Thoma, who had been preparing to demonstrate his social skills, quickly stopped Lumine.
Wait, you're actually giving it to them?
Lumine asked him, "What's wrong?"
Thoma smiled at the official.
"Hahaha... Miss, these two are my friends. Don't you think I look somewhat familiar?"
"Oh, it's you, Mr. Thoma. In that case, considering your face, let's make it 400,000 Mora."
Lumine pulled out a large bag of Mora from her backpack.
"No need to trouble Thoma. Here's two million."
Crossing her arms, she added, "But you'll have to count every single coin in front of me."
The official looked somewhat embarrassed. "Mr. Thoma, this..."
[Damn, Lumine's cool!]
[This is the confidence Mu Yang gave me]
[Bro Mu's signature omnipresence]
[Who isn't a rich girl? The Traveler didn't even blink when giving away a 20-million-Mora antique box.]
[Hahaha, look at that official's face turning green. So satisfying!]
"Traveler, wait here for a bit. I'll handle the procedures."
Thoma led the official inside.
Paimon whispered, "Lumine, what are you doing?"
"Nothing. It's just your allowance anyway."
Tiny Paimon, big '?'
Lumine muttered quietly, "If you like observing my reactions, then I'll observe yours too."
Before long, Thoma finished the procedures and came out.
He returned the large bag of Mora to Lumine.
Lumine pretended to ask, "What's this?"
Thoma explained, "Actually, this so-called 'processing fee' is just a pretext."
"No matter how much you pay, it all ends up in the Kanjou Commission's pockets."
Lumine took the money back. "Though it's just a small amount, thank you anyway, Thoma."
Nani? The intel was fake?
Thoma's lips twitched slightly.
The records didn't say they were this rich!
"No problem. This is where having a local friend comes in handy."
Lumine stopped beating around the bush. "Then, does this local friend have a way to meet the Raiden Shogun?"
Thoma rested his chin on his hand.
"So that's your goal for coming here? I see."
"Given your status, that's quite an ambitious objective."
"After all, the Raiden Shogun is the most exalted and revered existence, a deity whom mortals can only look up to."
Lumine: "Just tell me straight—can you do it or not?"
Thoma put away his smile. "Yes, I have a way to arrange an audience with the Raiden Shogun for you."
Paimon's eyes widened. "A local fixer like you can pull that off?"
Lumine simply smiled. "Then state your conditions."
"I like dealing with straightforward people."
Thoma no longer held back and assigned Lumine a task:
Resolve the crisis facing the "International Trade Association" in Ritou.
Lumine didn't hesitate. Such a small task was easily handled.
Though the process left her feeling quite irritated.
This sense of being constrained was deeply uncomfortable.
After completing the task, the three moved aside.
"Alright, alright, time for complete honesty. What do you want to ask?"
"Who exactly are you?"
It was no surprise Lumine was suspicious.
As a local fixer, Thoma might handle minor disputes, but it was impossible for him to extend his influence to Liyue during the Sakoku Decree.
And to have obtained such detailed information about her...
There was definitely someone else behind him.
Since it was a moment of honesty, Thoma didn't hide anything.
"Haha, straight to the point, huh? Time to reintroduce myself."
"I belong to the Kamisato Clan of the Yashiro Commission on Narukami Island. I am the close attendant of the 'Shirasagi Himegimi.'"
[Thoma, so you're actually...]
[Shut up, shameless old man! I'm Kamisato Ayaka's dog!]
[Sit down!]
[I'll take you for walks with Ayaka.]
The Kamisato Clan of the Yashiro Commission currently oversees ceremonial affairs and cultural arts.
Afterward, Thoma introduced his clan head.
But the focus was on the Shirasagi Himegimi—Kamisato Ayaka.
"So all of this was arranged by Miss Kamisato?" Lumine asked.
Thoma dodged the question, not answering directly.
But Lumine already understood.
It was Kamisato Ayaka who sent Thoma.
This made sense—as one of the Tri-Commission clans, obtaining her records wasn't difficult.
Lumine crossed her arms. "What happened to the 'complete honesty' part?"
Thoma shrugged.
"Even with the Sakoku Decree in place, your deeds in Mondstadt and Liyue have reached the ears of many Inazumans."
"After hearing of your intention to come to Inazuma, the young lady has been eagerly awaiting your arrival."
"At the same time, she wondered—whether you truly possessed the power to change the current situation, as the rumors suggested."
He explained that this was just a small test, and Lumine had passed.
"Skillfully navigating between factions, exploiting the weaknesses of human nature—just as the young lady hoped."
"With your assistance... perhaps the Vision Hunt Decree could also..."
Lumine raised a hand to stop him.
"Stop. I refuse."
"Hmm, an unexpected development. Another intel failure?"
"Fire whoever's collecting your information. My only goal is the Raiden Shogun."
Thoma didn't press further.
He said he understood.
Moreover, his earlier promise to arrange a meeting with the Raiden Shogun still stood.
After all, Lumine had genuinely helped the International Trade Association out of its predicament.
With that, Thoma handed Lumine a letter and left.
The letter instructed her to meet him at Komore Teahouse upon reaching Narukami Island.
Paimon watched Thoma's retreating figure.
"He took that surprisingly well. Thoma might actually be a decent guy."
Lumine pursed her lips, clutching the letter.
"It's too early to say that. Foreigners can't leave Ritou."
Paimon suddenly remembered. "Is this another test?!"
"So annoying! No wonder he left so easily!"
The two arrived at the gate leading to Narukami Island.
Sure enough, without a permit, they couldn't leave.
As they were about to leave, the guard called out to them.
"Hey, you there! Don't wander around the island after dark."
"Lately, there's been a Swordsman Slayer in Inazuma. Terrifying stuff—targets soft-skinned folks like you."
Mu Yang, watching the livestream, couldn't help but facepalm.
"Alright, alright, old man Kanjou, the cancellation notice for the bounty must be delayed on your end, huh?"
"I'm a kind-hearted person, so I'll help you make this wish come true. A Swordsman Slayer? Easy enough..."
The system chimed in, "Another popularity-boosting idea?"
Mu Yang: "Not really. We won't appear until after Lumine meets Ayaka."
"For now, let's go give old man Kanjou some 'encouragement.' Maybe we can even catch a final glimpse of La Signora."
Mu Yang visualized an outfit in his mind:
Black loose hair, blood-red ancient robes, a copper coin mask...
After shapeshifting into this attire,
Mu Yang activated the system's full stealth mode.
With two steps of lightfoot technique, he left the Grand Narukami Shrine...