"What did you just say?" Balladeer's usual flippant and arrogant demeanor was gone, replaced for the first time by shock and urgency.
"Who was it that just said he'd never regret it? My ears aren't working, Childe, can you tell me?" Ember shook his head, looking incredibly pleased with himself.
Childe first looked at the smug Ember, then glanced at Balladeer, whose gaze seemed to want to devour someone, and immediately shook his head vigorously, saying, "I don't know anything, don't ask me!"
He, Childe, was a Fatui Harbinger after all, but he never expected there to be a time when he couldn't afford to offend anyone. This was insane!
"I take back what I just said. I regret it." Balladeer took a few deep breaths and said through gritted teeth to Ember.
If Balladeer wasn't a puppet, Ember would have reason to suspect that his molars had already shattered.
"Haha, lowering your head makes you so uncomfortable? Then you'll have to get used to it; you'll be lowering your head a lot in the future." Ember saw the mottled blue and purple on Balladeer's face, a mix of encouragement and mockery.
Ember himself had been chased by wild dogs and had to run. Was Balladeer so much more superior than him that he couldn't tolerate a bit of humiliation?
"Alright, the Raiden Shogun being unwilling to face Tsurumi Island is just my speculation. However, she did explicitly order the Shogunate not to investigate Tsurumi Island."
To prevent Balladeer from exploding again, Ember finally steered the conversation back.
"The Raiden Shogun doesn't allow the Shogunate to investigate Tsurumi Island?" The blue and purple on Balladeer's face faded. It seemed that news about the Raiden Shogun was more important to Balladeer than his own damaged dignity.
He was pondering what exactly was on Tsurumi Island that even the Raiden Shogun was unwilling to look into. The area of Tsurumi Island was roughly one-sixth of Inazuma's territory.
To abandon such a large area so decisively, the secret within must be significant.
"Yes, her fear of Tsurumi Island is definitely fake, but there must be something in there that even she finds troublesome."
As Ember spoke, the light in Balladeer's eyes grew brighter.
"Of course, this is also my guess."
Fearing Balladeer might get too excited, Ember added that last sentence.
"This is enough. I didn't expect there to be something even she finds troublesome. What could it be..."
Balladeer lowered his head, muttering to himself.
Seeing this, Ember suddenly felt Balladeer's figure overlap with someone else's. Then he suddenly realized, wasn't this similar to Kujou Takayuki!
However, Kujou Takayuki's was an extreme adoration for the Raiden Shogun, while Balladeer's... seemed to be extreme hatred?
"Does he have a grudge against the Raiden Shogun?" Ember ran to Childe's side and whispered.
"This is the first time I've seen him so obsessed, I don't know." Childe saw Balladeer looking as if he were possessed and couldn't help but take a few steps back.
But then he saw Ember beside him and immediately stopped retreating. Although Ember always messed with him, his strength was absolutely undeniable.
Even if there really was some possessing demon, what was there to fear with Ember around?
Although Ember and Childe's whispers were quiet, they still reached Balladeer's ears. He emerged from his previous mumbling state and shook his head.
"Don't guess wildly. She and I do have some conflicts. But those are distant past, and it's enough for me to understand it myself."
Although he said that, the ferocious expression on Balladeer's face told Ember and Childe that his conflict with the Raiden Shogun was definitely not as simple as "some."
"I told you not to be so arrogant. I can break your defenses right now, but I just feel you're currently in a victim's perspective, so I'm too lazy to say it."
Ember saw Balladeer turn back into his disdainful and arrogant self, and he suppressed the urge to expose him.
"What is it? Tell me." Childe was the most enthusiastic. He was genuinely curious what Ember could say to break Balladeer's defenses.
"He might be the Raiden Shogun's illegitimate son." Ember mysteriously whispered to Childe. The latter's eyes, upon hearing this, burst forth with a blazing flame called "gossip."
Such explosive news, even for someone like Childe, who only grew muscles in his head, couldn't help but pique his curiosity.
