Chapter 396: Stable

The matter of Yashiori Island had caught Yae Miko's attention, becoming the most important issue for the Grand Narukami Shrine.

The usually leisurely shrine maidens sprang into action, but even without Yae Miko's direct management, Inagi Hitomi was able to handle everything with remarkable efficiency.

Most of the shrine maidens at the Grand Narukami Shrine came from families with generations of service. According to Yae Miko, historical records showed that hundreds of years ago, the shrine had been deeply involved in all aspects of Inazuma's affairs. During Lady Saiguu's time, its influence had even surpassed that of the Tri-Commission.

The calamity hundreds of years ago had affected too much. Youkai and oni had been nearly wiped out, and the bloodlines of the Heavenly Fox, Tengu, and oni had dwindled to almost nothing.

The fact that Kujou Sara, a Tengu, was an adopted daughter of the Kujou family spoke volumes about this.

While the shrine maidens prepared, Li Mo was tasked with another matter.

It was only after arriving at the Grand Narukami Shrine that he learned Ioroi had left the forest where he had been sealed for centuries to deal with the "Blue Oni" issue.

In the past, oni were divided into two groups, not by bloodline or strength, but by their views. Those who wished to integrate with humans were called "Red Oni," while those who did not were called "Blue Oni." The former lived under the watchful eye of the Almighty Shogun, while the latter continued to live in the wild. The islands of Inazuma still had many unexplored areas, not to mention Seirai Island, which had once been a human settlement but was now abandoned.

Compared to the Red Oni, whose numbers had dwindled to almost zero due to the calamity hundreds of years ago, the Blue Oni's population was still somewhat stable. After returning, Li Mo received more information.

For example, the Yashiro Commission had been secretly supporting the Blue Oni. This was one of the reasons Yae Miko had helped the Kamisato family decades ago.

In recent years, the decline of the Yashiro Commission had affected the Blue Oni's livelihood. The Tenryou Commission and Kanjou Commission didn't care about this. The Blue Oni's standard of living, already poor, had now dropped to its lowest. Combined with Li Mo's interactions with Arataki Itto, the Blue Oni issue was brought to the forefront by Yae Miko.

But that fox was clearly a seasoned veteran, passing the task to Ioroi, who, having been sealed for centuries, was much more naive and had been easily convinced to take on the task. It seemed he had done quite well, as the Blue Oni had established a settlement on Mount Yougou, above Chinju Forest, where the Tenryou Commission's Takami family had built a secret base, recruiting many ronin.

However, Ioroi was still a powerful youkai. While his intelligence might not be top-notch, his strength was more than enough. He had easily dealt with those people and repurposed their buildings.

During their first meeting, Li Mo bombarded Ioroi with a series of questions, and the old tanuki answered them all satisfactorily. The Blue Oni issue had been handled quite well. However, upon further inquiry, Li Mo learned that Kamisato Ayato had been assisting from the sidelines.

So, Ioroi provided the muscle, while Kamisato Ayato handled the brains, right?

Li Mo also understood that Ioroi held a special status as a relic of the past era. As long as he didn't do anything too outrageous, there wouldn't be any issues. He was even known to the Raiden Shogun, and the Takami family's actions weren't exactly aboveboard. Exposing them would be bad for their reputation, which was why they had been so easily dealt with.

After figuring all this out, Li Mo decided to cross-reference with Yae Miko and then prepared to leave.

But then Ioroi suddenly asked, "Why do you have the scent of a fox on you?"

"Oh, I've become a youkai now," Li Mo said, showing his tails, which successfully cleared up Ioroi's confusion.

Despite absorbing mostly negative energies, his tails remained pure white. The Heavenly Fox bloodline flowed within him, much like the "Authority of the Beast," forming the foundation of his path.

"A Heavenly Fox? Have you undergone a bloodline reversion?" Ioroi asked. "I don't recall humans having Heavenly Fox bloodlines."

Bloodline reversion was an extremely rare occurrence. For example, Arataki Itto was suspected to be a result of bloodline reversion. He was an orphan with an unclear background, and Ioroi had previously speculated on this.

Li Mo didn't elaborate on this to Ioroi, simply reminding him to keep an eye on the Fatui's movements. He then chose not to visit the settled Blue Oni and instead returned to the shrine.

Dressed in his priestly robes, Li Mo walked up the mountain path as if it were flat ground. He could have flown, but this time he chose to walk to gauge the difficulty of the path.

The mountain path was as troublesome as it had been when he first climbed it, clearly weathered by years of erosion. It seemed Yae Miko had no intention of repairing it.

—Just because a problem exists doesn't mean it's reasonable.

Returning to the summit of Mount Yougou, Li Mo didn't disturb the busy shrine maidens and went straight to find the most leisurely person.

The storage room had many of his outfits, and he learned that Yae Miko had ordered them in advance, as if she had anticipated that he would eventually ruin his clothes.

In reality, he rarely wore those outfits.

Finally, he found Yae Miko under the Sacred Sakura.

"After all that running around, you're still here. Yae, you really have it easy."

"I've been busy for hundreds of years, and I've managed to keep the Grand Narukami Shrine afloat. Isn't it only natural for me to rest now?" Yae Miko said. "Ei won't even see me. What can I do about Inazuma's affairs?"

"At least Lady Saiguu once acted as regent. Can't you put in a bit more effort?" Li Mo asked.

Due to Hanachirusato, Li Mo had learned much about Lady Saiguu. It dated back hundreds of years when Raiden Ei had gone to Celestia, and Lady Saiguu had taken charge of Inazuma, acting in the Shogun's stead.

Yae Miko said, "Oh, that was something only Lady Saiguu could do. All I can manage now are matters related to the Tatarigami."

"And what about me? Are you just going to push me into getting slashed by the Raiden Shogun?"

"My old friend won't even come out when she sees me. The Shogun is just a puppet. If I go, she'll only become more reclusive."

"So how did you two get along for the past few hundred years…"

Facing the Raiden Shogun was still a daunting prospect for Li Mo. After seeing the Musoujin Gorge, he had a clearer understanding of the power of an Archon. While the Archons of Teyvat paled in comparison to the Magic Gods of the Toaru world, they were still stronger than Li Mo.

He needed to hurry up with mastering "Spiritual Tripping" and "Blasting Rod."

These two spells, developed by Aleister Crowley, didn't rely on external ideologies and could be used in Teyvat.

With these two spells, even if he couldn't face a Magic God like Aleister, he would at least be more than capable of dealing with the Archons of this world.

The wait wasn't long. The shrine maidens quickly prepared everything needed, and the personnel were arranged. Even the boats from Narukami Island to Kannazuka were ready.

As for the conflict between the resistance and the Shogunate's forces, it was of little concern to the two of them.

In the presence of two Heavenly Foxes, self-preservation was more than assured.