The little shrine maiden left in shock. That person could be said to represent the will of the Raiden Shogun. In a sense, the Raiden Shogun had personally visited Watatsumi Island.
My goodness, this news is too explosive. I need to hurry and eat to calm myself down.
As for spreading the word… please, she's not stupid. Why would she spread something that seems so confidential?
And that woman's aura is really strong, isn't it? If she gets angry, wouldn't she be even scarier than her own mother?
(How dare you, which woman?)
The scene returned to the study. Shiki pulled up a chair and sat opposite Sangonomiya Kokomi, then took out the bloodbranch coral from her backpack.
"I've obtained the bloodbranch coral. Don't worry, I've made all the preparations. You won't be able to start the trial when you go down to Enkanomiya, so no one will suspect us."
"That's excellent." Sangonomiya Kokomi nodded her head, then said, "After the Watatsumi Misogi Festival ends, I will announce the dissolution of Watatsumi Island's government on the grounds of irreversible sacred land transformation…"
"But the faith in Watatsumi Omikami… that might take some time. He…"
"You can continue to worship Orobas."
Sangonomiya Kokomi hadn't spoken, so Shiki interrupted her.
"Eh?"
"Today in Enkanomiya, I thought carefully. Orobas's position in your hearts is no less than that of Inazuma's Raiden Shogun. I believe it would be too cruel to ask you to completely abandon your faith in Him."
"So you can continue to worship Orobas. Related ceremonies or festivals can also continue to be held."
"However, the number of shrine maidens needs to be reduced, and all shrine maidens will become official Yashiro Commission personnel, for easier management by Inazuma."
Sangonomiya Kokomi's small mouth slightly parted upon hearing this. If it were an ordinary person, their pupils would already be contracting, right?
But unfortunately, there were no pupils in her eyes.
"You… Miss Ryougi, are you serious? Can we really continue to retain our faith in Watatsumi Omikami?"
In her excitement, Sangonomiya Kokomi even forgot to use polite language.
"The ruler's words are not to be taken lightly." Shiki nodded slightly, her calm expression appearing exceptionally serious at this moment.
"Hoo… I apologize. Please forgive my doubt, it's just too surprising."
"Heh heh, after the Enkanomiya incident, perhaps I can understand why General Ei still allowed you to keep your original faith after striking down Orobas with Musou no Hitotachi."
The girl was a little emotional. Perhaps Raiden Ei also thought of some truth about Orobas's invasion to the east, but… who knows?
"In any case, I still have to thank you. I was originally struggling with what reason to use to abolish the faith, but now I finally don't have to think about this matter."
Sangonomiya Kokomi breathed a sigh of relief. She was the current Human God Priestess of Watatsumi Island, yet she had to personally abandon her faith in Watatsumi Omikami and make others abandon it as well. This kind of resolve was not something an ordinary person could possess.
"I guess I've… figured some things out."
"Then I won't disturb you any longer. Someone at home is waiting for me to go back for dinner."
"As for the Watatsumi Misogi Festival… I won't be coming. Also, be careful of the monsters in Enkanomiya. There are many Floating Spirits there."
"Uh…"
Sangonomiya Kokomi's mouth twitched upon hearing this. How could Enkanomiya have such sinister things? Just managing the Floating Spirits on Watatsumi Island was troublesome enough, and now she's being told there will be even more of them in Enkanomiya?
Floating Spirits, these things simply don't fit Teyvat's ecology. They are incredibly heavy yet float in the air, like they're equipped with anti-gravity engines.
The last thing people on Watatsumi Island wanted to do was manage Floating Spirits. Those things are simply absurd.
Sangonomiya Kokomi was wondering whether to recruit some capable Adventurers to clear the Floating Spirits in Enkanomiya, as dealing with just the Floating Spirits on Watatsumi Island was already more troublesome.
And besides Floating Spirits, there are also Bathysmal Vishaps in Enkanomiya.
Shiki stopped upon seeing this, then turned and asked, "No?"
Sangonomiya Kokomi sighed, "Sigh… it's a bit difficult. Watatsumi Island still has too few people."
"I could have the Shogunate send troops to reinforce you, but would those Watatsumi people truly accept aid from the Shogunate?"
As a Sobayonin second only to one person, Shiki could dispatch troops at any time. Tens of thousands of people were a small case; the main issue was Mora.
As everyone knows, Inazuma is very short on money right now.
"If it's charity, we certainly won't accept it, but if it's employment, that's another matter."
"We'll pay to hire a portion of the army. This way, both sides can be considered to have an employment relationship, which they'll accept more easily."
Simply put, it's about saving face.
In the previous war between Watatsumi Island and the Shogunate, the Tenryou Commission had always been at a disadvantage. If Shiki hadn't intervened forcefully to stop the fighting, Nazuchi Beach would have been lost.
In other words, in the eyes of many of the resistance, they were stronger than the Shogunate army, although this was just their illusion.
But as the saying goes, it's not about what you think, it's about what I think.
If I think I'm stronger than you, then I am stronger than you. And if I'm stronger than you but need your aid, what kind of logic is that?
But if money is involved, it's different.
I hired you, I am your boss, the evil Party A. This isn't aid; it makes sense for appearances.
Shiki's gaze towards Sangonomiya Kokomi became somewhat subtle upon hearing this. Are all you Watatsumi people big fools?
This was the first time she had seen someone so eager to give money away.
With her authority, deploying troops was as simple as eating and drinking; the main problem was Mora.
Inazuma has so many projects right now, where would it have spare money to send troops?
If she were to truly provide aid, she would have to find ways to scrape some money together.
But this was great; she hadn't even thought about it, and they were already sending the money over.
As for face… Heh heh, you're already paying people, why care about face?
"If you want to spend money, that's excellent, but let me tell you first, the cost won't be low," Shiki said.
"You'll not only have to bear all the budget expenses for Inazuma's troop deployment, but also pay an additional Reward. After all, you can't just provide food without paying when you hire people, can you?"
"I understand all that. If it's an army of ten thousand, how much Mora would Watatsumi Island need to pay?" Sangonomiya Kokomi asked.
Shiki looked at the other party upon hearing this, thought for a moment, and then said, "For ten thousand people… probably around a billion should be enough?"
"Good!"
Shiki had a feeling… she asked for too little?
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