Genshin Impact: Dionysus reigns supreme, all demons retreat!

Chapter 382 There will always be a time to meet again.

"In that case, we'll have to split up and investigate."

Xu Ning gave Zheping a wink, "Take Nagatsu to Washizu's house and the area behind it, and see if there are any clues about other villagers. Sihe and I will look around here, and then we'll meet up here again in a bit."

Teppei nodded in understanding, reached out and pulled Choji along, heading towards Hisaki Village.

As Changci was being dragged along by Zheping, he turned around as if he wanted to say something to Xu Ning, but his lips trembled twice and he ultimately did not utter a sound.

Once the two had walked a little further away, Sihe said, "He must be worried about his mother."

Xu Ning turned and walked towards the giant snake's skull. "How could I not be worried after something like this happened? But... I'll have to see it to know."

The giant serpent Orobas from the island of Haizhi invaded the east and was slain by Thor on the island of Bayun.

The giant serpent's skeleton almost spanned the entire island, and Xu Ning and the others were located at the serpent's head.

The snake's lower jawbone was hollow and ring-shaped. Xu Ning walked into the mouth of the giant snake's skull and saw a dungeon in the depression in the ground.

"This should be the cellar that Choji mentioned, where Shingo is being held. You wait up here, I'll go down and take a look."

Sihe knew that the scene below was probably not pleasant, so she nodded and thanked Xu Ning for his care.

Xu Ning snapped his fingers with his right hand, igniting the gushing alcohol fumes. His right hand transformed into a torch, and then he jumped down from the cave entrance.

Before even landing, Xu Ning had already seen the scene below.

He lightly tapped the wall with his foot, moved aside, and landed on a spot where he could barely stand.

The brief descent was like falling from a beautiful paradise into a bloody and tragic hell on earth!

Many people have died here, or been killed and left here.

Many of the corpses had already begun to decompose, making them unrecognizable.

Xu Ning could only roughly guess their identities from their clothing.

There were villagers dressed in simple clothes, people in full shogunate armor, and people in strange costumes whose nationality was unclear.

The ages and figures varied greatly; some looked strong and robust, while others were delicate and frail. Xu Ning even saw a small figure being tightly embraced by a corpse that resembled a woman.

Xu Ning felt a surge of anger rising from the bottom of his heart to the top of his head, but he didn't know who to direct this anger at.

The people on this island have already suffered enough.

Their great deity was unable to protect them; the power of the evil spirits was constantly eroding their health. Most crops could not be grown on the land, and they could only make a living by mining, leading a barren life.

Even so, during the war, it became a battlefield where two forces fought for control, a victim of war and conspiracy, and ultimately died tragically at the hands of those who had always wanted to protect them.

Xu Ning stood there blankly for a while, then began pouring wine, the strongest "Qianyan," onto each corpse.

It was at this moment that Xu Ning unexpectedly found an opened envelope in an inconspicuous corner. He took out the letter, glanced at it, and casually stuffed it into his pocket.

When Xu Ning came out of the dungeon, Si He hurriedly came up to him and asked, "Why did you stay in there for so long? What... was there?"

Xu Ning sighed, "I don't want to repeat myself. Let's talk about it together when Zheping and the others arrive!"

Zheping and his companion didn't spend too much time; they even brought a large suitcase with them when they arrived.

"The remaining valuables in the pit are all here. Oh, and I also found something that looks like an account book there."

Zheping handed Xu Ning something that looked like a diary.

Changci anxiously asked Xu Ning, "He said many people died, is that true? But my mother didn't, she escaped, right?"

Xu Ning opened the book, glanced at it, and replied to Choji's expectant eyes, "Yes, your mother has escaped. It says here, 'Choji's mother, approximately 32 years old, missing...' It seems Washizu failed to capture your mother; she escaped, and..."

Xu Ning took the opened envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Changci.

“This is a letter your mother left for you. When Washizu went to arrest your mother, he couldn’t find her, so he saw this letter, took it, and threw it in the dungeon.”

Looking at the letter his mother had left him, Changci burst into tears, and after a long while, he finally said, "She didn't say where she went..."

"No matter where we are, as long as we know she's still here, we're bound to meet again someday, right?"

Changci nodded heavily. "I will definitely find her."

