I opened a shop on the Astral Train-Chapter 110

Ying walked toward the village, and the Shogunate warriors hurriedly stopped her.

"Miss."

Ying stepped forward before the warrior could finish speaking. "I'm just going to see how the people in this village live. Is that okay?"

The warrior hesitated, and Ying took out the pickup card. "I have a lot of food here, and I want to donate it to the villagers."

Without another word, Ying materialized one ton of rice onto the open ground.

The Shogunate warriors hesitated. Their duty was to prevent outsiders from roaming freely, but they knew Inazuma's dire situation well. This food could save lives.

After a moment of internal struggle, they chose to let Ying pass.

Ying entered the village.

Despite it being mealtime, only a few thin wisps of smoke curled from chimneys. The villagers walking the streets were skeletal, their eyes dull and lifeless.

Ying turned to the Shogunate warriors behind him. "Gather all the villagers. They need food."

The warriors were stunned. In these times, who would willingly give away food?

Ying retrieved another pickup card and summoned 100 tons of rice, 10 tons of vegetables, one ton of chicken, and one ton of beef onto the ground.

Realizing the sincerity of the gesture, the lead samurai gave his orders.

"Team one! Team two! Gather the villagers to receive food!

Team three! Team four! Secure the area and protect the supplies!"

As direct subordinates of Kujou Sara and elite troops of the Tenshukaku, they carried out their orders swiftly and efficiently.

Before long, the villagers assembled in the square, their faces full of fear.

For years, when the samurai gathered civilians, it was only to collect taxes. To the people of Inazuma, samurai had become symbols of oppression.

The lead samurai sighed inwardly. He, too, wished for change, but he was powerless. Any attempt to resist the system could cost his family everything.

Ying and Paimon stood in front of the food. Ying picked up a loudspeaker and addressed the crowd.

"Don't be afraid! My name is Ying. The food behind me is a free donation for all of you. Please, line up and collect your share."

She put down the loudspeaker and glanced at the lead samurai, who immediately ordered his men to begin distribution.

At first, the villagers hesitated, suspecting a trick. That was until the siblings who had eaten Ying's braised chicken stepped forward and collected their share.

Each person received 100 kilograms of rice, one kilogram of vegetables, one kilogram of chicken, and one kilogram of beef.

Realizing the food was real, the other villagers surged forward. Fortunately, the Shogunate warriors maintained order, preventing chaos.

Ying took out his phone to record everything. She wasn't doing this out of pure kindness—she had a job to do. Asmodeus needed a report, and this footage would be undeniable proof of Inazuma's suffering.

Once the villagers had received their rations, Ying turned to the lead samurai. "You should eat, too. You must be hungry."

The samurai leader hesitated before nodding in gratitude. He and his men set up a large pot to prepare their own meals.

Just then, Ying and Paimon remembered something.

"Oh no! My braised chicken!"

After all this time, Ying was sure it had burned to a crisp.

Rushing back, Ying was shocked to find Yae Miko casually squatting by the pot, eating with a look of pure satisfaction.

Miko looked up and smirked. "Ah, isn't this our generous philanthropist, Ying?"

Ying froze. "Miko?! When did you get here?! And—HEY! Let go of my braised chicken! That's my lunch!"

Miko took another bite, completely unfazed.

Ying stormed over, grabbed Paimon's bowl, and quickly scooped some for himself.

Miko dabbed at her lips with a silk handkerchief. "Ying, your cooking is quite delightful. Especially the fried tofu—it soaks up the broth perfectly. Simply exquisite~"

Ying rolled her eyes. "You're here enjoying a meal while your people are starving? You should be working instead!"

Ying then held up her phone. "I've recorded everything. As an inspector, I'll be filing a report to Asmodeus."

Miko feigned a wounded look. "Oh dear, are you really going to report little old me? I've only recently taken charge and have already done so much! Who do you think lifted the isolation decree?"

Ying raised an eyebrow. "And where is your almighty Shogun now?"

Miko sighed. "She's in the Plane of Euthymia again."

Ying huffed. "Not my problem. I have my evidence, and I'm reporting it. Unless..."

Miko tilted her head. "Unless what?"

Ying grinned mischievously. "Unless you pay me hush money! Give me 1,000 Star Coin's, and I'll delete the video."

Miko smiled sweetly. "Alright, I'll ask the Shogun to give it to me."

Satisfied, Ying sat down next to her and dug into her meal.

"By the way, Miko, when did you even get here? I didn't notice you earlier."

Miko sipped her tea. "Oh, I arrived while you were distributing food. Speaking of which, may I see your pickup cards?"

Ying pulled them out. "These?" freēnovelkiss.com

Miko nodded. As the head of the Grand Narukami Shrine, she had sensed the unusual activity in Konda Village and had come to investigate.

She watched in fascination as Ying summoned supplies. "So, these let you withdraw materials at will?"

Ying explained, "They're additional products from Yuri's shop. Each card stores a specific material, and I can withdraw it little by little instead of all at once. See? My rice pickup card had 1,000 tons originally. I just withdrew 100 tons, so now there's 900 left."

Miko's eyes gleamed. "Interesting... I should visit Yuri's shop soon."

She then eyed the other pickup cards. "Ying, would you consider selling these to me? You can see how badly Inazuma needs food."

Ying smirked. "The materials cost me 90,000 Stellar Jade, which is 9,000 raw stones. But since we're friends, I'll cut you a deal—5,000 raw stones."

Miko winced. "You're really squeezing me dry. I've been collecting raw stones, but I only have a little over 5,000 in total."

Ying chuckled. "Well, there's one other way to pay."

Miko raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what might that be?"

Ying leaned forward, her golden eyes twinkling with mischief. "Let me touch your tail~ Hehe~ Hu Tao never lets me, and I'm very curious about fox tails~"

Miko looked at Ying unhappily.

