"Just consciousness? Then I'd need a vessel to house my consciousness, otherwise, after separation, it would just be water without a source, and it would dissipate before long."
"What kind of vessel?" Shiki asked.
She remembered that Fox and Raiden Ei could both do this, and if Hana Sanri could too, it meant the method came from Kitsune Saiguu. It seemed consciousness-housing was an ancestral technique of Grand Narukami Shrine?
"I have a Catalyst diagram here. A high-quality Catalyst could allow me to reside within it. And before that Catalyst is forged, I can temporarily reside in your sword," Hana Sanri said.
"My sword? But it's just an ordinary katana!"
Shiki said, drawing Kujikanesada. There were no dazzling special effects; it was just slightly sharper than ordinary swords due to being crafted by Amenoma Tougo.
"Hmm… I'm also quite curious about that. The materials are common White Iron Chunks and Crystal Chunks, yet the Nine Words inscribed on the tang give it a faint spirituality."
"This faint spirituality is almost negligible, but it's just enough for me to temporarily reside within it."
'Nine Words Incantation...'
Shiki looked at the hilt of Kujikanesada, where the Nine Words Incantation was inscribed. She had only intended to replicate it, but she didn't expect it to actually be useful.
"So, are you ready to be separated from the defilement now?"
"Wh—"
Without giving Hana Sanri time to react, Shiki's hand moved, and her sword fell, directly severing the connection between them.
Hana Sanri was a consciousness born from defilement. To put it simply, the tumor of defilement at the bottom of Mt. Yougou was the body, and Hana Sanri was the soul of this tumor.
Severing the connection was equivalent to completely separating the body and soul.
The buried tumor of defilement underground trembled, but under the restraints of the Sakura Tree roots, these struggles were futile, especially since the four areas of defilement had already been cleared.
"How… how did you do that!?" Hana Sanri exclaimed in shock, even her mask couldn't hide it.
Just now, she felt no defilement clinging to her. The defilement, which was like tree roots deeply embedded in her soul, had been completely pulled out.
Of course, the consequences were also obvious: Hana Sanri was now incredibly weak. Although her memories came from the deceased Kitsune Saiguu,
she was, after all, a wisp of consciousness born from defilement.
"I can see things that ordinary people cannot, so just now, I cut off the connection between you and the defilement."
"Now, you have no relation to the defilement whatsoever; you are merely a ghost who has just lost its physical body," Shiki explained Hana Sanri's current state.
It was then that Hana Sanri noticed the girl's eyes, beautiful yet deadly.
'Is it because of these eyes that I was able to escape the defilement?'
Thinking this, Hana Sanri transformed into a stream of cherry-colored light and entered Kujikanesada. Then, a voice echoed in Shiki's mind.
"My lady, I have already transmitted the Catalyst diagram to you. In the meantime, I will temporarily reside in your sword."
As the voice faded, a Catalyst diagram named "Hakuchen Ring" appeared in Shiki's mind. Everything else was fine, but the main issue was the northlander billet. Where was she supposed to get that?
'Forget it, I'll worry about it later.'
For billets, it might be worth checking in Liyue or Mondstadt. Inazuma was simply too far away, and who knew if billets would even be found there.
"By the way, I have a question. When you're inside the sword, can you see what's happening in the outside world?"
Shiki felt it was necessary to clarify this, just in case Hana Sanri saw something she shouldn't.
"Yes, but I can only view this world through your eyes. If the sword is not in physical contact with you, then I cannot see the outside world," Hana Sanri explained.
Shiki breathed a sigh of relief. If contact was required, then it was acceptable. However, she then became a little curious: "Can you see the world like this?"
Shiki once again revealed her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, and Hana Sanri, through shared Vision, saw for the first time a world that could break at any moment.
Everywhere were black lines, as if drawn by a child, on rocks, trees, water, and even the earth itself.
Seeing that Hana Sanri had fallen silent, Shiki blurred the focus of her eyes. Although the world was no longer clear, at least it wasn't that apocalyptic landscape on the verge of collapse.
"Is this the world you've always seen?" Hana Sanri's voice trembled slightly. In just a few seconds, she felt like she was going insane.
Loving all living beings, she could not accept such a world filled with death, yet Shiki could accept it all expressionlessly.
"More or less. I've almost forgotten what the original world looked like, but normally my eyes are unfocused. Compared to that apocalyptic scenery, a blurred world isn't so bad."
Shiki's tone was calm. Gaining a certain power meant accepting a certain price, and a blurred world was all it was.
Hana Sanri said no more, but her heart was filled with more sorrow. Even if her power was from the same source as the Shogun, she was, after all, just a girl in the prime of her youth!
She hadn't yet had the chance to witness the beautiful sights of the world, and her eyes were already filled only with ruin.
"Let's go back."
...
The next day, Grand Narukami Shrine
"Our destination today is Araumi. Since I haven't activated the Waypoint there, the closest route is to walk three hours from Konda Village."
"Or should we hire a carriage? Although a carriage is fast, it's too conspicuous and easily targeted by Ronin for robbery."
Shiki offered two options. For her, it didn't matter either way. Since gaining Raiden Makoto's power, basic actions like walking no longer made her feel tired.
"Maybe a carriage still…" Inagi Hotomi said, a little embarrassed. "Three hours of walking, I feel like my feet might need to be amputated."
"A carriage, then? Now we can only hope that coachman is still in Konda Village."
Konda Village did have coachmen, but Shiki couldn't be sure if that particular person was still there. It was like a taxi; there were certainly some, but when they were available was uncertain.
"What if the coachman isn't there?"
"If not, we'll have to hire one from Inazuma City. Of course, I won't go. While I'm not officially wanted, it's as good as, so I won't enter the city unless absolutely necessary."
Shiki spread her hands. Whoever wanted to go could go; she certainly wasn't.
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