Chapter 169: Chapter 169: Lumine’s Straight Back Almost Bent

“Yo, everyone’s here!”

Under the baffled gazes of several wanted criminals, Yae Miko walked in casually with Lumine and Paimon in tow.

Kamisato Ayaka’s heart nearly leapt out of her throat.

Why did this unpredictable shrine maiden show up here?

This was an important hideout.

Nightcrawler, Kokomi, and Beidou’s wanted posters had already been plastered across all of Inazuma City.

None of them dared step outside.

A person of Miko’s status would definitely have noticed those posters.

“Isn’t this my Night-Lan editor? You’ve skipped work for several days now.

Are you giving up this month’s salary?”

Before, she needed Yae Miko as her shield.

Now that she was wanted, there was zero chance she’d go back to Yae Publishing House like an idiot.

“Sorry~ Chief Editor.

I’ve deserted my post.

As for the work I finished earlier, consider it my farewell gift.”

She was a wanted criminal now.

Going back?

What, did she think Miko’s protection could outweigh Su Ran’s arrest warrant?

Absolutely not funny.

Ayaka had already explained—this dream contained three Raiden Shoguns.

All three obeyed Su Ran.

And the wanted posters?

Issued by Su Ran himself.

Would the Raiden Shogun defy Su Ran just for Yae Miko?

“Such a pity.

Yae Publishing has pretty good benefits.

You could’ve kept working.

With my protection, do you think any Tenryou Commission soldier would dare arrest you?”

Why would Su Ran arrest these people?

Probably because he wanted a laugh.

If Yae Miko really chose to shelter Night-Lan, nothing serious would happen.

At most, the soldiers would “accidentally fail to locate the fugitives.”

Yae Miko knew exactly how incompetent the Tenryou Commission had become.

Generation after generation—worse than the last.

Creating trouble was hard.

Pretending not to see was easy.

“Abusing your official authority for personal gain Palace Priestess, you’re truly impressive.”

Yelan mocked.

To say bribery and favoritism so naturally No wonder she didn’t think Inazuma’s leadership was worth respecting.

From top to bottom, nobody knew how to properly run a nation.

Even Yae Miko looked like she was playing around more than handling serious matters.

“Uh… Paimon thinks maybe we came at the wrong time?”

Paimon whispered while tugging Lumine aside.

After several days of psychological trauma, she no longer dared stand firmly behind any faction.

At first, they thought the resistance army represented justice.

Rebelling against the shogunate wasn’t equal to rebelling against Ei.

So even if they lost, they wouldn’t be beaten too badly.

But Ei didn’t even bother beating them.

She just sealed them away with one move.

The wind and sun tormented them for days.

Lumine’s trauma was forming deep roots.

“We should… observe first.”

More importantly unless she rescued Su Ran, she couldn’t leave this place.

Forget traveling across Teyvat forget finding her brother—

She might be trapped here for life.

There was no reliable group to rely on anymore.

But at least Yae Miko was the head shrine maiden of Narukami Shrine.

High status.

Better than the resistance, at least.

“And who is this?”

Ayaka finally turned to Lumine.

Since Miko brought her, she must not be ordinary.

“Oh her? She’ll be the main force for beating Raiden Shogun later, so don’t underestimate this one.”

Yae Miko wanted to hype Lumine up, but after thinking for a long time…

she couldn’t think of a single credible achievement to brag about.

“So let’s put it this way Su Ran personally designated her as the one to defeat the Shogun.”

That part, at least, was true.

Lumine immediately placed her hands on her hips, chest out, wearing a triumphant expression.

As if she were truly the chosen one.

Well… Su Ran was an extraterrestrial being.

Being picked by him could somewhat count as divine selection.

“Never heard of her.”

Yelan sized Lumine up.

She had seen her once or twice the honorary knight of the Knights of Favonius.

But the only major feat she knew was subduing a deranged dragon’s servant—

and even that wasn’t solo.

Hardly worthy of being designated Shogun-slayer.

“I agree. Never heard of this kid.”

Beidou nodded.

One look at Lumine’s thin arms and legs, and she doubted the girl could even lift a claymore.

Shot down by two people in a row, Lumine felt the confident straightness of her spine faltering.

She glanced hopefully at the remaining two.

Kokomi didn’t know her at all, so she stayed quiet.

Ayaka, however—

“Palace Priestess, you said she was personally designated by Lord Su Ran?”

Ayaka ignored everything else.

But hearing “designated by Su Ran,” her attention snapped into focus.

“Yes yes! Lumine is personally chosen by that executive!

Super strong!”

Paimon bragged proudly as if Lumine’s glory also belonged to her.

“And why would Su Ran designate her?”

Ayaka asked, puzzled.

In her mind, even if Su Ran didn’t care about preserving the dream, that didn’t mean he wanted to destroy it.

So why choose someone capable of defeating Raiden Ei?

“You’ve served him for so long and you still can’t guess his intentions?”

Yae Miko covered her mouth, acting shocked.

If anyone should understand Su Ran, it should be Ayaka.

No one had spent more time beside him.

“Served…?”

Lumine’s eyes narrowed instantly.

She locked onto Ayaka.

A servant of Su Ran?

Then this woman was definitely suspicious.

Probably one of Su Ran’s planted watchers.

Someone assigned to monitor her.

This woman…

was dangerous.

In her heart, Lumine raised her guard sky-high.

She had been ruined by too many traps lately.

Anyone even slightly connected to Su Ran triggered alarms.

Poor Ayaka—

she hadn’t even performed her White Heron Dance yet, and Lumine already saw her as a hidden mini-boss.

Well…

Ayaka didn’t mind.

After all, she could always dance for Su Ran instead.

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