boyutpedia Chapter 131 The Legend of Thor Mission (2)
Chapter 131 The Legend of Thor Mission (2)
When Mei found Kage, Kage was resting near the foot of the Lei Cherry tree at the foot of Yingxiang Mountain.
Seeing that Ying didn't seem to be injured, Mei breathed a sigh of relief. Within the consciousness space, true consciousness was slowly awakening. Mei had a premonition that this awakening might be the last time she would ever awaken.
After a brief discussion, Shin decided to let Mei contact Kage, while she would recuperate in her consciousness space. Her consciousness was already extremely weak, and even after sleeping for a long time, there was no improvement. Shin realized that her time was really running out. If she didn't control her body, she could hold on for a while longer, but if she chose to control her body, she might only have a few minutes left.
Now, she desperately hopes that this time when she awakens, she can see Ying's growth, and that Ying's growth will resonate with the dream she left her.
Mei felt a pang of sadness looking at the exhausted Kage before her, and stepped forward to ask, "Kage, are you alright?"
Ying was taken aback at first, but then a hint of disappointment appeared on her face when she saw who it was.
"It's you. I'm fine, thank you for your concern. How was your trip to Liyue?"
Seeing that Ying was consciously changing the subject, Mei tacitly began to recount her experiences during her trip to Liyue. After listening to Mei's account, Ying wore a thoughtful expression.
"The hearth god of Liyue would actually make such a choice... Moreover, the people of Liyue work at sunrise and rest at sunset, and this has been the way since ancient times without change. The only thing that has changed is the prosperity of the country of Liyue... This is somewhat similar to what Zhen once told me."
“Just pursue it for a moment, even if it’s only a fleeting moment of eternity,” Mei replied instinctively.
"How did you know?"
Seeing Mei's nervous expression, Ying was a little puzzled, but she understood the next second.
"Did the divine child tell you that?"
Seeing that Ying had found a reason for her, Mei naturally didn't refute it and quickly admitted it.
Although it's not good to shift the blame, it's the only option given the current situation. I'm sorry, Ms. Kamiko!
"Speaking of which, was it Shadow who cleared out the monsters here?"
Mei looked around at the peaceful scene and asked, and Kage, of course, did not refute it, since it was the truth.
"Yes, these past few days, the Beast Realm Hounds, which appeared out of nowhere, have torn apart the space of Inazuma and started to destroy the roots of the Thunder Cherry Trees in various places. After receiving the news, the Shogunate Army set off immediately to encircle and exterminate the Beast Realm Hounds, but the enemy is very cunning and numerous. Looking at the current situation, I can't help but recall the time five hundred years ago. I am worried that something unexpected might happen, so I have started to act on my own, using the General's body."
"But didn't you want to start revising the rules for generals a while ago? Are you sure you're not in any physical trouble?"
"...To be honest, the general has come to regard me as his eternal enemy."
For some reason, the lie that Ying originally wanted to tell Mei turned into the truth when she looked at Mei in front of her. She didn't want Mei to worry about her too much.
Strangely enough, Mei wasn't her shadow, yet she subconsciously believed that Mei was her. Sometimes, lies that are about to be uttered simply vanish because of this.
"Wouldn't that be very dangerous?"
Seeing Mei's worried expression, Ying felt a warmth in her heart and her tone unconsciously softened.
"Yes, that's why I need to eliminate all the Beast Hounds before the General completely refuses to let me use this body. Only then can I face the General with peace of mind."
“But for me, Shadow’s health is more important!” Mei said, following Zhen’s will, and took Shadow’s hand. “Kiana and I can help deal with the Beast Hounds, Shadow, you should be more concerned about yourself right now.”
Mei's anxious appearance made Ying hallucinate that she was the already dead Makoto. At this moment, she finally realized that perhaps the person in front of her really had a close relationship with Makoto.
"Mei, no, Makoto, thank you for your concern. I know Mei, you can't possibly be Makoto, but my intuition tells me that you and Makoto have some kind of connection that I don't know about. Those words you just spoke were spoken by Makoto through your body, weren't they?"
"..."
Mei fell silent, unsure how to answer Kage's question. But her silence seemed to confirm Kage's assumption, and for the first time in a long time, Kage smiled happily.
"Mei, could you walk with me for a bit?"
