Raiden Ei's expression darkened instantly upon learning that Yashiori Island was nearly devoid of living souls.
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, while also waiting for his next diary update.
[The "Orobashi" on Yashiori Island is actually the resentment left behind after a god's death—or more precisely, the remnants of a god, 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 then, Orobashi, the god worshipped on Watatsumi Island, led its forces to invade Inazuma but was 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 profound shock to the women.
But at this moment, their attention wasn't on these majestic sights.
They cared far more about the reason why an entire island's population had perished.
[After Orobashi was slain, it left behind massive bones—and the rampaging resentment of its death.]
[To quell the lingering aura of Orobashi's remnants,]
[Inazuma's forces set up Snake God Suppressors across Yashiori Island to suppress its resentment.]
[Over the long years, Orobashi's remains gave birth to a valuable mineral: Crystallized Bone Marrow.]
[Incorporating this mineral in smelting greatly enhances the toughness of steel products.]
[Thus, around the snake bone mines, a village sprang up whose people lived by mining: 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 waged war against the Shogunate Army.]
[On a pitch-black, windy night, Watatsumi's 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 its corrosion, went mad, died, or fled in droves.]
Coral Palace.
Coral Palace Heartsea shuddered as she read the diary.
She knew of the Orobashi incident on Yashiori Island, but she had no idea that it was her own Watatsumi Resistance Army who had destroyed the Snake God Suppressors.
"This...?" Coral Palace Heartsea trembled.
Raiden Ei was right there beside Su Xuan, yet he had pinned the cause of Yashiori Island's Orobashi disaster squarely on her.
In Coral Palace Heartsea's mind, the Watatsumi Resistance had always opposed Inazuma's Sakoku Decree.
Due to Watatsumi Island's soil turning sacred and barren, her people were on the brink of starvation.
She hoped to draw the Raiden Shogun's attention to Watatsumi's dire situation through resistance.
But destroying the Snake God Suppressors, leading to the deaths of an entire village's worth of people—this 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 from Watatsumi Island?" Raiden Ei's calm eyes flashed with an arc of electricity.
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 was just 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: "....."
Coral Palace Heartsea'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 the specifics outside.]
[As for the destruction of the Snake God Suppressors, there were infiltrators from other nations involved.]
[If memory serves, the one who incited Watatsumi's radical resistance fighters was a guy named Nathan.]
[He taught them how to destroy the suppressors and, to prevent interference from Watatsumi's Divine Priestess Coral Palace Heartsea, gave those hotheaded, brainless radicals special action orders.]
[Content as follows:]
[Phase One: Using tactics studied over many days, strike Shogunate soldiers on a rainy night, don their uniforms, seize their ships and supplies, and land on the island...]
[Phase Two: Destroy the Shogunate's suppression artifacts as per Mr. Nathan's instructions, restoring the dignity of our great Watatsumi deity...]
[Phase Three: If unsuccessful, die for the great Watatsumi deity; if successful, retreat unscathed. Never reveal identities, lest we implicate the Divine Priestess...]
[The above orders must be kept secret from the Divine Priestess down to every squad brother. Loose lips dishonor the great Watatsumi deity—bear responsibility yourself...]
[An operation involving Orobashi, the great Watatsumi deity, and they hid it from Coral Palace Heartsea and the resistance brothers?]
[Any normal person could smell something fishy about this Nathan guy just by thinking about it.]
[Yet Watatsumi's resistance had a bunch of brainless idiots.]
[They charged ahead with fervent zeal to restore Orobashi's dignity, wrecked the Orobashi suppressors, and nearly wiped out Feimu Village.]
[Though, I suppose that fits Watatsumi folks' intelligence levels.]
[I still can't figure out where Coral Palace Heartsea 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 an ornamental fish. She just 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 hesitated, words catching in her throat.
In the end, as Inazuma's ruler, who could she blame for its 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 ran rampant and people were at a loss, Tenryou Commission's Kujou Clan head, Kujou Takayori, pulled off something particularly "impressive."]
[Back then, Feimu Village's villagers saw the Shogunate as their last 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 destroyed the vessels, sinking them.]
[Then claimed publicly that resistance fighters had sunk them.]
[Mm... I really wonder if Coral Palace Heartsea's frail frame can handle these two massive pots of blame.]
Coral Palace Heartsea: "...."
Don't even mention two—one nearly crushed me already.