Reisen Riou dished out homemade snacks to Raiden Ei, Raiden Makoto, Yae Saiguu, Reisen Anko, and a yipping Yae Miko, her fox ears twitching with each bite. A rare lull had settled over Inazuma—regional troubles quiet, the Shogunate's generals at ease. With Makoto relaxed, Reisen Riou and his crew followed suit, lounging in Tenshukaku's airy hall, where sunlight streamed through shoji screens.
The only pity was Torachiyo's absence, dispatched to Kujou Encampment to quell a surging monster tide—a restless stirring from the Dark Sea's gods. Yet, Inazuma's leadership barely blinked. Reisen Riou's One System, Ten Thousand Minds training had transformed Kujou's forces: soldiers' average Life Level rose five ranks, sword and spear skills hit LV4, and samurai ranks—Okuzumeshu and Hatamoto—gained boosts in both vitality and combat prowess. Reisen Riou had woven small-scale command tactics into their drills, equipping them with tighter formations and healing maidens to ease casualties. This military edge turned the once-dreaded tide into a trivial skirmish, leaving Makoto free to savor snacks instead of fretting over troop deployments. Still, they sent Torachiyo to oversee, just in case.
"Lord Riou, your One System, Ten Thousand Minds is remarkable," Makoto said, nibbling a snack while flipping through a military report. "Kujou's strength is thriving."
"Nah, it's nothing compared to Ei's Thunderous Yougou Divine Machine," Reisen Riou replied, waving off the praise. "Hers is on another level technically."
He wasn't lying, but Ei, munching a tricolor dango, wasn't having his self-deprecation. "Your system's got merits," she said, eyes narrowing. "It's easy to craft, maintain, and cheap. Plus, that one-to-many feature? Scales beautifully. My Thunderous Yougou takes me three hours to forge even the basic version—only fits a small elite. For armies, yours wins."
"Exactly," Saiguu chimed in, smirking. "Lord Riou's too humble. One System's a game-changer."
"What's Miko yapping about?" Reisen Riou asked, eyeing the fox cub's incoherent fox-speak. Her immortal fox blood hadn't yet granted her speech.
"She says you're a bad guy," Saiguu teased, grinning.
Ei nodded. "For skipping her fried tofu. Her exact words."
Miko froze, glaring at them—Whose side are you on? Reisen Riou, chuckling, grabbed her by the scruff, ruffling her fur. She squirmed fiercely at first, then slumped, defeated, muttering fox curses he couldn't parse. "What's she saying now?" he asked.
Saiguu stifled a laugh; Ei shook her head, silent. Before he could press, an Okuzumeshu burst in. "Lady Makoto, urgent missive!" He handed over a scroll and bowed out.
The group hushed, eyes on Makoto, the Raiden Shogun. She scanned the document, then waved it off. "Good news. Sumeru's approved the sponsored student program. Also, Grand Sage Bona's retired. They're picking a new sage, and Bona's visiting Inazuma."
She turned to Reisen Riou. "You'll handle his reception. He's just a scholar now, but he's done Inazuma many favors."
"Retired? Didn't see that coming," Reisen Riou said, stroking his chin. "It tweaks our plans, but not much. Knowing Bona, he's got everything tied up."
"True," Makoto said. "The new Vitalist sage, not an agriculturalist, still follows Bona's policies, per the missive. His 'Far-Seeing Wisdom' lives up to its name. He knows partnering with Inazuma to improve our soil is a rare chance for their Vitalists."
"Strengthen ties with the new sage," Makoto added. "Send the Kanzaburou Commission with your low-tier healing spells."
"No objections," Reisen Riou nodded.
Ei and Saiguu watched, wide-eyed, as Makoto and Reisen Riou dove into strategy, dissecting Bona's retirement's impact and planning Sumeru relations in under an hour. "Terrifying efficiency," Saiguu muttered, a master of alliances herself. She hadn't even grasped the fallout, and Ei was still processing, yet they'd nearly wrapped it up.
"Most Sumeru scholars speak Inazuman, but we'll need a 200-person translation team just in case," Reisen Riou told Makoto, shifting to scholar assignments.
"Stick to the original plan?" she asked. It slated a seventh of the scholars for Watatsumi Island, but its rising unrest—pirates, starvation, faction clashes—made her hesitate. Scholars were hard-won; their safety mattered.