thefictionvixens Page 77
Page 77
Zhongli suppressed his discomfort, banished the sticky memories left over from the previous war between demons and gods, and then cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Baizhi.
He really couldn't handle that girl, Master Hu; she was too clever and mischievous.
"Hmm... Is this how you entertain your gods? It's far too meager, Miss Deep-Sea Fish of Umijima Island~"
Suddenly, a slightly teasing voice came from inside the Coral Palace.
"who is it!"
Xin Hai immediately stood up, looking around warily.
"Oh dear, Miss Deep Sea Fish, don't be so nervous. As the shrine maiden of Narukami Shrine, I am naturally obliged to greet Your Majesty, who has come to Inazuma. However, it seems rather meager to serve Your Majesty such food."
"It's all thanks to the Emperor's magnanimity, otherwise, our Inazuma's reputation would have been ruined!"
"The shrine maiden of Narukami Shrine... it's you, Yae no Miko!"
After carefully considering this passage, Xin Hai almost immediately guessed who the visitor was.
"Goro actually couldn't stop you."
"Oh dear, what are you saying? General Goro is certainly a very lovable person, but as a great demon who has existed for hundreds of years, he is not so easily stopped. And Miss Deep Sea Fish, do you really think that after so many times of the Shogunate's conquest of Umijima, they can't even conquer such a place?"
"If I hadn't pulled a little something, do you think any merchants would have bypassed the blockade to come and support you?"
"you...."
Xin Hai was somewhat speechless. As a strategist, she naturally knew that it was already somewhat unbelievable that someone would come to support Hai Zhi Island.
Although the shogunate is indeed in a weak position now, it still has the ability to block all major shipping routes. With that, it can cut off most of the logistics of Umijima Island.
"Heh, you've figured it out?"
Accompanied by a burst of pink light, Yae no Miko instantly appeared before everyone.
Then, the Eightfold Divine Child shifted her gaze to Bai Zhi, and then gave a graceful bow.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. I am Yae no Miko, a priestess of Narukami Taisha Shrine, and also a member of the household of Mitake Narukami Shuzō O-gosho."
"I am very sorry for the problems you encountered in Inazuma. I did not do a good job in receiving you. I hope you will not have a bad impression of the people of Inazuma."
"It's not that bad. No one could have predicted something like running aground. And I don't have any bad impression of the people of Inazuma. For example, Miss Kokoro is very hospitable, and the seafood is also very delicious. I really like it."
"I've seen you two so tense, and I've overheard snippets of conversation from the other soldiers on Haiqi Island. Could you explain to me why? If possible, I wouldn't mind acting as a peacemaker."
Bai Zhi's deliberately spoken words made Yae no Miko's eyes light up; this was exactly what she wanted.
Because she knew that, under normal circumstances, when both are in power, one deity would not arbitrarily interfere with the policies of another deity's territory.
160. Do gods also experience psychological trauma?
“Miss Deep Sea Fish, then you can talk about this matter.”
Yae no Miko covered her face and smiled, extending her hand in invitation.
Shinkai glanced at Yae no Miko but did not refuse. After all, given the current situation, the people of Umi no Miko could not hold out for much longer. Even among the soldiers, there were cases like Teppei secretly using the Evil Eye to enhance their combat power.
One can imagine how bad the situation is on Haigi Island right now.
If the shogunate hadn't harbored ulterior motives and other intentions, and had actually taken things seriously, Umijima would have been completely unable to resist.
It can be said that even just one Yae no Miko, this great demon who has presided over Narukami Taisha for hundreds of years, is not someone they can deal with.
"Your Majesty, you should be aware of the current state of Inazuma's isolationist policy, shouldn't you?"
Xin Hai took a deep breath and asked slowly.
Bai Zhi nodded. "Of course, I came here not only to negotiate some things, but also to investigate why this place is closed off. After all, Liyue, as a commercial nation, used to frequently travel to and from Inazuma."
"After Inazuma closed the country off, some people in Liyue lost their jobs as a result."
"Yes, Inazuma was sealed off by a powerful thunderstorm because our god, the Thunder General, believed that it was necessary to minimize external influences and then pacify the interior, making everything eternal and still."
"Whether it's the Eye Hunt Order or anything else, all of this is what the General did for that unchanging eternity..."
"The general believes that as long as everything remains unchanged and all variables are eliminated, everyone can live in peace... But Your Majesty, you know that this is impossible. Human nature is like this; everyone is always pursuing difference. People are born with dreams."