Xu Ning looked down at the roster-like object in his hand.

"...Nameless passerby A, sacrificed. Gongozaemon, about 30 years old, sacrificed. Yamada, about 23 years old, sacrificed."

"...Chiyo, 4 years old, met Kiichi. Chiyo's mother, around 25 years old, accompanied Kiichi. Hideaki, 23 years old, was summoned..."

"The property left behind by these people is stored here as bait to lure human sacrifices for his return..."

"The eldest daughter-in-law, about 32 years old, has gone missing. This person is someone he delights in, and he will surely find her..."

"...An unnamed foreigner, undoubtedly a drunkard, about to be lured in..."

There are many more names above this page, but most of them are people who died of illness, probably from being corrupted by the power of evil spirits.

From this page onward, Washizu went completely mad and began using living people as sacrifices.

Zheping leaned closer and asked, "What did you find in the dungeon down there?"

Xu Ning drew a long line on the register with her finger, "This page contains everyone except for Changci's mother and me, the last one."

Zheping was startled, then looked in that direction with a complicated expression.

"No wonder we haven't seen anyone return to their homeland for so long."

Xu Ning looked at the dark and gloomy dungeon entrance, sighed, and snapped his fingers. A stream of burning wine poured down, instantly igniting the cave below.

"Thank you!"

A thank you suddenly rang in Xu Ning's ears. Startled, Xu Ning turned to look at the three people around him. "Did you hear someone speak?"

Sihe asked with a surprised look, "No one has spoken since just now!"

Zheping looked at Xu Ning with some concern, "You've started hearing strange noises too? Could it be that the evil spirits here haven't been completely cleansed yet?"

Xu Ning thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Perhaps I misheard."

I didn't mishear.

Moreover, this wasn't the first time he'd heard this voice. At the shrine, just as Washizu was about to launch a sneak attack, this voice had indeed reminded him to "watch out behind him."

I didn't pay much attention to it at the time.

Xu Ning looked at the cave radiating waves of heat, and a thought suddenly came to mind.

"Could it be them? But what have I done for you? How can I deserve your thanks? I should be thanking you for reminding me."

"Things here are finally over."

After the group returned to Hishiki Village, Xu Ning smiled at Sihe and said, "I suppose the priestess should be returning to Coral Palace to report back by now!"

Sihe glared at Xu Ning. "So eager to get rid of me? Does that mean you don't want me involved in what happens next?"

Teppei was confused by their conversation. "Is there anything else going on?"

Xu Ning smiled and said, "What do you think?"

Zheping scratched his head. "It's just those few criminal soldiers and the problem with Nagatsu, right?"

“Those soldiers will naturally be handed over to General Goro for disposal. As for Nagatsugu, I originally wanted him to come back to Wanglong Village on Haiji Island with me, since the environment there is much better than here. However, he said he wanted to go find his mother. I think there are still many dangers on Haiji Island, so I thought I would ask General Goro for leave first to help Nagatsugu find his mother before he returns to the unit for training…”

Sihe pulled out the slips of paper he had taken from the deserters and slapped them on Zheping. "Read it yourself."

These are all observation records of the Hikimura patients recorded by that guy named "Nathan". Teppei carefully read them twice before finding a line of small print at the bottom of the back.

"...The newly recruited members of the Fools who have come to retrieve this report must proceed to the port on the west side of the island as soon as possible to meet with the liaison officer."

Password: I'm dying of laughter.

Zheping then realized what Sihe meant by "the next thing" and exclaimed in surprise, "What kind of garbage slogan is this... No, Brother Xu, you want to take down these liaison fools all by yourself?"

Xu Ning did indeed have that intention.

He now felt his chest was filled with rage with nowhere to vent it. Apart from a few dozen soldiers stationed there, the island of Ba Yun was almost deserted. The instigator of all this was the Fools.

Although countless people have contributed to this for their own benefit, or even aided and abetted the evildoers, it all comes down to the fact that the Fools devised this inhumane plan.

Xu Ning's original intention was to first send these two away, and then go and wipe out the Fools at the port to relieve his depressed mood.

Sihe sneered, "It's just killing a few Fools. Although my Coral Palace only started contacting them during the war, you don't think we'd still be in a cooperative relationship with them after all that's happened, do you?"

