The Infinite Journey of a Certain Flame

Just as she was considering whether she should push things along to eradicate the evil eye factory set up by the fools.

After not seeing her for several days, Teppei suddenly came to knock on the door in a panic, followed by several young rebels. He hurriedly told her that Kiana Ying had been kidnapped by the Fatui.

"What?!" Kiana was completely stunned when she heard the news. "Kidnapped by the Fatui? Is it because they destroyed the Evil Eye Factory?"

“That’s right, she and Paimon were already gone when we got there. Sigh... if only we had arrived sooner! But we should still have enough time; as long as we keep going along the main road, we’ll definitely find that group of Fools!”

Judging from Zheping's reaction, he seemed convinced that it was the Fools who had kidnapped Ying.

However, the reality is quite different.

"Yae... if nothing unexpected happens, it must have been you who did it, right?" Kiana thought to herself.

As the high priestess of Narukami Shrine and a fox spirit with years of cultivation, capturing Yae no Miko will probably not be easy.

Moreover, according to the original storyline, it was only natural for her to take Ying away.

The reason Teppei mistakenly believed the Fools and blamed them was most likely because he had advised Teppei to give up the Evil Eye, which made him wary of the Fools and naturally led him to believe that.

As for why Ying set off... we can only say it's due to the convergence of timelines.

"Forget it. With Ying's skills, those Fatui can't hurt her. The reason she's gone is probably because she and Paimon have some secret plan that they don't want to tell us."

Kiana waved her hand, indicating that there was no need to worry about Ying's whereabouts.

"Huh? How come you... Hey, since you've put it that way, then..."

Although Teppei couldn't agree with Kiana's actions, he still chose to believe in her, after all, they had been through many battles together.

He almost thought that this white-haired girl was omnipotent.

"Lady Xinhai hopes you can attend the war meeting. The Evil Eye Factory has been made public, and she believes it is actually a conspiracy by the Fools. She hopes to have the opportunity to work with you to thwart their scheme."

"Is that what she thinks? That's plausible."

According to the original storyline, Xin Hai was unaware of the Evil Eye Factory. Even if he had heard of it, it was only hearsay, and there was no indication that he would target the Fatui.

Now, with the Evil Eye Factory exposed, this organization, which seemed to have been up to no good since entering Inazuma but had never actually caused any trouble, has finally provoked the two major local powers.

Not long ago, he had just expressed his intention to deal with the Fools, so Xin Hai naturally wouldn't let go of this good opportunity to win him over.

"Our goals are surprisingly aligned. Lead the way, Teppei. By the way..."

Kiana, who was about to leave, suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Kujo Sara.

As a general of the shogunate, and someone who had clashed with the leader of the resistance, wouldn't it be inappropriate to bring her along?

Fortunately, it seems that Shinkai has something she wants to say to Kujo, which is why she asked Teppei, who is in charge of relaying the message, to give her instructions.

"Don't worry, our resistance's strategist may be young, but she's open-minded. Before she left, she specifically told me to take this woman with me."

"Really? That's good. Kujo, what do you think?"

"Kiana, it's enough that you're willing to believe in me. Don't worry, even if this journey is fraught with danger, I will not put you in a bad position."

Kujo Sara was not someone who valued her life. As a refined person, she had long since taken life and death lightly. What she could not accept more than physical torment was the loss of her reputation and faith.

After trying to understand, she felt even more determined not to lose her composure in front of these rebels.

The group set off immediately and soon arrived at the military stronghold within the Coral Palace.

At this moment, almost all the high-ranking members of the resistance army have gathered here, including Goro, Manyo, Hokuto, the old shrine maiden, the leaders of the resistance army, and so on.

At this moment, these people were gathered around a strategic map displaying models and symbols, listening to Xin Hai explain the upcoming strategy.

"You've come..."

Upon seeing Kiana arrive with Kujo Sara, Shinkai brushed aside the hair that had been covering her forehead and smiled gently...

"Um, is there anything I can help you with?"

Kiana slowly stopped, then looked directly into the eyes of the rebel leader with her azure gaze...

The Song of Flames and Lightning (Genshin Impact Inazuma Main Story): Chapter 78 The final battle is imminent, it's time to go find them...

"I'm so glad you're so straightforward, Kiana..." Xin Hai was very happy that Kiana understood.

The fact that the shogunate has not yet sent troops to suppress the rebellion suggests that they are brewing some terrible plan. Moreover, it has recently been discovered that the Fools have been secretly inserting evil eyes into the rebels.

And the Evil Eye... it's unbelievable that the Fools possess such a terrifying thing.

No wonder there have been inexplicable casualties in the army lately; it turns out there's this kind of illogical boost at work, which is why they're fighting with increasing ferocity, yet...

"It was my fault for not discovering the Fools' plot sooner."

Xin Hai clutched his chest and earnestly admitted his mistake.

As the leader of the resistance, she needs to have the responsibility and commitment of a leader. Even though she wasn't the one who secretly received the Fools' Eye, she still has to bear the responsibility for not being able to detect it.