"General, in order to ensure this eternal unchanging state, you have eliminated these differences and prohibited change. The Eye of God is one of the things that has the greatest impact on this eternal change..."
“We were unwilling to submit, so the people of Haigi Island chose to resist.”
At this point, Xin Hai looked at Bai Zhi and said, "Your Majesty, do you think this governing policy is really correct? This kind of eternity is just the general's wishful thinking."
"We respect her, but we do not condone such tyranny!"
Bai Zhi stroked her chin. "I can understand her thinking. In a sense, it is a feasible method, but she does not have strong enough governing ability, nor does she have very obedient shogunate personnel to carry it out."
"It's hard for me to judge whether her policies are right or wrong, because I am not the main god of Inazuma, I don't know anything about this place, and it's not good to make a casual judgment on something."
Zhongli nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty, your idea is correct. It is wrong to arbitrarily apply one's own thoughts to others, because often when one person sees another, that person is not a real person in their mind, but an abstract version of themselves."
"That's an impression formed by overlapping values. Your Majesty, you haven't fallen into that trap, that's good."
Zhongli smiled, a rare occurrence. It is proper for a qualified ruler to have his own values, but when considering a problem, he should try to detach himself from his own values in order to think about the problem more objectively.
Consider it from multiple perspectives.
Instead of getting indignant just because someone said that, he wasn't a king; he was just a hot-blooded young man.
Such a person can be a hero, can pursue many professions, but cannot be a monarch who decides the life and death of thousands with a single word.
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Zhongli. Please give me more compliments in the future; I really appreciate it!"
"Haha, if Your Majesty likes it, I will naturally follow suit."
Zhongli smiled and shook his head. He really wouldn't be stingy with praise, after all, Bai Zhi did indeed possess most of the qualities of a wise ruler, and she deserved to be praised.
He doesn't like to engage in arbitrary and repressive education.
"Hehe, as expected of the Emperor, he has a variety of ways of looking at things. If it were those soldiers outside, after hearing what this little deep-sea fish said, they would probably be so excited that they would draw their weapons and fight the general to the death."
Yae no Miko covered her face and smiled, while Bai Zhi shrugged and said, "But I guess she may have been subjected to some very strong stimulation, which is why she did this."
"Generally speaking, life is inherently inclined to accept all kinds of positive changes. If a person or a deity suddenly thinks about eternal and unchanging things for thousands of generations, then it is probably because they have suffered some kind of blow that makes them feel that maintaining that unchanging state is the best."
"That person may have suffered terrible harm during the drastic changes, and in order to prevent such harm from reaching the people she loved, she chose this path. Am I right, Miss Divine Child?"
Now, even the previously smiling Yae no Miko showed a hint of surprise, for this was far too accurate.
If she hadn't known that Bai Zhi had lost her memory, she would have almost immediately asked Bai Zhi if she knew about the matter between Raiden Shin and Kage.
“That’s right. I’ve seen many people like that. Generally speaking, those who have lost loved ones in violent accidents, especially those caused by their own actions, will constantly lament that they wish they could turn back time, or they will have a strong reaction to any disruption to their peace.”
"They are afraid that the unforeseen events will cause uncontrollable consequences, and thus become hysterical."
"But for ordinary people, such tranquility is almost impossible, very difficult to achieve, but if it were a deity..."
As Hu Tao spoke, her expression turned somewhat strange, and she looked at the Divine Child with disbelief.
Things probably aren't as she suspects.
The gods, unable to accept certain things, acted in ways just as irrationally as humans.
Those are deities! How can they suffer from such a mental illness like humans?
Shouldn't all gods be wise and virtuous like the emperor, never doing anything bad because of personal likes or dislikes?
The Divine Child also had a strange expression. She hadn't intended to reveal too much, but unexpectedly, with Bai Zhi's reasoning and the help of Hu Tao, the hall master who was used to life and death, they deduced a situation that was almost true.
Is this... a sign from fate?
The divine child thought with some uncertainty.
"It seems we've hit the nail on the head; Miss Miko's expression has given us away."
Zhongli picked up a cup of tea, took a small sip, and then spoke.
.....
"Alright, although I didn't really want to talk about that here, since Miss Deep Sea Fish is still here, since Your Majesty has guessed some things, it wouldn't hurt for me to explain some things in detail."
161 Walnut: Let's make this world the way we want it to be.
"Hmm... Miss Miko, you don't need to say it, but judging from your behavior, that general must have lost someone important to him, which led to his current state, right?"
