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***
The Fair Lady halted at his words.
But when she turned her head, her gaze resembled that of someone looking at a fool.
"Absurd. That serpent's remains are still lying on Yashiori Island—how could it possibly be resurrected?"
Seeing her disbelief, Kujou Takayuki pressed on with his fabricated story.
"Believe it or not, that's what Sara said. The one who took the Kujou Encampment—Shao Yun—succeeded because he was under Orobashi's protection."
At the mention of Shao Yun, The Fair Lady suddenly froze.
Since both Hiiragi Shinsuke and the resistance's Nathan had been killed by Shao Yun, the Fatui had received no intelligence regarding his arrival in Inazuma. She had even assumed Shao Yun was still in Liyue.
He's already here?! This was a serious problem. The plan to seize the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis needed to be accelerated immediately.
The thought gave her a headache. At the same time, she reconsidered the usefulness of Kujou Takayuki.
She said to him, "It seems the Kujou Clan still has some value. We, the Fatui, will look into this matter. In the meantime, you must find a way to retake the Kujou Encampment."
"After all, letting the resistance occupy it poses a threat to our operations as well."
Takayuki, thinking he had now taken the upper hand, boldly made a demand.
"I need your support. Most of the Shogunate's forces have drowned in the sea. If you want the encampment back, you'll have to step in!"
The Fair Lady furrowed her brow but nodded slowly. "We'll discuss further cooperation in a few days."
Yet, while she outwardly agreed, inwardly she was already plotting to sacrifice him—using Kujou Takayuki as a scapegoat to distract Shao Yun, thereby buying herself more time to steal the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis.
...
Elsewhere, at the Kujou Encampment—
Shao Yun had ordered a hundred resistance fighters to return to Watatsumi Island, taking with them twenty percent of the encampment's military supplies and all the remaining large ships left behind by the Shogunate.
It wasn't that Shao Yun wanted to hoard the resources—it was simply too much to carry in one trip.
According to Teppei's rough calculations, the supplies stored at the Kujou Encampment could sustain Watatsumi Island for two full years.
Once the supply ships set sail, Shao Yun ordered Teppei and the others to dismantle the three Kamuijima Cannons from Tatarasuna and transport them to the Kujou Encampment, positioning them to face Narukami Island.
Once fearsome weapons of the Shogunate, the cannons now stood as a defensive line for the resistance.
Though Shao Yun knew the cannons were inoperable, simply displaying them served as a powerful deterrent.
By the time everything was completed, the sun had already begun to dip—afternoon had arrived.
Shao Yun stood behind the three great cannons. Beside him, Teppei wiped sweat from his forehead and said with a smile, "General Shao Yun, we've brought the cannons here as you ordered."
Shao Yun gave Teppei an approving pat on the shoulder. "Good work, Teppei. Even if we never fire them, they'll hang over the Shogunate like a sword, keeping them from acting rashly."
Teppei nodded, pounding his chest. "Don't worry, General. I'll make sure these cannons are restored as soon as possible!"
Shao Yun chuckled at Teppei's earnest expression. "Just do your best. By the way, Teppei—what do you think? If the Watatsumi Omikami Orobashi saw us resolve Watatsumi Island's food crisis and capture the Kujou Encampment, now just one step from Narukami Island—wouldn't that make him proud?"
Teppei froze for a moment at the mention of Orobashi, then gave a sheepish grin.
"Uh... the Great Serpent's spirit in the heavens would probably be very pleased, right?"
"Not probably. Definitely," Shao Yun said, shaking his head before spinning a new tale.
"Let me tell you a little secret. The night before you came to find me, I dreamt of a giant serpent. He told me to save Watatsumi Island. The next day, Kokomi appointed me general. Don't you think that's quite the coincidence?"
Hearing this made-up story, Teppei lit up with excitement and nodded fervently. "Really, General Shao Yun?!"
Shao Yun said conspiratorially, "Spread this little secret around. Boost morale a bit."
Teppei nodded enthusiastically and ran off to spread the tale.
Leaning against one of the great cannons, Shao Yun pulled out a bottle of fine brandy, uncorked it, and looked out across the sea between Tatarasuna and Narukami Island—littered with floating corpses. His gaze lingered on the distant outline of Inazuma City.
As he contemplated his next move, that damn voice returned.
"Looks like your plan is going smoothly."
The sudden voice startled him so much he nearly dropped his bottle.
"Can you please stop appearing out of nowhere?" he grumbled.
The Man with a Top Hat didn't answer. He strolled over, hands behind his back, and stood beside Shao Yun.
Shao Yun tilted his head back and drained the bottle, then narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the mysterious demon beside him.
"What are you doing here?"
The man pointed toward the sea. His voice was low and calm. "Just enjoying the view."
Shao Yun scoffed, frowning. "You call this a view? It's just a sea full of corpses and blood."
Still unfazed, the man replied, "You must learn to appreciate the beauty that death brings."
Shao Yun shrugged and turned to head back to camp.
"If you came just to admire corpses, I've got better things to do—like spreading the rumor of Orobashi's resurrection to all of Inazuma, until it reaches Baal herself."
The man called after him, "Wait. I came to give you something as well."
Shao Yun stopped and turned back, puzzled. "What are you giving me?"
The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black scale, handing it over. "Take it. I've noticed you've strayed from the original advice I gave you. Maybe this little thing will inspire a new direction."
His original advice had been to seek out the Dachi faction within Watatsumi Island and use them to pressure Kokomi.
But instead, Shao Yun had sanctified the island and pushed Kokomi to authorize an assault on Kujou Encampment.
So now, his own plan had to evolve as well.
Shao Yun took the strange black scale, studying it curiously. "What is this supposed to tell me?"
The man turned back to the sea of corpses, speaking to no one in particular.
"When the third seal was opened, I heard the third creature say, 'Come!' I looked, and behold—a black horse. Its rider held a pair of scales. And I heard a voice say: 'A denarius for a quart of wheat, and a denarius for three quarts of barley. Do not damage the oil and the wine.'"
Shao Yun frowned in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"
The man gave him a long, weighty look. "The famine wasn't caused by the land's failure to yield crops. Quite the opposite—the land produced enough food for all. But people couldn't afford it."
A look of realization flickered across Shao Yun's face. He furrowed his brow. "You want me to seize the grain from Narukami Island… trigger a famine?"
"But my plan was to stir Baal out of the Plane of Euthymia by waving Orobashi's name."
The man shook his head slowly and continued, "When famine strikes, and you carry the name of her ancient enemy, the one you seek to destroy will come to you."
Shao Yun tucked the black scale away and said firmly, "I'd rather fly the banner of Watatsumi and charge straight into Tenshukaku to fight Baal head-on."
The man said confidently, "But she hides in the Plane of Euthymia. Even if you storm Tenshukaku, you won't see her. Trust me—a famine in Narukami Island is inevitable."
In the instant Shao Yun blinked, the man vanished again.
Shao Yun realized he'd been manipulated once more. His eyes narrowed in anger as he cursed aloud, "You damn demon… I never should've listened to you."
"But now I'm curious. If I do nothing, will Narukami Island still starve?"