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

"What's going on...Has Amber read it in advance?" Nashida felt that the fact that Amber revealed the plot was more surprising than the existence of such a novel.

"...This is another characteristic of light novels. As highly commercialized reading materials, they often spawn multiple works following the same formula. This leads to homogenization and template-based writing, which can be quite boring after reading for a long time." Amber recalled the things she had not yet forgotten, smiled bitterly, and shook her head.

"Eh... wait, what is this book...?" Amber widened her eyes, feeling a little surprised. She squatted down and picked up a book at the bottom. It had illustrations similar to the other novels, but the title style was completely different. It was called: Children of the Desert.

"Isn't this...?" Nashida looked over and was a little stunned. She was very familiar with this book. This was the novel written by Amber which was based on the desert in the past. How could she see it here?

Amber opened the book and read through the plot briefly. In the end, it was indeed a book written by her, but only the first half. Then she turned back to the cover and saw that it depicted a young man with light in his eyes and full of determination. Although there were some problems with his clothes, it was still in line with the image created by Amber.

At first, she didn't react at all because of the cover issue, and she didn't expect that it was actually her own work. To be honest, it feels quite subtle to see her own work on Inazuma at this moment.

"Oh my... other editors told me that there's someone who knows a lot about novels and is talking about these best-selling works here. He can accurately analyze their characteristics and shortcomings. I was wondering who it was, but I didn't expect it to be that envoy of God." A female voice with a hint of playfulness in her words reached Amber's ears. She turned around and realized that her discussion with Nashida had actually attracted quite a few people to watch.

Most of them were editors and authors, as well as some curious readers. They were probably attracted by the knowledge of light novels that Amber had previously demonstrated. The one approaching Amber at this moment was the chief priest of Narukami Taisha Shrine, Yae Shinko of the Hakuchen clan.

"Master Yaeyo said...that messenger of God? Is there such a person in Inazuma?" The editors around started communicating with the author, and one of the older editors spoke.

"Hey, this is what you don't know, senior. This person is not from Inazuma, but from Sumeru! Do you still remember those airships docked at the outlying islands? The original designs were made by her!" A relatively well-informed young editor spoke up, but his statement was taken up by another female author.

"You're not entirely sure. There's nothing about a 'divine messenger'. According to my information, this person is a messenger from the god of the Xumi Desert, but he's now considered a semi-free man."

It can only be said that the damage caused to Inazuma by the lockdown order cannot be recovered in a short time. Several editors and some readers gathered together to discuss it, and each had their own opinion, but no one knew the original situation. In the end, it was a reader who had the habit of collecting Steam Bird newspapers who gave a brief explanation.

For a moment, the editors' eyes turned into eyes looking at Amber as if she were a walking legend, making Amber dream back to a few years ago.

"Hello, Lord Yae. I've heard of the name of Narukami Taisha Shrine before in Xumi. Unfortunately, due to the national isolation order, I didn't have any chance to go there. I didn't expect to see Lord Yae here this time." Amber said politely. Yae waved and smiled when she heard it, and her narrow eyes narrowed slightly, with a natural charm - should I say, she is worthy of being a fox?

"Then how about coming back with me to Narukami Taisha later? But not many people can get the honor of being personally taken by me to visit Narukami Taisha." Shen Zi chuckled and tried. It seemed that what she said was not a lie. When she made this suggestion, many onlookers widened their eyes.

The Son of God probably felt uncomfortable being watched, so he dismissed the gathered crowd with the excuse that he had finished his work and the things he was doing.

Amber thought seriously about Yaesugami's suggestion. To be honest, it would be a bit of a loss if she didn't visit Narukami Taisha Shrine after having come to Inazuma with great difficulty.

"Don't rush to give an answer. Let's talk about another question first. From what you said before, this book was written by you?" Yaedo asked. The author's signature of the book in Amber's hand was blank. This was because the book broke through the outlying island checkpoint due to some unexpected accidents during the period of national isolation, and finally fell into Yaedo's hands.

"Yes, it was written several years ago. At that time, I was still in the desert dealing with some things and saw some bad things. I was suddenly inspired to write." Amber put the book back in its place. "I don't have to worry about copyright issues... From the beginning, I chose to allow anyone to disseminate this book. But is it popular in Inazuma?"

