Chapter 400: Gnosis

The situation on Yashiori Island was handled delicately, mainly because it hadn't caused severe consequences. Moreover, Sangonomiya Kokomi had no knowledge of the incident—it was a small group within the resistance army that had been misled by a Fatui agent.

Blaming the knife instead of the wielder is illogical.

With the information in hand, Li Mo returned to Yashiori Island. Nathan remained with the resistance army, and Kokomi assured him that the man would be imprisoned. Li Mo wasn't worried about Nathan escaping, as he had planted a tracking mark on him. Unless Nathan fled to Snezhnaya, Li Mo could find him anywhere.

"Oh, you're back? Done with your business?"

"Where did you get this beef?"

Returning to the temporary residence outside Kujou Village, Li Mo found Yae Miko in the largest wooden house, which served as the dining hall for the shrine maidens after their work. Yae Miko wasn't in the dining hall but in the kitchen behind it, where a pot hung over a fire, filled with various spices. It seemed to be a spicy hotpot, and the ingredients were plentiful, with beef being the most eye-catching.

Inazuma did have a cattle industry, and its agriculture and livestock farming were relatively well-developed. The Raiden Shogun's divine power not only repelled evil but also enriched the land's fertility. In another world, she might have even been worshipped as an agricultural deity.

—Unfortunately, the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree had caused significant damage, leaving Inazuma in its current state.

Li Mo didn't feel qualified to comment on the past mistakes. What mattered now was correcting the course.

But he set those thoughts aside, focusing instead on the beef.

Agriculture and livestock farming on Yashiori Island were severely underdeveloped, with most residents being miners. As a result, food supplies were imported from other islands.

Therefore, beef shouldn't have been available on this island. Li Mo could even tell that it had come from Narukami Island.

So, the question was: how had the beef been transported from Narukami Island to Yashiori Island at this time?

"You came back just in time. The beef just went into the pot. Come, sit down."

"So, Yae, answer my question. Who brought the beef here?"

"Why don't you tell me about your trip first, and then I'll answer your question?" Yae Miko suggested.

Li Mo briefly explained the situation to Yae Miko. The matter wasn't complicated—a Fatui agent had infiltrated the resistance army under the guise of being a Mondstadter, gained influence, and manipulated a small squad into destroying the wards on Yashiori Island.

Even from the fragments of the note, it was clear that Nathan had deceived the squad by claiming that destroying the wards would benefit the resistance army. It showed that while the resistance army was well-organized, Kokomi had failed to weed out those with ulterior motives.

Yae Miko ate a piece of fried tofu and then said, "I see. Don't you want to know where this beef came from? Well, now you know, don't you?"

"A Fatui ship? Yae, you've got some wild connections."

In Li Mo's view, the Fatui were partly responsible for Inazuma's current state, but the root cause was Raiden Ei's neglect. The Fatui had merely exacerbated existing tensions.

Look at Mondstadt and Liyue. The Fatui's actions there were based on historical issues. Thanks to the competence of their leaders, the situations hadn't escalated, and the Fatui's schemes had been turned into opportunities.

However, if the situation in Inazuma could be resolved, it might turn out for the better. At the very least, it could shake Raiden Ei out of her complacency, ensuring peace in Inazuma for a long time.

From this perspective, dealing with the Fatui wasn't entirely unacceptable.

"Yae, what's your plan?"

The shrine maidens wouldn't question Yae Miko's grand strategies, but Li Mo would. Once the situation on Yashiori Island was resolved, he would have to face the Raiden Shogun's Musou no Hitotachi head-on.

He probably wouldn't die, but the thought of the pain was unsettling…

Li Mo wasn't afraid of pain, but he didn't enjoy unnecessary suffering.

"Do you know what state the Shogun is in right now?"

Yae Miko asked, though she didn't seem to expect an answer from Li Mo. She continued, "She turned her body into a puppet and hid her true self in the Plane of Euthymia. Thus, the Shogun became the Shogun."

The last sentence was a bit convoluted, but Li Mo understood what Yae Miko meant.

The previous Shogun was Raiden Ei. After that, the Shogun became a puppet created by Raiden Ei based on her idealized version of the Shogun.

Li Mo said, "I know all this. Otherwise, I wouldn't have to take a hit from her. You could've resolved the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree yourself."

Yae Miko had the privilege of bypassing the Tri-Commission to meet the Raiden Shogun directly. Even the old man from the Kujou family couldn't interfere in their discussions.

The problem was that Raiden Ei had shut herself away.

Yae Miko: "My old friend excels in combat but knows nothing about governance. Over the past few hundred years, Inazuma's national power hasn't recovered to its former peak. She's long doubted her ability to rule. But in my opinion, she's done quite well. Back then, Inazuma was in ruins. Not just Seirai Island and Yashiori Island—even the Kujou Encampment on Kannazuka had been breached, and Narukami Island was in shambles. Recovering to this state was no small feat."

Li Mo didn't respond. According to the ancient texts from the Grand Narukami Shrine, the war hundreds of years ago had devastated Inazuma. The middle and upper echelons of society had been nearly wiped out. He didn't know the population figures from that time, but he knew that almost all the adult shrine maidens of the Grand Narukami Shrine had perished, leaving Yae Miko to lead a group of underage girls.

"I can't judge the past. But we must focus on the present and the future, not abandon it because of what's happened. Yae, do you think the Shogun will change her decrees if she sees Inazuma's current state?"

"Of course. What's your plan?"

"What else can I do? When the time is right, I'll just take the Yashiro Commission's reports and march into Tenshukaku."

"How do you plan to get in?" Yae Miko asked.

"What do you mean? I'll just walk in. Do I need to announce myself?" Li Mo said. "I don't believe the Tenryou Commission has anyone who can stop me."

In other words, he planned to force his way in.

Yae Miko, savoring a piece of beef, smiled and said, "No wonder you said you'd take the Musou no Hitotachi head-on."

"Isn't that the simplest solution? My only concern is that the Raiden Shogun might remain stubbornly withdrawn."

"That won't happen. That traveler managed to catch Ei's attention. Why wouldn't you? You possess the Heavenly Fox bloodline and can wield elemental power without a Vision. You share the same qualities as that traveler."

Li Mo said, "Alright, Yae, enough chit-chat. Didn't you say you had something good to show me? Let's see it."

Yae Miko casually pulled something from her sleeve and tossed it to Li Mo. "Here, take it."

Li Mo caught the chess piece-like object, paused, and then asked, "Is this… a Gnosis?"

"Yes."

"You're giving this to me?"

Li Mo was utterly shocked. The "good thing" Yae Miko had mentioned was a Gnosis.