Original God, I am the only designated Red King God Envoy of Xumi

"What's wrong? Are you angry about Zheping's unauthorized action?" Ying realized that something was wrong and asked.

"No, this response is perfectly normal and a sound judgment. The fact that no one from Round Eel Squad 2 was injured is a victory worth boasting about," Xin Hai explained, shaking his head. "But this is actually wrong. Although this may sound a bit discouraging, I'm very clear about the quality of the Round Eel Squad 2 members. They shouldn't be at this level."

"Also... I promoted Zheping because I saw that he had a rare pure heart and was willing to endure hardships and work hard. Strictly speaking, his ability is not enough to be a team leader. His current performance makes me inevitably associate it with some changes in the army." Xinhai closed her eyes, her words full of worry.

"An unexpected event?" Ying was a little confused, but she inexplicably felt something was wrong.

"See for yourself." Xin Hai opened his clenched hands, revealing a metal badge shaped like an eye, with a dark red crystal in the center. "Ying, Paimeng, you should recognize this thing."

"This is—!" Ying's eyes widened, and Paimon exclaimed, "Evil Eye!"

How could two people who often deal with the Fatui fail to see that this object is the Evil Eye, which only the Fatui possess. It is usually only seen on the elites such as the Fire Debt Handler and the Water Mirror Lady. Among the Fatui, it is a kind of "honor", a truly powerful "medal".

The power of the Evil Eye is similar to that of the Eye of God in manifestation, allowing the wearer to use elemental forces to a certain extent, but the principles are different. The Eye of God is the crystallization of dreams, while the Evil Eye is at best a recycling of the demon's residue, and it has a high load.

Evil eyes probably have grades. In any case, the evil eye used by Ying was different from the evil eyes used by the Fatui. And the one in Xinhai's hand at this moment was even more... inferior than the evil eye used by the Fatui's golden elite.

"How could there be such a thing here?" Ying's eyes widened. She looked at Xinhai, eager to know the answer. Xinhai waved his hand to signal Ying to relax. She organized her words a little and told him the whole story.

Chapter 84: The Taste of Anger

"Initially, it was a batch of supplies that were delivered anonymously. The supporter did not reveal any identity, nor did he make any demands on Haiji Island. It seemed as if it was just a simple gift. Out of caution, I did not accept it at first and investigated it myself." Xinhai slowed down his speech speed and told Ying the story.

"I quickly caught up with them and confirmed the existence of a third party within Inazuma—the Fatui." Xinhai glanced in the direction of Tadashi Sand. "Most of them lingered near Kamunatsuka Tadashi Sand. I don't know their purpose, but they're undoubtedly a suspicious and dangerous group. I was worried about what might happen next, so I rejected this batch of supplies."

"For several months afterwards, the Fatui remained silent until a few months ago, when they approached Umijima. They sent an envoy, stating that they were also dissatisfied with the policies of the Thunder God. This put them on the same side as Umijima, and they initially tried to establish a closer relationship with the island."

At this point, Xin Hai shook his head. "I was naturally wary of their claims and didn't express my opinion right away. While I was wondering what they were up to, the messenger presented me with several strange-looking medals—what you call the evil eyes."

Ying listened quietly, and at the same time she was thinking about the purpose of the Fatui doing this.

"The messenger said this is the Fatui's latest research achievement, capable of transforming an ordinary person into a formidable warrior capable of defeating ten enemies at once. It's being presented as a gift to show the Fatui's sincerity in their cooperation. He further stated that Haiji Island could purchase more of these tools from the Fatui at a reasonable price."

"Heh... maybe that might fool others, but not me." Xin Hai narrowed his eyes slightly. "I'm the shrine maiden of the present-day Haiji Island. I recognize the aura in that evil eye. It's the aura of a demonic spirit. This kind of thing is bound to have powerful side effects."

"I didn't point it out directly, but hinted at it a few times. However, the Fatui's envoys didn't say anything about it, and they kept silent about the side effects. This confirmed that the Fatui weren't sincere in their cooperation. Their latest research results were clearly incomplete, and they were trying to use the soldiers of Umi Island as guinea pigs!"

Xin Hai's words were tinged with anger. The Fatui actually extended their tentacles to the place that she valued so much.

"Thus, I confirmed the Fatui's stance, rejected their request for cooperation, and blacklisted them, refusing any further cooperation." Xin Hai's eyes grew even more furious as he mentioned this. "—I thought that was the end of it, but it turns out I underestimated the Fatui's limits."

