On Watatsumi Island, inside a shell-like palace located at its very center, a cute young woman with long pink hair lazily propped her head up with one hand. In her other hand, she held a military treatise, reading it with utmost concentration.
She was the current Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island, Sangonomiya Kokomi.
As the supreme leader of Watatsumi Island, she had to maintain her public image most of the time. However, now that there was no one else around, she allowed herself to relax a little.
"Lady Sangonomiya, an urgent report has arrived from Yashiori Island!"
Hearing the familiar voice from a distance, Sangonomiya Kokomi instantly sat up straight. A serene smile graced her face as she waited for the messenger to appear.
Soon, a yellow figure appeared in the palace. It was a young man, but what set him apart from ordinary people was the fluffy little tail behind him and his ears, which were clearly animal ears.
"Gorou, have the Shogunate soldiers clashed with the soldiers of Watatsumi Island again?"
Sangonomiya Kokomi spoke his name. He was her most capable general, holding a rank roughly equivalent to Kujou Sara's. The only difference was that they served different lords.
"Lady Sangonomiya, did you already know?"
Upon hearing Sangonomiya Kokomi's words, Gorou's expression showed obvious surprise.
"Yes, I could more or less figure it out," Sangonomiya Kokomi said slowly. What other urgent matters could there be on Yashiori Island besides friction between the Shogunate soldiers and the soldiers of Watatsumi Island?
Besides the stationed troops of both sides, there were hardly any living creatures, though there were plenty of monsters.
"I know that many people are struggling to adjust or are dissatisfied with the war ending so abruptly."
"After all, we've been fighting for so many years, and both sides harbor grudges that are difficult to resolve."
"But peace is what most people desire. War only brings destruction and misfortune."
"Gorou, you must do your utmost to restrain everyone and prevent any further conflicts with the Shogunate."
Hearing Sangonomiya Kokomi's words, Gorou was stunned for a moment before immediately realizing she was handling the situation based on past experience. He hastily spoke up.
"Her Excellency Sangonomiya, this time is different!"
"According to reports from the front lines, during today's noon break, a Shogunate Army unit ambushed our temporary camp on Yashiori Island. The soldiers of Watatsumi Island suffered countless casualties, and in the end, only one-third managed to retreat!"
Upon hearing Gorou's words, Sangonomiya Kokomi's expression immediately turned grave. A flash of sorrow crossed her eyes, but it quickly vanished.
As their leader, she was the one who could least afford to lose her composure, otherwise Watatsumi Island would easily fall into ruin under her leadership.
"Are you certain it was the Shogunate Army?"
"I have met Kujou Sara and know she enforces strict military discipline. It might be possible for individual soldiers to deliberately provoke another war if they are unwilling to see it end, but it is nearly impossible for a whole disciplined army to carry out a sneak attack!"
Hearing this, Gorou hesitated for a moment before speaking cautiously.
"Her Excellency Sangonomiya, are you suspecting someone is framing the Shogunate?"
Sangonomiya Kokomi nodded.
"At the very least, this is not Kujou Sara herself who is trying to restart the war. In the previous conflict, Watatsumi Island was always at a disadvantage, and even with our righteousness and the Kamisato Clan's assistance, we were still on the losing side."
"If Kujou Sara herself were unwilling to end the war, she would not have agreed to Watatsumi Island's terms at that time, nor would she have given us such a long opportunity to recover and recuperate."
After hearing Sangonomiya Kokomi's analysis, Gorou urgently shook the tail behind him and shared the rest of the intelligence he had received.
"According to the soldiers, this army is undoubtedly the Shogunate Army, not just from their uniforms and weapons, but also from their fighting style."
"Many of Watatsumi Island's soldiers have fought the Shogunate Army for years and could not have mistaken them for anyone else."
"The only strange thing is that this army is ridiculously brave and skilled in battle. Even with their shoulders torn or their chests pierced, they continued to attack the soldiers of Watatsumi Island without changing their expressions..."
Hearing this, Sangonomiya Kokomi froze again. This matter was getting weirder and weirder.
The more elite the soldiers, the more meticulously they would obey orders. However, in her analysis, it was almost impossible for Kujou Sara to use troops against Watatsumi Island.
So, where exactly did this army come from?!