"That's possible, but where do we go next?"
"If we keep going forward, we'll reach the Desolate Sea. I heard that someone completed the Divine Cherry Blossom Purification. Now that I think about it, that person must be you, right? Can you come with me to the Desolate Sea to see the ocean?"
Mei didn't answer. She silently placed her hand on Kage's outstretched right hand and pulled him along in the direction he pointed. They walked in silence, stopping and starting, until they reached the location of the Thunder Cherry Tree's roots in the desolate sea.
“Let’s stop here,” Shadow said. “So there are scratches from those hunting dogs here too…”
Shadow stroked the claw marks on the roots of the Thunder Cherry Tree and murmured. Mei looked at the claw marks in front of her and felt the residual energy that was similar to but completely different from Honkai energy. An unnamed anger rose in her heart.
"You might not believe it, but in my memory, the Rai-zakura tree, or rather the Shin-zakura tree in Narukami Taisha, suddenly appeared five hundred years ago."
Ying suddenly spoke up.
"Five hundred years ago, a dark calamity swept through Inazuma. At that time, Makoto secretly went to a country called Kanria. By the time I realized it and rushed there, the war was over. Makoto was lying on the ground, barely alive, and all I could do was lift her up and listen to her last words. When I finally brought her consciousness back to Inazuma, the crisis in Inazuma had already ended, and the sacred cherry tree was sitting there in the once empty inner courtyard of Narukami Shrine."
"What's going on? I remember Miss Miko telling me that this sacred cherry tree should be a sacred tree that has existed since Inazuma was born?"
"Yes, I asked other people at the time, and they told me that the Divine Cherry Tree has existed in Inazuma since ancient times. But my memory tells me that the tree did not exist before I left Inazuma."
"Unable to figure out the reason, I concluded that it was a memory disorder caused by my overwhelming grief over losing Makoto. Later, after settling Makoto's consciousness space, I began working on my eternal plan, and it was from then on that I gradually stopped getting involved in Inazuma's politics..."
Just as Ying was about to say something, a wisp of white mist suddenly emerged from the wounds in the roots of the Thunder Cherry Tree, and then a blind old man appeared.
Ying looked at the old man in surprise, and stepped forward uncertainly to confirm, "Are you... Gu Shan?"
The old man was initially puzzled as to who was calling his name, but then realized that it was the voice of the master he served day and night.
"Is that General? Weren't you supposed to be on a distant battlefield? Why are you back?"
A distant battlefield? Could it be the event from five hundred years ago?
Mei silently thought to herself, while Ying gestured for Mei not to speak casually, and introduced the old man in front of her to Mei.
"Let me introduce you. This is Gushan, the tea master who has always followed me. Gushan is blind, but he has a discerning eye that far surpasses that of ordinary people. The tea he brews is one of the best in terms of taste during the rice season."
"You flatter me. It's just that I'm used to being by the General's side all the time, so I've gotten used to it," Gu Shan said modestly. "It sounds like the General has brought guests with him? In the current situation, I'm afraid I can't serve you any decent tea or snacks... But if you don't mind, please sit down and rest for a while. After all, things outside have become a mess."
After a moment's thought, Mei decided to lower her voice and reply, "Uh...yes, there are wild beasts outside, it's pitch black, and many people are injured..."
"So that's how it is, they've already reached this far. Most of the residents around here have fled. They wanted to take me with them, but I felt it was pointless, so I didn't go with them. The General is right here, so I have no reason to run away. If even the General can't do anything about this, where can I possibly run to?"
"Why...are you completely calm?"
"Running away is for survival. Wanting to live is because there are still unfinished business in life. But I, by chance, have no such thoughts, and leave no regrets. But... what's wrong with this guest's voice? Why is it so hoarse and somewhat like..."
"It's nothing, she was just running away before I arrived and I rescued her along the way," Shadow explained.
"I see. Where were we?"
Gu Shan first recalled the previous topic and then said, "When the General was drinking tea, she often told me about her dreams. Listening to her stories, I, who had been blind for many years, felt as if I were personally traveling through the most beautiful mountains and seas of Inazuma... Over time, I gradually came to understand her romantic and dreamy ideas."
"She always said that all good things will change and disappear with the passage of time. So we must seize the moment and enjoy life to the fullest, so as not to have any regrets."