"This Evil Eye you see now was taken from some soldiers whose bodies suddenly collapsed. After questioning them, I learned that the Fatui had not given up on using the soldiers of Umi Island as experimental subjects. They had identified those soldiers who were thirsty for power and distributed the Evil Eye to them."

"Most of these soldiers have a passion for contributing to Umijima, but lack the corresponding strength. Therefore, even if they sense the side effects of the Evil Eye, they won't stop. This power brings them closer than ever to their goal. Recently, there have been many examples in the military of those who suddenly display immense strength, only to experience physical problems shortly thereafter."

"The symptoms manifest as abnormal aging. After realizing this, I sent people to investigate, and that's how I found out." Xinhai gritted her teeth, she clenched the evil eye, and crushed it with the blessing of elemental power. Facing Xinhai's words, Ying widened her eyes and looked a little dazed for a moment.

"Are there still symptoms of mental depression and abnormal weakening of body functions?" Ying asked, and Xinhai nodded.

"You are talking about Zheping, right? I have sent people to find him. He is most likely using the evil eye." Xinhai sighed deeply, and Ying seemed even more anxious when he heard that.

"I'll go look for it too!" Ying stopped talking with Xinhai and pulled Paimeng to quickly run in the direction they came from. She even used the element of wind to amplify the force.

Xinhai looked at Ying's departing back and sighed deeply again. She had already given orders to check one by one those soldiers who suddenly showed combat effectiveness that was inconsistent with their original strength, confiscate their evil eyes, and punish and educate them.

The current Haiji Army already has a complete set of regulations in this regard. Since the incident on Bayun Island, Xinhai has spared no effort to rectify military discipline, so that the resistance army can truly be regarded as a regular army.

"Ying, slow down, slow down, I can't keep up!" Paimon tried hard to fly behind Ying. Ying had quickly rushed to where Zheping was, but was told that Zheping had encountered some monsters again. She randomly rushed to the place where the monsters appeared, and was told again that Zheping suddenly felt unwell and went back to rest.

As the first person in the resistance army to show kindness to him, Ying cares deeply about this cheerful young soldier and has unconsciously regarded him as a friend - who would hate an optimistic and cheerful boy who strives to pursue his dreams?

As a result, Ying became really anxious now. Zheping suddenly felt unwell, thinking that the burden must have been showing. After hearing Paimeng's words, she didn't care whether it was appropriate or not. She grabbed Paimeng and held her in her arms with one hand, and her speed increased instead of slowing down.

Ying finally arrived at a settlement close to the Coral Palace, which was much smaller than Wanglong Village, and Zheping usually lived here. Ying stood in front of the door, took a deep breath and was about to push the door open, but she only heard a cough from inside.

"...Squeak--" The old wooden door was pushed open, and the rusty hinges made a sound like a groan before death, which seemed so lonely. The light shone into the slightly dim room. Zheping sat on the ground with his back against the bed. His hair was completely white, including his eyebrows, and there were many more wrinkles on his face.

It was only a few moments, but it felt like decades had passed for Zheping. He was like an old man in his twilight years, shaking his head weakly and slowly.

"Ying... and Paimon... you are here?" Zheping raised his head slightly, his voice weak. He tried to open his eyes wide, but it seemed that it was very difficult for him to even see the appearance of the people who came.

"Zheping... did you really use that...?" Ying took a deep breath, her eyes dimmed a little, and a gloomy atmosphere enveloped the room.

Zheping supported himself on the ground with one hand and on the edge of the bed with the other. He seemed to be trying hard to stand up, but ultimately failed. He shook his head helplessly and gave up.

Who would have thought that this white-haired old man who can't even stand up was an optimistic, cheerful and energetic young man not long ago?

"At first, I was just a little tired, but after I cleaned up the monsters just now, I suddenly couldn't see clearly." Zheping didn't directly answer Ying's question. He slowly exhaled.

"By the way, I haven't told you in detail before. I have made a lot of contributions recently. I fought against the shogunate army on a ship, defeated the shogunate samurai alone, and rescued my trapped companions... These are things I never dared to think about before." Tetsuhei tilted his head back slightly and leaned on the edge of the bed. He forced a smile, as if trying to break the gloomy atmosphere.

"...When did you start using that thing?"

"Probably when you were appointed as the captain of Swordfish Division 2, a mysterious man came to me and gave me this, saying that as long as I wanted to become stronger, it would respond to me." Although his health was extremely poor, Tetsuhei's words did not contain any panic. He tried to laugh a few times, just like when the two met before.

"Haha, it looks a lot like the Eye of God, right? ...But I don't have the Eye of God, so I don't know the difference."

