Genshin Impact: One Hundred Confessions? Just a System Task

Page 96

The Fools' clandestine strongholds were successively destroyed, and the channels through which the Evil Eye was distributed were completely cut off.

Relief supplies and funds from remote islands, Konta Village, Kannazuka, and even Hachiyeon Island are no longer just empty words, but have been actually distributed to people in dire need.

Some cases where people were wrongly accused due to the Eye Hunt Order have begun to be reopened for trial...

For the first time, the people of Inazuma truly felt that the high and mighty Heavenly Ruler, who in the past only issued orders to confiscate the Eyes of God and levy heavy taxes, seemed to... actually begin to do human things.

Amidst the whispers and gossip in the streets, fear and complaints were gradually replaced by surprise, joy, and a glimmer of unbelievable hope.

Children are the most sensitive; they can sense when their parents' furrowed brows relax slightly and when there is a little more food on the table.

With their childish handwriting, they wrote crooked words of thanks or drew whimsical pictures, secretly slipping them under the door of the Tenryo Magistrate's Office.

At the heart of all these changes lies one name—Kujou Itsuki.

Although Yi Chen himself had no interest in this, he was so busy that he had to rely on "sudden death restart" to barely maintain his eating and sleeping habits, and had no time to care about how the outside world evaluated him.

However, from the young and strong who were impressed by him, to Kujo Sara who was "conscripted" by him, and to the ordinary servants who truly felt the change in atmosphere and regained some sense of professional honor, everyone unanimously and sincerely admired this young acting lord.

It was his swift and decisive actions that cleared away deep-seated problems; it was his tireless diligence that brought about efficiency; and it was his simple and direct principle of "whoever does the work gets promoted" that allowed capable and hardworking people to stand out.

At this moment, inside the acting study.

Yi Chen had just experienced a brief "reboot." He looked up from his desk, his face free of fatigue.

He looked around, noticing that although the piles of documents were still as high as a mountain, they were noticeably fewer than a few days ago. He nodded in satisfaction and even gave himself a pep talk.

"Great, at this rate... I'll be done after a few more deaths. Keep it up."

Just as he was preparing to throw himself back into the "battlefield," a guard cautiously entered and bowed respectfully.

"My lord, the eldest daughter of the Kamisato family, Princess Shiraga, is requesting an audience."

Yi Chen didn't even look up; his pen was already scribbling on the document.

"I'm not here. I'm busy."

He paused for a moment, as if remembering something, and added.

"Tell her by the way, if she harasses me again... I'll send her the documents."

The guard's face instantly turned a purplish-red, and he almost burst out laughing but quickly held it back.

He simply couldn't imagine what expression the noble and elegant White Heron Princess, known as the Pearl of Inatsuma, would have when she received such a "threat."

"Yes...yes! Acting Lord!"

The guard forced a distorted expression and bowed as he withdrew.

Outside the mansion gate, Ayaka Kamisato, dressed in magnificent robes and exuding elegance, waited quietly.

She had heard too many legends about this acting magistrate, and her curiosity grew day by day. Finally, she couldn't resist and, under the pretext of being the representative of the company and her brother to check on the progress, came to visit him in person, wanting to see this person who had stirred up the Inazuma world with her own eyes.

However, instead of the expected introduction, she received a strange, stammering message from the guard:

“Miss Linghua… um… the acting lord… he said… he’s busy and can’t see guests…”

Linghua nodded slightly to show her understanding, and was about to say something more, perhaps leave a visiting card or a greeting.

But then the guard, as if he had accomplished some extremely difficult task, quickly, almost eagerly, uttered the second half of the sentence:

"The acting magistrate also said... said... if you come again... he'll... he'll deliver the documents to you!"

After speaking, the guard immediately lowered his head deeply, not daring to look at Linghua's expression.

Ayaka Kamisato: "..."

Princess Egret, who was always composed and impeccably behaved, froze for a fleeting moment, her perfect smile seemingly frozen.

Is this... a new type of threat?