"It's more than just popular." Yaejinko smiled, a smile that came from the heart. "Inazuma literature has existed since ancient times. Although it is not very popular nowadays, some things are still rooted in the hearts of Inazuma people."

"Therefore, this book is regarded as a work introduced from abroad that is extremely consistent with Inazuma's traditional literary concepts. Its sales have always maintained a considerable number. It is probably Inazuma's best-selling traditional literary work in recent years." Shen Zi introduced softly, which was completely beyond Amber's expectations.

So, it's not just selling well recently, it's been selling well all along? This...

"Since you said you are the author of this book, could you accept an exclusive interview with Yaedo? There are also many people in Inazuma Castle who are curious about who the author of this book is, and even..." Yaedo kept the secret.

"Even...?" It was Nashida who took over. She was obviously more curious about this kind of thing than Amber.

"It even became a famous weird story."

Chapter 92: Narukami Taisha Shrine

Inazuma City, a city that has just emerged from the turmoil of the Eye Hunting Order and the Closure Order, has now regained new vitality and vigor as time goes by. Various previously dormant industries have been slowly restarted, and while integrating with the international standards, it has also brought in emerging external industries in recent years.

For example, nowadays, ice cream has become the favorite summer dessert and festival dessert of the Inazuma people, and the dango milk that has been praised by the Shogun has now launched iced dango milk, which has a unique flavor.

Inazuma is slowly reviving, and the people of Inazuma are also showing new vitality and enthusiasm. In addition, Umijima and the shogunate are negotiating and discussing the issue of "peaceful end of the war". It seems that the war will soon become a thing of the past.

The long-awaited peace has finally arrived, and the Inazuma people, who have experienced decline, also cherish this hard-won peace.

As a result, Inazuma Castle has been very lively recently. People seem to want to vent all the accumulated emotions from the period of national isolation. Small-scale activities are held from time to time, and the people of Inazuma also show unimaginable enthusiasm for all kinds of new news.

Just like now, the work that is said to be able to sit firmly on the first throne in the traditional literary works of Inazuma for ten years, the work that deeply evokes the tragic complex of Inazuma characters: Children of the Desert, its author has been confirmed and officially announced in recent days.

This is an extremely eye-catching news. Almost all Inazuma fans have heard about this book to some extent. The first half of the book tells a story about a young man who starts from scratch and struggles all the way, which is quite inspirational. However, this is not enough to conquer Inazuma fans. The second half is what really pushes it to the throne.

The second half of the story takes a sudden turn for the worse. After two consecutive falls, the original young man disappeared. He turned into a bandit with no moral limits and a devil who did all kinds of evil. He became the person he hated before. The author wrote many sentences that made the Inazuma people feel deeply sad, and it was these sentences that evoked their mono no aware complex.

The ending where he died in the purge, recalled everything about his life before his death, and fell into hell left a deep impression on Inazuma's heart. Everything seemed like a circle of suffering connected from beginning to end, and fate had already determined everything. This was also a point that deeply touched Inazuma's heart.

The protagonist of the story lived a brief but eventful life, but his death was like a pebble dropped into stagnant water, causing no ripples. As the author wrote at the end of the book, "The resurrected 'boy' died again in an unknown corner, leaving no trace."

Life is as gorgeous as summer flowers, and death is as quiet and beautiful as autumn leaves. This is exactly what Inazuma people have always advocated in traditional literature.

It is precisely because of its popularity that the question of who the author of this book is has become a strange story among Inazuma. Therefore, when Yaedo announced that the author's identity would be announced, at this special time for Inazuma, it was like throwing Mentos into a can of Coke, and the reaction it caused can be called phenomenal.

If it ended here, it would be fine. However, when Inazuma people really knew the identity of the author, they found that these were just a few raindrops before the storm came - for the author herself, the writing of this book was just the tip of the iceberg of her career.

"...You understand marketing." Amber stood on a high place, looking at the crowded Yaedo, and silently lowered her hat. She changed into a traditional Inazuma costume and wore a haori, so as not to appear too out of place among the Inazuma people and thus discover her true identity.