"This is... an evil eye, which will overdraw the user's life." Ying closed her eyes and turned her head away slightly. She couldn't bear to look at it anymore.

"...The Evil Eye." A long silence fell between the two of them. Unexpectedly, Teppei remained unusually calm, his eyes fixed on the beams of the roof. "Right, how could something like this be free of charge?"

When facing death, most people would feel fear and embarrassment, but Zheping seemed extremely calm, as if he had directly accepted the fact - accepting that he did not have much time left and would soon face death.

"These past few days, I've been growing increasingly exhausted, and I've had a bad feeling." Teppei sighed deeply. "But I tried to comfort myself by telling myself it was just an illusion. I can't give up this unprecedented power. It allows me to truly help Shanghai Gishima, to truly stand by my companions, and to stand with them through thick and thin."

"What a shame..." The fatigue in Zheping's eyes became even more pronounced. He shook his head, "I thought I could finally catch up with you, but... I really am not being watched by the gods."

"..." Ying pursed her lips. She felt that she should say something at this time, something to break the heavy atmosphere, but she couldn't open her mouth at all.

"Ying, can I ask you a favor?" Teppei raised his head slightly and looked into Ying's eyes. "Because of the shortage of fabric, the new uniforms were delayed. I asked General Goro, and he said there's finally some fabric left."

"When our new team uniforms are ready... you can help me get mine and we'll change into them together..." Zheping's eyelids lowered and his tone became softer. By the end of his words, they were as light as a breeze.

"I'm really looking forward to it... Ha... I'm a little tired, I think... let's take a rest, maybe after a rest... I'll be fine..." Zheping's eyes were completely closed, and only the almost inaudible words were still ringing, until the mumbling that could no longer be heard came to an abrupt end, until his breath completely disappeared.

"..." Ying was silent for a long time. As a traveler, she had visited three countries. She often saw death during her journey, many of which were caused by her own hands.

The familiar death came before her again today, but this time she could hardly remain calm.

In the past, Ying was a traveler, and she always reminded herself that she was a traveler and did not belong to any country. Therefore, she did not need to get involved in troublesome things, and she only needed to move towards the goal of finding her brother.

But she is a human being after all, a sentimental person. She could not resist the request of the lovely girl, and she felt sorry for the elderly man struggling to do something, so she went to help him.

This time, it was her friend and comrade-in-arms, Zheping, an optimistic and enthusiastic young man who died in front of her.

Ying stood there, speechless for a long time. Paimon looked at Ying worriedly.

"The Fatui..." Ying took a deep breath, clenched her hands tightly, and unspeakable anger rose up.

Teppei has a passionate heart, a heart that wants to contribute to his hometown, his comrades and his compatriots. Therefore, he urgently wants to improve his strength, which is noticed by the Fatui's spies.

The Fatui didn't care about his feelings, and in their eyes, Zheping became a perfect guinea pig, so they weaved a trap for him.

Zheping probably felt the price of the evil eye, and he must have been mentally prepared. That's why he was so calm when he heard the truth about the evil eye and the fact that he was about to die.

But the fact that "Tepei might have willingly used the Evil Eye" is no excuse for the Fatui! Regardless, the Fatui's blasphemous act of treating Teppei and those soldiers as experimental subjects is absolutely unforgivable!

"It's much inferior to the evil eyes used by the elites. It's most likely a new mass-produced evil eye. Considering the Fatui's usual style... it has to be large in size and concealed, while also taking into account the raw materials and logistical transportation..." Ying muttered to herself hurriedly. She was quickly analyzing the location of the Fatui's stronghold.

“…It can only be there!” Ying gritted her teeth, she pulled Paimon over again and pushed the door open.

In the distance, the Heart Sea Belt is rushing towards this side, but Ying has no intention of caring about anything else. She must make the Fatui pay the price!

Chapter 85: Heart of God

"Hah, it's been a long time since we last met, traveler." Next to the cliff on the south side of Tadasand, which is close to the sea, is the Fatui's Evil Eye Factory. Inazuma has extremely convenient means of obtaining important raw materials for the Evil Eye, and thus it was chosen as a location for developing new general-purpose Evil Eyes, and the Evil Eye Factory was thus built.

Initially, the Evil Eye Factory was managed by a lady. Now that the plan was on track, the lady was sent to carry out the plan to seize the Heart of God. Naturally, the task of managing the Evil Eye Factory fell on the skirmishers who were responsible for mobile support.