Or perhaps... Mr. Yichen's way of expressing "refusal" was... to increase the workload for others?

Linghua blinked, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

She had imagined being rejected, imagined the other person being arrogant, but she never expected to receive such a... refreshingly unconventional yet ridiculous reply.

She subconsciously imagined herself carrying a huge stack of official documents back to the ryokan (estate house)...

After a moment of silence, Linghua was not angry at all. Instead, she gently covered her lips with her sleeve and let out a very soft laugh that only she could hear.

This Mr. Yichen... is indeed as rumored, a wonderful person who cannot be fathomed by common sense.

She nodded gracefully to the guard, remaining gentle and poised as ever.

"I understand. In that case, I won't disturb you any longer while you're handling your official duties. Please tell you to take care of yourself."

After saying that, Ayaka Kamisato turned and left, her steps still composed. However, the slight upturn of her lips suggested that she wasn't in a bad mood at all; on the contrary, she found it... even more interesting.

It seems that if I want to see this acting official, I'll have to find a way... that won't involve "sending documents."

Chapter 11 The Fox Woman

After weeks of relentless fighting, the backlog of government affairs in Tianling finally began to show signs of improvement, at least to the point that Yichen considered "barely acceptable."

A long-lost sense of relaxation washed over him, and unusually, instead of immediately finding himself new work, he impulsively decided to quietly go out alone to see firsthand the real changes that had taken place in this land.

Without alerting anyone, Yi Chen changed into an inconspicuous set of ordinary clothes, blending into the streets and alleys of Daozhi City like an ordinary traveler.

The sunlight shone on me, bringing warmth.

The air seemed less oppressive than usual, and more cheerful and vibrant.

He strolled over to a street stall, bought a few skewers of sweet tricolor meatballs, and ate them as he walked. The sweet and glutinous texture made him squint his eyes in satisfaction, like a cat that had just stolen some fish.

He observed the shops on both sides of the street; business seemed to be better than before, and the shop owners' faces showed less worry and more hope.

People no longer talked in hushed tones; occasionally, one could hear discussions about "new policies," "tax reductions," and "the arrival of relief grain."

Just as he was gnawing on the last meatball, silently assessing the effectiveness of the reforms, a clear voice, tinged with surprise and uncertainty, rang out from behind him:

Yi Chen subconsciously turned his head around.

Not far away stood a young samurai with white hair and red eyes, a sword at his waist. His demeanor was free and easy, yet tinged with the weariness of a wanderer. It was none other than Kaedehara Manyo.

Yi Chen paused for a moment, then a sincere smile appeared on his face as he swallowed the meatball in his mouth.

"Manyo? Long time no see!"

He glanced around at Wan Ye and, finding him alone, asked.

"Are you alone? Where's your friend?"

He remembered that Wan Ye was always accompanied by a generous and enthusiastic companion.

Wan Ye smiled, his smile as gentle as ever.

"He went to Tianling Fengxing to apply for a job."

Yi Chen raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

Manyo looked in the direction of the Heavenly Territory Magistrate and continued speaking.

“He said that the current Tenryo Magistrate is different. That Lord Kujou Itsuki is a man who truly gets things done. He wants to give it a try, to follow that magistrate and... change Inazuma.”

Upon hearing this, Yi Chen paused slightly in his chewing, a very strange feeling rising in his heart.

Hearing others talk about "Lord Kujou Itsuki" with such reverence, and that you yourself are the real person... it's a truly strange experience.

He touched his nose, looking a little embarrassed.

"That's it..."

Yi Chen suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and suggested with a smile.

"It's been a long time. I happen to be free. Shall we go sit at that tea stall over there and chat about the recent changes in Inazuma? I... I just got back not long ago, and I've heard quite a bit about it."

Wan Ye readily agreed: "That's exactly what I was thinking."

The two found a quiet spot at a roadside tea stall and sat down.

Yichen listened as Wanye recounted his experiences over the past few weeks from the perspective of a ronin samurai.

