After learning that Yashiori Island was nearly devoid of living souls, Raiden Ei's expression instantly darkened.
She glanced at Su Xuan, who was gazing into the distance, and chose not to disturb him excessively. Instead, she quietly followed behind him as he walked onward.
All while awaiting his next diary update.
[The "Orobashi" on Yashiori Island is actually the resentment left behind after a Demon God's death—or more precisely, the Demon God's remnants, a power lingering from their demise.]
[This power poses great danger to ordinary humans without a Vision.]
[In fact, such things aren't unique to Inazuma; they're prevalent in Liyue too, though they're called "karma" there.]
[Back in the day, Orobashi, the god worshipped on Watatsumi Island, led the islanders in an eastern campaign against Inazuma, only to be slain by Raiden Ei on Yashiori Island.]
[That single strike carved out Inazuma's famous landmark, the Valley of the Blade of No Thought.]
[Along with Orobashi's remains: the Remains of the Snake God.]
[Valley of the Blade of No Thought.jpg]
[Remains of the Snake God.jpg]
The gaping maw of the serpentine skull sent chills down their spines, while the ceaseless echoes of thunder in the Valley of the Blade of No Thought delivered a different kind of shock to the women.
But at this moment, their attention wasn't on these majestic sights.
More than the scenery, they cared about the reason behind an entire island's population being wiped out.
[After Orobashi was slain, it left behind massive bones—and the rampaging resentment of its death.]
[To suppress the remnants of Orobashi's aura,]
[Inazuma's forces placed Snake God Suppressors across multiple sites on Yashiori Island, specifically to contain its resentment.]
[Over the long years, Orobashi's remains even gave birth to a valuable mineral: Crystallized Bone Marrow.]
[Incorporating this mineral in smelting greatly enhances the toughness of steel products.]
[Soon after, a mining village sprang up around the snake bone mines: Feimu Village.]
[Originally, it was a sunny, idyllic village.]
[But with Inazuma's Vision Hunt Decree and Sakoku Decree in effect, the Watatsumi Resistance Army ignited war against the Shogunate Army.]
[On a pitch-black, windy night, Watatsumi radicals disguised themselves as Shogunate forces, landed on Yashiori Island, and destroyed the Snake God Suppressors.]
[From then on, the aura of Orobashi blanketed the entire island.]
[Feimu Village's villagers, unable to resist the corrosion, went mad, died, or fled—leaving the village utterly devastated.]
Coral Palace.
Sangonomiya Kokomi, who had been reading the diary, shuddered violently.
She knew of the Orobashi incident on Yashiori Island, but she had no idea that her own Watatsumi Resistance Army was responsible for destroying the Snake God Suppressors.
"This...?" Sangonomiya Kokomi trembled.
Raiden Ei was right there beside Su Xuan, yet he had pinned the cause of Yashiori Island's Orobashi outbreak squarely on her head.
In Sangonomiya Kokomi's mind, the resistance had always targeted Inazuma's Sakoku Decree.
Due to Watatsumi Island's soil turning sacred and infertile, her people were on the brink of starvation.
She hoped the resistance would draw the Raiden Shogun's attention to Watatsumi's dire straits.
But destroying the Snake God Suppressors, leading to the deaths of an entire village's worth of people? That was tantamount to slaughtering Inazuma's own citizens.
The nature of it had completely changed.
This traveler from beyond the world—was he trying to get her executed by the Raiden Shogun?
"You say the culprits behind Feimu Village's villagers' deaths were those people from Watatsumi?" Raiden Ei's calm eyes flashed with an electric arc.
Rumble!
The already thunderous skies over Yashiori Island cracked with even thicker bolts of lightning.
Su Xuan shot Raiden Ei a glance and chuckled, "What's the point of getting mad now?"
"The whole village is already dead."
"But don't interrupt me yet—I haven't finished writing."
Raiden Ei: "..."
[I just got interrupted by Raiden Ei. She seems pretty pissed.]
[Heh, the people are already dead. What's the use of her raging here?]
[Stomping her feet?]
Raiden Ei: "....."