"Stop talking nonsense, Skirmishers! You must pay for this!" Ying rushed here as quickly as possible and found the location of the Evil Eye Factory. She gripped her sword tightly. Without any nonsense, she rushed towards the Skirmishers like an arrow with the wind element wrapped around her limbs.

There was some blood on Ying's sword. Before arriving at the factory hall, she had fought with the Fatui soldiers several times and was a little out of breath.

"Oh, you're really angry." The soldier dodged Ying's attack with ease. He lowered the brim of his hat slightly and said, "Let me guess... why did you rush here? Hmm... It must be because of the evil eye, right?"

The skirmisher dodged Ying's slashing blows once again, his movements full of aftertaste. "Why should I care about the lives of these insects? Their lives, which are not worth mentioning and not much more precious than insects, can be exchanged for power. Isn't that a very good deal?"

"Shut up!" Electric arcs gathered on Ying's sword. She was almost furious for a moment. Those rebels, Zheping who had shown kindness to her and was enthusiastic about everything around him, these living lives became insignificant experimental subjects and "consumables" in the eyes of the Fatui. She could not tolerate such blasphemy in any way!

"Even if they are weak, even if they are mediocre, they are still living beings with goals and dreams. They feel genuine joy for the happiness of those around them, and feel lost for the sadness of those around them. Their lives may not be worth mentioning, and perhaps they are destined to go unnoticed."

"But - those who are struggling to live, those who smile at their companions, their lives are much more precious than you disgusting cold-blooded devils!" The passionate Thunder extended the blade, and Ying slashed at the scattered soldiers with all his strength.

This attack split the entire hall into two, and the evil eye production device behind the hall was also destroyed. Purple mist leaked out and floated into the hall.

But this attack was taken by the skirmisher, and he only had his hat blown off by the wind pressure.

"You're saying... a disgusting, cold-blooded devil, aren't you?" The soldier raised his head, his eyes filled with rage. Lightning far more violent than his own flickering on his forearms. "You don't think that just because you've escaped Tartaglia's clutches and mastered the power of lightning, that means you have the strength to challenge the other executors, do you?"

“——!” Ying widened her eyes and felt a chill on her spine for a moment. She quickly jumped back to avoid the consecutive lightning strikes that would have caused her serious injuries.

"Young Master Tartaglia is the weakest among us - it's just right, this factory should be abandoned." Electric arcs were wrapped around the skirmisher's body. A bolt of lightning destroyed the upper part of the factory and the rocks above it, and dazzling light shone into the hall.

The skirmisher slowly rose into the air, violent lightning elements gathering in his hands. "Let me show you the power of the Sixth Executive Officer—!"

The rich purple light temporarily overshadowed the brilliance of the sun, and a second purple sun rose in the factory. The skirmishers who rose above the factory waved their hands and smashed it down to the ground.

"Fear, tremble, and die, worm!"

Faced with such an attack, Ying gritted her teeth, put the sword back to her waist, and planned to repeat the attack. But when Ying tried to gather the elemental power, she suddenly found that the elements were no longer under her control.

"No, it's my control that's decreased!" Ying's eyes widened, and as if by resonance, when she realized that her control had decreased, fatigue, dizziness, and even nausea also swept over her. Ying's body softened, and she half-knelt on the ground, using her sword as a cane.

The attack from the skirmishers was like a collapsing mountain, turning everything beneath it into dust. The surging lightning elemental force strangled everything it touched, first the rocks, then the ceiling of the factory. There was no way to avoid it and it was impossible to resist.

"It's that purple mist, the pollution of the devil's resentment...!" Ying stared at the purple mist that filled Zhou Shen. She had a strong resistance to it, but she couldn't withstand the erosion of this level of pollution. For a moment, Ying felt her head getting heavier and heavier, and her vision getting darker and darker.

Paimon was still trying hard to pull at the corner of Ying's clothes, as if he wanted to pull Ying up and escape out of the factory, but it was in vain. Ying felt that even if she was not eroded by the resentment of the demon, she might not be able to escape from such a large-scale stranglehold.

Ying felt the breath of death for the first time. It was deep, dark, and terrifying. If she died here, then everything she had done before would seem meaningless, including her good companions, the friends she cared about, and the family she had not found yet.

How unwilling she was to accept this… She had clearly thought that she finally had the strength to challenge the Executive and avenge her fallen friend, but she hadn’t expected that she was still so far away from the Executive with a higher seat, and was only a skirmisher in the sixth seat?

The rocks that were crushed into powder were blown everywhere by the wind pressure, making it impossible to open one's eyes. Ying only felt that her head was getting heavier and heavier until she almost completely lost consciousness.