Otherwise, the claim of being the leader of the Coral Palace would be nothing but empty talk.

“Normally, I should have set an example and dealt with this according to military law. But with a formidable enemy at hand, I still have unfulfilled duties. After the war, I will resign and accept punishment.”

When the leader is in a difficult position, Goro, as his subordinate, naturally cannot sit idly by.

This well-known figure in the resistance scratched his head, then said reassuringly, "This... let's plan this carefully. We just need to teach those fools a lesson, make them understand just how heinous their actions truly are..."

"No, if I can't even set a good example..."

Xin Hai lowered his head, clearly feeling extremely guilty about his dereliction of duty.

Seeing her like this, Kiana didn't say much. After all, although the evildoers were the Fools, as their leader, she also had to bear some responsibility.

However, what he said later was reasonable, since if she, as the commander-in-chief, were removed on the eve of the attack.

So who will be in charge then?

Who would dare to take on this responsibility rashly?

Therefore, the matter of the Fools and the Evil Eye Factory was left unresolved.

Next, Kiana and Xin Hai talked about their recent experiences and discoveries. In general, the resistance was doing very well, but the exposure of the Evil Eye Factory caused all the problems that had been piling up on the resistance to erupt at once.

The current situation is that everyone knows the Fools are behind this, but no one understands what they are planning.

How can they send equipment and supplies while also harming people with the Evil Eye?

If this kind of help from dubious sources is exposed, the resulting unrest will be terrifying.

Shinkai and the others understood this, so they prepared to send troops to the Shogunate to divert the remaining conflicts of the Fools and boost morale.

Although this behavior can be described as deceiving one's own people, or to put it more bluntly, it could be considered as inducing people to their deaths.

But based on the intelligence gathered so far, aren't the Fools colluding with the Shogunate?

"We've heard that the executive officer known as 'Lady' has been frequently seen at the castle tower recently, seemingly having a secret conversation with General Raiden. As an envoy of the Winter Kingdom, she probably can't sever ties with her country's armed groups."

"So that's how it is?" Kiana only realized with a 'sudden realization' that it was all a conspiracy by the Fatui after hearing Xin Hai's revelation.

Once this was clear, the rest was much easier.

As an outside aid to whom Xin Hai placed high hopes, her every move could be said to affect the girl's heart.

Now, a series of unexpected events seem to be exacerbating the outbreak of conflict.

Knowing this, Kiana volunteered, "I understand what the Fatui have done. If you're going to take them down, remember to count me in."

"Great! With Kiana's help, we're sure to win."

Although he couldn't persuade this powerful young girl to join forces against General Thunder, at least... she expressed her willingness to fight alongside him.

This is a significant improvement compared to before.

Xin Hai felt that Kiana's promise was enough.

The next problem to be addressed is rather tricky...

After briefly allocating troops and deploying their respective strategies, Shinkai turned his attention to Kujo Sara, a defeated general of the shogunate who had been away from his post for a long time but had not yet returned.

At this moment, the shogun was staring intently at him, as if he had something to say.

Xin Hai wasn't one to beat around the bush; with a nonchalant flick of her hair, she demanded:

"Is there anything you'd like to say, Kujo Sara?"

"Hmph, you seem quite wary of me. The orders regarding the ambush and the direction of attack can almost all be changed at will. I suppose if I manage to bring the intelligence back alive, you'll immediately change your strategy, right?"

“That’s right, I don’t trust you. Even though I’ve heard some good things about you lately, Coral Palace will never trust an enemy whose hands are stained with blood.”

Xin Hai slowly closed her eyes and expressed her determination in a soft yet strong voice.

Seeing this, Kujo Sara was somewhat surprised:

"Judging from your tone, it seems you're not planning to deal with me?"

“If I could, I might do that,” Xin Hai said, glancing at Kiana before turning back to the defeated general. “However, to keep my word, you can leave now. But next time we meet, I will show you the power of the Coral Palace.”

After saying that, Xin Hai waved his hand, indicating that the shogunate general could leave.

Despite receiving a relatively positive response, Kujo Sara remained unhappy.

She hoped that she could achieve great military exploits and then return to the Kujo family to continue serving General Raiden.

But the reality was that after being brutally beaten, she slunk away.

What's even more undignified is learning about things that were previously unnoticed...

"Hmph, even if we meet again, I won't hold back. But I will repay this favor."

Are you leaving?

Seeing that the conversation was over and Kujo Sara was about to leave, Kiana slowly asked.

Upon hearing this, the other person slowly stopped, then turned their head and smiled.

"Yes, I understand your intention. Thank you, Kiana."

Kujo Sara left, and although she left all alone, her back stood straighter than when she arrived.

As her figure gradually disappeared into the distance, everyone in the Coral Palace turned their attention back to Xin Hai.

"So, gentlemen, the time for the decisive battle has come. Prepare yourselves."

"Ah."

Everyone in the Coral Palace nodded in agreement and left.