"Ying, you're a little troublemaker."

Ying crossed her arms, smirking. "Just tell me—yes or no? If you agree, I'll give you all these nine pick-up cards."

Before Miko could respond, commotion erupted in Konda Village.

Ying and Miko turned to see that Kujou Sara had finally returned after reporting to the Shogun.

Kujou Sara's eyes narrowed at the piles of supplies in the village square. "Where did all of this come from?"

The lead Shogunate samurai stepped forward. "General, these supplies were donated by this traveler and distributed to the villagers."

Kujou Sara processed the information. "I see. Has everything been handed out?"

The samurai nodded. "Yes, though there are still some remaining. I was about to ask Miss Ying what to do with them when you arrived."

Kujou Sara scanned the area and spotted Ying, Miko, and Paimon sitting by the pot, bowls in hand, happily eating.

She approached them, watching as Ying chewed on braised chicken. "So? What did the Shogun say?"

She stiffened when Ying casually addressed the Shogun by name. "How dare you refer to the General so informally!"

Ying shrugged. "We're friends. What's the big deal?"

Miko chuckled. "General Kujou, Ying and Ei are quite close. It's fine."

Seeing that Miko was unconcerned, Kujou Sara scoffed but let the matter drop. "There are still leftover supplies in the square. You should take them back."

Ying blinked. "Take them back? I have no space for that. You should distribute them to other villages. The situation in Inazuma is terrible."

Kujou Sara hesitated before pulling out a bag of Mora. "We don't accept charity. I'll buy them personally. Here's a deposit. I'll send the rest later."

Ying opened the bag, pulled out a few golden Mora, and immediately frowned. "Mora? I don't need this—it's practically worthless."

With a look of disappointment, she tossed the bag back to Kujou Sara.

She was taken aback. "What do you mean, worthless?"

Ying waved her off. "Don't worry. I'm not giving you food out of pity. Technically, I'm your superior, right? I can't just ignore the well-being of my subordinates."

Kujou Sara frowned. "Superior?"

Miko smirked. "This traveler is the inspector assigned by Her Majesty, the Ruler of the Sky, to oversee the livelihood of the Seven Nations. Technically, that puts him on equal standing with the Shogun."

Though Kujou Sara didn't know who Asmodeus was, the second half of the statement made her pause. This traveler was on the same level as the Shogun?

Ying waved dismissively. "Anyway, go distribute the food. Miko and I are heading to see Ei. I even brought her flower cakes."

Miko added, "General Kujou, take care of the supplies. Ying and I have matters to discuss with the Shogun."

Relieved that Miko would accompany Ying, Kujou Sara nodded. "Understood."

With that, she turned and left, taking the Shogunate warriors and the remaining supplies with her.

After finishing their meal and resting, Ying and Miko climbed into Ying's RV.

Ying stepped on the accelerator, and the vehicle roared toward Inazuma City.

Miko settled into her seat, intrigued by the vehicle's interior.

Meanwhile, Paimon pulled out two bags of potato chips. "Miko, do you want cucumber or tomato flavor?"

Miko peered at the snacks. "What are these?"

Paimon grinned. "Potato chips! Snacks from Yuri's world."

Miko pondered for a moment. "I'll try both."

Paimon opened both bags and placed them on the table. The two started snacking together.

From the driver's seat, Ying was in shock. Paimon was sharing snacks? With Miko?

Slamming the brakes, Ying turned, glaring. "Who are you, and what have you done with Paimon?! I know ghost hunters! I'll call them right now!"

Paimon groaned. "What? It's just a bag of chips!"

She refused to admit it, but she had bought way too many snacks. She had purchased an entire truckload from Topaz for just ten Stellar Jade.

Her storage ring was packed with various treats, all thanks to running errands for Yuri and saving up her earnings.

Glaring at Ying, she huffed. "Miko, let's keep eating and ignore her."

Miko smirked and continued munching. "These are quite delicious. Ying, you should try some."

She then turned to Paimon. "Do you have more? I'd like to buy some."

Paimon waved grandly. "No need to buy!"

The next second, she materialized twenty more bags of potato chips, each a different flavor.

"Eat all you want! I've got plenty!"

Miko laughed. "Then I won't hold back."

Half an hour later, they arrived at Inazuma City.

The city's layout was steep, built in a series of ascending levels. At the very top stood Tenshukaku, where the Shogun resided.

Ying parked in the lower district.

Turning to Miko, he called, "Miko, can you have someone watch my RV?"

Miko, still munching on chips, replied lazily, "Drive a little further ahead. My publishing house, Yae Publishing, is just up the road. You can park there."

Following her instructions, Ying started the RV again, slowly making his way through the city's winding paths.

Not long after they left, a girl with a bandaged arm peeked out from a nearby house, her eyes fixed on the vehicle.

"What is that thing?"

Her name was Yoimiya, the owner of the Fire Vision and the most skilled fireworks artisan in Inazuma.

Turning back into the house, she called out, "Dad! I'm heading out for a bit!"

"What? What did you say?" came the muffled reply.

Yoimiya raised her voice. "I! Am! Going! Out!"

This time, her father understood. "Alright, be safe."

With that, Yoimiya ran off, chasing after the RV as it struggled up one of Inazuma City's steep slopes.

Meanwhile, in Sumeru City.

The Grand Sage furiously slammed a report onto his desk, glaring at the mercenary standing before him.

"Useless! You're all useless! It's been so long, and you still haven't found them! What's the point of hiring you?!"

The members of the Eremite mercenary group kept their heads down, silently enduring his wrath.

After venting for a moment, the Grand Sage took a deep breath, regaining his composure.

"Why are you standing here? Keep looking!"