"How did you know? Also, can gods really have children? Who is Balladeer's father?"
Childe rattled off a string of questions, making Balladeer's face beside him as black as the bottom of a pot.
"An illegitimate child doesn't necessarily have to be born, right? It could also be created..."
"Enough, stop right there! Don't you think you're like flies? Fluttering your wings and swarming over when you smell someone else's past."
"Don't you look at other people as if they're flies? When they actually turn into flies, you can't stand it?"
Balladeer, with a dark face, interrupted Ember, who then unconsciously argued a few sentences.
Balladeer looked at Ember with a gloomy expression. How did this guy know about his past?
Such a thing should only be known by him, Yae Miko, and the Raiden Shogun herself, the three of them.
"Haha, do you know what I've been doing these past few days?" Ember crossed his arms, quite smugly saying to Childe and Balladeer. He practically had the word "showing off" written on his face.
"What?" Childe very appropriately played the straight man.
"That would be a small spar with the Raiden Shogun. A large part of her puppet body was completely exposed before my eyes."
As Ember spoke, his gaze also fell on Balladeer. When the Raiden Shogun's arm first emerged from the Tenshukaku, he felt it looked somewhat familiar.
Ember thought for a long time before realizing that the Raiden Shogun's puppet components seemed to have too high a degree of similarity with Balladeer's.
So he thought Balladeer might be the Raiden Shogun's illegitimate son who had been out in the world. Now it seemed, even if not, it wasn't far off.
"Raiden Shogun, did she use her Musou no Hitotachi?" As soon as combat was mentioned, Childe's attention immediately drifted.
However, Ember merely glanced at Childe, directly pushing him far away.
"Why are you always thinking about fighting? If you have time, why don't you go to Inazuma City and see for yourself?"
"We're talking about serious matters now!"
"I don't think you've ever done anything serious..."
Childe in the distance quietly complained about Ember, while the latter pretended not to hear anything.
Shifting his gaze back to Balladeer, Ember's tone carried a hint of cheerfulness.
"How about it? Can the Fatui still build ships now?"
"Actually, it's fine if you don't build them. It's not difficult for me to throw each of you to Tsurumi Island; I'm just simply too lazy."
Facing Ember's slightly teasing words, Balladeer merely took a deep breath.
"Hoo..."
"The Fatui can build ships now. In ten days, you'll see a new fleet."
With that, Balladeer, as if fleeing, quickly left the place that had stifled him quite a bit.
Watching Balladeer's hasty retreating figure, Ember waved to him:
"I knew you Fatui weren't that simple. But there's one thing I need to remind you."
"Don't think about the Fatui going to Tsurumi Island alone. If you get trapped inside, I won't be responsible at all."
After he finished speaking, the tent fell silent.
Inazuma had never given up its pursuit of Tsurumi Island.
Since Tsurumi Island first appeared in the Shogunate's sight, for thousands of years, the Shogunate had tried countless methods to penetrate Tsurumi Island's mist, but all ended in failure.
This trend only subsided after the Raiden Shogun ordered the cessation of exploration of Tsurumi Island.
Hearing the advice from behind, Balladeer's footsteps paused. Before Ember said this, Balladeer had indeed planned exactly that.
Ten days? With the Fatui's equipment and element power, building a few simple wooden boats wouldn't take that long at all.
And this freed-up time was what Balladeer had set aside to investigate Tsurumi Island with his own people.
When Ember questioned him later, he would just let Childe handle it alone. After all, Childe got into a lot of fights and could take a beating.
But now it seemed that this plan had been seen through by Ember before it was even implemented.
Turning his head to look back at Ember, Balladeer held up three fingers, "I misspoke earlier, three days is enough."
With that, he left the tent.
"Hehe, this is what's called initiative, understand?" Ember heard Balladeer's words and chuckled at Childe.
"Not... quite." Childe shook his head blankly.
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