Kokomi said calmly, "In Sumeru City, the people most likely to know Lesser Lord Kusanali are probably the six sages of the Akademiya. If a sage steps forward to introduce you to Lesser Lord Kusanali, then meeting her would be a natural progression."
Paimon: "Oh, right! But we don't know any of the sages from the Akademiya. We're just foreigners who just arrived. It would be too difficult to get an introduction from a sage."
After Lumine heard Kokomi's second method, she immediately thought of something and looked towards Miyashiro.
Miyashiro saw the expectant look in Lumine's eyes and laughed, "What? Are you setting your sights on me?"
Lumine: "Miyashiro, you are now the Inazuma Regent. Your purpose in coming to Sumeru should be to establish diplomatic relations, right? Then you must have a chance to speak with the sages."
Paimon belatedly said, "Huh! That's right! I always forget that you're already the Inazuma Regent, Miyashiro. In terms of diplomatic protocol, the people representing Sumeru must be sages or the Grand Sage to be considered equals.
Miyashiro, please help Lumine."
Paimon's childishly sweet coaxing and charming towards Miyashiro caught him a bit off guard.
Miyashiro sighed and said, "Lumine, Paimon, sometimes I wish our friendship could be purer, without other emotions mixed in.
You're right, my purpose in coming to Sumeru this time is to establish diplomatic relations with Sumeru. In diplomatic negotiations between nations, if we make one more request, we must pay one more price.
Of course, I can introduce you to the Grand Sage to meet Lesser Lord Kusanali, but to get the Grand Sage to agree to this, Inazuma might have to pay a greater price. As the Inazuma Regent, I cannot use Inazuma's interests to do you a favor."
After Lumine and Paimon heard Miyashiro's words, the atmosphere on the scene suddenly became oppressive. Although Miyashiro rejected their request, they understood his explanation.
Favors mixed with political factors are the hardest to accept.
Paimon said somewhat dejectedly, "Oh, I see. Well, alright."
Miyashiro glanced in Kokomi's direction and saw her winking at him and nodding. Miyashiro immediately understood and said, "Haha, don't be so disheartened. Given our relationship, I will mention this during the negotiations with Sumeru and see their reaction.
If Sumeru makes an exorbitant demand, I can only decline for now, but if Sumeru only proposes some trivial requests, then agreeing to it would be fine."
Miyashiro's answer gave Lumine and Miyashiro a feeling of light at the end of the tunnel, and happy smiles reappeared on their faces.
Paimon: "Really? Miyashiro, you're such a good person."
Lumine: "Thank you, I owe you a favor."
Miyashiro waved his hand and said, "Don't mention it. Meeting each other in a foreign land is also a kind of fate, so we should naturally help each other out.
Oh, right, our sailors just said that it might take two or three days to repair this ship, so we'll be staying in Vimara Village for two more days. You can go to Sumeru City first to inquire about the situation. If there are other solutions, then all the better. If not, at least I'll still have your back."
Lumine: "Hmm, Tighnari also recommended someone from the Amurta School to us. If all else fails, we can also ask Katheryne for help."
Paimon: "Oh, right, we're old friends with Katheryne. Although we haven't met Sumeru's Katheryne yet, the Adventurers' Guild will definitely have some ways."
Miyashiro: "Alright, the banquet is about to begin. Let's go."
When it came to food, Paimon couldn't sit still and immediately echoed excitedly, "Yay! I'm going to have a big feast."
It was called a banquet, but it was essentially a communal meal. One couldn't expect the housewives and househusbands of Vimara Village to have the skill of high-end restaurant chefs, but the unique food and rich aroma of spices still made the Inazuma Delegation, who were new to Sumeru, enjoy their meal immensely.
Sitting in a circle around the bonfire, eating delicious food, drinking fine wine, and talking about interesting things between the two nations, the atmosphere was lively. When it reached its peak, some even performed talents, bringing the banquet's mood to a climax.
When Miyashiro selected the escort personnel for the Inazuma Delegation, his requirements were very strict. Not only did they need to meet professional skill standards, but their emotional intelligence also had to be high enough. A crucial point was that they had to be able to drink and hold their liquor.
At this time, the difference between the Inazuma Delegation and the ordinary local residents became apparent.
Initially, the local residents of Vimara Village were wary of these Inazuma people, but soon, in the lively atmosphere of the banquet, everyone quickly mingled. After a few drinks, some had already started confiding in these strangers.
Of course, the drunken truths of ordinary people didn't have much effect on the delegation staff. Their main targets were the scholars who were retired and relaxing in Vimara Village; they were the key focus of this banquet.
After all, in the highly competitive Sumeru academic world, scholars who could stay in Vimara Village were either those who didn't adapt to the Akademiya's academic atmosphere or those who had grown tired of pursuing fame and fortune.
Regardless of the type of scholar, they all harbored a bit of resentment towards the Akademiya, and even towards Sumeru. As long as this resentment was skillfully guided out through conversation, coupled with the influence of alcohol, these scholars would naturally reveal the Akademiya's secrets.
This was very important for the Inazuma Delegation's initial intelligence gathering efforts.
At the same time, Lumine and Paimon, who were sitting with Miyashiro, also began to recount everything they had experienced in the Sumeru rainforest over the past half-month, allowing Miyashiro to once again experience the charm of Aranyaka firsthand.
In the game, you might only think that Aranyaka is a long and tedious world quest, but once you experience it firsthand, you will find that Aranyaka mostly tells stories that only adults understand, but become sad after understanding them.
Perhaps, this might be the fundamental reason why Aranara, in the end, only exist in the hearts of children.
At the end of Lumine's narration of the Aranyaka story, her expression suddenly became solemn. She hadn't forgotten the true purpose of her return to Vimara Village, which was to expose the Fatui mole in Vimara Village.
And Lumine already had a good idea who this mole was.
Seeing Paimon already full to the point of not being able to fly, lying on the floor with a satisfied look, Lumine saw that the time was right. She stood up, saying she was going for a walk to digest her food, and walked alone to a certain part of Vimara Village.
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