The day after the refugee ship incident, His Excellency the Shogun summoned the Three Commissions for an unusually convened meeting.
No one knew what was discussed during the meeting.
Only that upon returning, the head of the Kujou Clan, Kujou Takayuki, stripped Kujou Masahito of his frontline general position on charges of "mismanagement of the Divine Fortress's artillery," and instead had his adopted daughter, Kujou Sara, temporarily set aside the affairs of the Tenryou Commission to replace Kujou Masahito.
Kujou Takayuki spoke of treating everyone equally, yet whether it was military authority or important family matters, he largely kept his adopted daughter out of them.
Even her position as general of the Tenryou Commission was only assigned to her because the Raiden Shogun had her enforce the Vision Hunt Decree.
Now, he was actually putting her in charge of the troops at Kujou Encampment—this must be related to that conversation.
The Yashiro Commission appeared, like the Kanjou Commission, to remain motionless.
But that very night, a large group of ninjas from the Shuumatsuban left the Kamisato Estate under cover of darkness, heading in the direction of Yashiori Island.
"Huff... huff..."
On the beaches of Kannazuka, a spherical object composed entirely of Anemo raced across the sand at an incredible speed.
But before long, she came to a stop.
"Pah! Pah! Pah!"
Pulling off her hood, Sayu frantically patted her hair while making spitting noises.
A mouthful of sand was far worse than dizziness.
Last night, the Shuumatsuban had received orders from the clan head to carry out a mission on Yashiori Island.
What mission her seniors were assigned, Sayu didn't know—it was kept confidential from her.
Her task was to conduct a perimeter survey of Kannazuka, with no orders to set foot on Yashiori Island itself.
Legend had it that Kannazuka meant "the hill where the gods are absent," and it had long been a disputed territory between the Shogunate and the Sangonomiya resistance.
The terrain here was treacherous, with towering cliffs.
Amidst the layered rocks stood Tatarasuna, home to Inazuma's largest smelting facility—the Mikage Furnace.
The special material used in Inazuma's swordsmithing, Tamahagane, was produced here.
Due to reasons undisclosed to subordinates like her, a force known as the Tatarigami had begun leaking into the sea.
Kannazuka was a crucial stronghold for the Shogunate. To prevent the Tatarigami's influence from spreading to this land, they had no choice but to send her—a petite ninja skilled in escaping... er, traveling—to conduct a perimeter survey.
If she spotted anything resembling the Tatarigami, she was to report it immediately.
But...
"I still really want to sleep..."
Yawning, Sayu glanced up at the sun before climbing a random tree.
Not that she was slacking off—as a petite ninja, lunch was a must, or else she wouldn't grow taller.
And now was lunchtime.
As for her lunch...
"Ugh... just Lavender Melon to munch on?"
Honestly, if she weren't prohibited from lighting fires in the wild, she'd rather eat carrots than raw Lavender Melon.
Lavender Melon wasn't inedible.
Whether grilled or boiled, it was quite delicious.
But eaten raw—and with the skin on, no less...
What a warrior.
After all, Lavender Melon skin was used to make dye.
Even Arataki Itto only dared to eat it after roasting it over a fire.
In short... not even oni would dare to eat it raw.
"Hmm?"
Wiping her arm across her mouth, purple juice smeared her cheeks.
Tucking away the half-eaten Lavender Melon, Sayu hid among the lush branches, peeking through the gaps.
As a ninja of the Shuumatsuban, Sayu hadn't just honed her skills in running away and hiding.
Listening to the wind like a cat was another technique she had studied intently.
Because if she wasn't careful, a shrine maiden would sneak up behind her and stuff her mouth full of carrots again.
If her ears didn't deceive her... there should be the sound of wagon wheels nearby.
And quite a few wagons at that.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, several carts loaded with crates passed by on the coastal path.
"Is that... Mora?!"
Mora, the currency minted by Rex Lapis of Liyue using his Geo Archon authority, was the only universally accepted currency across Teyvat.
And this currency carried a unique energy.
Those with Visions could easily discern its authenticity through elemental resonance.
Based on the elemental feedback, the contents of those wagons should all be Mora.
"Hmm... should I report this?"
A convoy hauling this much Mora definitely didn't seem up to any good.
But her mission was a perimeter survey—was it really okay to just leave like this?
These people were way too suspicious, especially the one leading them, who looked every bit like a Fatui agent.
Maybe she should go back and report first.
Swallowing the last traces of Lavender Melon juice, Sayu began slowly backing away.
Like a cautious little cat, she moved without a sound, not even shaking the branches.
But after just a few steps back, she felt something behind her.
A person!
Drawing from her experience being chased by shrine maidens, Sayu immediately realized someone was behind her.
Now, she couldn't care less about whether the convoy would spot her.
"Yoohoo Art: Mujina Madness"
She leaped high, leaving behind a round, roly-poly mujina doll in her place, while she herself scattered a flurry of shuriken as she descended toward the ground.
Yet the other's seemingly slender arm effortlessly grabbed her by the collar, dangling her mid-air.
"Shh, don't scare off my prey, little tanuki."
"Not a tanuki—a mujina!"
This shout was both a retort and, more so, an attempt to cause trouble.
Because of her outburst, the convoy outside had already noticed something amiss.
"Who's there?!"
With a furious shout, Igor drew his weapon, glaring toward the woods where the noise had come from.
The rest of the convoy followed suit, unsheathing their weapons, but their grips and expressions betrayed them.
They were clearly not Fatui soldiers.
Fatui soldiers deployed abroad would never hold their blades so clumsily.
Most of these were just hired thugs, there for show.
Only a handful of core members had been brought by Igor from Watatsumi Island.
He wasn't worried about anyone stealing the Mora—before taking this route, he had consulted the Fatui intelligence network.
Due to the war between the resistance and the Shogunate, plus the Tatarigami's havoc, few people passed through here.
Even if they did, they were mostly just scattered refugees from Tatarasuna.
Such refugees wouldn't pose any threat to their convoy.
But there was one thing he hadn't considered—if someone was targeting this shipment of Mora, no matter which path he took, even by sea, they would intercept him.