It's obvious that these weren't words that Ying would say; in her true memories, there are indeed instances where she frequently discussed her ideals with Gu Shan.
"So even if the current situation is bad, I have already experienced countless wonderful things, and I have nothing to be dissatisfied with."
Listening to Gu Shan's story, Ying sighed, "Perhaps, that's true."
Hearing Ying's words, Gu Shan sensed Ying's direction and turned to face him, saying, "Soon, I will be leaving. What a pity... I will not be able to see Inazuma, which was rebuilt by the General after this catastrophe."
"But it doesn't matter. Everyone says Inazuma has turned black, but in my eyes, Inazuma has always been black. After the catastrophe, there will be a new life. Besides, even if I survive until then, I'll just be an unromantic old blind man... Haha, never mind."
Gu Shan sensed the somewhat somber atmosphere and then chuckled and apologized.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry, I was so forgetful. I've been rambling on and on, but I haven't even served the tea yet. It would be unseemly for a general to grace us with his presence without tea. Please wait a moment while I... um, where are the tea utensils?"
It's correct that Gu Shan couldn't find tea utensils, since he was just an illusion formed by the overflow of the earth's veins, and the surrounding environment was not familiar to him, so naturally he couldn't find tea utensils.
"Could it be that they crashed it when they left?"
Seeing Gu Shan's futile efforts, Ying finally spoke.
"It's alright, Koyama. We don't have tea sets here, but we know where to find them."
"How can this be? Absolutely not! How can we let the General and the guests go to retrieve it together? Besides, given the situation outside..."
"This place... has a complicated environment, quite different from the teahouses you remember. Leave it to us."
Knowing he couldn't dissuade Ying, Gu Shan sighed and agreed, though his tone betrayed a deep sense of self-reproach.
So Kage took Mei to Kamisato House, and along the way, Kage explained to Mei what had just happened.
Simply put, the roots of the Thunder Cherry Tree are connected to the earth's veins. The wounds inflicted by the Beast Realm Hounds will release information from within the earth's veins over time, occasionally leading to situations like the one just described. The old man named Gushan was a tea master who used to serve Shadow and True. Because he frequently came into contact with General Thunder, he may have already realized that the so-called General Thunder was actually two people.
The two then arrived at the Kamisato Residence, where, using the identity of the Shadow, they easily obtained a tea set. However, upon returning, they found only the Raikou tree and an empty room.
Realizing that the illusion of Koyama had dissipated, Kage briefly showed a disappointed expression. Mei naturally understood why Kage would show such an expression, after all, in her true memories, the tea brewed by Koyama was absolutely superb, and even the taste that only appeared in her memory made Mei linger.
Now that the illusion of the ancient mountain has disappeared, the tea buds brewed by the ancient mountain are naturally no longer available to enjoy. However, Ying still decided to brew a pot of tea herself.
After all, how could one not use the borrowed teaware? However, Ying had never brewed tea herself before. Although she had often watched Gushan brew tea, she knew a little about the brewing techniques and should not have any problems.
Fortunately, nothing went wrong with the tea. Ying took out two teacups and filled them with tea.
"It's ready, please enjoy."
To be honest, Mei's feelings were a bit complicated right now. After all, in her true memories, Kage had never brewed tea, and even cooking often resulted in accidents. This made Mei wonder if the person in front of her was actually her counterpart.
After all, even when she first started cooking, she never encountered such an exaggerated scene. Now, looking at the steaming, freshly brewed tea in front of her, Mei was at a loss for what to do.
Finally, Mei, with a death wish, picked up the teacup and took a small sip. The tea flowed down her tongue and into her stomach, carrying a slight bitterness but mostly a refreshing fragrance.
"It's delicious!" Mei exclaimed sincerely.
"That's good." Ying breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought a lot while making the tea, but I didn't know how to express it..."
Mei was well aware of Ying's feelings at that moment, so she silently watched Ying without saying a word, because she knew it was better not to disturb her at this time.
Finally, having figured everything out, Kage slowly opened his eyes, and Mei could feel the determination that filled Kage's heart at that moment.
"I think I understand what needs to be done next. Let's go, let's go together to the battlefield of cutting off the past and heading towards the future."