Chapter 390: Action

Aki was a shrine maiden of the Narukami Shrine, her full name being **Kuki Aki**. The Kuki family had served as shrine maidens of the Narukami Shrine for generations, and as such, Aki had earned the deep trust of **Yae Miko**.

It wasn't surprising to Li Mo that Aki was out in the field. Quietly entering Aki's room, Li Mo asked, "Are you the only one here handling the Tatarasuna situation?"

"Didn't you come from the Narukami Shrine after receiving my notice, Priest?" Aki asked.

After a moment, both of them seemed to realize they had misunderstood each other. Li Mo explained, "I just returned to Inazuma and haven't been back to the shrine yet. I didn't know about your request for support. I came here directly from Yashiori Island."

He paused, then added, "The situation in Tatarasuna—the Mikage Furnace exploded, right?"

Aki nodded. "Yes, the Mikage Furnace exploded a few days ago. Priest Li Mo, I came to **Kannazuka** to deal with the Thunder Sakura trees here. Also, as per the head priestess's instructions, I warned the Tenryou Commission officials to keep a close eye on the Mikage Furnace, but this still happened."

The shrine maiden's tone was tinged with frustration.

Li Mo could relate. The level of **Tatarigami** pollution in Tatarasuna was a once-in-a-century disaster. Dealing with it would require an effort on par with the **Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual**.

"Have the Thunder Sakura trees been dealt with?"

"With the help of a traveler from another nation, we've already taken care of it," Aki said. "However, there's something fishy about it. The issue with the Thunder Sakura wasn't a natural disaster—it was man-made. When we arrived, we found a group of Treasure Hoarders using devices to siphon power from the Thunder Sakura and channel it into something resembling an **Electro Hypostasis**. While we were dismantling the devices, the Fatui also showed up."

"The Fatui? Are you sure?"

Li Mo raised an eyebrow.

Aki nodded. "I saw it with my own eyes, and so did the traveler."

"The traveler?" Li Mo pressed.

"Yes, a traveler named **Lumine**. But… Priest Li Mo, it seems the traveler is currently wanted by the Shogunate. The charge is resisting the **Vision Hunt Decree**."

"Oh, let's not worry about that. That's the Tenryou Commission's problem. What does it have to do with the Narukami Shrine?" Li Mo said. "Considering this favor, I'll try to help out later. What happened to the Fatui agents? Were they killed or captured?"

"They were captured alive by the traveler, and I handed them over to the Shogunate soldiers stationed here."

Li Mo asked about the timing of the handover, and Aki truthfully told him it was a few days ago—around the time before the Mikage Furnace exploded.

By now, it was too late.

The Tenryou Commission and the **Kanjou Commission** were both secretly colluding with the Fatui, and the Shogunate soldiers stationed here were under the Tenryou Commission's command.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that the Fatui would have already retrieved their captured agents.

"Was that the wrong thing to do?"

"No, it's fine. Let's focus on Tatarasuna," Li Mo said. "How did Tatarasuna end up like this? Didn't the Shogunate have any safety measures in place for the Mikage Furnace? What about emergency response protocols?"

Li Mo pressed for answers.

Aki began to explain.

Actually, before the explosion, there had been a leak at the Mikage Furnace, and it had been temporarily shut down. With the help of a Fontaine engineer named **Zavier** and the traveler, they managed to fix the furnace and put it back into operation. But as for why it exploded afterward, she didn't know.

Li Mo narrowed his eyes.

He had noticed that the number of soldiers here seemed unusually high…

"Have you been to Tatarasuna?"

"I've seen it from a distance, but I've mostly stayed in the camp. They said the area was unstable, with resistance forces active there, engaging in small-scale skirmishes."

Li Mo asked, "What about that Fontaine engineer?"

"He's also in the camp."

Li Mo glanced outside. It was dusk, and the sun was setting in the west.

Nightfall was approaching.

He looked at Aki and said, "I don't know when the Narukami Shrine's reinforcements will arrive, but if the situation in Tatarasuna isn't too severe, I can handle it. However, there's something more urgent."

"The wards on Yashiori Island have been destroyed."

Aki gasped. "What?!"

Realizing her outburst, Aki quickly composed herself. "The wards on Yashiori Island were destroyed? That's…"

She was at a loss for words.

The explosion at Tatarasuna was bad, but it was still a localized disaster caused by the Tatarigami. It would be difficult to handle, but with the right rituals, it could be managed.

Yashiori Island, however, was a different story. The Tatarigami energy there was almost impossible to deal with. Even during the Narukami Shrine's peak over a thousand years ago, they could only suppress it using wards, not eliminate it entirely.

Now that the wards were destroyed, the only solution was to recreate them, which would require an immense amount of resources and manpower…

Aki felt like she was about to faint.

"Alright, I'll handle things here for now. Once we're done with Tatarasuna, we'll head back to the Narukami Shrine and consult Yae Miko on how to deal with Yashiori Island."

Li Mo spoke calmly.

He also found the situation on Yashiori Island tricky. Going back to consult Yae Miko was the most appropriate course of action. They couldn't just abandon Yashiori Island, could they?

"Priest Li Mo, let's get moving. First, we'll consult that Fontaine engineer, then head back to the Narukami Shrine tonight to report the situation on Yashiori Island to the head priestess. The serpent god's remains need to be dealt with as soon as possible."

Aki regained her composure and made a suggestion.

Even after thousands of years, the remnants of a god's power remained one of the greatest threats to humanity. The reason **Seirai Island** remained uninhabited was due to the lingering resentment of a fallen god that still plagued the land.

Li Mo nodded. "Agreed."

The two of them left the room, with Aki leading the way. Along the way, a soldier stopped them to ask where Aki was going and who Li Mo was, but Aki's commanding presence brushed him off. The soldier muttered something about the camp being a restricted area and not allowing outsiders to wander freely, but he still stepped aside.

Aki, who had been sent by Yae Miko to handle matters alone, was no ordinary shrine maiden. The Narukami Shrine wasn't subordinate to the Tenryou Commission, and the mess at Tatarasuna was entirely the Tenryou Commission's doing. Yet, it was the Narukami Shrine that had to clean up the mess. This was enough to make Aki fully committed.

With her commanding presence, Aki quickly learned Zavier's location from the soldiers and led Li Mo in that direction.

Aki marched ahead, and no one dared to stop her. Few even bothered to ask who Li Mo was.

However, before they could reach Zavier's location, they were stopped again.

This was the front-line base for the Shogunate's operations against the resistance, and it was inevitable that high-ranking individuals would be stationed here.

Like the man who now stood before them, his posture exuding arrogance.

"Miss Kuki, what's the rush? Why don't we sit down and have a chat? And who might this gentleman beside you be?"

The man speaking was a general.