Chapter 430: Official Business

Overtime—this is the bitter taste that every corporate drone must endure. The relentless grind of East Asia is a far cry from the so-called "9-to-5" lifestyle of the West. Back in his previous life, Li Mo had barely tasted the bitterness of overtime before he met his untimely end and became a transmigrator. Now, he sleeps for sixteen hours a day and is active for only eight. While it might seem like an illness, the refreshing feeling he gets upon waking each day is indescribably satisfying.

Since crossing into this world, Li Mo hasn't had to endure much of the rat race. At most, he faced immense pressure while studying under Medea in the world of *Fate*. But can studying really be called overtime? The knowledge he gained was all useful, forming the foundation of his abilities. If we're talking real overtime, it was during his time as a director at **Academy City**. Juggling the digestion of magical knowledge while handling administrative duties was no small feat.

Now, Li Mo is once again experiencing the taste of overtime.

"Why is there so much work?! Where's Yae? Where did that fox run off to this time? Aki, go find out where Yae is."

Late at night, Li Mo sat in the study. This room, originally unused, had become the office for handling official affairs after the Raiden Shogun's arrival. Ever since returning from the Kamisato Estate that day, he had been dragged into this study.

After the Kanjou and Tenryou Commissions underwent leadership changes, a flood of official documents began to flow normally again. Realizing the impact of the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree on Inazuma, Raiden Ei decided to take personal charge, aiming to restore Inazuma's national strength to its former level. Thus, a mountain of paperwork piled up here.

The first few days weren't too busy, as they were still setting up the document transportation system between the three commissions and the Grand Narukami Shrine. Relying solely on human labor would have been slow, but with the help of the tanuki released from their seals, efficiency improved significantly.

—Unlike the celestial foxes, whose bloodlines had faded, and the earth foxes, who had fallen into slumber, the tanuki led by Ioroi still retained their spiritual nature, each one a proper yokai. Li Mo knew of one tanuki who, to repay a debt of gratitude, had disguised herself as the daughter of a family in Inazuma City after their real daughter left for Liyue to seek her fortune. To this day, the ruse remained undiscovered. Li Mo only learned of it after encountering the tanuki and chatting with her—while other tanuki transported physical documents, this one demanded Mora as payment. Her peculiarity caught Li Mo's attention, and he even approved an official document for her to work.

Holding a pre-processed report in his hand, Li Mo frowned. This was a submission from the Kanjou Commission. While the Vision Hunt Decree had been repealed, the Sakoku Decree couldn't be lifted immediately for various reasons. Ei's plan was to proceed gradually. However, the Kanjou Commission, unaware of Ei's intentions, used the report to probe her thoughts and align their own strategies accordingly.

This report was part of that effort.

"Kanjou Commission, the Hirotsu family. Bring me the Kanjou Commission's files."

A shrine maiden shikigami emerged from the shadows and handed Li Mo the relevant documents.

Li Mo quickly skimmed through the files. He hadn't mastered high-speed incantations like some mages, but he had developed techniques for rapid reading, especially since these documents didn't require the deep, slow digestion that grimoires demanded.

After some thought, Li Mo set aside the Kanjou Commission's report. It concerned the Tenryou Commission and international trade. Inazuma's main exports before the Sakoku Decree were textiles, but after the decree, the focus shifted to the "special metals" produced by the Mikage Furnace. However, with Tatarasuna's explosion and the furnace needing reconstruction, the production of "tamahagane" had plummeted.

This would lead to a trade deficit…

Inazuma wasn't like Liyue. Mora was minted in Liyue, meaning the Geo Archon had significant influence over Teyvat's financial system. However, considering that Mora could also be obtained from Ley Line Blossoms, there was no need to worry about complete control.

"I'll leave this for Ei to handle."

Many of Inazuma's internal issues were similar to those Li Mo had encountered at **Academy City**.

Human conflicts often follow similar patterns, and **Academy City** had no shortage of books summarizing such issues.

After resolving the other documents, Li Mo sighed and glanced outside. There was no sign of Ei or Yae, and even Aki had disappeared.

Once again, he buried himself in the pile of paperwork.

Li Mo had initially tried to avoid this work, citing his lack of ability and his status as an outsider. But Yae, that troublemaker, had dragged him into it, saying, "Little one, if I have to work, shouldn't you work too?" And once he got started, the fox vanished without a trace.

Typical fox behavior.

At first, Raiden Ei had helped Li Mo by checking his work and filling in gaps. Sometimes, they would argue over certain matters, each trying to persuade the other. Li Mo often relied on his experience as a director at **Academy City** to win her over.

Ei had far more political experience than Li Mo, but her understanding of human nature paled in comparison. **Academy City's** insights into the darker aspects of humanity far surpassed Inazuma's. Li Mo simply tailored his arguments to the situation.

Currently, the Kanjou and Tenryou Commissions were embroiled in power struggles. The Hirotsu family of the Kanjou Commission, for instance, was led by the young lady Hirotsu Kanna. Kanna and Tenryou Commission's Kamaji were romantically involved. If Kanna were to marry Kamaji, wouldn't the Kanjou Commission's power naturally shift to others?

Of course, those involved hadn't made any moves yet. Li Mo had only pieced this together from subtle clues and his memories.

He'd leave this for Kamisato Ayato to handle.

As he lost himself in thought, he absentmindedly processed another document. The sound of footsteps brought him back to reality. Looking up, he saw Aki returning.

"Your Excellency, the shrine maidens say that the Shogun and the Guuji don't seem to be at the shrine."

Li Mo pondered for a moment, recalling the day's events. "Now that I think about it, I haven't seen Yae since lunch, and Ei disappeared in the afternoon… So that fox dragged the Shogun out to play?"

A vein bulged on his forehead. This was no different than group members dumping all the work on him and vanishing. Painful memories seemed to resurface…

"I'm going to pluck all the fur from that fox's tail!" Li Mo growled.

Beside him, Aki lowered her head, pretending not to hear. When gods and foxes fought, it was best for ordinary shrine maidens to stay out of it.

Raiden Ei and Yae Miko returned the next day. As the two of them chatted and laughed at the entrance, a certain someone who clearly hadn't slept all night teleported behind Yae, placing a hand on her shoulder and saying, "You've finally returned, Yae~ Miko~!"

His voice was like that of a demon crawling out of hell.