Frankly speaking, if her identity was discovered again in a scene like the one below where the streets were deserted, it would not be Yaedo who would be surrounded, but herself - she had never seen such a scene before!

"Well, after all, the profits this time are going to be donated to the children in Inazuma who are living in difficult circumstances, so naturally we have to make more money. If it's for this purpose, I guess the author won't mind if I borrow his fame?" Yae Kamiko narrowed her eyes slightly, full of cunning. Amber was sure that she just wanted to see her distressed look.

This time, while announcing the author's information, a combined collector's edition was also launched, binding the upper and lower parts together and attaching exquisite illustrations. It can be imagined that this should create a new peak in the daily sales of this book.

"...Since it's for the children, it doesn't matter. Just hide for a few days. Anyway, the important work is done." Amber sighed. She didn't bother with Yae Shinko about this.

"I didn't expect that this news, thrown out by Inazuma at this time, would cause such a big scene..." Nashida looked down, and there was shock in her words. This was also the first time she had seen such a scene in the past hundred years.

"It's just that Kuroda has a hard time. There are so many people and he has to be very busy." Yae Shinko waved his hand gently and looked down. He saw that Kuroda, the editor-in-chief and the second-in-charge of Yaedo, was running around non-stop, and the other editors and employees were also busy dealing with matters related to buying books.

What was surprising was that for some reason, Ying was actually pulled over to help. She also looked like she was about to die. Even Paimon was not spared. He was flying back and forth carrying one or two books. He might lose a lot of weight after finishing the work.

For a while, people on the streets were talking about what Amber had done. Many people who had originally planned to visit other countries after the lockdown was lifted had even booked Xumi as their first stop... I don't know if this is a good thing or not.

Frankly speaking, it's a novel feeling to see myself become a phenomenal topic in a foreign country. I feel a little... inexplicably proud and happy - of course, more of it is distress. At least Amber is feeling quite troubled right now.

"Oh, come to think of it, didn't you say that you've wanted to visit Narukami Taisha Shrine for a long time? Now is the day to go. We have to hide anyway, so why not go to Narukami Taisha Shrine and hide there for a few days?" Yae Kamiko suggested. There was nothing unusual on her expression when she said this, but Amber always felt that this was planned in advance.

But it doesn't matter. She doesn't care about these things. She has nothing to do and is just wandering around. It's okay to go to the Naruto Taisha Shrine.

So, under the guidance of Yaejinko, Amber set out on the journey to Narukami Taisha Shrine.

This is a place a little far away from Inazuma Castle. Inazuma Castle and Narukami Taisha Shrine are located at the southernmost part of Narukami Island and the other one is very far north. They are also located on the top of Kagemukaiyama, the highest peak in Inazuma.

According to the conventional route, if you want to get to Narukami Taisha Shrine, you need to leave Inazuma Castle first, then cross the White Fox Field and Konda Village, then go east through the Guardian Forest, and then go north to the vicinity of the shrine magistrate Kamisato's mansion, then follow the mountain road to climb Kagemukai Mountain, and when you reach the top of the mountain, you have truly arrived at Narukami Taisha Shrine.

Fortunately, none of them were ordinary people. As a member of the Baichen clan, the Son of God could travel much faster, and Amber's physique was also different from that of ordinary people - frankly speaking, considering that her blood had turned light gold, it was hard to say whether she was still considered a human being.

Thanks to their extraordinary physique, they chose a route that ordinary people were simply unable to take, and thus they quickly arrived at Yingxiang Mountain. After arriving here, Yae Shenzi slowed down her pace, and they began to climb Yingxiang Mountain step by step.

The scenery along the way was very nice. There were gorgeous cherry trees everywhere, and a torii gate could be seen every few steps. From time to time, you could also see big and small fox statues. Nashida was very curious about the building that only appeared in the Inazuma Shrine. Seeing this, Yae Kamiko explained to Nashida what a torii gate was and the origin of the two fox stone statues.

As they were full of energy, they completed the climb easily and arrived at Narukami Taisha Shrine in a short time.

It can be said that Narujin Taisha Shrine is worthy of being a large shrine. Both its area and decoration have a dignified and majestic atmosphere that ordinary shrines do not have. At this time, there are many people gathered here, either to pray or to draw lots. There are also many shrine maidens running around in the open space in front of the worship place to entertain visitors.

