Scum Fox Was Still a Scum Fox After All

The Raiden Shogun's steps stopped at the sound of someone stopping her. Wang Lei felt like he could finally breathe properly again.

After taking several deep breaths, the person who had saved Wang Lei's life slowly walked over to him.

With flowing pink hair, two enormous drooping fox ears, a beautiful yet seductive face, and a standard red-and-white Japanese shrine maiden outfit, she was none other than the head shrine maiden of Inazuma's Grand Narukami Shrine, inheritor of the fox bloodline, the companion and friend of "Eternity," and the terrifying editor-in-chief of the light novel publisher Yae Publishing House—Lady Yae Miko!!

As Yae Miko approached, she flashed Wang Lei, whose face was still full of relief at having escaped death, a playful smile. It was enough to steal a person's soul away.

However, Wang Lei knew this Scum Fox's personality well enough not to be fooled so easily.

Back when he played Genshin Impact, Wang Lei had been one of her most devoted fans. When she had first been released, he had pulled for her C2 despite the entire internet cursing her out, and he had defended her across all the major forums. When the Dendro element was introduced and this Scum Fox finally made her comeback, he had used the Primogems he had saved up—skipping every male character's pulls—to get her to C6, making her his first fully maxed-out character. From the moment he pulled her, he had used her for exploration all the way from The Chasm to Sumeru and then Fontaine. He could not have known her personality any better.

He absolutely could not be toyed with by this Scum Fox until he lost his bearings, like Raiden Ei, that shut-in woman who only knew how to fight.

At that moment, neither the Raiden Shogun nor Yae Miko knew what Wang Lei was thinking. Otherwise, what awaited him would truly have been the double assault of Musou no Hitotachi and the Great Secret Art: Heavenly Fox Manifestation.

They were still discussing Wang Lei's supposed crime.

"Miko, do you have any evidence that Wang Lei is not an exception?"

"My, my, Lord Shogun, don't be so stern. You're making me scared. Ah, don't draw your sword. Of course I have evidence."

"Oh? What evidence?"

"Honestly, Lord Shogun, have you forgotten about the Sacrificers who offered sacrifices to the gods?"

"Uh... You mean those worshippers from the Demon God War who sought the gods' protection? Haven't they long vanished into history?"

"Sigh... My dear Shogun. The Sacrificers did not disappear entirely. It was simply that after the Demon God War, the gods had stepped into the forefront. There was no longer any need for Sacrificers capable of communicating with the gods from afar through rituals, so they returned to living among ordinary people. In fact, Inazuma has a ready-made example. The current shrine maiden of Watatsumi Island should still possess the Sacrificers' inheritance, though she does not offer sacrifices to you, Lord Shogun."

"So you believe Wang Lei is also a descendant of the Sacrificers, which is why he was able to contact me simply by touching a Statue of The Seven?"

"Mhm. Of course, Wang Lei is from Liyue, so he is most likely descended from Sacrificers from over there."

As she listened to the Raiden Shogun and Yae Miko's exchange, Kujou Sara nodded repeatedly. She had a fairly good impression of Wang Lei. Now that she knew why he had disturbed the Raiden Shogun, she could not help envying such an ability. When she offered sacrifices to Narukami Ogosho at home, there was no way the deity could hear anything she said.

Wang Lei thought that Yae Miko truly deserved to be someone who wrote novels herself. She could really make things up. This whole theory was so convincing that even he was almost starting to believe it. A human capable of directly connecting with a god's consciousness? That was practically a god's retainer. Even Yae Miko herself could not do that. Yet she had actually dug up the title of Sacrificer from some ancient text to save him. Later, he would definitely make her some Fried Tofu as a reward.

However, the Raiden Shogun still questioned her.

"Miko, what you said makes some sense. But Wang Lei is from Liyue. He had never met me before coming to Inazuma. Moreover, those Sacrificers needed to be deeply devout toward a god in order to convey even simple intentions to them through rituals. I can believe Wang Lei is devout toward Liyue's god, Morax. But for him to be devout toward me is clearly unreasonable. And Wang Lei, tell me yourself. Are you a Sacrificer?"

Wang Lei was suddenly called out and nearly failed to react in time. But he was no rookie. His thirty years in his previous life had not been for nothing. After struggling through the workplace in modern society, he was perfectly capable of telling lies with a completely serious face.

"Uh, although I would really like to say that I'm a Sacrificer, lying to a god does not seem like a wise thing to do. Let me put it this way. I've never heard of Sacrificers, and my family has no inheritance related to them. The only strange thing is that although my family does not run a food business, every generation requires its descendants to learn our family's inherited cooking. And even after learning it, we aren't allowed to open a restaurant. I have no idea why. As for being devout toward you, Lord Shogun, that would indeed be a joke. I only have the instinctive reverence one has toward a god. Well, perhaps there is also a little admiration after hearing your legends in Inazuma. After all, I once gazed at Musoujin Gorge from afar, the gorge you cleaved open."

The moment Yae Miko heard that, her eyes lit up, and she wore the expression of a little animal that had discovered something interesting.

The Raiden Shogun was also pleased with Wang Lei's honesty. If Wang Lei had immediately claimed to be a Sacrificer just now, she would have cut him down for deceiving a god. Her attitude softened slightly as she said, "Mm. Then you are still an exception. An enemy of Eternity..."

At that moment, Yae Miko once again interrupted the Raiden Shogun's judgment.

"Don't be like that, Shogun. His family requiring him to learn cooking but forbidding him from making a living from it proves even more that his family is a Sacrificer family. Those recipes were prepared for gods, which is why they could not be cooked for other mortals. As for the question of devotion, I have a way to test it."

As she spoke, a chess piece appeared in Yae Miko's hand, shining with violet lightning and shaped like a king. It was unmistakably Inazuma's Gnosis, the symbol of a victor of the Demon God War.

Holding up the Gnosis, Yae Miko said, "As everyone knows, one of the Gnosis's functions is gathering the power of faith from the people under a god's domain. The principle behind that is the same as how Sacrificers connect with gods. If this Gnosis reacts in Wang Lei's hand, it will prove both his identity as a Sacrificer and his devout heart toward Lord Shogun."

The moment Wang Lei heard that, he nearly broke out in a cold sweat. What kind of terrible idea was this, Scum Fox? He had no devout heart toward the Raiden Shogun at all. Was his fondness for her in his previous life devotion? It was lusting after her body. If the Gnosis really read that out, he would be dead for sure.

At the same time, Kujou Sara disregarded etiquette and stepped forward in opposition.

"No! Lady Yae Guuji. The Gnosis is Inazuma's most important divine artifact. It should not be used to test an outsider's devotion. And shouldn't it be in Lord Shogun's possession? Why are you holding it?"

Though Kujou Sara was highly agitated, the Raiden Shogun remained calm.

"It is fine. I gave the Gnosis to Miko. It is already useless to me. She may use it however she wishes. I have no objection to using it to test Wang Lei. Wang Lei, take hold of the Gnosis. Let me see whether Miko's judgment is correct."