After work, Reisen Riou learned Kitsune Anko's private estate in Inazuma City was settle—near his own mansion, formerly a Tenryou Commission Hatamoto family's property. The Commission "coordinated" it for her, but paperwork, like transferring deeds at the Town Commission, plus the previous owners' move-out, cleaning, and renovations, meant Anko couldn't move in for a month or two. Reisen Riou's own estate was easier; his ties with both Commissions smoothed the process, and the prior owner, eager to sell, left it move-in ready.
Days grew lively. By day, he trailed Makoto; by night, he researched, keeping an eye on Anko. His cave heaven lab stayed hidden—mostly to protect his hard-won Pyro Regisvine from her reckless strength. His research now focused on its trickiest properties, critical parts needing five days to heal post-slicing. He shifted to five-day cycles, estimating he'd fully parse the Regisvine's properties soon, then balance them with Longevity Thunder Elixir Art in months.
Finishing a batch of materials—drained of medicinal value but rich in refined energy—Reisen Riou nearly ate them when his mansion's array tripped. Spitting them out, he exited the cave heaven to find Tenmoku Uji. "What's up?"
"My lord, Northland Intelligence says your cargo's here. Pick it up tomorrow night," Uji said.
"Thanks," Reisen Riou replied. "You're not young, Uji. Planning to pass your role to your sons?"
"They're strong, thanks to you, but lack brains for Shogunate work," Uji sighed. "I'll return my post to the Tenmoku main family for reassignment." A concubine's third son, not of the main line, Uji served under his brother, the family head. His sons, lacking cunning, risked ruin in the Shogunate.
They swapped gossip: a Tengu faction's 100-man uprising, a ronin martial festival trashed by a passing swordmaster—a Tenryou Kujou sword instructor, shaming the ronin. Their revenge vow fizzled when his rank surfaced. "Lowlifes don't dare cross nobles," Reisen Riou chuckled, waving Uji off.
Spotting Anko blade-meditating on his roof, he called, "Why so high?"
"Better focus," she replied.
"How's Tenryou treating you?"
"Stop mothering," Anko vanished, reappearing. "Worry about yourself."
Reisen Riou sighed. Since Anko arrived, Ei rarely visited—no more chats about sweets, science, or Inazuma's woes. Anko, a training fiend, sparred Tenryou generals into bedrest, cementing her dominance but earning Ei's scolding. Reisen Riou longed for her to move out, freeing him and Ei for grand scientific debates. He'd hoped her stay would spark more time with Ei, not less.
Next night, he collected his cargo from Northland Intelligence—an LV60 Electro Regisvine, unascended but stronger than most. The team, grinning with minimal injuries, fared better than the battered Pyro Regisvine delivery. He paid, grabbing Khaenri'ah intel—nothing major, as expected. A nation that advanced shouldn't leak game-changers easily. Using Shogunate foot soldiers as boatmen—a paid perk of rank—he hauled the Regisvine home.
"Need help?" Anko called from the roof.
"I've got it, just guide me—it's blocking my view," Reisen Riou said, too lazy to tap his cameras. With her help, he dumped the half-dead Electro Regisvine into his cave heaven. The Pyro Regisvine, now in the lab for better conditions, basked under his alchemical pseudo-sunlight. Though transformed plants didn't need light, it thrived.
Checking the Electro Regisvine, Reisen Riou noted less damage than expected. Rooted in Inazuma's Electro-rich soil, it seemed excited. It tried a shock, but he pummeled it, harvesting samples while the Pyro Regisvine healed. "Their properties are so alike," he mused, stroking his chin. "Are all plant bosses evolved Trick Flowers?" Their similarities—unlike identical properties—sped his analysis. The Pyro Regisvine's effects boosted blood flow, physical vitality, and Pyro resistance/affinity. The Electro Regisvine spurred bodily growth, enhanced dominance, and Electro resistance/affinity—useless to him as a Geo-Electro being. Its simpler parts parsed quickly, blending into his elixir faster than the Pyro's.
At work, Ei sensed his progress. "Another breakthrough?" she asked, catching his aura's flicker.
"Gotta hurry," he grinned, feigning eagerness.
"Get lost," Ei vanished, blushing.
Makoto sighed nearby. "Am I in the way?"
"No way, Lady Makoto!" Reisen Riou pivoted. "Where to today?"
"No outings. Paperwork, then Watatsumi Island for the Triad Path Festival in days," Makoto said. "I want to see how they revive their land."
"Really?" Reisen Riou shrugged. He cared little for Watatsumi, soured by its history unless Orobaxi resurrected its victims. Makoto, like most Shogunate folk, had tried bridging ties, but Watatsumi's antics—pirates every five years, major ones every decade, rebellions every thirty, targeting the Coral Palace and Shogunate outposts—sabotaged efforts. "Too fishy," Torachiyo agreed.
Makoto sighed, buried in paperwork. Briefings cut work, but stamps consumed time.
Reisen Riou soothed the Pyro Regisvine, then roughed up the Electro Regisvine, harvesting a month's samples for the Watatsumi trip—official, with full escort, taking a month round-trip. He messaged Northland Intelligence via Uji to hold the Cryo Regisvine until his return. "Makoto's playing peacekeeper again," he muttered, skeptical of Watatsumi's reform.
"You hiding something?" Anko's voice startled him from the roof as he stored samples in his Vision's space.
"Don't spook me," he deflected. "Just a lab. Break my stuff, and we've got problems."
"Really nothing?" Anko muttered, resuming blade meditation. She checked One System, Ten Thousand Minds, spotting his elixir's update. "Suspicious," she mused, her naginata humming.
"Eternal Narukami, Grand Way!" Tenryou soldiers chanted fervently, eyeing Makoto's ornate figure on the flagship. Reisen Riou, numb to the zeal, watched escorts join at each jurisdiction. The final leg, led by an elite blood-soaked fleet—fresh from pirate hunts—reached Watatsumi. The current Coral Palace maiden bowed, offering submission.
The Triad Path Festival, nearly done, had retrieved Bloodbranch Coral from Enkanomiya. The final rite would awaken Watatsumi's barren land to mere infertility. Touring the island, the maiden lamented its struggles. Days later, on an auspicious day, the ceremony began. Makoto studied the coral, finding no clues to its life-giving power, then returned it for the rite.
The coral rose, wrapped in ritual energy, dissolving mid-air. Ei's face hardened, then Makoto's. Reisen Riou, stone-faced, whispered, "Authority!" Orobaxi's lingering power blanketed Watatsumi, stronger than Yashiori's god-bone remnants. Makoto's look screamed as expected. Ei, puzzled by Orobaxi's motives, nearly probed Reisen Riou's memories but stopped—better in private, avoiding risks. Glancing at him, she saw his feigned shock mirror the samurai's, but his mind was calm. "That acting… flawless," she thought. Had he not said "Authority," she might've bought it.