Komore Teahouse.
Raiden Makoto did not even have a Vision, and from his appearance, he was just a frail Lady. How could Kamisato Ayaka want him to participate in combat? Besides, opposing the Vision Hunt Decree did not necessarily require fighting.
"Makoto, before I tell you about the Vision Hunt Decree, let me take you to see an object first."
"Is it the statue of the thousand-armed and hundred-eyed god?"
Raiden Makoto's guess stunned Kamisato Ayaka. She parted her lips, slightly surprised, "You know about it?"
"Thoma once told me that the Raiden Shogun collects the Visions of Inazuma for the purpose of building the statue of the thousand-armed and hundred-eyed god."
That was somewhat like Qin Shi Huang unifying the world back then, confiscating weapons from all nations to forge bronze statues. In essence, it was exactly the same; both were for the sake of better governance.
"Mm."
"Visions are only produced and obtained when people have strong desires. The existence of the Vision Hunt Decree is effectively stripping the people of Inazuma of their desires. Fundamentally speaking, such an order is unreasonable."
"I once met three people who had lost their Visions. Their lives now... sigh..." Kamisato Ayaka could not help but sigh. That was actually the very reason she was resisting the Vision Hunt Decree issued by the Raiden Shogun. Even the Raiden Shogun, the God of Inazuma, could not strip others of their desires.
"You can speak freely here, Makoto, there is no need to worry. Only people related to the Yashiro Commission can enter and exit the Komore Teahouse freely; there will not be any outsiders." Seeing that Raiden Makoto seemed hesitant to speak, Kamisato Ayaka offered a reminder.
The Komore Teahouse where they were currently located was indeed a place where only those related to the Yashiro Commission could enter and leave freely; no one else could enter at all.
"Mm."
"We have discussed this before: if the Raiden Shogun issued an incorrect order, and it was because other departments capable of submitting information conveyed the wrong information, then Ayaka, who do you think conveyed the incorrect information?" Raiden Makoto said thoughtfully. Since he had already decided to help Kamisato Ayaka resist the Vision Hunt Decree, he would put his heart and soul into it.
Besides, he knew exactly what life was like for those who had been stripped of their desires.
"Who conveyed the incorrect information?" Kamisato Ayaka was stunned for a moment, then she said somewhat seriously, "Only people from the Three Commissions can convey information to the Shogun."
"The Yashiro Commission can be completely ruled out, so that leaves only the Kanjou Commission and the Tenryou Commission."
"Ayaka, can you tell me about the affairs that the other two Commissions are responsible for?" Raiden Makoto nodded.
"The Tenryou Commission is responsible for all security affairs in Inazuma, and the Kanjou Commission is responsible for the finances of Inazuma. As for our Yashiro Commission..."
"Mm." Raiden Makoto actually already had the answer in his heart; it was almost ready to come out. "Then Ayaka, think carefully. Who benefits the most from the Vision Hunt Decree? And who is executing it?"
"You mean... the Tenryou Commission?" Kamisato Ayaka slowly widened her eyes, her ice-blue eyes filled with shock. "Why would the Tenryou Commission do that?"
"How many times have you seen the Raiden Shogun? Can you tell me what the Raiden Shogun is like?"
"She... seems to have weak emotions. Rather than a ruler, she is more like an executor of decisions."
"Is that so?"
Relying solely on Raiden Makoto's understanding of The Seven, Gods should not be devoid of emotion. Before setting aside their respective statuses, The Seven were just normal Gods. From Venti, one could see that Gods were sometimes not even reliable.
But based on Kamisato Ayaka's account, Raiden Makoto could not determine anything, but he could make a bold guess.
"What if... what if that Raiden Shogun you have seen is not the real Raiden Shogun? But rather a replacement."
"The Raiden Shogun is not the real Raiden Shogun?" Kamisato Ayaka looked at Raiden Makoto in shock. "Makoto, you really dare to think."
"Yeah, Makoto, you really dare to think. How could the Raiden Shogun not be the real Raiden Shogun? If that were really the case, we would all have discovered it, right?" Thoma naturally agreed with his Demoiselle's words. As for Raiden Makoto's guess, he just smiled.
"Besides, if the Raiden Shogun were not the real Raiden Shogun, it could not be that someone from the Tenryou Commission created a fake Raiden Shogun to deceive everyone's sight, right?"
"No, the one who created the Raiden Shogun might be the real Raiden Shogun, and the real Raiden Shogun is behind the scenes. She no longer manages affairs, so the Raiden Shogun you see is that emotionally closed-off one. Based on the information I know, Gods do not lose their emotions."
"From the stories you have told, I can also judge that although the Raiden Shogun is a childish God, she still loves the people of Inazuma."
"So, putting it all together, I have come to this guess. As for whether it is true or false, it is impossible to determine right now." He only felt that the Raiden Shogun on the surface did not seem like a normal God, but rather like a puppet. Yes, a puppet.
"Ayaka, how do you plan to resist the Vision Hunt Decree? Are there others in Inazuma resisting the Vision Hunt Decree?"
"We have always been hiding the owners of Visions and creating fake Visions in case of emergencies."
"As for others resisting the Vision Hunt Decree, of course there are. Many Vision holders have already gone to the Sangonomiya Shrine on Watatsumi Island and become part of the resistance." Kamisato Ayaka said thoughtfully. "So, do you have any opinions, Makoto?"
"Hiding Vision owners and making fake Visions for emergencies are just treating the symptoms, not the root cause. Only by actually getting the Vision Hunt Decree cancelled will everything be resolved."
"First, investigate the Tenryou Commission in secret."
"Second, contact the resistance and negotiate with them. If the resistance's goal is only to oppose the Vision Hunt Decree, then it should be possible to reach an agreement." Raiden Makoto said thoughtfully. Uniting all forces that could be united was naturally better.
"Investigating the Tenryou Commission... we can do that, but contacting the resistance—Thoma and I are both people of the Kamisato Clan of the Yashiro Commission. If we are exposed, it will implicate the Kamisato Clan. We cannot do that."
"Miss, I think we can wait until the Clan Head returns before we discuss it in detail. It just so happens that the Clan Head is returning today." Thoma was watching from the side; he had naturally been thinking about it the whole time.
"Brother..."
"Mm."
"Hmm... Makoto, do you want to eat? Let's wait for Brother to return before discussing those matters." Kamisato felt a little embarrassed. She... she seemed to be a little hungry. A flush appeared on her fair, pretty face.
"Sure, it's a good opportunity for me to show off my culinary skills for you."
To be honest, she was not quite used to the food in Inazuma; she still preferred Chinese food.
"Makoto, you... you are going to cook for us?!" Kamisato Ayaka widened her eyes, looking at Raiden Makoto with anticipation.
"Mm."
"That... that would be wonderful!"
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