"Spread everywhere? Since when?"
"That I wouldn't know." Sangonomiya Kokomi shook her head.
Hearing this, Shiki found it absurd. Were these people paparazzi? They could even dig up what kind of tea she liked to drink?
"Forget it, that's not important."
"I heard Thoma say you had something to discuss with me, right?" Shiki asked.
Sangonomiya Kokomi nodded: "That's right, Miss Ryougi, what I'm about to say might surprise you."
"It's fine, just say it."
Sangonomiya Kokomi: "Hmm... I believe the hatred between Watatsumi Island and Inazuma should end with my generation."
"Oh, I see... Wait, what do you mean by that?"
Shiki put down her teacup. Sangonomiya Kokomi's words indeed surprised her, but mostly left her confused.
What did Sangonomiya Kokomi mean by this? What was she planning to do?
During a brief moment of thought, Shiki already had some conjectures, but she wasn't entirely certain.
Sangonomiya Kokomi pursed her lips slightly, then clenched her fists, as if she had made a major decision:
"Miss Ryougi, I have decided... to relinquish Watatsumi Island's independent sovereignty!"
Shiki's body stiffened slightly. She had to admit that Sangonomiya Kokomi's words had truly astonished her.
"Sangonomiya Kokomi, do you know what you are saying? Do you know what this means?"
"From now on, Watatsumi Island will be governed by the Shogunate. You will no longer possess military authority, and Watatsumi Island's assets will also be taken over by the Shogunate."
"Everything will change, even your faith in Orobas."
"Have you truly made up your mind, Sangonomiya Kokomi?"
Facing the girl's repeated questions, a hint of hesitation flickered in Sangonomiya Kokomi's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by resolve.
She had already considered these issues; they could not shake her resolve.
Her hesitation was merely a momentary internal re-questioning of herself.
"Miss Ryougi, I have made my decision."
"Since Orobas no Mikoto launched the Eastern Invasion, our two sides have been locked in hatred. But right from the start, when Orobas no Mikoto brought us out of Enkanomiya..."
"Inazuma was our object of study."
"Even if both sides signed a peace treaty, as the time required to Reverse Sacred Land Degradation becomes shorter and shorter, driven by hatred, Watatsumi Island will eventually launch another war."
"At that time, Watatsumi Island, without a Archon, will see a second Musoujin Gorge."
"Only by completely integrating Watatsumi Island into Inazuma can this be avoided."
Sangonomiya Kokomi clearly understood the gap between Watatsumi Island and Inazuma. Leaving everything else aside, Watatsumi Island had already lost based purely on the presence of a Archon.
Watatsumi Island was not Khaenri'ah; it lacked highly developed technology. Facing a nation with a Archon, the only path was defeat.
Although Liyue had ushered in the Age of Human Governance, the remaining Six Archons all knew clearly that Morax was not dead at all.
The aftermath of any Archon's death would be enough to destroy the entire Liyue Harbor. Morax dying in public was just a performance staged for ordinary people.
Ordinary people didn't know, but how could the Seven Archons not know what the death of a Archon would cause?
However, they tacitly agreed not to publicize the matter. Whatever that Old Man did had nothing to do with them; they just needed to manage their own countries.
"..."
Shiki looked at the resolute Sangonomiya Kokomi and remained silent for a moment. She could tell that the other party was determined, and this courage to abandon her own territory filled Shiki with admiration.
"I understand, but how do you plan to do it? If you just announce the merger with Inazuma like this, some people probably won't accept it, right?"
"I have already formulated a plan, but it requires Miss Ryougi's assistance."
"Please speak."
Shiki realized that Sangonomiya Kokomi had calculated her involvement, but it didn't matter; this kind of thing was harmless.
"Enkanomiya is opposite Watatsumi Island. Orobas no Mikoto left behind Bloodbranch Coral in Enkanomiya to suppress the Deep Sea Dragonheirs, and the Bloodbranch Coral can be used to reverse Watatsumi Island's Sacred Land degradation."
"So you want me to help you retrieve the Bloodbranch Coral?" Shiki asked.
However, Sangonomiya Kokomi shook her head: "Yes, and no."
"The Sacred Land degradation of Watatsumi Island requires a Reversal Ritual, but I hope this ritual can be carried out secretly, thereby creating the public illusion that Enkanomiya no longer possesses Bloodbranch Coral."
"Without the Bloodbranch Coral, Watatsumi Island will gradually turn white like moonlight. This way, I can call upon the people to evacuate Watatsumi Island and naturally join Inazuma."
"However, the time required for Watatsumi Island to completely turn white spans hundreds of years. By then, even if the people of Watatsumi Island discover that the initial evacuation was a lie, it won't matter."
The Sacred Land degradation of Watatsumi Island is divided into phases. The first phase is soil salinization, which prevents crops from being grown.
In the second stage, plants withered one after another, and in the final stage, the land turned pale white, completely losing its vitality.
To ensure the land could grow food, before the first stage was completely reached, Watatsumi Island would open Enkanomiya to obtain bloodbranch coral, thereby reversing the sacred land's deterioration.
However, as mentioned before, the time bloodbranch coral could reverse the sacred land's deterioration was decreasing, while the Watatsumi Misogi Festival could only be held once every few centuries.
This meant that only once every few generations of present-day shrine maidens would a true Watatsumi Misogi Festival occur, which involved using bloodbranch coral to reverse the sacred land's deterioration; other events were merely festivals similar to summer festivals.
"After centuries, the people of Watatsumi Island, having been incorporated into Inazuma, no longer possessed the strength to resist, because they had lost their foundation."
"Therefore, I would like to ask Ryougi to enter Enkanomiya first and take the bloodbranch coral before our people do."
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