"I do have a way to break the deadlock!"
Yuto's words were like heavenly music to Kujou Sara's ears, instantly revitalizing her spirit.
"However, this method doesn't guarantee 100% success, but it's definitely worth trying. One part of it will require your help."
"You can rest assured, I will agree to any condition you set."
"I heard that your Tenryou Commission will be holding some kind of Vision Hunt Ceremony soon, right? The Raiden Shogun will also be attending?"
"Yes, it's a ceremony specially organized by the Kujou Clan Head to celebrate the confiscation of the hundredth Vision. The purpose, I suppose, is to showcase the phased achievements of the Vision Hunt Decree, and also to take credit with the Shogun.
Originally, the number of Visions confiscated had already exceeded one hundred, but due to the incident of counterfeit Visions, after a thorough investigation, many fake Visions were discovered. Now, the number of genuine Visions confiscated is only ninety-nine.
Currently, the Tenryou Commission is working hard on the confiscation. As soon as the hundredth Vision is collected, the Vision Hunt Ceremony will be arranged immediately. However, the Vision Hunt Decree has been in effect for so long that Vision holders within Inazuma City have largely been screened already."
"I heard that to make up the number, the Tenryou Commission even confiscated the Visions of their own army. It's quite absurd, really. While Watatsumi Island is frantically reinforcing its strength, the Shogunate Army is actively weakening its own combat power in various ways. No wonder the fighting is so intense. I suppose the Vision holders who can still be confiscated in Inazuma City now must all be people of unusual status, right?
Let me count: you, the Guuji of Grand Narukami Shrine, then the Kamisato siblings of the Yashiro Commission, their steward Thoma, Sayu from the Shuumatsuban... Looking at it this way, the Tenryou Commission's people will probably target the Kamisato Clan. Kamisato Ayato and Kamisato Ayaka are too high-ranking to be touched. Sayu practices ninjutsu in Chinju Forest year-round, and she has the Grand Narukami Shrine backing her, so you wouldn't dare cause trouble there. That leaves only Thoma as the most likely target."
"Does Mr. Yuto mean... we should warn Thoma to be careful?"
"No! Quite the opposite, you must capture Thoma. If you don't capture Thoma, how can this Vision Hunt Ceremony be held?"
"Ah? Did this steward of the Kamisato Clan offend you somehow?"
"Not exactly an offense, but he has indeed unintentionally become part of the plan. I will take action during the Vision Hunt Ceremony, and what you need to do is bring everyone in Inazuma City whose Visions have been confiscated to observe this ceremony. The more people, the better. If possible, even those whose Visions haven't been confiscated yet can be brought over."
"Call all of them to attend this ceremony? This... might be a bit difficult to achieve." These people had their Visions confiscated by them, and now they were expected to watch their own Visions become part of a statue. This was practically killing someone and then tormenting their soul.
"Hmm? Then I don't care. Let the Raiden Shogun slaughter the people of Watatsumi Island. After all, two different faiths in one country are inherently a recipe for disaster."
"Oh, oh, oh! Alright! I'll go talk to them, I'll make sure they attend." Yuto's words directly blocked Kujou Sara's retreat, forcing her to reluctantly agree. She decided to lose face and drag them to the scene if she had to.
"Heh heh, there's no need to be so pessimistic. You just need to tell them that if they want their Visions back, they must attend the Vision Hunt Ceremony on that day. If they don't come, even if the Vision Hunt Decree is lifted later, their Visions will not be returned."
"Is that so? Then I'm confident I can get them to come."
"Additionally, this matter must be handled discreetly. Do not let the Kujou Clan detect anything unusual. During this time, you should act as you normally would."
"Actually, I wanted to go and question the Clan Head. The Kujou Clan has served the Shogun for centuries, and the Clan Head himself holds the Shogun in great reverence and admiration. Why would he choose to betray her?"
"Heh, is that so hard to understand? You just said it yourself, Kujou Takayuki's admiration for the Raiden Shogun, his worship of the Musou no Hitotachi, has reached a fanatical, abnormal level. In his eyes, all the Fatui's schemes against Inazuma would crumble before the Raiden Shogun's lightning.
Since that's the case, wouldn't the Fatui choosing to cooperate with him simply be giving him money for free? He can gain strong support from foreign powers and also use the Vision Hunt Decree to weaken the influence of his enemies. It's a profitable deal, so why wouldn't he do it?
He probably doesn't see this as a betrayal of the Raiden Shogun, but rather a sign of trust in her. You might think Kujou Takayuki is being used by the Fatui, but he would think he's using the Fatui. On Inazuma's soil, once the divine lightning strikes, they are just a bunch of trembling ants.
If you want Kujou Clan Head to give you an explanation, then wait until everything settles down before you ask him."
"...Alright."
At the same time, at Komore Teahouse, Lumine, Paimon, Ayaka, and Thoma were holding a celebration feast for successfully rescuing Master Masaru. Thoma, as the life of the party, even enthusiastically suggested a new hotpot game he had recently learned.
The hotpot game, simply put, involved everyone preparing different ingredients, putting them all into a pot to cook, then closing their eyes and taking turns fishing out food from the pot. While tasting, they would guess who put it in. The person who guessed correctly would get another turn, and the person with the highest score at the end would receive the blessing of the Hotpot God.
Paimon, the foodie, chose normal dishes, such as fresh fish slices, shrimp, and bamboo shoots. Lumine, with a hint of mischief, chose some dark dishes, like devil-level jueyun chili, super-salty ham, and even Ice Mist Flower stamens.
As for Thoma, he also prepared some strange foods, like sumeru roses and pickled herring. And Ayaka, as the Demoiselle, chose some foods that are delicious on their own, like small cakes and Sanshoku Dango—but these were going into a hotpot!
One can imagine what the hotpot broth turned into: spicy, fresh, savory, sweet, bitter, and salty. It was possible to taste so many flavors from a single hotpot.
In short, after a heart-stopping hotpot session, Thoma, who ate the most and scored the highest, began to suffer from severe stomach cramps, feeling like his life was flashing before his eyes.
After some rest, Thoma finally came back to life. It was Paimon who reminded him: "Actually, you don't have to try so hard. If you intentionally answer a few wrong, you can pass the ball to others."
"Haha, actually, I've been feeling like my luck hasn't been great lately, and I wanted to get the blessing of the Hotpot God to turn things around. I can feel that after all this trouble, my bad luck has run out.
By the way, I heard that the Tenryou Commission seems to be preparing some kind of celebration or ceremony recently. It's strange, why would something like a ceremony be entrusted to the Tenryou Commission to organize? Shouldn't they come to us, the Yashiro Commission? I plan to use these few days of vacation to go to the Tenryou Commission and inquire about the situation."
Oh, wow! If Yuto were here, he would definitely say: This, my friends, is what you call walking right into a trap.
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