"Mhm mhm, Ryougi is right! Kujou Tengu, if you have the guts, come fight me in the White Fox Plain!" Arataki Itto roared in agreement.
Kujou Sara's brain, meanwhile, was spinning rapidly, analyzing the situation before her.
First was the name "Ryougi." Whether as a surname or given name, only one person was famous in Inazuma: Shiki.
Apparently, she had recently sparred with someone at the Meikyo Shisui Style dojo, leaving the Head, Domon, completely convinced and feeling inferior.
Although she hadn't fought Domon herself, as the Head of a famous Inazuman school, his strength wouldn't be weak. For him to be completely convinced, the young girl before her must possess at least equivalent strength.
Most importantly, she was backed by the Kamisato Clan. The current Vision Hunt Decree list did not include anyone from the Three Commissions. If the other party intended to protect the Oni, she would have no choice but to temporarily back down.
"Miss Ryougi, if you are planning on protecting him from me, I advise you to give up," Kujou Sara said gravely.
"Don't misunderstand. I never said I was going to save him. I'm just here to remind you of something." Shiki narrowed her eyes:
"When the city gates catch fire, the fish in the moat suffer."
She then turned and left the scene. None of the nearby Foot Soldiers dared to step forward to stop her, and Kujou Sara merely watched the young girl's retreating figure silently.
"Continue collecting Visions. Leave this Oni to me," Kujou Sara commanded, then headed toward the White Fox Plain alone.
Meanwhile, Arataki Itto, the big simpleton, foolishly followed her. He should have known that since there were no Tenryou Commission soldiers present, he could have just slipped away.
At this point, Shiki turned into a small alleyway and found a thin, middle-aged man.
"Master Masamori, did you bring the item I asked you to make?"
"Of course." Masamori took a puff from the Large Pipe in his mouth and asked, quite curiously, "Say, did you know about the Vision Hunt Decree long ago? You came to me so many days in advance."
"Doesn't everyone need to have their own methods?" Shiki accepted the bag, opened it, and saw a fiery red Vision inside.
"That's true. But don't you already have one? Why did you ask me to make another?"
"This is for someone else."
Shiki tucked the Fake Vision into her wide sleeve. That was the advantage of a Furisode: although the sleeves were wide, the cuff size was no different from normal clothing, making them perfect to use as large pockets.
"Oh, right. You need to be careful recently. Since you can craft Fake Visions, I estimate the Tenryou Commission is already watching you."
Having said that, Shiki walked straight out of the alley and then used the Waypoint outside the city to teleport directly back to Konda Village.
She had come to Inazuma City today specifically to retrieve this Fake Vision.
This was prepared for Tejima. She didn't want Tejima to forget the person he had been waiting for, even if he managed to remember her later.
When the Tenryou Commission's Vision collection team arrived at Konda Village, they would know she was staying there. At that point, handing over this fake one, along with some Mora, would make those people turn a blind eye.
As long as Tejima didn't openly wander around Inazuma City with a Vision, no one would come looking for trouble.
After all, by then, his Vision would have already been listed as collected in the Tenryou Commission's register.
However, Tejima did not accept the Fake Vision. Instead, he shook his head and said, "You want me... to hand over this fake one? But wouldn't that be deceiving the Lord Shogun? No, no, I can't do that!"
"Even if you forget her because of it?" Shiki said expressionlessly, her lifeless eyes staring directly at him.
Tejima felt a sudden choke in his chest. In his mind, one side was the woman he had waited for for over thirty years, and the other was the honored and sublime Raiden Shogun.
His hands unconsciously clenched tightly. After a long time, he finally slumped onto the chair, as if having given up something.
"Give me that Fake Vision."
"You've thought it through?"
"Yes. Compared to deceiving the Lord Shogun, I realize I still can't let go of her."
Shiki handed over the Fake Vision and then returned to her own room.
On her desk lay several photographs, clearly documenting scenes of the Fatui within the Kanjou Commission.
The photos were secretly developed by someone Shiki hired. She had to thank Fontaine's new equipment; otherwise, mass printing them in the Inazuma Shimbun would have been a problem.
Although she and Ioroi had executed a "Raccoon Dog Replacing the Clan Head" scheme, what needed to be exposed still had to be exposed. And with Ioroi acting as an inside man, things would only get easier.
"Heh, the editor responsible for the Inazuma Shimbun will probably be startled when he sees these photos, right?"
Shiki muttered to herself while stuffing all the photos into an envelope. That editor was part of the Kamisato Clan and was coordinated by Thoma; he knew exactly what he needed to write.
After finishing all that, Shiki looked at the Tamahagane placed in a basket. The God remnants on it had all been cleared away by her, making it look slightly better.
But it was still very ugly.
Under Madarame Hyakubei's urgent request, the letter was delivered to Tatarasuna the next day. Conveniently, there was a Shogunate vessel available, so Hyakubee placed the letter aboard, and it was delivered to the Kamisato Clan that same day.
Madarame Hyakubei, upon receiving the Tamahagane, was surprised by the Shogunate's efficiency, but he still delivered it the following day, which was today.
The total cost was two hundred thirty thousand Mora. Not bad.
After observation and the act of "killing" it, Shiki finally understood.
The so-called God remnants were actually God power, just God power that had run rampant.
For example, a virus.
The remnants left behind after a Archon's death were like a mutated virus. Essentially, they were the same thing, but the God remnants would drive people insane and actively seek out hosts.
It was like the same virus entering two people: one fought hard, developed antibodies, and achieved coexistence with the virus, while the other couldn't hold on and died instantly. The virus inside the deceased then underwent a secondary mutation, meaning even the person who had antibodies couldn't completely avoid infection.
Just like Xiao. His years of constant Demon-slaying had turned him into the largest source of infection in Liyue.
As for why she understood this so clearly, it was naturally due to the power Makoto had given her!
With God power as a sample for comparison, if she still couldn't figure it out, she might as well give up.
Meanwhile, in the White Fox Plain... "Damn... Kujou Tengu..." Arataki Itto, scorched black and spitting white smoke, lay stretched out on the ground.
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