting the rebels or the shogunate, which is why she was able to accept Kujo Sara so quickly.

Perhaps if she were to share her perspective, it would be more convincing.

"Captain Hokuto, I'd like to ask you what your opinion is on Orochi?"

"Orochi? What osprey?" Hokuto turned his head to look at Kiana, unsure of who this so-called osprey was referring to.

Omikami Orochi-no-Mikoto of Umi-gi-ji Island, the demon god Orobas, an unknown being.

Because he died so suddenly back then, and the entire Inazuma region was ostensibly controlled by the shogunate, how could he possibly have nothing better to do than publicize the deeds of his former defeated adversaries?

This meant that Beidou, who had been helping the resistance for many days, had absolutely no idea about the so-called giant serpent.

It wasn't until Kiana and Kujo Sara, the representative of the shogunate, gave her a detailed explanation that she finally understood everything that had happened back then.

"No one knows where they fled from... Perhaps they were defeated by the Rock King Emperor back then, but it's quite surprising... I didn't expect this demon god to teach people how to cultivate and how to smelt. It seems that demon gods aren't all bad people after all."

Hokuto expressed her perspective as an outsider regarding Orochi's great achievements before his slaying.

After all, these are stories passed down from generation to generation by the people of Haiqi Island, so it's impossible that they were just made up.

However, Kujo Sara did not think much of such merit:

"...But in the end he broke his promise to the general and slaughtered the people on the other islands. He died by Wuxiang's blade, which can only be said to be his just deserts."

"Oh? Is that so?" Intrigued, Beidou turned her gaze to Kiana, wanting to know the details of the truth about what happened back then.

Unfortunately, Kiana did not respond to the high expectations of Beidou, and simply shook her head slowly.

"The great serpent was originally terrified of thunder, but for some reason, it chose to invade. Perhaps it was bewitched, perhaps it finally mustered its courage, or perhaps it simply didn't want to live anymore. In any case, its corpse now lies quietly in that narrow, unthinkable place, where perhaps the incessant downpours and thunderclaps are a testament to the depth of its resentment..."

"Huh? So that's why there was thunder and rain in that area. I almost got struck by lightning when I was passing by with my men."

As if recalling some thrilling incident, Beidou waved his hand and gave a helpless smile.

Seeing this, Kujo Sara also began to complain.

"It was precisely because of this rain and thunder that my men had no chance to penetrate deep behind enemy lines... Hmph, Omikami of Umijima? I didn't expect that even in death he would still be hindering the general. He truly deserves to die."

She stood with her hands on her hips, looking utterly disgusted with the island.

Such an expression was so obsessive that even Beidou couldn't stand it anymore.

"The feud between you two... I, a Liyue native, don't understand it, and I don't want to get involved."

"Grievances? No, no, no, this is about righteousness!"

"Uh..."

Knowing that Kujo Sara was going to bring up things like eternity and the Shogun's expectations, Hokuto smiled awkwardly, patted Kiana on the shoulder, and took his leave.

Watching her departing figure, Kujo Sara showed a very displeased expression.

"Why can't someone with such a strong inner self understand me?"

Seeing that Kujo Sara had finally said these words, Kiana realized that she could start to comfort her.

"But you didn't even try to understand her, did you?"

"Kiana...why do you say that?"

Kujo stepped forward, somewhat bewildered and confused by Kiana's intentions.

Seeing this, Kiana simply reached out and cupped her face, then explained in a very gentle tone:

"Kujou, I know mutual understanding is difficult, but as a leader, you should at least realize that the god you hate... is the god they worship. If you think about it, can you tolerate someone questioning the thunder god they believe in?"

Looking directly into the white-haired girl's eyes, Kujo Sara felt as if she were staring into a pair of flawless gems...

Only now did she belatedly realize how beautiful her eyes were, as if they reflected a pure and innocent soul... breathtakingly beautiful.

“I will absolutely not allow anyone to slander the Shogun. But, as for whether we can consider things from their perspective, I may not be able to answer that. As a member of the Shogunate, I have too many responsibilities to bear.”