Zheping patted the spear on his back, "I'll help you."

Choji also raised his hand, "I'll just stay home and guard the treasure!"

Washizu had gathered almost all of Hikimura's wealth, and Xu Ning had given it all to Nagatsugu. Now, the little guy was only worried about how to carry the heavy load of valuables to his mother.

The port on the west side mentioned on the note was just a small dock built on a mudflat.

When Xu Ning and Si He went to the triangular bay to search for the talisman, they glanced over there and saw what appeared to be a medium-sized ship docked there.

The three of them hurried there, chatting as they went.

"Are you sure that among those people down there isn't Changci's mother, and that it's not just about comforting him..."

Sihe asked Xu Ning with focused attention.

"I'm sure not." Xu Ning shook his head.

“That letter is the best proof. It is highly likely that Nagatsugu’s mother ran away after writing the letter. When Washizu rushed there, he couldn’t find her. He opened the letter and learned that the person ‘he’ had ordered had escaped. So he angrily took the letter away and threw it into the dungeon.”

"Moreover, he also said that someone was pleased with 'him' but refused the reward and ran away, which should be referring to Changci's mother."

Sihe nodded, showing that she was quite concerned about that boy, Nagatsu. However, she was puzzled by what Xu Ning said about Washizu believing that Nagatsu's mother was pleased with that mystery.

"I do know a little about that."

Teppei raised his hand and said, "Nagaji and I checked all the houses in the village. We saw a notebook at the house of a doctor that Nagaji mentioned. They knew that everyone's illness was due to the contamination of the evil spirits, but they were powerless to help. However, it mentioned that Nagaji's mother's illness was strange. Although she had a fever and some bleeding, the evil spirit's power did not corrode her, but flowed freely within her body. Perhaps Washizu noticed this..."

Sihe interrupted Zheping in surprise, "How could someone have such a constitution?"

"How not?"

Xu Ning pointed back the way they came, "Before we repaired the magic array, that brat had never even drunk my wine, yet he still ran wild all over the mountains and fields."

"Oh right, how come I didn't think of that?"

Zheping murmured, "He actually has such a peculiar physique..."

Xu Ning looked at Zheping and laughed, "Do you know what that brat is best suited for? He's best suited to use the 'Evil Eye'!"

Zheping shuddered.

Not long after the Evil Eye incident, he still remembers the exhilarating feeling of power surging forth and the weakness and powerlessness when he lost his life force.

"How could something so evil be suitable..."

Xu Ning took a swig of wine and laughed, "Isn't the Evil Eye using the power of the evil spirit? It replaces the Eye of God and gives the user special power, but the only downside is that the power of the evil spirit will put a great burden on the body, and it is difficult for ordinary people to withstand the negative effects it brings."

"But what if someone could perfectly withstand the infusion of the evil spirit's power? Like that brat, the evil spirit's power might not be poison to him, but rather a great tonic!"

Upon hearing this, Teppei remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "I don't want him to come into contact with the Evil Eye. After all, that kind of thing is ominous. I will accompany him to find his mother and then take them back to Haiji Island so that General Goro can personally educate him."

Xu Ning glanced at Zheping but didn't say anything.

Who can say for sure what the future holds?

He had already changed Zheping's future; whether he could continue to create miracles was up to him.

The three people behind them stopped talking about Nagatoshi and instead discussed who should contact the other side's intelligence officer later.

Sihe is still wearing the shrine maiden outfit from Haizhi Island. As one of the most steadfast believers on Haizhi Island, why would she defect to the enemy?

It would be good enough if no one could spot you at a glance; you definitely can't stand in the front.

Logically speaking, those guarding the snake bone mine were almost all soldiers of the Coral Palace, so it would be most appropriate for Zheping to go.

However, Zheping repeatedly declined, citing his poor communication skills. Xu Ning waved his hand and said, "It's decided, I'll do it myself!"

"If you stand there carrying a gourd of wine, do you think anyone wouldn't recognize you? The other party is an intelligence officer!"

Xu Ning sneered, "I can just put the gourd away. Even though there's still a 90% chance it'll be exposed, every extra sentence I get is a sentence in the bag. At worst, I'll just kill them all and then search their bags. These guys should be carrying a lot of information!"