"Master Chief Priest!" Upon seeing the return of the Son of God, the young priestess with long black hair hurried forward to pay her respects. Her words were full of respect for the Son of God, and there was even some...strange admiration in her.

"It's Axing. There is a special guest coming this time. You go and inform Maki and ask her to prepare a room. The guest needs to stay here for some time." When facing the shrine maidens under his command, the Son of God behaved a little more majestically, with some aura of a palace priest. Axing nodded repeatedly when he heard this, and without any hesitation, he immediately went to carry out the Son of God's orders.

"I thought you only had that frivolous side." Amber shook her head. The Son of God she had seen these days was either doing bad things or on his way to do bad things - a fox full of evil intentions who enjoyed teasing others.

"Oh my, how can you say that to me~ A fox fairy like me who possesses both wisdom and beauty is rarely seen in thousands of years." The Son of God once again revealed her cunning look, making it difficult to grasp her true intentions. However, one thing is certain, when it comes to having fun, this fox has an unimaginable ability to act.

"Zaoyou--!" A voice that was different from the usual atmosphere in the shrine was heard. A young shrine maiden with a hint of anger on her face was looking around the shrine. When she saw the Son of God, her expression changed and she walked forward to salute the Son of God.

"Master Palace Master, you're back." Compared to the other shrine maidens, this one was much more calm when facing the Son of God. "Have you seen Zaoyou? I don't know where she ran off to!"

"Oh my... this is really true." Shenzi smiled and shook her head. Facing the shrine maiden in front of her, she was not as formal as she was with other shrine maidens, and acted much more relaxed. "That child must have gone off to sleep somewhere again. Let's ignore her for now. Nana, I brought back an incredible guest today."

"A remarkable guest...?" The shrine maiden named Nana Kano shifted her gaze to Amber. Her eyes widened at the sight, and her words stumbled for a moment. "You... you... that's not right! You... you are the Red King's messenger? The author of Child of the Desert?"

"...Yes." Amber lowered her hat and looked around. After confirming that no one was attracted by the commotion here, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Please don't act so excited. If someone finds me, it will be difficult for me to escape."

"Ah... I'm sorry, I'm really sorry." Nana Kanoh reacted after hearing what was said, and she hurriedly bowed, but this action made it seem even more special. Amber sighed again when she saw this, and Nana Kanoh saw that the situation was not right, so she simply pulled Amber and took her to a more secluded corner.

Yae Miko took all of this in, as if she had seen new fun. Kano Nana was one of the few shrine maidens she was willing to treat as normal, because she had the same hobby of reading novels as Miko, and was one of the few people in the shrine with whom she could discuss these topics.

That book is extremely popular among Inazuma, and it is a work of great significance to Nana Kano. Kamiko really wants to see what will happen next, but unfortunately... the relaxation time is over, and it's time to get down to business.

Chapter 93: A Wonderful Night at the Shrine

"Hello, let me introduce myself. My name is Nana Shikano. I'm a shrine maiden of Narukami Taisha Shrine. I'm also a novel lover. I really like your book 'Children of the Desert'!" Nana Shikano extended her right hand to Amber, and she was particularly enthusiastic.

"Um... hello, nice to meet you." Amber's expression was a little stiff for a moment. She tried hard to force a smile and shook hands with Nana Kano. She had never seen a situation like this before!

Nashida watched the conversation between the two with great interest. This was also the first time she had seen such a scene.

"When I first heard from Lord Miyaji that the author of 'Desert Children' had been found, I was so excited! I just went to Inazuma Castle this morning, but I didn't expect that the creation of this book is just a small milestone for you. It's... it's incredible!" Nana Kano looked like she was meeting a living legend, which made Amber feel some pressure.

…So, this is what it feels like to meet a passionate fan?

"Ah... cough, cough, huh—" Nana Shikano seemed to notice Amber's embarrassment. She patted her cheeks and took several deep breaths, finally suppressing her excitement. "I'm so sorry, I'm so excited. I didn't expect to see you here at this time."