Sangonomiya Kokomi's scalp tingled.
Bro! Please stop stirring the pot—I really had no idea about this!
[But actually, this matter isn't as simple as it seems.]
[Raiden Ei holes up in the Plane of Euthymia, while the Raiden Shogun stays in Tenshukaku.]
[Neither steps out much, so they're clueless about specifics outside.]
[As for the Snake God Suppressors' destruction, there were infiltrators from other nations involved.]
[If memory serves, the one who incited the Watatsumi Resistance radicals was a guy named Nathan.]
[He taught them how to destroy the suppressors and, to prevent interference from Watatsumi's Divine Priestess Sangonomiya Kokomi, gave these hotheaded, brainless radicals special action orders.]
[Content as follows:]
[Phase One: Using multi-day studied tactics, strike Shogunate soldiers on a rainy night, swap into their uniforms, seize their ships and supplies, land on the island...]
[Phase Two: Destroy the Shogunate's suppression artifacts as per Mr. Nathan's instructions, restore the dignity of our great Watatsumi deity...]
[Phase Three: If unsuccessful, die for the great Watatsumi deity; if successful, retreat unscathed. Never expose identities, lest we implicate the Divine Priestess...]
[The above orders are not to be leaked to anyone, from the Divine Priestess down to every squad brother. Loose lips disrespect the great Watatsumi deity—bear responsibility yourself...]
[An operation involving Watatsumi's deity Orobashi, and they hid it from Sangonomiya Kokomi and the resistance brothers?]
[Any normal person could smell something fishy with this Nathan guy just by thinking about it.]
[Yet the Watatsumi Resistance had a bunch of brainless idiots.]
[They charged ahead with fervent zeal under the banner of restoring Orobashi's dignity, wrecked the suppressors, and nearly wiped out Feimu Village.]
[Though, it does match the intellect of those Watatsumi folks.]
[I still can't figure out where Sangonomiya Kokomi got the guts to challenge the Raiden Shogun.]
[Even if she wanted to grab the General's attention through resistance, wasn't she afraid of getting one-shot?]
[Sigh... that IQ...]
[Whatever, she's just an ornamental fish. She only needs to bring joy to the viewers.]
[Mm... When the chance comes, I'll pay her a visit and add her to my fish pond.]
The women: "..."
So after all that, you're the viewer?
[Oh, forgot to reveal Nathan's identity.]
[Anyone stirring the pot amid national chaos has to be the Fatui, always itching for more disorder.]
[That said, when problems arise in your own country, you should look inward first.]
[Blaming it all on outsiders...]
[Just like Ei's impotent rage earlier. If she'd stepped out of the Plane of Euthymia sooner and kept an eye on Inazuma, this wouldn't have happened.]
Faced with Su Xuan's provocative smile, Raiden Ei opened her mouth but held back.
In the end, as Inazuma's Archon, who could she blame for Inazuma's problems?
"You're right. These things can't be pinned on others."
"Like how I'm your spoils of war now—skill speaks for itself, nothing more to say." Raiden Ei sighed.
Su Xuan ignored her, his thoughts stirring slightly.
[One last addendum on Feimu Village.]
[When Orobashi rampaged and people were helpless, Tenryou Commission's Kujou Clan head, Kujou Takayori, pulled off something particularly "impressive."]
[At the time, Feimu villagers saw the Shogunate as their only hope.]
[Sadly, the Shogunate Army wouldn't treat those corrupted by Orobashi.]
[Fearing they'd flee elsewhere, and for his own achievements, Kujou Takayori didn't report it to the Raiden Shogun.]
[Instead, he issued an announcement on his own authority.]
[Claiming he'd evacuate Feimu Village to other islands for treatment.]
[The villagers believed him. Sick or not, they all boarded the ships.]
[Once at sea's center, Shogunate soldiers sank the ships.]
[Then claimed publicly that resistance forces had done it.]
[Mm... I really wonder if Sangonomiya Kokomi's frail frame can handle these two massive pots of blame.]
Sangonomiya Kokomi: "...."
Don't mention two— one nearly crushed me already.