Chapter 25: Narukami Shrine

Pant... pant...

Bai Luo found himself in a very bizarre state.

He felt conscious, yet he couldn't control any part of his body.

He wanted to scream, but no sound escaped his throat.

He tried to pinch himself awake, but he didn't even have the strength to move a finger.

Gradually, even breathing became difficult.

The surrounding environment grew colder and damper.

The increasingly oppressive air felt thick and sticky.

"This is..."

This cold, suffocating, and powerless sensation... wasn't it exactly how he felt when he jumped into the river to save someone before?

Why was this happening again?

Come to think of it, while he knew he had been swept to Snezhnaya by the rushing river waters after jumping in to save someone, he couldn't even remember what the child he tried to save looked like.

All he could do now was use every ounce of his strength to swim toward the light in the darkness.

Maybe that was the surface of the water.

As the surface drew nearer, the dizziness from suffocation became more intense.

When Bai Luo finally broke through the cold, bone-chilling river water, what he saw was not the snowy, slightly dim sky of Snezhnaya.

Instead, he saw a pale-faced little girl.

The girl looked at him with eyes filled with sorrow and despair, and a hint of... fear?

"You... huh!?"

Just as Bai Luo was about to comfort her, a sharp pain pierced his abdomen.

Looking down, he saw a short sword covered in a dark substance had already penetrated his abdomen.

No...

The dark substance wasn't on the short sword; it was on him.

Unbeknownst to him, his body had been covered with a mysterious black substance, and he had just emerged from it.

He was now... a monster.

The dagger took away all his strength, and the black, mud-like substance dragged him back into the abyss.

Before the last bit of light was swallowed, he seemed to hear a crane's cry filled with a hint of surprise.

"Mmm... what time is it now?"

Instinctively touching his belly, Bai Luo sat up from the comfortable bed.

He had many dreams before, but most of them faded with time, lasting no more than half an hour in his memory.

But this dream was different; he remembered many details.

Like the excruciating pain when the short sword pierced his abdomen.

If his belly wasn't smooth and had no scars at all, he might have truly believed he'd been stabbed.

"Sir Instructor."

Perhaps sensing the movement inside the room, the Fatui agent who had been guarding the door walked in after Bai Luo's permission.

"As you instructed, the manuscript has been delivered to Editor Kuroda at Yae Publishing House."

Recalling the contents of the manuscript, the Fatui agent couldn't help but worry for his superior.

Was it really okay to write like that?

In some other places, it might be okay, but if someone in Snezhnaya wrote about the Tsaritsa like that, even using a fake name, they would definitely be killed by the anger of the Fatui.

"Oh? What did the editor say?"

Pouring himself a cup of hot tea, Bai Luo inquired.

Even though his writing wasn't top-notch, the story was unique enough.

It should easily surpass the current light novels in Inazuma.

"Editor Kuroda said the subject matter is quite unique and needs to be personally reviewed by the High Priestess of Narukami Shrine. If it passes, they'll notify you."

In his view, Editor Kuroda had been quite kind.

If it were him, he would have ruthlessly thrown the manuscript back in the writer's face to make them understand the consequences of blaspheming the Shogun.

"Alright, you may go. Let me know once you receive a response."

"Understood..."

After leaving the room, the Fatui agent's face was filled with worry.

He felt that the day he received a response would be the day the Tenryou Commission threw him into prison.

He wondered if the Instructor would remember his hard work and pull him out.

With a sigh, the Fatui agent left.

Unbeknownst to him, the manuscript he had delivered was now in Kuroda's hands, on its way to Narukami Shrine.

In the lands of Inazuma, there stood a majestic mountain.

This mountain was called Mt. Yougou.

As one of the highest peaks in Inazuma, it even surpassed the height of Tenshukaku, where the Raiden Shogun resided.

At the summit of Mt. Yougou stood Inazuma's largest shrine—Narukami Shrine.

It was said that those who harbored wishes could climb step by step to the summit, passing through numerous torii gates, to seek a fortune slip from the shrine maidens and pray for the protection of the Great Narukami Ogosho.

Whether the wish would come true depended on the mood of the High Priestess of Narukami Shrine.

If the wish was interesting enough, the High Priestess wouldn't mind fulfilling it.

Besides worshipping the Electro Archon, the shrine had another lesser-known purpose.

To protect the unique Sacred Sakura at the mountain's peak.

No one could say where the Sacred Sakura came from, but its existence seemed to date back a long time.

At least, in the memories of many Inazuma residents, it had always been there.

With the sun setting, the setting sun casts a fiery red glow over the earth.

As the highest point in Inazuma, Narukami Shrine offered a panoramic view of all the beautiful scenery Inazuma had to offer.

After sending off the worshippers, the shrine maidens finally had the time to tidy up the shrine.

"Sigh, Sayu is missing again, and Lady Yae has been holed up in her room all day. Luckily, there weren't many visitors today, or it would have been tough," Kano Nana grumbled as she swept the accumulated cherry blossom petals.

In the morning, Lady Yae had dumped all the tasks on her before burying herself in a new novel, completely avoiding her responsibilities.

After a busy day, she still had to clean up in the evening.

She pondered how long the cleanup would take if Miss Gendou Ringo, the person responsible for the Fortune Slip Box, didn't help.

"Ha ha ha!"

Unrestrained laughter echoed from the side chamber again, but the shrine maidens seemed used to it, shaking their heads helplessly before resuming their work.

"What's gotten into Lady Yae today? Why has she been laughing in her room all day?" Miko Maki quietly asked Kano Nana as she approached.

Today, she had been assigned to the area around the Sacred Sakura, so she had no idea what had happened with Lady Yae.

But Kano Nana, who had taken over all of Lady Yae's tasks, should know something.

"What else? Yae Publishing House received an incredibly exciting light novel. Apparently, it's quite risqué, so they wanted Lady Yae to review it personally."

Since their High Priestess was also the boss of Yae Publishing House, most of the shrine maidens at Narukami Shrine had developed an interest in light novels.

So when Maki heard it was a risqué light novel, her face lit up with anticipation.

"What kind of light novel is it? Will it pass the review? When can we read it?"

Kano Nana thought for a moment before recalling the title of the manuscript in Lady Yae's hands.

"I think it's called 'My Raiden Shogun Can't Be This Cute.'"