Chapter 437: Sad Association

Yashiori Island, the origin of its name is unclear. But it is one of the few plains on Narukami Island, with some elevation differences here and there, though none of that matters much. The sunlight bathes the area, casting an orange filter over everything.

Now, it was already dusk. For convenience, they decided to set up camp on the spot.

The priest of the Grand Narukami Shrine was a powerful and reliable person. In Paimon's eyes, that priest was even more dependable than the bard.

After all, the bard had the black mark of being knocked out by the Fatui Harbinger, La Signora. Paimon sometimes wondered, *Is he really the Anemo Archon?*

"Lumine, what do you think about those samurai we saw today?"

"Was the Cataclysm in Inazuma 500 years ago also related to Khaenri'ah?"

Lumine asked.

After the priest mentioned that he had a commission for her, he didn't immediately explain the details. Instead, he took her to deal with the last batch of Riftwolves, and then they encountered more memory remnants. These remnants took the form of generals from the war era.

Li Mo paused for a moment. He suddenly couldn't remember whether the Traveler had already learned about the Cataclysm from Zhongli and Venti. That was knowledge from his past life, and even with his ability to delve into memories, he couldn't retrieve complete information.

He said, "Yes. The Cataclysm 500 years ago was no less severe for Inazuma than it was for Mondstadt and Liyue. At that time, the Electro Archon had gone to Khaenri'ah, and the Grand Narukami Shrine's Guuji, Lady Saiguu, led all of Inazuma to resist the disaster. What exactly happened during that time, I don't know. The only thing I do know is that Inazuma's middle and upper leadership was almost completely wiped out."

Looking back at that period of history now, it was clear that the Shogunate was on the verge of collapse. Mid-level administrators, countless samurai and warriors, and several youkai clans were nearly wiped out. The population was almost depleted.

Li Mo added, "Now I can understand why Ei chose to implement the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree. She was far less mature than her sister, Makoto. In the first half of her life, all her focus was on martial arts, while governance was entirely handled by Makoto."

Work might have been secondary. What was more important was whether, while handling these tasks, Ei thought about Makoto's presence. Her sister was gone, and she had taken over her duties.

Seeing familiar things would inevitably stir up memories.

And to make matters worse, she had almost no one to confide in.

When a person becomes isolated, their thoughts can easily turn extreme. Add to that the influence of misleading information... and the Sakoku Decree and Vision Hunt Decree were born.

The corruption of the Tenryou and Kanjou Commissions' leaders was the direct cause, but the root cause was Ei's decision to isolate herself in the Plane of Euthymia.

Over the past few days, handling the paperwork had given Li Mo a glimpse of Ei's feelings. If it were him, he wouldn't last a few years, let alone centuries, living like that.

After a pause, Li Mo realized he had been rambling and chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry, I got carried away. You had to listen to all that nonsense."

"Let's talk about the commission. This commission carries some danger. It involves me, Yae Miko, and even the Raiden Shogun."

Lumine listened calmly to these three names.

The three most powerful figures in Inazuma? As Ayaka had mentioned, these three were currently overseeing Inazuma from above.

As one of Ayaka's few friends who wasn't entangled in the web of politics, Lumine had heard many things from her.

But... what did the highest figures in Inazuma have to do with a Traveler like her?

"Leave it to me, Your Excellency," Lumine said confidently.

Paimon popped up beside her, "But there has to be a reward!"

"Paimon! Can't even delicious food shut your mouth?" Lumine scolded.

Paimon just giggled.

Li Mo said, "As for the reward~ I do have some Mora on me, gathered from Ley Line Blossoms recently. I can give it to you. Now, let me explain the details of the commission."

"The main reason for the commission is that Ei and the Shogun have come into conflict. We need to go to a special place to resolve this issue, and I'll be going in as well. However, time flows differently in that space compared to the outside world. So, we need someone to notify us when it's time to come out."

In Makoto's consciousness space, time flowed at a completely different rate. A short time outside could mean hundreds of years inside—so why not take this opportunity to complete the Golden Derivation Technique?

Realizing this, Li Mo began to make plans.

"Wait, if you and the Shogun both enter that strange space, what will Lady Yae do?" Paimon asked.

Li Mo smiled and said, "Of course, she'll be working? Although we've recently considered delegating more authority and not being as busy as before, at the very least, Yae Miko should experience the burden of working alone."

Thinking back, Li Mo had never intended to take on so much responsibility, nor had he planned to offer suggestions to the Shogun. But somehow, Yae Miko had whispered something to the Shogun and dragged him into this mess.

The future development of Inazuma was largely shaped by Li Mo's plans. In his view, Inazuma's first priority was achieving food self-sufficiency. Inazuma was actually sparsely populated, with most people concentrated on Narukami Island and Watatsumi Island. Not to mention the wilderness of Yashiori Island, other islands like Kannazuka had seen their populations dwindle due to various factors. But after Orobashi's sealing, most areas could be developed, except for a few restricted zones.

Next was Seirai Island, which was in better condition than Kannazuka. The Thunder Manifestation resided high in the sky, so its impact was minimal.

As an island nation, shipbuilding was also essential.

Li Mo ran through his past plans in his mind. Suddenly, he felt a wave of sadness.

"Hey, what's wrong, Your Excellency? Why do you look so down?"

"No, it's just that I feel like I've become a corporate slave."

"Corporate slave?" Paimon was confused.

Li Mo didn't explain the term, instead sinking into the reality that whenever he thought about work, he couldn't help but start identifying gaps and flaws. It was a depressing realization.

Even during his time at Academy City, he hadn't been this busy.

The mood didn't last long. Watching Lumine and Paimon set up their camping tent, Li Mo did the same. The shadow soldiers of the "Shadow of the Dragon" emerged, guarding the perimeter.

The night passed peacefully.

Li Mo suggested that Lumine first complete the commission related to the Riftwolves, while he returned to the Grand Narukami Shrine.

When he reported to Raiden Ei that the Riftwolves had been cleared, she naturally asked, "Did you find out where the Riftwolves came from?"

Li Mo's answer was simple: "No."

Raiden Ei didn't dwell on it. "Then, please accompany me and Yae Miko on a journey."

Their destination, of course, was Makoto's consciousness space.