Iwata's expression was unfriendly, tinged with wariness. "Who are you? Are you with Kuroda?"
Paimon waved her hands frantically. "No, no! We're just ordinary people passing by. We heard an argument and wanted to see what was happening."
Iwata had a sudden realization. "Oh, I see. You've come at a perfect time. Help me judge who's in the right here."
He pointed at Kuroda as he spoke. "This samurai, Kuroda here, is with the Shogunate Army. They've been distributing relief supplies around here, and he's the person in charge."
"Before, all we had to do was find him to get food. Now, he's suddenly stopped. He must have gotten greedy and decided to keep the supplies for himself. But without that food, we'll go hungry!"
[Kujou Sara: The Tenryou Commission is Inazuma's military organization. Even if relief supplies were being distributed, it should be handled by the Kanjou Commission, which is responsible for Inazuma's finances.]
[Paimon: So... the Shogunate Army distributing relief supplies here is fake?]
[Kamisato Ayaka: Regardless of which time period this video clip is from, it's unlikely the Shogunate Army would be handling relief distribution.]
[Ningguang: Then what's the story with the relief supplies? Could Kuroda have been providing the food with his own money?]
[Paimon: Why would you say that, Ningguang?]
[Ningguang: Since it wasn't an official distribution, it must have been a private one. The funding would have to come from either Kuroda himself or someone behind him.]
[Paimon: Oh, I see! Ningguang, you're really smart!]
[Ningguang: As a major businesswoman, I am also one of the Liyue Qixing, handling many of Liyue's administrative affairs. Naturally, I understand such matters a little more.]
In the video...
Yuuya angrily exclaimed, "No one considered our feelings at all! We used to think he was a decent person with a conscience. Now it seems he's just as bad as the other samurai. No wonder even his Vision was confiscated. Surely the Raiden Shogun wouldn't want someone like him assisting her either."
Paimon was bewildered. 'So this samurai is the person Ayaka mentioned? But why would Ayaka want us to help this kind of person? We should ask this Kuroda samurai what he thinks.'
Lumine voiced her suspicion, but Kuroda seemed clueless. "What relief supplies? I've never even heard of such a thing. I don't know where these people got some rumor from and decided to come try and extort me. Ridiculous. If I had relief supplies I could embezzle, would I be living in poverty like this?"
"I can barely put food on my own table. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to do."
Lumine spoke. "I heard you lost your Vision."
Kuroda replied, "That part is true. The Shogunate Army said I was dissatisfied with the Vision Hunt Decree, that I'd been slacking off in my duties. They said I'd let the Raiden Shogun down, so they took my Vision."
Paimon asked, "That's strange. You were an enforcer of the Decree. Why would you be dissatisfied with it?"
Kuroda scratched his head. "Well... to be honest, I don't really remember."
"I just recall that back then, I seemed to do something every month. But now I have no desire to do it anymore. Not only do I not remember, I also have a vague feeling of discomfort, like someone owes me something."
Paimon pressed, "Was it related to the relief supplies?"
This seemed to touch a sore spot. Kuroda reacted strongly. "I didn't take any relief supplies! Like I said, if I could have taken relief supplies, who would want to live a hard life like mine?"
[Ningguang: Now, I know the truth.]
[Paimon: You figured it out already?]
[Lumine: I have a guess too.]
[Arataki Itto: Hold on, what are you all talking about? I don't get any of it!]
[Klee: Klee doesn't understand either.]
[Ningguang: First, the distribution of relief supplies did indeed happen. Losing a Vision means losing one's ambition and the memories tied to it. Kuroda lost his Vision. And Kuroda has no recollection of the relief supplies. Combining these three points, the answer is clear. Kuroda's ambition was to help the villagers here.]
[Alhaitham: Hmm. I have reached a similar hypothesis.]
[Furina: Such a simple matter. I can see it too.]
[Zhongli: The one who truly helped the villagers is now being accused by them. Sigh...]
Kuroda continued, "Besides, my house was just ransacked by Treasure Hoarders. Right, I was chasing the Treasure Hoarders when I got stopped here."
"If you don't believe me, go teach those Treasure Hoarders a lesson and ask them if there were any relief supplies in my house!"
Paimon rested her chin on her hand thoughtfully. "Hmm... He doesn't seem like he's lying. But we can't be sure either. Let's go catch a Treasure Hoarder and ask."
Following the traces left by the Treasure Hoarders, Lumine and Paimon quickly found them.