"Oh my...Guochuang made such a big noise this time." The last thing Ying sensed was a female voice and the blurry red figure. Her body softened and fell to the ground, leaving only Paimon still trying hard to wake her up.

The purple sun was still setting, and the surging wind pressure made the cherry-haired woman's clothes rustle. Facing such an attack, she just showed a lingering smile, and a royal coin appeared in her hand.

Nine tails appeared behind her, and with them came tremendous thunder. Even the sky gave in to the battle between thunder and lightning. For a moment, only purple was left between heaven and earth.

When the thunder dissipated, a deep hole was left on the originally flat cliff wall. A fox woman with cherry hair and dressed in a red witch costume stood in the center and looked up, while the scattered soldiers stared at the fox woman with dark faces.

"Yae Fox, are you going to go against me?" The soldier had a bad look on his face. He slowly landed on the factory floor which was already in a mess. The purple mist filled with the resentment of the devil had been offset or blown away by the previous attacks, and there was nothing left for a while.

"Oh, why are you so angry? This little girl is useful to me. How can I watch her die?" Yae Shinko waved his hand slightly, with the same intriguing smile as usual. This look made Sanbing feel nauseous.

"You're so slick and hypocritical... I want her dead, but you want her alive. That means you really want to go against me?" Sanbing habitually wanted to push down the brim of his hat, only to find that it had been blown off by Ying's previous attack, and now it had probably been torn into pieces by the previous confrontation between the two.

"That's certainly an explanation—but I'd rather put it another way. This little guy's life is worthless to you, but it's incredibly valuable to me. And I happen to have something that's also worthless to me, but you might be interested in. How about a trade?"

"Making a deal with me? Interesting..." Skirmishers' smiles were tinged with mockery. "Well, then let me see what it is that you think I might be interested in."

"That is naturally... the Heart of God of Inazuma." Yae Shinko waved her hand and took out an object. The purple chess piece stood quietly in the palm of her hand. Seeing the Heart of the Thunder God, Sanbing widened his eyes slightly.

His earliest memory, the first memory he experienced after being created, was the memory recorded in the heart of the god, which was about the battles of the God of Thunder. The battles, the victories, the celebrations. The joy that came from the victory made him cry in his sleep, and also planted a seed in his heart early on.

Nowadays, for the soldiers who have a strong pursuit of power, the Heart of God is indeed very attractive.

"...Give me the Heart of God, and I can let you take her away safely." The soldier lowered the brim of his hat again. This careless act of ignoring the fact that his hat was lost was proof that he was moved. Seeing this, Yae Shinko smiled sweetly, narrowed her narrow eyes, and revealed a natural cunning look.

"Well, happy trading." The Son of God slowly walked to the side of Ying who had fainted on the ground. Paimon was still trying in vain to wake Ying up. All her attention was on Ying. She was so anxious that she almost cried and was at a loss as to what to do. Therefore, the Son of God only used a little strength and knocked Paimon unconscious to the ground.

Oh... After all, it's quite difficult to explain to this little UFO, so it's better to knock it out and take it back, and be done with it once and for all.

The Son of God used his power as a member of the Baichen Fox Clan and waved his hand to let Ying and Paimeng float into the air. With her own strength, it would be just as easy for her to hold or carry Ying, but that would still not look very elegant, right?

The soldier watched all this with a little anxiety. He seemed to be unable to stand the slow movements of the Son of God, but before he could open his mouth to urge him, the chess piece was thrown towards him by the Son of God. He subconsciously took it, put it in front of his eyes to confirm that it was not fake, and for a moment he even had the illusion that he was dreaming.

But he is a puppet, puppets have no heart and cannot dream, so what happens before his eyes is undoubtedly real.

The Son of God took Ying and Paimeng and slowly left the place. Sanbing looked at the Son of God's back as he left without saying a word. He stood there and did nothing, just remaining silent for a long time.

"Ha...hahahaha." Laughter broke the silence. Sanbing covered his face with one hand, and the corners of his mouth couldn't stop rising. This Inazuma's Heart of God came into his hands so effortlessly - it was even delivered to his door.

Considering that the lady was now busy working for the Heart of God, Sanbing could no longer control his smile. He lamented the fickleness of fate, the short-sightedness of the Son of God and even Shadow, who had actually given up the Heart of God so easily.

But Sanbing felt a little unhappy about it. The thing he longed for so much was easily abandoned by the shadow that created him, and was then exchanged by the Son of God for a bug in his eyes. This act of treating the Heart of God as garbage was somewhat displeasing to him.