"Well, just being able to realize this is already an unprecedented change."

Ultimately, the conflict between the rebels and the shogunate was a conflict of faith; the Eye Hunting Edict was merely a pretext for the uprising.

Even without the Eye Hunt Order, Xin Haifang would never abandon his original faith and turn to a god to whom he had never received any favors.

Just like Dain's attitude towards the gods.

I have never received any favors from them in the past, nor will I in the future.

Therefore, the key to truly resolving the conflict between the two sides is mutual understanding. However, due to historical reasons, this struggle may never end.

Kiana herself was unsure whether what she had done was right or wrong.

However...

[Ding! Detected that the host has facilitated the growth of the story character Kujo Sara, whose future actions will be affected as a result.]

[Based on the host's actions, the system hereby awards 1000 Herrscher Points. Further rewards will be given based on the achievements of this storyline character upon the host's return to this world in the future.]

"It seems she really did take what I said to heart? Hehe."

Knowing that no matter who lies to her, the system will not, Kiana is certain that the girl in front of her, who is not good at expressing herself, has begun to reconsider her attitude towards the people of Umijima Island.

Thinking of this, Kiana couldn't help but reach out and hug the other person, saying with sincere gratitude:

"Thank you, Kujo..."

"Hmm, just call me by my first name, Kiana. And... I'm probably the one who should really say thank you."

The two felt each other's heartbeats for a while before parting ways.

Kiana gently took the other person's hand and said in a gentle tone, "Let's go back."

"Um..."

They strolled along the beach, a gentle sea breeze blowing, as seabirds flew off into the distance in flocks.

The scene was peaceful and serene...

Song of Flames and Lightning (Genshin Impact Inazuma Main Story): Chapter 77 You sly fox, did you kidnap Luminosity?

In the days that followed, Kujo Sara, Kiana, and the others lived peacefully on this tranquil island called Umijima.

Despite being in a time of war, this place was very peaceful. Even after the shogunate army suffered a major defeat, Narukami Island did not send troops to attack again.

It is precisely because there are no enemy attacks that the people of Haiji Island are able to live peacefully and safely here.

Of course, no matter how peaceful life is, we must not forget to actively prepare for battle.

While the group of new recruits from Coral Palace were diligently training, an uninvited guest appeared.

Nine stripes of silk.

As an outsider from the shogunate, she shamelessly expressed her disdain for the training attitude of the girls she met that day.

Unable to bear it any longer, the girls finally raised their even sharper iron swords and challenged this annoying outsider to a duel.

As expected, Kujo Sara subdued the girl from that day with a simple dodge and a strike.

However, after her victory, instead of killing the loser as others feared, she shared her thoughts from when she first enlisted and underwent training.

"At the very least, you must have the strength to rival the Nobushido, otherwise you're just wasting your time. If you don't want to die in vain in the future, train hard, day after day, and you will surely improve."

Although it was somewhat meddlesome, Kujo Sara's words did make sense. Perhaps it was because of her strength, or perhaps those few new recruit girls were intimidated by her aura.

In the following days, these girls would often come to ask questions, and Kujo Sara changed her previous sharp tongue and treated them like her newly recruited soldiers, teaching them many practical combat skills.

He even taught archery, a skill rarely accessible to the common people.

Such kindness is truly surprising.

Although Kiana, who knew the reason, didn't ask any more questions, it still left Luminous and Paimon extremely puzzled.

"Kujou, when did you become so kind?"

"Could it be that they finally realize the Eye Hunt Order was wrong?"

"Nonsense. The Eye Hunt Order is the General's will and an essential step in the pursuit of eternity. I... merely hope that the opponents I encounter in the future will be slightly stronger."

Although Kujo Sara's tone remained icy and carried an air of arrogant self-importance, everyone could still sense her concern that she didn't want others to notice.

Seeing this, Paimon and Ying exchanged a smile, finally letting go of their resentment towards this shogun and beginning to treat him with a more normal attitude.

Time passed by day by day, and the peaceful times made people almost forget that the war was still going on. Only the daily announcement of the Herrscher Points deduction from the system reminded Kiana of her mission.