Treasure Hoarder: Axian exclaimed, "Boss, today's haul seems pretty good!"
"Those samurai households we hit, except for one that was especially poor, were basically overflowing with wealth. We're gonna be rich!"
[Ningguang: That 'especially poor' one must be Kuroda.]
[Keqing: Kuroda had his Vision confiscated precisely because he was on the people's side, wasn't he? He didn't want to take people's Visions.]
[Paimon: And in the end, his own Vision was taken?]
[Venti: There is no freedom here. Even the wind has ceased to flow.]
[Zhongli: Generally speaking, freedom is the eternal price that must be paid.]
Treasure Hoarder: Tadashi boasted, "This bit of money is nothing! It's just the first step for us brothers on the road to riches!"
"Starting tomorrow, I'll lead you to make a name for ourselves in the treasure-hunting trade. We'll spread our fame far and wide!"
Paimon declared, "Looks like they're the Treasure Hoarders we're after. Let's go teach them a lesson!"
The Treasure Hoarders were no match for Lumine. They were soon beaten to a pulp, groveling on the ground.
Treasure Hoarder: Axian wailed, "Darn it, how did this happen? My money... that was money we worked so hard to steal..."
"Boss, quick, think of something!"
Treasure Hoarder: Tadashi thought for a moment, then said to Lumine, "Ahem... I see you've got some skills. Interested in joining the Treasure Hoarders? We could accomplish great things together!"
[Furina: Well, well. If you can't beat them, invite them to join.]
[Navia: I have to say, it's quite the 'brilliant plan'.]
[Charlotte: Surely no one with a sense of justice would agree?]
[Navia: That's why I put 'brilliant plan' in quotes. It's a terrible move, really.]
[Ningguang: A simple beating isn't enough for such people. They should be sent to a Liyue prison for proper rehabilitation.]
[Kujou Sara: The Tenryou Commission's prisons hold precisely this type of person.]
Lumine demanded, "I want to know about Kuroda."
Tadashi thought. "Kuroda... oh, right, I remember now. So you're sent by him. What rotten luck. I shouldn't have bothered stopping by his place."
Paimon asked, "What was Kuroda's house like? Lots of food, right?"
Tadashi replied, "Food? None at all. And his place was a mess. There was this ornate-looking box, though. I figured there must be treasure inside. I was going to open it later, but worried someone else might snatch it. Since you've caught us, how about we trade that box for our freedom? Deal?"
Paimon replied haughtily, "I suppose that's showing some sincerity. Hurry up and open it."
Inside the box were not treasures, but IOUs!
[Keqing: To help the villagers, he even incurred debts? Those debts should rightfully be borne by the villagers themselves.]
[Ningguang: Indeed.]
[Zhongli: Generally speaking, I do not approve of Kuroda's method of assistance. However, I acknowledge the kindness in his heart.]
[Ningguang: As an ancient Liyue saying goes, 'Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.' Rather than simply handing them food, it's better to teach them how to earn a living. For the elderly or those with difficulties, direct aid is appropriate. But for able-bodied adults, effective help would be assisting them in finding suitable work. As a Tenryou Commission samurai, he should have been able to help in that regard as well.]
[Lumine: Kuroda had a kind heart, but he lacked experience like Lady Ningguang's.]
[Ningguang: My experience also comes entirely from failures. I have failed too many times. It is only because I never gave up that I became the Ningguang I am today.]
[Furina: I also hope this failure doesn't crush Kuroda. I wouldn't like that ending.]
[Wriothesley: Haha! Someone who once possessed a Vision wouldn't be defeated so easily.]
Seeing the IOUs inside, everyone was shocked.
Paimon exclaimed, "There are so many IOUs inside... They seem to be written to a shopkeeper, Miss Aoi! He owes a lot of money!"
"What's going on here? Let's go to the general store and ask."
Paimon put her hands on her hips and glared fiercely at the three Treasure Hoarders. "Hey, you lot, get lost! Don't let me catch you next time!"
Axian stammered, "Yes, yes! Thank you, little master!"
Ahao pondered, "We traded those IOUs for our freedom... does that count as us making a profit?"
[Zhongli: Upon reflection, it indeed does.]
[Furina: What a peculiar line of thought.]
[Paimon: These Treasure Hoarders are hilarious!]
They arrived at Miss Aoi's shop.
Miss Aoi greeted them warmly. "'Ninety-Nine' has everything a customer could desire. What would you like to buy? Or perhaps you wish to inquire about something?"
