"Your strength is second only to the Raiden Shogun; only you have enough power to get there before us."
Sangonomiya Kokomi planned a grand deception, not only because she wanted to relieve herself of her heavy burden, but also to secure a future for Watatsumi Island.
Her previous words were not alarmist; unless completely eradicated or assimilated, hatred would never disappear.
After a long period of time, there would always be a present-day shrine maiden who, driven by thoughts of revenge, would wage war against Inazuma.
Sangonomiya Kokomi could not completely eliminate the people of Watatsumi Island, so she could only lead them to fully integrate into Inazuma.
"...Sangonomiya Kokomi, I underestimated you before. If we were in a world without gods, you would be a very formidable opponent."
"I accept your request."
Now, Shiki placed Sangonomiya Kokomi on equal footing with herself, rather than referring to her as the so-called Miss Sangonomiya.
If Inazuma did not have the Raiden Shogun, if individual strength could not change the tide of battle, then Inazuma would truly lose the war against Watatsumi Island.
At the very least, it would lose a significant portion of its territory, or even face a situation of tripartite confrontation.
This shows that Sangonomiya Kokomi's abilities are very strong, but fortunately, such a person is about to work for her.
"How do I go to Enkanomiya? What should I do after I get there?"
"Entering Enkanomiya first requires lifting five seals to open the passage, which is the most common method, but to ensure stealth, we cannot take the usual path."
"As the present-day shrine maiden, the bloodline I carry allows me to temporarily open the passage without lifting the seals. At that time, I can send Ryougi into Enkanomiya."
"After entering Enkanomiya, according to ancient records, we need to defeat the Bathysmal Vishap beneath the Mikoshi and then obtain the bloodbranch coral."
"But I can only lead you into Enkanomiya; I cannot fight the Bathysmal Vishap with you, because I still need to preside over the ritual to lift the seals of the Five Wounds Rock."
"Oh, the Five Wounds Rock refers to those five seals. I will try my best to extend the duration of the ritual to buy Ryougi enough time," Sangonomiya Kokomi said.
Listening to Sangonomiya Kokomi's words, Shiki's delicate brows furrowed slightly, but soon smoothed out again.
Because the two of them would enter the passage together, this eliminated the possibility of Sangonomiya Kokomi playing tricks, such as suddenly closing the passage.
As long as she found a Waypoint after landing, the passage would be meaningless; she could travel freely between Enkanomiya and Inazuma.
"I understand. How long can you sustain the ritual at most?"
"...Three days."
Three days to explore the entire Enkanomiya and defeat the Bathysmal Vishap—this was challenging, but not impossible.
No, it should be more than three days. There should still be some time until the ritual, so Shiki should have 3 + x days.
Shiki: "How many days until you hold the ritual?"
Sangonomiya Kokomi: "Not many days left. According to custom, it's in two days."
Shiki: "In two days? It seems you calculated that I would come, didn't you?"
Sangonomiya Kokomi: "Rather than calculating, it's more like a gamble."
"If Ryougi comes to Watatsumi Island before I hold the ritual, it means you care about us deeply, and then we won't suffer too much after being incorporated into Inazuma."
"If it's after the ritual... then I'll just have to find another way."
Sangonomiya Kokomi explained, but she did not reveal what the second method was, though Shiki believed the cost would be significant.
"A gamble? That's quite a stake you're playing."
"Also, when do you plan to send me into Enkanomiya? I can go anytime; I don't need to prepare anything."
"So Ryougi means... go to Enkanomiya now?" Sangonomiya Kokomi asked.
Shiki nodded lightly: "You could say that. Or do you need to wait a bit?"
"I need time. Temporarily opening the passage is a great burden for me. I need to prepare in advance. Ryougi can come back in the afternoon."
"Alright, then I'll be going first."
Given the tight schedule, Shiki did not linger in the shrine. Instead, she left Coral Palace and went outside, then lit the Waypoint located on Watatsumi Island.
Shiki's figure vanished from the spot, and the dark clouds hovering over Watatsumi Island also dissipated, leaving behind a group of bewildered villagers looking at the sky, which had returned to clear.
Everyone thought it was going to rain, but they only saw lightning and no rain.
At the same time, Gorou, at home, put a large stack of written replies into a basket and handed them to the Yae Publishing House's dedicated boatman and editor.
"These are the replies, but can I really comfort others? It's my first time writing something like this."
"Oh, it's no problem! You must believe in Yae Miko's professionalism as editor-in-chief. Since she asked you to write replies, it proves you are capable of this job!"
The Yae Publishing House editor smiled, but Gorou always felt that the other person's smile... well, how to put it, was a bit strange?
A few days ago, an editor from Yae Publishing House found Gorou and asked him to be a respondent for a column called [Gossip Monthly], which simply meant writing replies to others.
Gorou had never done anything like this before, so his first reaction was to refuse.
However, this Yae Publishing House editor kept persuading him, and coupled with the fact that he had nothing to do after the war ended and could still earn money, Gorou agreed.
"Let's be clear, if it's not suitable, don't come to me to write anymore!"
"Alright, alright!"
The Yae Publishing House editor nodded, then took the large basket of letters and left Watatsumi Island. He had a premonition that he would frequent this place in the future.
After all, this was a column created by the beautiful and wise Yae Miko! It would definitely sell well!
"Sigh... I just hope I don't end up losing money."
Gorou sighed softly as he watched the Yae Publishing House editor's departing figure. He was still worried about whether he would have to pay, completely unaware that he had been packaged as a virtual idol.
Arataki Itto: "Hahaha, Xi'na!"
Version 2.3 Update Announcement:
New Area [Enkanomiya], New Characters [Sangonomiya Kokomi], [Arataki Itto], [Gorou], Weapon Banners [Everlasting Moonglow], [Primordial Jade Cutter], [Redhorn Stonethresher], [Skyward Spine].
Among them, Sangonomiya Kokomi will be in the first half's rerun banner, Arataki Itto in the second half's rerun banner, and Gorou will join the banner as a four-star character during Arataki Itto's rerun.
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I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"