Just as Yae no Miko was about to explain what happened hundreds of years ago, she paused for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes, Your Majesty is right. The passing of that person hundreds of years ago, along with the passing of many friends, has led to the General's current mindset. She wants to pursue eternity, to freeze everything, so that all the beauty can be preserved. She hopes that the people of Inazuma can experience this feeling."
"Alas... Although the world is indeed not a good place, there are always people who tell me not to give up. They guide me and prove to me that the world is not so bad."
"If I were that general, I would definitely raise my head and keep moving forward, turning this imperfect world into the way I want it to be. Although we cannot choose our destiny, we can choose what kind of person we become, instead of dwelling on the past and trying to achieve this ridiculous eternity!"
With her hands on her hips, Hu Tao said, "Your Majesty, let's go and wake this general up. Let's teach her a lesson!"
Zhongli covered his head helplessly, "Master, why are you so agitated again?"
"Because I think this general is a fool. Does she think that everything she does is right, and that by taking all the blame, someone will accept her good intentions?"
"Well said. Although I won't interfere with this general's governing policies, I wouldn't mind having a little conversation with her. Perhaps I can change her mindset a bit."
Bai Zhi clapped her hands. As expected of the hall master, she was full of energy. But some of the lines sounded familiar, like she had heard them somewhere before.
"See? Even the Emperor supports me. Zhongli, you're too mature for your age. You look like you're only in your twenties, but you act like an old man from thousands of years ago. 'To help those in need is our motto!'"
Hu Tao raised her head and looked at Zhong Li with a grin.
Zhongli: .....
How was he supposed to respond to this old man who was actually thousands of years old?
"Master Hu, there's no need to say that about Mr. Zhongli. Perhaps Mr. Zhongli was a very driven person when he was young, but he experienced love and various emotions too early, and ended up becoming the way he is now."
"After all, Mr. Zhongli's appearance can no longer be described as handsome; rather, he is incredibly dashing and has a face like jade. If word got out that he was looking for a female partner, the number of people he would attract would surely fill the entire Liyue Harbor."
"Mr. Zhongli must have experienced a lot in his youth, Master Hu, don't you agree?"
"Oh, right, how come I didn't think of that? Zhongli, the guest elder, is so handsome, how come he doesn't even have a partner? He's like a big rock, with a closed-off heart and locked away love. He must have gone through a lot, been heartbroken, and then thrown himself into all kinds of learning and knowledge, eventually becoming so learned!"
Hu Tao spoke with such swaying head that Zhong Li was speechless.
But he couldn't find any way to refute it.
"Your Majesty..."
Zhongli suddenly felt that she should keep Hu Tao at a distance, because she felt that Bai Zhi was starting to learn bad habits from Hu Tao.
The thought of Bai Zhi, like Hu Tao, composing dark, satirical poems or other antics sent a chill down his spine.
“No, it shouldn’t be that bad…” Zhongli shook his head, banishing the terrible thought.
"Alright, alright, Mr. Zhongli, I was just joking. However, we really should have a talk with this Thunder General, shouldn't we? Whether it's a psychological issue or something else, there's definitely something fishy going on here."
Bai Zhi quickly stopped teasing him, though she knew Zhong Li wouldn't mind.
"Are you really willing to tell the general about this?!"
Xin Hai was pleasantly surprised. After hearing what Bai Zhi had said earlier, she thought that Bai Zhi didn't really want to get involved in this matter. After all, as the chief god of another country, interfering in other countries' affairs across regions was, in a sense, a bit of a overstepping of the line.
It carries a hint of disrespect for other deities.
"Of course, but whether it will work is another matter. I won't use force to make it happen; I'll just use persuasion and other little tricks to achieve my goal."
"That's enough!!" Xin Hai said hastily. Having the gods help was far better than them putting up any resistance here. She knew this very well.
"Alright, let's go there now, Miss Miko. Please lead the way."
Bai Zhi turned her head and said to the divine child.
"Of course, no problem. It would be my honor to lead the way for Your Majesty."
Meanwhile, in a secluded corner of Inazuma, a tall, broad-minded woman looked down at an Inazuma person below.
"You're saying that the Geo Archon from Liyue has come to visit Inazuma?"
"Yes, Your Excellency, we have recently received a lot of news that the Geo Archon of Liyue is visiting Inazuma. The head of the family asked me to inquire with you whether this will affect our cooperation. After all, the Geo Archon is known for his wisdom, and she may not approve of many of Inazuma's policies."
"If the Rock King Emperor meets with the General, will he suggest that the General cancel these policies? These are all unknowns... What do you think?"