Chapter 386: Higi Village

The high-end apartment was exquisitely decorated. To someone with an eye for detail, there were countless aspects to praise. But to someone like Li Mo, who was more of a layman, the only evaluation he could muster was that it "looked nice."

Feeling satisfied after freeloading next door, Li Mo returned home. There was always a certain joy in getting something for free. Li Mo, who fancied himself a loyal servant, had repeatedly tried to boss around the cook, only to be kicked into the kitchen by the second sister.

*Isn't this kind of interaction a bit strange?*

In any case, Li Mo rarely dwelled on such matters. Life at **Soubu High** was enjoyable, and he believed that life shouldn't always be about fighting and killing. Back in **Academy City**, he had picked up two swords and fought against two Level 5s, while the rest of the time was spent either bullying weaker opponents or conducting research.

Bullying weaker opponents was fine, albeit a bit bloody. But research? Research was driving him crazy.

**Kihara Yuiitsu** was a typical member of the **Kihara family**, always asking questions about the unknown. Naturally, Li Mo was the one she turned to for answers, and he had to provide explanations. Vague or ambiguous responses were unacceptable.

The pain of dealing with such a demanding "client" made Li Mo want to stop thinking altogether.

"Why am I reminiscing about that time? Is my body starting to rust?"

Two days had passed without him pondering anything. Going with the flow and lazing around was nice, but after a while, the idleness left him feeling empty.

He began to think about constructing his own unique form of "mystery."

The simplest option was still **Ars Magna**, but the incantation required hundreds of years of chanting, which was far too long.

Opening the system panel, Li Mo decided to change his environment. Being too lazy in the city had drained him of any grand ambitions—it was like how a sharp and capable person would turn into a couch potato the moment they returned home to their parents.

The worlds he could choose from were limited to two: one was the Japan of **Demon Slayer**, and the other was **Teyvat** from **Genshin Impact**. Recalling his previous thoughts during his time at **Narukami Shrine**, Li Mo fell silent.

*With my abilities, could I solve Inazuma's problems?*

"**Raiden Shogun**…"

The reclusive shut-in was giving him a headache.

Having a shrine maiden shikigami fetch him a can of cola, Li Mo savored the drink and made his decision.

*I'll go. If I can't solve it this time, I'll just try again later. If too much time passes, I'll reassess.*

This time, Li Mo's preparations were much simpler. For one, **Genshin Impact** had just launched in this world. Everyone was still in the **Mondstadt** region, wandering around under the watchful eye of a certain drunkard.

Li Mo could only rely on his memories from his past life. But since that was a lifetime ago, it was natural for some details to be hazy—something magic couldn't help with.

Without much preparation, he checked and organized the items in his inventory, then activated the system to begin the time travel.

—The sensation from last time didn't reappear.

During his return, **Aleister Crowley** had briefly interfered with the system's recall process. Although the interruption was extremely short, it was still an obstruction. Perhaps because of that, Li Mo could faintly sense that traveling from this world to another wasn't instantaneous. It felt like a significant amount of time passed—though it couldn't be recorded. Neither his brain nor his soul could retain such information.

It was more like a feeling of traveling somewhere.

But this time, the time travel was just like before—instantaneous.

Li Mo surveyed his surroundings. Good… he wasn't in the sky or the ocean, but on solid ground. He could even see the distant sea, confirming that he was near the coast.

"I hope I'm still in **Inazuma**."

Teyvat was vast, and the game world didn't fully translate to reality. If he ended up in another nation, getting to Inazuma would be troublesome. The **Raiden Shogun**'s **Sakoku Decree** had created a storm of lightning around Inazuma.

Li Mo wasn't afraid of the storm, but few ships dared to approach Inazuma, and traveling alone across the ocean would take a long time.

Of course, it was a hassle, not an impossibility.

The benefits of being superhuman were evident here.

"This isn't Narukami Island."

First, he determined that this wasn't Narukami Island. Li Mo was very familiar with Narukami Island, having wandered all over it during his time at Narukami Shrine. He knew Mt. Yougou like the back of his hand.

Moreover, Narukami Island didn't have such a strong presence of Tatarigami.

"Yashiori Island?"

Soon, Li Mo spotted a landmark.

A massive serpent's skull.

It was as tall as a mountain. To someone unfamiliar with the details, it might look like a mountain shaped like a serpent's head.

Li Mo squinted. Even from a distance, he could sense the power within it.

The energy of Tatarigami…

Memories of the historical knowledge he had read at Narukami Shrine surfaced. Long ago, the deity worshipped by Watatsumi Island, Orobashi no Mikoto, had been slain here by the Raiden Shogun with a single sword strike. The remains were those of Orobashi.

"Dead but not gone."

Perhaps the will of the great serpent had dissipated, but the power within its corpse remained, even after being eroded by time.

The passage of time meant nothing to it.

"Might as well eat it…"

Feeling the Tatarigami energy corrupting him, Li Mo instinctively began absorbing the energy.

The corruption of Tatarigami felt like being "polluted," but how could something already pitch black be polluted? At the very least, you needed a blank canvas to be polluted, right?

Was Li Mo a blank canvas? He had already absorbed things like **All the World's Evils** and **Muzan Kibutsuji**. There had even been a time when he couldn't fully absorb the traits of a **Gnosis** due to his own nature.

Without overthinking it, Li Mo conducted a blanket search. After discovering a village, he changed into the priestly robes he had worn at Narukami Shrine. Although he had once declared that he would leave sooner or later, **Yae Miko** had insisted that as long as he was a priest, he should act like one—especially after Li Mo demonstrated his proficiency in purifying impurities. So, he had been assigned the role.

*Might as well make use of this identity.*

Approaching the village, Li Mo sensed another powerful energy emanating from a distant crack. Unlike the Tatarigami energy, this energy was harmful to living beings but also counteracted the Tatarigami energy.

Li Mo didn't dwell on it and instead entered the village alone. After a brief exchange with the villagers, a child led him to the village chief's house.

The chief wasn't home yet, so Li Mo waited. After some inquiries, he learned that this was Higi Village on Yashiori Island. His initial worry about not being in Inazuma was unfounded.

Taking a drink from his inventory, Li Mo sipped slowly.

Next, he needed to figure out how to return to Narukami Island. But first, he had to determine the current timeline… The only certainty was that the Traveler hadn't arrived yet.

Higi Village still had residents, unlike the desolate place he remembered.

"Why would the future result in no major settlements outside Narukami Island and Watatsumi Island…"

Li Mo pondered.

What would happen on Yashiori Island to cause its residents to leave? He needed to pay more attention.

Before long, the chief of Higi Village returned. He was a middle-aged samurai.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I am Washizu, the chief of Higi Village. May I ask why the priest has come to Yashiori Island?"