Good news for the Narukami Festival: fresh off the Seven Archons' Banquet, outer sea threats stayed quiet—no god dared stir. Bad news: funding was tight. The Banquet's massive material and military purchases, plus billions of Mora for Sumeru scholars, strained the Shogunate's coffers, leaving the festival budget short.
"Substandard ceremonial garb? Unacceptable," Reisen Riou told the festival attire official, exasperated. "What about reusing last year's?"
"Impossible! Such a grand event demands perfection," the official snapped, looking ready to die before compromising. Even invoking Narukami's name didn't sway him.
"How big's the gap?" Reisen Riou asked.
"Three hundred million Mora, but we'll waive labor costs—230 million total," the official said. "These are top-tier materials in huge quantities."
Inazuma's annual revenue was mere tens of billions; 230 million was steep. Checking his assets, Reisen Riou asked, "How tight's the timeline?"
"A month, even with ample craftsmen," the official replied.
"Start on credit. I'll handle the funds," Reisen Riou said, heading home. Lately, he and Yae Miko were swamped with festival prep, unlike Torachiyo, spared only by her recent return. She still managed Yougou Mountain's youkai and regional unrest. The Tri-Commission was busier—Reisen Riou's friends, the Tenryou and Yashiro Commission heads, applied for retirement, overwhelmed, but Makoto delayed their exit until after the festival.
To cover the shortfall, Reisen Riou tapped Ritou Shrine's wealth. As a prosperous hub, the shrine owned vast lands, top farmers, and covertly controlled major businesses, with loyal local clans. Decades of gains couldn't yield hundreds of billions, but billions were feasible. Via signal tower, he consulted Anko Renrei, agreeing to donate through public accounts. Anko would escort the Mora during her festival visit, routing it through the Grand Narukami Shrine, Yashiro Commission, and Shogunate. With Makoto's recent anti-corruption crackdown and ongoing Tri-Commission audits, no one dared skim. The funds resolved the attire crisis, with millions left for hosting Sumeru scholars.
The scholars, done with initial surveys, were paused by the Shogunate to join the festival, soaking in Inazuma's culture. Local guides and samurai escorts, fearing pirates and monsters, insisted. The scholars' ship faced three pirate attacks en route—bad timing during a pirate surge.
Thus, Inazuma hosted its 1,400th recorded Narukami Festival. Raiden Makoto led in person, a rarity, with Yae Miko as attendant shrine maiden and Torachiyo as general. Reisen Riou, recording Makoto's every move, etched festival scenes with Electro, capturing the vibrancy. Behind them trailed Anko Renrei, other shrine maidens, samurai generals, Electro-Vision-wielding Okuzume radiating authority, and Tenryou Commission Hatamoto, many Vision holders. Only the Tri-Commission heads and Ei, the hidden Shadow Warrior, skipped the event, Ei neutralizing threats from the shadows.
In Inazuma City, Sumeru scholars—led by Bai, Dainon, and Mondstadt exchange student Andre—marveled. "That's the Raiden Shogun? So unlike our gentle Greater Lord Rukkhadevata—too majestic," Bai said.
"I thought all gods were kind like Rukkhadevata," Dainon added.
"They're so stern—intimidating," Andre noted.
"You're lucky to see your gods," Andre sighed. "Mondstadt's different."
"Didn't the Grand Master meet Barbatos at the Banquet?" Bai asked.
"He vanished afterward," Andre said.
"Classic Barbatos," Dainon laughed. "Sorry, Andre—condolences."
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