"Are you here to visit the Narukami Taisha Shrine? I happen to be free now. Would you like me to take you to experience the worship process?" Nana Kano smiled and took the initiative to take Amber to visit the Narukami Taisha Shrine. Although Amber wanted to visit rather than worship, she was indeed interested in the worship process. In addition, Nashida seemed to want to experience it, so she agreed.

"In fact, visiting the shrine begins when you see the torii gate. At first, you have to worship the torii gate - just bow lightly and inform the gods that you are coming to disturb them." Nana Kano took Amber and Nashida and slowly hurried to the previous courtyard.

"Then you walk along the sando, which is the path behind the torii gate leading to the shrine. You can only walk on the sides of the sando—usually the right side. The center of the sando is the path for the gods, and mortals are not allowed to walk in the center to avoid colliding with the gods, and it is also a way to express your piety."

After hearing this introduction, Amber's thoughts diverged slightly. If this were the case, then Nashida could go to the center. After all, she was a true god.

"We're here—this is the temizuya." Nana Kanno led the two to a small pool made of bamboo and stone troughs. On either side of the pool stood numerous ladles used to hold water, with the word "offering" inscribed on the back. "Before visiting the gods, you must wash your hands and mouth here to remove impurities as a sign of respect for the gods."

As she spoke, Nana Kano picked up a ladle and demonstrated to the two of them on the spot. To sum up, there were about six steps: hold the ladle with your right hand, fill it with water and pour it into your left hand; then hold the ladle with your left hand, fill it with water and pour it into your right hand; then switch to your right hand again, take water, receive it with your left hand and put it into your mouth - never put water into your mouth directly with the ladle.

After washing her mouth, she had to use her left hand to collect the water and send it to the drain. This was something that puzzled Amber. If she washed her mouth and then used her left hand to collect the water, wouldn't that mean her left hand was washed in vain? Due to her obsession with cleanliness, she used a little cleaning magic.

Then put the ladle back in place and dry your hands with a handkerchief.

"I never expected there would be so many things to pay attention to when cleaning before worshiping," Amber said jokingly.

"Haha, this step is called 'Purification of the Heart'. It's a ritual with many years of history." Nana Kano explained to Amber with a chuckle, and brought the two to the place of worship, where an offering box was placed. Nana Kano also briefly explained to Amber the worship process after purification of the heart.

This is actually simpler than purifying the mind. Just put a morah into the offering box - the denomination does not matter, but for good luck, five morah is usually used.

After that, the bell next to the offering box should be rung to inform the gods that they are disturbing them, and then the formal worship begins.

The commonly used process for worship is two bows, two claps, and one bow. First, bow 90 degrees twice, then put your hands in front of your chest, with the right hand slightly lower than the left, clap your hands twice and pray. After the prayer, bow 90 degrees again, and then the worship is completed.

"Before leaving the shrine, you have to bow to the torii gate one more time to show your gratitude to the gods. However, since you two plan to stay in the shrine for some time, it's enough for you to just know these procedures." Nana Kano took Amber and the other girl away from the place of worship. Amber was only somewhat interested in these things, while Nashida seemed very excited. She completed the worship process very seriously.

Hmm...it's quite interesting that the Grass God of Sumeru pays homage to the Thunder God of Inazuma.

Next, Nana Kano took the two of them to draw lots. After the lots were interpreted, Nashida and Amber both drew small auspicious numbers. There were some differences in the lots, but Amber didn't care much about them. Only Nashida asked about the meaning of the lots in detail.

What really attracted Amber was the sacred cherry tree. It was an extremely huge cherry tree, but for some reason the trunk was in the shape of a fox... Amber always felt like someone had tampered with it, and it shouldn't be in this shape.

This sacred cherry tree is of great significance to Inazuma. Amber has also seen trees of the same nature in other parts of Inazuma's land. They absorb and purify the filth on Inazuma's land and are important self-purification devices that protect Inazuma from being eroded.

"Are you paying attention to this sacred cherry tree?" Nana Kano looked at Amber, then at the sacred cherry tree.

"Yes, this tree doesn't look that huge on the surface, but its roots...are all over Inazuma. If I'm not mistaken, I've seen its 'branches' before on Yayun Island and even at Kannazuka." Amber pondered for a moment. "So, perhaps it's even bigger than the giant tree that supports the Ordinance House."