Sangonomiya Kokomi thought for a long while but still had no clues. Finally, she shook her head and spoke her other arrangements to Gorou first.
"The top priority is to quickly calm the soldiers of Watatsumi Island, lest we fall into someone else's trap before the matter is fully investigated."
"I will find a way to contact Kujou Sara as soon as possible to confirm this with her."
As she reached this point, Sangonomiya Kokomi paused for a moment before continuing.
"Even if I can't establish contact, it doesn't matter. The Shogunate Army will surely receive word of such a major disturbance."
"If they make no attempt to contact us and clarify the situation after some time, their intentions will be all but certain."
"Yes, Her Excellency Sangonomiya, I will do my best to calm everyone's emotions!"
Sangonomiya Kokomi nodded, then shook her head.
"No, if this is a conspiracy deliberately intended to provoke a war between Watatsumi Island and the Shogunate, merely calming emotions won't be enough."
"It seems I will have to step forward personally and formulate the counterattack plan in front of everyone."
At this, Sangonomiya Kokomi looked at Gorou and asked,
"Gorou, how long will it take to prepare the supplies at the rear?"
"The fastest would be within two days."
Sangonomiya Kokomi shook her head.
"No, it will take five days."
Gorou was slightly stunned for a moment, then realized Sangonomiya Kokomi was planning to stall for time to investigate. He quickly spoke up.
"Yes, it will take five days to prepare."
"Let's go. We will explain the next plan to the soldiers of Watatsumi Island together."
Sangonomiya Kokomi walked straight ahead, and Gorou hurriedly followed.
At this moment, on Yashiori Island.
Kujou Sara looked at the bloodstains and corpses on the ground, her face growing even more grim.
This was the team she had sent to investigate Yashiori Island. She never expected that they would be almost wiped out during the investigation, with only a few soldiers managing to escape.
According to the descriptions of the surviving soldiers, the ones who attacked them were undoubtedly the Watatsumi Army. With their tattered equipment and chaotic yet strangely effective methods of attack, they had fought the Watatsumi Army for so many years and could never mistake them!
But it was strange, too strange!
When did the Watatsumi Army's combat power become so astonishing?
According to the surviving soldiers, every Watatsumi soldier who appeared was extremely powerful. At the very least, it took three of them to hold back one enemy, and the opponents fought without fear of death.
Could it be because of the Delusions?
Kujou Sara couldn't help but recall a period in the past when the Watatsumi Army was exceptionally formidable, and fighting ten enemies single-handedly was a common occurrence. Later, the investigation revealed that they had used immature Delusions, achieving this at the cost of their own life force.
The Delusion Factory should have been completely destroyed by now. What is going on?
Kujou Sara was completely at a loss for a moment, but she could feel a massive conspiracy sweeping in, and her heart grew heavier and heavier.
"Notify the commanders of the other teams. Have them immediately regroup with nearby units. At least three teams must operate together to continue the mission."
To prevent her soldiers from being picked off one by one while operating separately, Kujou Sara immediately issued her orders.
Although Kujou Sara had reacted quickly, another team on the other side was still ambushed, with nearly half of its members killed or wounded.
By the time Kujou Sara arrived at the scene with the main force, they hadn't even caught a glimpse of the enemy.
Kujou Sara looked at the corpses on the ground that were gradually growing cold, and the anger in her heart grew stronger and stronger.
If she could find out who was pulling the strings, she would definitely make them pay the most painful price!
Kujou Sara did not plan to tell the Raiden Shogun about this matter for the time being. Now that the Raiden Shogun had already delegated almost all her power, if she had to disturb her with such a matter, it would only prove that she was too incompetent.
As the teams gradually converged and their numbers grew several times larger, the massive ambushes ceased, but the traps left behind began to increase.
With such a distinct combat style, Kujou Sara truly thought for a moment that Sangonomiya Kokomi was the mastermind. In previous battles, the enemy had used this exact tactic to drag the Shogunate Army into the quagmire of war.
But precisely because she had fought them many times, Kujou Sara knew Sangonomiya Kokomi's character very well. In her eyes, Sangonomiya Kokomi was even kind to the point of violating principles, making her unsuitable as a leader, and even less likely to devise such a plan.
