Teyvat's hostility toward monsters wasn't baseless.
Monsters were vile—spawning and dying randomly, infesting everywhere. Most were weak, but their unpredictability wreaked havoc on human life.
That was without youkai or Adepti guardians.
In Inazuma, with youkai like Reisen Riou, things were better. On Ley Line-scarce Ritou, his monthly scans pinpointed monster nests, nipping disasters in the bud.
In his year back, Ritou's monster attacks plummeted from 15–18 annually to one—a lone small Hydro Slime, causing no casualties.
The attacked fisherman fled inland. With unfavorable winds diluting Hydro elements, the Slime gave up. A junior miko dispatched it later.
Prepared, trained junior mikos handled low-tier elemental beings like Slimes with ease, especially the docile Hydro Slime.
Under Reisen Riou's gaze, a Dendro Slime slowly coalesced from energy.
Freshly born, it seemed to sense his and Anko's strength, burrowing swiftly with help from other Dendro Slimes.
Elemental Being Theory LV1 (10/100) (Dendro Accumulation—Dendro Slime)
Reisen Riou thought that was it, but the remaining Dendro energy crystallized into a Dendro Crystalfly.
It didn't last. Brushed by Slime-emitted Dendro, it dissipated.
"That…" Reisen Riou blinked. "That Crystalfly was too fragile."
Elemental Being Theory LV1 (15/100) (Dendro Accumulation—Dendro Slime, Dendro Ascension—Dendro Crystalfly)
"Ritou's Ley Lines must be improving—Crystalflies are appearing," Anko remarked.
"Crystalflies? They've been popping up since we cleared that stagnation point last year," Reisen Riou said proudly, omitting his role in their emergence.
"Really? I didn't notice. They vanish with the wind," Anko said, surprised. "Crystalflies only form in pristine environments. At the Grand Narukami Shrine under Mount Yougou, Electro Crystalflies swarm—folks call it the Electro Archon's blessing."
"That's a thing?" Reisen Riou asked, intrigued. "But yeah, the shrine's got tons of them."
Truth was, Crystalflies were hard to catch. Less intelligent than Slimes, his humanoid elemental nature didn't help. Captured Crystalflies left only cores—or nothing, if grabbed too fast.
Only sacred sites like Statues of the Seven or special locales hosted lasting Crystalflies—Liyue's "feng shui" hotspots.
"The Grand Narukami Shrine's Inazuma's most revered place, save the Shogunate. Of course it's pristine," Anko said proudly.
Her family joined the shrine at its founding. Generations of Kannos produced mikos, with senior mikos in every era, forming a core pillar of the shrine.
This era was their peak: three of the shrine's hundred-plus senior mikos were Kannos.
But luck wasn't with them. All three were posted abroad. Anko, the martial senior miko, was the last dispatched.
Reisen Riou nodded noncommittally.
In this divine world, the Grand Narukami Shrine didn't just commune with gods—it managed Archon kin and youkai, wielding high prestige despite limited power. Shrine staff held lofty status.
Senior mikos rivaled mid-tier samurai like Yoriki, just below the Shogun's elite Okuzume guard.
Still, their status paled against high-ranking Hatamoto like Kujou Sei, who'd tried pinning blame on them.
Hatamoto were elite in the Shogunate's hierarchy: Foot Soldiers, Konin/Village Samurai (low-tier), Yoriki/Agents (mid-tier), Okuzume, Hatamoto (high-tier), Generals, Commissioners, Raiden Shogun.
Each Hatamoto had a specialty—Vision bearers or, like Kujou Sei, well-connected (Kujou branch), decently strong, and skilled in naval combat and troop training.
Yes, Kujou Sei was a specialist Hatamoto, excelling in sea battles and soldier drills, supplying quality troops to Kujou Encampment and beyond. That's why he held Ritou.
Reisen Riou stroked his chin, wondering how Kujou Sei was faring.
Kujou Encampment faced monstrously intense foes. Could a guy softened by Ritou's "tutorial zone" adapt?
Kujou Encampment, a sub-battleground in the Mount Yougou–Narukami Island–Kujou Encampment line, guarded against Dark Sea invasions.
A sub-battleground, but no less brutal.
Demon God-tier and kin-level monsters were blocked by the Raiden Shogun and Mount Yougou's youkai, but lesser beasts still overwhelmed the encampment's troops.
Each monster wave brought multiple Mitachurls, often tricky Mitachurl Thunderhelms. Weekly assaults lasted entire days.
Worst were the Hilichurl Shamans, operating in organized units, amplifying basic Hilichurls' battlefield impact.
Reisen Riou's mused-about Kujou Sei, trembling and pale, yanked his katana from a Mitachurl's neck.
A Demon God-enhanced Mitachurl Thunderhelm had just petrified him.
--------------------
Want to read ahead? Early chapters on: patreon.com/ShadowKage