"Is, is that so?"
"Of course! Do you think the air has been helping me all this time?"
Shiki said, gently embracing the girl. The latter was slightly startled but quickly reacted, wrapping her arms around the former's slender waist.
...
The next morning, after breakfast, Shiki went to the Tenshukaku alone. She intended to dispatch ten thousand people to assist Watatsumi Island.
After much thought, Shiki decided to let Kujou Sara lead the team. As for the reason... it was simply because there was no one else.
The bunch of good-for-nothings Kujou Takayuki promoted were utterly useless!
The truly capable people were all at the bottom, but Shiki didn't know who these talented individuals were, so she could only send Kujou Sara, who was the most familiar and capable.
Fortunately, the Kujou Clan was no more. Without the issue of cronyism, those capable individuals would quickly rise on their own, for gold always shines.
"My Lady!"
"Hmm, I'm looking for Kujou Sara. Where is she?"
"Kujou Sara should be resting at the training grounds now. She just returned from Araumi yesterday."
"Then go tell her to lead ten thousand samurai to assist Watatsumi Island."
"Remember, it's assistance. The war between the two sides has already ended. Don't act on impulse!"
Shiki's expression was serious, and the Okurumashu immediately responded.
"Understood, My Lady!"
From the looks of it, the Ketsuroku Onmyo Bureau should have concluded. Otherwise, given Kujou Sara's personality, she wouldn't have returned from Araumi.
As for the Ketsuroku Onmyo Bureau, Shiki didn't find it particularly interesting anymore.
Her initial interest in it was because Onmyōdō was developed by Tadatsune Harunosuke based on Liyue's adeptal arts. Shiki wanted to see if she could deduce the adeptal arts from Onmyōdō.
But now, she had already extracted adeptal energy herself based on Yae Miko's words, so naturally, Onmyōdō no longer held her interest.
If one wanted to learn adeptal arts, wouldn't it be better to go directly to Liyue and find the 'Very Talkative True Monarch'? Or make a deal with Morax, like helping a short young man eliminate his karmic debts?
The adeptal arts obtained this way would not only be comprehensive but also come with a dedicated person to explain them. Wouldn't that be much better than blindly studying a'son' version of Onmyōdō?
The matter of troop deployment was temporarily concluded. The subsequent task of mobilizing warships to Watatsumi Island was no longer her concern; that was the Tenshukaku's responsibility.
The Tenryou Commission had now become a department for maintaining public order. The army was now directly under Raiden Ei, and no one else could command it except for her and Shiki.
The Tenryou Commission's personnel were drastically cut, with seventy percent of their number being reclassified as directly subordinate to the Shogun, and the rest were responsible for maintaining public order in Inazuma City.
The original responsibilities of the Tenryou Commission were inherently unreasonable. Could a single Tenryou Commission manage the army of the entire Inazuma?
The Kanjou Commission was the same, managing all finances within Inazuma, allowing them to embezzle as much as they pleased. This simply wouldn't do!
In any case, Shiki felt it was unacceptable, so she castrated the powers of both Commissions, especially the Tenryou Commission, which suffered the most.
It was also fortunate that this was a place where everything could be suppressed by force, otherwise Raiden Ei, that simpleton, would have been hollowed out long ago.
Returning to the Kamisato Estate, Shiki found the official responsible for liaising with the Anbu and asked, "How are things going with the matter I asked you to investigate yesterday?"
"Reporting, My Lady, it's all here."
The Yashiro Commission official said, presenting a scroll. Shiki didn't stand on ceremony, directly tearing open the seal and reading it.
'Kobayashi Sakura, a resident of Higi Village, Yashiori Island. Father: Kobayashi Kumata. Mother: Kobayashi Katsura (formerly Mita Katsura).'
'That girl is from Higi Village? But why is she in Inazuma City? There's Kannazuka in between!'
Shiki was very confused. For ordinary people, there were only two ways to get from Yashiori Island to Inazuma City.
One way was to take a boat directly from Yashiori Island to Narukami Island. The second way was to walk through Nazuchi Beach to Kannazuka, and then take a boat from Kannazuka to Narukami Island.
Both methods required a boat, but how could a nine-year-old girl afford a boat ticket?
As for rowing herself, that was even more impossible. Not to mention how to navigate at sea, with those small arms and legs, could she even make the boat move?
So she could only have hitchhiked. As for whether she stowed away or was brought over by someone, it was still unknown.
However, judging from her numerous injuries, Shiki leaned more towards her having stowed away.
As for how to figure out the reason, the first step, of course, was to pay a visit to her parents.
Regardless of the reason that led her to cross half of Inazuma from Yashiori Island and arrive in Inazuma City covered in injuries, her parents bore an undeniable responsibility.
Zzzzt
Lightning appeared in her hand. Shiki clenched her fist, and with flashing electric arcs, the scroll turned to ash and scattered from her hand.
At the same time, a figure suddenly appeared beside the Statue of the Seven on Yashiori Island.
Shiki looked at Higi Village not far away. Without the influence of the Tatarigami and war, this village was much livelier and looked like a very peaceful place, provided the matter of Kobayashi Sakura hadn't happened.
Don't misunderstand, she came to Higi Village to find the Kobayashi couple not to orchestrate some family reunion drama, but to clarify the underlying reasons.
A nine-year-old child crossing half of Inazuma to Narukami Island, the events involved must be more complicated than they appeared on the surface.
Another point was that if this couple had abandoned the child or engaged in domestic violence, then they should be told not to bother Kobayashi Sakura again, to avoid further distress.
"Miss Ryougi?"
A somewhat familiar voice sounded from behind Shiki. The girl turned around and was slightly startled when she clearly saw the person.
"You are... Yasumoto?"
"Yes, yes!"
"You've changed quite a bit. I almost didn't recognize you."
"Heh, it's mainly because I changed my hairstyle, and I haven't shaved for quite some time. It's already good that you could recognize me," Yasumoto said indifferently.
"By the way, why did you come to Higi Village?"
"I'm looking for someone. Do you know where the Kobayashi couple lives?"
Shiki didn't hide her purpose and stated it openly.
Yasumoto thought for a moment, "Kobayashi... that surname sounds a bit familiar. They should be in the northern part of the village, but I'm not sure which specific house."
"It's fine, a general idea is enough. Also, who is the current village chief of Higi Village?"
The original village chief was Washizu, who went mad from a Tatarigami infection and was eventually slain by Shiki. Over a month had passed, and Higi Village should have a new village chief.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"