Chapter 113: Respecting a friend's choice

**Narukami Island, Inazuma City, Town Street, Uyuu Restaurant.**

As one of the top restaurants in Inazuma City, Uyuu Restaurant often hosted high-ranking officials from the Tri-Commission. The owner, Okazaki Rikuto, was a retired officer from the Tenryou Commission, so it was common to see Tenryou Commission officials and their associates frequenting the place.

"The reason I like this place is that the owner doesn't treat me with extra courtesy just because I'm the 'Head Shrine Maiden,'" Yae Miko said.

Li Mo replied, "Do you even care about that?"

Yae Miko had flown with Li Mo from Mt. Yougou all the way to the gates of Inazuma City. As a foreigner, Li Mo should have been subjected to rigorous inspections, but the guards let him through as soon as they saw Yae Miko.

The face of the Head Shrine Maiden of the Grand Narukami Shrine was a pass in itself.

The two of them made their way to Uyuu Restaurant. It wasn't quite lunchtime yet, so there were still seats available inside.

"Why wouldn't I care? Being interrupted while enjoying a meal is quite annoying," Yae Miko said.

"Is fried tofu udon even considered a delicacy? Speaking of which… do all foxes like fried tofu? I remember one of the incantations left by Kitsune Saiguu during the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual was even related to fried tofu," Li Mo said.

"Is that so? Personally, I love fried tofu. As for Lady Kitsune Saiguu… I can't remember anymore. It's been so long, who can recall such things?"

Li Mo and Yae Miko were seated in a small private room. They sat facing each other in this cozy space.

"Alright, Lady Yae, what's the real reason you brought me to Inazuma City? Surely it's not just for food and my so-called shrine official robes," Li Mo asked.

Yae Miko said, "Oh, finally losing your patience? Fine, I'll tell you, little one. Do you want to know what message the young master of the Kamisato Clan passed on to me?"

"Not really."

"Little one, if you say that, I can't continue. Is that really okay?"

Li Mo said, "If Lady Yae wants to talk, just talk. Why bother asking for my opinion?"

Li Mo knew exactly what Yae Miko was thinking—they were similar in that regard. His response was meant to annoy her.

Yae Miko didn't mind and said, "That brat from the Kamisato Clan loves to smile while collecting information and then secretly stab people in the back. This time, he got his hands on evidence of the Kanjou Commission's dealings with the Fatui and dumped it on me."

Combining this with her earlier statement, Li Mo understood the implications. Kamisato Ayato had gathered evidence but didn't want to act on it himself, so he passed the burden to Yae Miko to see how she would handle it.

More importantly, was he testing Yae Miko's methods? If there was anyone in Inazuma who had the best chance of changing the "Sakoku Decree," a national policy issued by the Raiden Shogun, it would be Yae Miko.

Hmm, thinking about it this way, didn't that make the Kamisato Clan dependent on the Grand Narukami Shrine's stance?

"It seems you've figured it out. The Kamisato brat wants to see my attitude."

"Then, what is Lady Yae's attitude?"

Yae Miko picked up a piece of fried tofu with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. "Me? I really don't want to get involved in this mess. Here, take a look at the documents, little one."

She casually tossed a stack of papers in front of Li Mo. However, Li Mo didn't immediately pick them up to read.

He said, "Why should I look at them?"

Li Mo knew his place. Although Yae Miko had promoted him as a shrine official of the Grand Narukami Shrine, he was just a librarian, a clerical worker, not an administrator. He had no business looking at such things.

Yae Miko said, "The information inside concerns you."

"Me, a foreigner… Wait."

Li Mo had no connections with the Kanjou Commission, and he hadn't entered Inazuma through official channels. Otherwise, he wouldn't need to use the Grand Narukami Shrine's influence to legitimize his presence now.

For most of his time in Inazuma, he had been holed up in the Grand Narukami Shrine, reading manuscripts and organizing books. Before that, he had been either conducting the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual or hanging out with Shimura Ichiro and his group.

Then, Li Mo remembered…

When he had first met Shimura Ichiro, the group had been attacked by a band of Nobushi. According to later information, those Nobushi were private soldiers raised by a certain family within the Tenryou Commission. These soldiers had planned to steal goods and defect to someone in the Kanjou Commission. Their further plans were unknown…

From his current perspective, those Nobushi weren't weak. There were nearly a dozen Kairagi among them. Becoming a Kairagi required not only exceptional skill but also proper armor, weapons, and knowledge of Kitsune Onmyodo talismans.

Could it be…

Li Mo picked up the documents Yae Miko had given him and began to read. Among the information, there were clear records of certain members of the Kanjou Commission colluding with Kairagi.

"What a fine example of 'the fish rots from the head down.' The leading柊 family colludes with the Fatui for profit, while their subordinates勾结野伏众, and others alter regulations to exploit foreign merchants?"

Li Mo looked up at Yae Miko and asked, "Lady Yae, can the Kanjou Commission just change regulations on a whim?"

"The Kanjou Commission has the authority to adjust tax rates for foreign merchants," Yae Miko said.

"Is there no oversight?" Li Mo asked.

"The only oversight now is Tenshukaku," Yae Miko replied.

"The Raiden Shogun, huh…" Li Mo understood.

In the past, people revered the Shogun in Tenshukaku, so they wouldn't dare trample on the rules for personal gain. But now, after hundreds of years, the Shogun remained secluded in Tenshukaku. Humans were not good at remembering history. Greed outweighed loyalty, and since no major dangers had occurred in their lifetimes, they began to act recklessly.

Deceiving superiors and hiding the truth—this was the way of the Kanjou and Tenryou Commissions.

"Lady Yae, aren't you going to do something about this?"

"What can I do? The Shogun is my friend. It's like you and Hanachirusato… Besides, who knows what's right or wrong? The Kanjou and Tenryou Commissions haven't crossed any lines yet," Yae Miko said. "I've been dealing with this for hundreds of years. I don't want to bother anymore."

Li Mo didn't say much more. What the Kanjou and Tenryou Commissions were doing now was indeed under the Shogun's orders. The families that had colluded with the Nobushi had already been defeated in some power struggle.

—Of course, on the surface, it was all done in the name of justice.

"Where there are people, there will be conflict. I'm starting to miss the politeness of Chinju Forest. At least there's less drama there."

"Indeed, time changes everything," Yae Miko said.

Li Mo could surprisingly understand Yae Miko's approach.

The current state of Inazuma was the result of her old friend's choices. She was simply respecting her friend's decisions.

Just as Li Mo had respected Hanachirusato and completed the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual for her.

But…

"Lady Yae, do you have any contingency plans?"

"Guess?" Yae Miko looked at Li Mo and smiled.