"Your eyesight is truly astonishing." Nana Kano covered her face with one hand, a bit surprised. "The Sacred Sakura Tree is a self-purifying device that absorbs Inazuma's filth. It's a sacred tree that appeared alongside Inazuma. According to legend, when Kitsunesai-sama—the previous chief priest—purified the filth five hundred years ago, it was partly thanks to the existence of the Sacred Sakura Tree as a barrier."

At this point, Nana Shikano looked around, as if she was afraid that someone might be there. "Come to think of it... Yae-sama, when Kitsunesai-sama was the chief priest, you were just a little fox."

Upon hearing this, Amber's thoughts began to wander again. She tried to imagine what the little fox Yaezun would look like. It didn't matter if she didn't think about it, but after thinking about it for a while, she couldn't help but want to laugh. How to say it... the cute appearance of the little fox could not be connected with the current Yaezun.

"Oh my, I was just thinking of informing you, Nana, that I found out where Zaoyou is, but I never thought... someone would actually talk about me behind my back." Yaesugami's highly recognizable voice sounded, and Nana Kano's body immediately became much stiffer.

"Lord Miyabi... I still have to go catch some early pomelo, so I'll take my leave first!" Nana Kano fled from here, and Shen Zi laughed silently as he looked at Nana's running back.

"It's not like I forbid her to say these things... Why are you so afraid of me?" Yaezakami waved his hand and turned his gaze to Amber. Amber acted as if nothing had happened, and there was no sign that she had just thought of something that was very offensive to Yaezakami.

"Your room is ready, and some things are ready as well. Let's talk while we walk." The Son of God waved his hand and led the way slowly. Amber and Nashida looked at each other and followed quickly.

"The Shadow will visit Narukami Taisha tonight—Oh, right, you don't seem to know who the Shadow is yet, right? Baal, the Thunder God of Inazuma, is a twin demon god. Baal and Baalzebul, also known as Shin and Shadow. Shin died in the Kanrea Disaster five hundred years ago, and Shadow became the new ruler of Inazuma."

"- Of course, in the eyes of the people, the God of Thunder has never changed." The Son of God explained slowly, which was beyond the expectations of Amber and Nashida. They looked at each other again, and could see doubts in each other's eyes.

"...I don't remember telling you that we want to meet the general?" Amber thought for a moment and raised her question.

"Oh my... Are you underestimating my eyesight? When the Adventers and the gods of Sumeru come to Inazuma, they must inform Ying, right?" The Yae God Son narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing an elusive aura.

"It was my miscalculation... Well, it's also because you disguised yourself too well." Amber shook her head and admitted her failure. She had planned to stay for a few days and get more familiar with Yae Shinko before asking to meet Ying, but she never expected that the fox had arranged it directly.

"Are we suddenly going to meet Inazuma's Thunder God? I'm not quite prepared..." Nashida placed her right hand on her heart and took a deep breath. "Inazuma's Thunder God is no different from Mondstadt's Wind God and Liyue's Rock God... I'm always worried something unpleasant might happen."

"If Ying heard that this is how he is perceived by the later-born gods, I wonder what he would think." Yae Shinko smiled happily, "Don't worry about that. Ying is still reasonable... maybe?"

"You guys came at the perfect time. If you had come a little earlier, Ying would still be staying indoors, and we might have come up empty-handed." Yae Shinko waved his hand. "We have Ying to thank for that—and of course, we also have to thank the wise and beautiful Yae Palace Master."

Amber shook her head slightly and ignored Shen Zi's bragging. They were taken to the prepared room by Shen Zi, and Shen Zi said that Ying would be here in at most half an hour.

But Amber had not been at peace for the past half hour. The Son of God probably saw the relationship between the two, and he took out a set of shrine maiden clothes from somewhere, which was much more complicated and exquisite than ordinary shrine maiden clothes, and said that since she was going to meet the gods, it would be better to dress more formally.

Amber naturally didn't quite believe these words, but what could she do... Nashida took a fancy to this dress, so the result was very clear. Amber couldn't resist Nashida's request and changed her clothes again.