Chapter 448: Rainy Season

The rainy season was the most irritating time of year. Dark clouds loomed endlessly in the sky, drizzling without pause. 

In Inazuma City, pedestrians had to carry umbrellas to move about freely. Because of the weather, construction work around Tenshukaku had halted, leaving laborers from all over Inazuma temporarily idle and gathered in the city. Fortunately, the construction project provided food and lodging, so the workers didn't need to spend money to survive—though entertainment in the city was another matter entirely. 

Teahouses, offering good value for the price, became the best gathering spots. For the cost of a cup of tea, one could listen to storytellers spin their tales—far cheaper than soaking in a hot spring or dining at Uyuu Restaurant. 

Thus, despite the bustling crowds in Inazuma City, business at Uyuu Restaurant remained as usual. 

Li Mo sat on the second floor of Uyuu Restaurant in a private room with a window. Simply by sliding open the glass pane, he could hear the lively sounds of the streets below. 

Seated across from him was a man of dignified bearing, like a noble young master stepping out of a painting. 

Steam rose from the table between them, and through the mist, one could make out features strikingly similar to Kamisato Ayaka's. 

Tapping his bowl lightly with chopsticks, Li Mo remarked, "Plum rain season is the perfect time for hot food. Even a simple cup of cheap tea can warm the soul." 

"Your Excellency speaks wisely," the nobleman replied. "On cold, damp days, nothing is more fitting than a bowl of hot soup." 

"Kamisato Ayato, let's not mince words. You handled the matter between Kujou Kamaji and Hiiragi Chisato well. The former heads of the Hiiragi and Kujou clans made mistakes, but that doesn't mean other families should take their place." 

The man before him was Kamisato Ayato, head of the Yashiro Commission, elder brother to Kamisato Ayaka, and one of Inazuma's rarest talents. 

The matter Li Mo referred to was the near-marriage between Hiiragi Chisato and Kujou Kamaji. On the surface, it seemed like a love match—but beneath lay a political struggle between the Kanjou and Tenryou Commissions. 

"Your Excellency flatters me. I merely did what was necessary." 

"Fools are always so plentiful. Let's set aside the Tenryou Commission for now. The Kanjou Commission was personally entrusted to Hiiragi Chisato by the Shogun. Did they really think they could seize control just by marrying her off before the Shogun's orders changed?" 

Li Mo scoffed. "They underestimated me. If it were up to me, I'd have made an example out of someone." 

The current political landscape of Inazuma was different from the original timeline. Tenshukaku had been destroyed, and now, aside from the Shogun, *he* stood at the center of power. How could those people still act so boldly? 

"Perhaps they assumed Your Excellency wouldn't involve himself in mortal affairs." 

"A fair point… People are always constrained by what they can see. You acted wisely, Ayato. Given the Yashiro Commission's position, what you did was commendable." 

Kamisato Ayato's methods were subtle, leaving the Kanjou Commission completely fooled. 

"Thank you for your praise." 

"I know why you're here. The current operations of the Tri-Commission are running smoothly. I see no need for changes." 

After the previous heads of the Kujou and Hiiragi clans stepped down, the Tenryou and Kanjou Commissions had been handed to the next generation. Li Mo had descended the mountain precisely to inspect the state of the Tri-Commission and Inazuma as a whole—to ensure no "doubling" of corruption had occurred. 

After his rounds, he found no major issues. 

He was satisfied. 

Ayato smiled faintly. "As expected, nothing escapes Your Excellency." 

"Isn't that only natural?" 

Once the meal concluded, Kamisato Ayato took his leave. As the head of the Yashiro Commission, he had duties to attend to—this meeting had been squeezed into his busy schedule. 

Li Mo rose and left Uyuu Restaurant, heading next to Komore Teahouse. There, he would meet another guest—one from the distant north. 

Tall women were rare in Inazuma, and this one's foreign attire only drew more attention. Yet… there was no mistaking the venom in her presence. 

She sat across from Li Mo with the fury of a wildfire. 

"Your Excellency Li Mo, what a *masterstroke* you've played." 

"La Signora, what are you talking about? I know nothing. How can you accuse me without evidence?" 

She clenched her teeth but sat down. 

Not long ago, the Gnosis had been traded into her hands, and she had arranged for it to be transported back to Snezhnaya. According to the agreement, she was to remain in Inazuma as a "hostage"—since a large shipment of materials had yet to arrive from Snezhnaya, what if she fled? 

This clause had been added by the very man before her. 

The current Shogun trusted his judgment. Signora had feared that if she boarded the ship with the Gnosis, the Shogun might simply take it back. 

This was no puppet—this was the true Electro Archon. Her tricks might have fooled the previous Raiden Shogun, but not the real one. 

The Fatui escorting the Gnosis were elites, and with Snezhnaya's fleet, the sea voyage should have been safe—so long as no *gods* interfered. But who could have predicted… *internal* betrayal? 

The Balladeer had stolen the Gnosis.

Reports from the transport ship stated that while docked in Liyue for repairs, Scaramouche had taken the Gnosis and vanished under the guise of an alternate route. By the time the Fatui realized he had defected, he was long gone. 

—In short, he had betrayed Snezhnaya. 

Signora had never considered this possibility. The Harbingers each had their own goals, but they all served Snezhnaya's interests. How could Scaramouche just steal the Gnosis and flee? 

What could he even do with it? How would he use it? 

She had no answers—only the infuriating reality that the Gnosis had been snatched from her grasp. 

Anger was inevitable. 

"The theft of the Gnosis by Scaramouche—are you certain you had no hand in it, Your Excellency? Rumor has it you exchanged letters with him." 

"Oh? I've never written to any Harbinger," Li Mo said lightly. "Though I did leak some information about you to him, hoping he'd make trouble for you. But in the end, it didn't work out. What's this about the Gnosis being stolen? I truly had no idea." 

Signora forced herself to calm down. 

This priest had likely seen through Scaramouche's disloyalty—perhaps even his desire for the Gnosis—and laid the groundwork long ago. Could she blame herself for not noticing? 

The more she thought about it, the more she felt the entire Gnosis deal had been a trap from the start. 

A pit dug just for her. 

"I'll remember this." 

"Won't you stay for tea?" 

"Unnecessary!" 

As swiftly as she had arrived, La Signora departed. 

Li Mo merely sipped his tea, smiling silently.