The change in the discipline of the Shogunate army, the restraint of the activities of the foolish masses, the tangible benefits received by ordinary people, and that thing called "hope" that permeated the air and gradually revived.

Wan Ye's words were not embellished; he simply stated what he had seen and heard in a calm manner. However, Yi Chen could clearly sense from them that his hard work during this period had not been in vain.

Those sleepless nights, the countless times they "died," the mountains of official documents they processed... all seem to have truly transformed into nutrients that nourish this land.

After a long while, the tea had cooled slightly.

Manyo rose to take his leave, as he was about to continue his wandering journey.

Yi Chen sat alone, watching the bustling crowd on the street. Children ran and laughed as they passed by the vendors, and the vendors' shouts were full of confidence.

He nodded slowly and contentedly.

Although Inazuma is far from the prosperous state he envisioned, the shadow of the Eye Hunt still looms large, and the will of the Thunder God remains the biggest variable. Many deep-seated problems cannot be solved overnight.

At least, there is light in everyone's eyes.

At least, people dare to have expectations for the future.

This is the most important thing.

Hope, once planted, will tenaciously take root and sprout.

And he will continue to protect this faint light until it becomes enough to spread like wildfire.

Yi Chen finished the last of his herbal tea, paid the bill, got up, and rejoined the crowd to continue his "incognito visit."

His steps seemed lighter than when he arrived.

A moment later, Yichen had several more skewers of freshly bought, steaming hot tricolor meatballs in his hand, which he was happily eating like a little hamster.

Inazuma's sweets truly won his heart, especially their chewy texture, which allowed him to temporarily forget all his troubles.

Just as he puffed out his cheeks, focusing on finishing the last dumpling on the bamboo skewer, a lazy and melodious female voice, tinged with a playful laugh, brushed against his ear like a feather:

"Since you seem to enjoy snacks so much, why don't you try the fried tofu over there? It's a specialty of Inazuma, and it tastes quite good!"

The sound appeared without any warning!

Yi Chen shuddered, almost instinctively, and turned around abruptly. With half a meatball still in his mouth, his eyes instantly switched from relaxed enjoyment of food to high alertness. His body tensed slightly, like a feline whose tail had been stepped on and was ready to hiss at any moment.

He even subconsciously mobilized his elemental power, and a gentle breeze rippled around him.

Standing beside him was a graceful woman dressed in a gorgeous shrine maiden outfit.

She had long, soft pink hair, and her smiling eyes were scrutinizing him with interest, the corners of her eyes slightly upturned, carrying an indescribable charm and cunning.

Seeing Yi Chen's alarmed yet somewhat endearing reaction, Yae no Miko couldn't help but cover her red lips with her wide sleeve and let out a low, bell-like laugh:

"Oh my, how cute! The reaction is even more interesting than I expected."

She smiled and lowered her sleeves, revealing a charming smile that could put anyone at ease.

"But don't worry, dear acting master~ I'm not a suspicious person."

"My name is Yae no Miko, and I am the priestess of Narukami Taisha Shrine. I could be considered... a member of the Shogun's household, wouldn't you say?"

The chief priest of Narukami Taisha Shrine?

The general's family?

That's Inazuma Dwarin...

Yi Chen quickly processed the information, his vigilance not completely gone, but his outward demeanor shifted to that of a "noble young master," a stark contrast to his earlier image of burying his head in eating the three-colored dumplings.

He nodded slightly, his movements elegant and graceful.

"So it's Lord Kōji. My apologies, it's a pleasure to meet you. Please take care of me."

This sudden change in demeanor, this extremely natural shift in temperament, caused a genuine surprise to flash in the eyes of the well-informed Yae no Kōji, which quickly transformed into even stronger interest and delight.

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze taking a closer look at Yi Chen's current appearance.

"What a surprising contrast... The Acting Lord is much more interesting than the rumors suggest~"

Yi Chen maintained a calm demeanor on the surface, but inwardly he was muttering to himself.

This vixen woman...she seems so wicked.

His intuition told him that it was best to stay away from her.

"You flatter me, Lord Palace Master."