Lumine handed over the IOUs. "These IOUs..."
Aoi smiled. "Ah, so you're friends of Mr. Kuroda. Have you come to repay his debts on his behalf?"
Paimon waved her hands again. "No, no! We're just here to ask about the origin of these IOUs. Why does Kuroda owe so much money? Did he buy something expensive here?"
Aoi thought for a moment before answering. "Mr. Kuroda regularly purchased large quantities of food supplies from us. At first, he used his own salary. But recently, food prices have risen. His salary was no longer enough, so he started writing us IOUs, taking goods on credit to obtain the same amount of food."
Paimon understood. "So that's where the relief supplies came from! But why did Kuroda insist on buying the same amount of food? If prices rose, couldn't he just buy less?"
Aoi replied seriously, "Think about it, customer. Before receiving the relief supplies, the people must have repeatedly calculated how long the food would last them. They budgeted carefully, checking and rechecking day and night. If they received less than expected, Mr. Kuroda believed it would cause them great disappointment."
"To spare them that feeling, Mr. Kuroda preferred to go into debt to provide the same quantity."
[Navia: Even when Kuroda himself was struggling to get by, he was still thinking of the people. Mr. Kuroda is undoubtedly a man of great benevolence and righteousness.]
[Paimon: You're the same kind of person, right, Navia? For Poisson, the people there love you dearly.]
[Navia: Poisson is my home, and I love it deeply. However, our philosophy of helping others aligns with Lady Ningguang's.]
[Paimon: The people of Poisson love you very much too.]
Paimon was deeply moved. "He bought all that food himself... They didn't thank him; instead, they keep blaming him..."
Aoi responded, "People's attitudes often depend on their circumstances. When survival is at stake, most don't have the luxury to consider such things."
"In my view, if Kuroda had revealed the source of the relief supplies from the beginning, he might have fewer troubles now... though only slightly fewer. What he did was inherently a thankless task."
[Ningguang: I understand this deeply. Once in Liyue, there was a wealthy merchant who funded the education of many children. One day, the merchant fell ill and couldn't pay the Mora on time. The children's parents came to his door demanding payment. The steward explained the merchant was ill. The parents showed no concern, instead质问ing, 'Even if he's sick, he can't forget to give us our money!' Upon learning this, the merchant's heart turned to ash. He passed away within days. After his death, not a single one of the children he funded attended his funeral. In fact, the merchant had left a will to continue funding children who showed gratitude. Sadly, there were none. This is what the Liyue saying refers to: 'An ounce of kindness is remembered, a bushel is taken for granted and breeds resentment.']
[Paimon: Ah! That's so infuriating!]
[Kamisato Ayaka: I am equally outraged.]
[Keqing: So, Ningguang, do you now only impart knowledge?]
[Ningguang: Sharing my experience with them is already enough.]
"As for why he spent his own money on relief supplies, or why he was unwilling to leave his name to be thanked... I don't know. If you're curious, why not ask Mr. Kuroda directly?"
Lumine said, "He doesn't remember either."
Aoi remarked, "Now that you mention it, I heard his Vision was recently confiscated. That complicates things. If Mr. Kuroda can't repay his debts, he'll probably have to sell that sword he treasures so much."
Paimon asked curiously, "Sword? What sword?"
Aoi replied, "Didn't Mr. Kuroda tell you? He has a very precious sword he always carries. I once asked him about its origin. He said it was a gift from his father and that he would never sell it for any price. I found that a bit regrettable at the time. In my view, everything in this world has a price. As long as you offer the right amount, you should be able to buy anything. You could ask Mr. Kuroda about the sword. Perhaps the answer you seek lies with that blade."
"Of course, before that, please settle the bill for this transaction."
Paimon's eyes widened. "But we didn't buy anything!"
Aoi chuckled lightly. "Isn't information also a form of goods?"
"However, information about Kuroda isn't expensive. After all, Mr. Kuroda never asked us to keep it secret. Let me think... Two thousand Mora will suffice."
[Baizhu: Ten thousand Mora is enough to pay for information five times over.]
[Zhongli: Viewed in that light, ten thousand Mora is indeed not a small sum.]
[Tartaglia: Wait a minute... Shouldn't I be the one worrying about ten thousand Mora? After all, I'm the one footing the bill here.]
[Paimon: Tartaglia has a pretty clear understanding of his own situation!]