It wasn't until Kujou Sara's men found the temporary camp on Watatsumi Island and saw the ground stained reddish-brown with blood that she felt a chill creep up her spine.
"Rumble..."
The gradually darkening sky emitted a dull sound, and finally, the rain poured down in torrents...
-
"Monsieur Neuvillette, there is something I would like to explain to you."
After arranging for people to temporarily detain Sandrone and Alain, Neuvillette immediately found a quiet place upon seeing that Rene had something to say.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, do you feel there is anything unusual about Sandrone?"
Sensing Rene's gaze, Neuvillette thought for a long moment before slowly speaking.
"There seems to be no obvious difference."
"Sandrone is a mechanical life form created by Alain."
After hearing Rene's words, Neuvillette paused, then immediately understood the other's intentions.
"Monsieur Rene, are you preparing to ask me to communicate with the Snezhnaya side, to let Alain stay?"
"That's right. Alain was a genius on par with me back then. We simply studied different fields. At least in this regard, I am far inferior to him."
"If Alain can stay, he will fill the Fontaine Research Institute's shortcoming in artificial intelligence!"
"According to the notes left behind, if artificial intelligence is mature, we won't need to use human lives to fill the gap when the apocalypse arrives; we can completely leave it to artificial intelligence to face the enemy."
"Besides that, in daily life, artificial intelligence can also provide us with greater convenience!"
Although Neuvillette heard Rene say so much, he still felt the most important reason was that Alain was once the best friend of Rene and Jacob.
"To complete negotiations with Snezhnaya, the Fontaine Research Institute's stature and resources are far from sufficient, which is why I need Monsieur Neuvillette's help to mediate."
"Of course, we won't ask Monsieur Neuvillette to help for nothing; the Fontaine Research Institute will offer appropriate compensation."
Hearing Rene's words, Neuvillette shook his head.
"There's no need for compensation. Although the Fontaine Research Institute has now become independent, its relationship with Fontaine has always been inseparable."
In fact, Rene's idea was to develop the Fontaine Research Institute into a training base for excellent talents from the Seven Nations, which was why Sandrone could infiltrate the Academy so easily before. However, at present, the Fontaine Research Institute's reputation in other countries is not very great, and its members are mostly Fontainians, so they can only take things one step at a time.
"I will try my best, but I think the Snezhnaya side will not let go easily, so you should also be mentally prepared."
"If Snezhnaya is truly unwilling to let go, in order for the Seven Nations to form an alliance against the apocalypse in the future, I will not forcibly snatch someone away."
Hearing Neuvillette's words, Rene nodded.
"Yes, Monsieur Neuvillette, just do your best to try. I can understand whatever the outcome may be."
After reaching a consensus, Neuvillette remembered another matter.
"By the way, Monsieur Rene, there is a master of Mechanics in Liyue named Xianyun. Her research is similar to Fontaine's, and she is very interested in Fontaine's technology. I have already invited her to Fontaine to jointly develop the next-generation mobile phone. I believe she will arrive in two days."
Upon hearing this news, a smile appeared on Rene's face.
"For Monsieur Neuvillette to specially mention her to me, I believe her talent must be top-notch.
"I will properly handle other matters in the next two days. When that master of Mechanics arrives in Fontaine, I will definitely treat her well."
Neuvillette nodded. Persephone's appearance made him even more eager to unite the other countries to face the enemy as soon as possible. Judging by the power Persephone has shown so far, it would be difficult for any single country to restrain her plans.
Therefore, they had to unite all the forces that could be united. The importance of mobile phones in this process was self-evident.
Although the second-generation mobile phones currently being produced in Fontaine were better than the first, they were still not enough to meet the upcoming demands. They had to be updated and iterated upon as soon as possible, and at the very least, they should have half the functions of the phone he carried.
As for the network, Neuvillette had already signed a contract with the Geo Archon of Liyue through Lumine. The other party had now begun to construct the Ley Line Network.
Although water could also serve as a network medium, there were truly some places without a single drop of water. In contrast, the Ley Lines were more suitable. This was also the reason why Neuvillette had specially sent Lumine to Liyue first, but the timing just happened to coincide with the final battle.
Thinking of Persephone, who had thrown Liyue into chaos, Neuvillette sighed softly, hoping they still had time.