Inazuma, Kamisato Estate.
Although it was sowhat disappointing not to et the much-admired "Shirasagi Higimi," everyone understood it was a customary practice that couldn't be forced.
Seeing the regret on Nolan's face, Lumine gave him a disapproving look and pinched his arm.
"Ahem… Well then, Miss Kamisato, shall we get straight to the point? Is there sothing you need our help with?" Nolan coughed awkwardly, trying to change the subject.
"Ah, you esteed Travelers, renowned across the lands—not only did you withstand the 'Musou no Hitotachi' to rescue Thoma, but you've also made the effort to co all the way to the Kamisato Estate to help us.
"If I were to stubbornly adhere to customs and not even et you in person, it would truly bring sha upon the Kamisato family. Please, co over—I would like to thank you face-to-face and make my request," ca the gentle and elegant voice of a young woman from behind the folding screen.
[Kamisato Ayaka Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 260 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv. 2 (160/200)]
Oh? Affection points even before eting her?
Nolan was slightly surprised but found it understandable upon reflection.
He did have so fa, after all. The strength he demonstrated by enduring Raiden Shogun's blade was enough to naturally garner admiration. Not to ntion, he had also saved Thoma.
All these factors would reasonably make the "Shirasagi Higimi" develop a favorable impression of him even before formally eting him.
"Miss…"
Hearing his lady's reasoning for breaking tradition and considering even the well-being of her humble retainer, Thoma was deeply moved.
"Hehe, if that's the case, then we'll head over now!" Paimon said cheerfully.
After all, everyone was sowhat eager to finally et the fad "Shirasagi Higimi."
Under Thoma's guidance, the group bypassed the folding screen and entered a more spacious reception hall. Normally, only the head of the Yashiro Commission and their guests would et here.
For the young lady of the Kamisato family to receive them here was already breaking with long-standing tradition.
However, among the people of Inazuma, the "Shirasagi Higimi" was known for her kindness and willingness to personally assist even with the most troubleso matters. She was nothing like the stereotypical noble lady.
Thus, at this mont, it was entirely natural for her to forgo formalities as a gesture of respect toward the Travelers.
The reception hall was decorated with nurous floor lanterns and cabinets, their soft glow illuminating the entire space. Cushions were arranged on either side, likely for guests to sit.
At the back of the room, an office desk stood, and behind it sat the young lady of the Kamisato family, known by the elegant title of "Shirasagi Higimi"—Kamisato Ayaka.
Her beautiful, snow-white hair was tied into a high ponytail, with thick bangs neatly framing her forehead.
Her fair, delicate face faced Nolan and the others, calm and composed. The gentle young woman exuded grace as she offered a faint smile.
"Welco to the Kamisato Estate, esteed Travelers. I am Kamisato Ayaka, the eldest daughter of the Kamisato family. It is a pleasure to et you," she said warmly.
"I'm Paimon, and these two are Lumine and Nolan! As for pleasantries, shouldn't we be the ones thanking you?" Paimon responded with a cheeky grin.
Lumine and Nolan gave a slight nod. After all, if such a prominent figure as Ayaka casually extended her support, it would ensure they could navigate Inazuma effortlessly!
"Hehe, how could that be? Aren't you here to 'support' us now?" Kamisato Ayaka replied with a soft laugh, concealing her smile behind her folding fan.
She wore a gradient-blue haori over a deep blue pleated skirt. Her chest and abdon were wrapped in black armor, and her skirt was adorned with protective panels on both sides.
The deep blue hem of her skirt covered her snow-white legs as she sat in a poised, kneeling position.
"Uh… I wouldn't call it support. Thoma ntioned you needed our help with sothing, Miss Ayaka. Could you tell us more?" Nolan asked, cutting through the polite formalities.
"Of course. Please, take a seat first," Ayaka said with a gentle nod.
Once the group was seated, she began to explain slowly:
"Under the enforcent of the 'Vision Hunt Decree,' the aspirations of Inazuma's citizens are being trampled upon. As soone whose duties bring closest to the people, I find it unbearable to witness their suffering.
"Moreover, as you have likely observed, the implentation of the decree has brought no benefit to the pursuit of 'Eternity.' Instead, it has caused even greater discord.
"So, dear Travelers, I humbly ask for your strength. Let us put an end to this farce together!"
"Oh, so you're asking us to help you stage a rebellion? Like what Kokomi is doing?" Paimon asked, tilting her head as if she'd just figured it out.
"Kokomi? Are you in contact with the Resistance?" Kamisato Ayaka asked, visibly surprised.
Although Ayaka's tone seed questioning, she was already certain in her heart. If they had no connection, how would they casually use such an affectionate title for the renowned strategist of the Resistance?
"Ah, no, we're not… it's just… just…"
Caught off guard, Paimon didn't expect her slip of the tongue to reveal their connection with the Resistance. Seeing that there was no way to hide it anymore, Lumine sighed and pressed her hand to her forehead in resignation.
"Hehe, we do have a bit of a connection. Miss Kokomi of the Watatsumi Army also entrusted us with conveying their wishes to the Raiden Shogun, hoping she would abolish the Vision Hunt Decree," Nolan admitted openly, not bothering to hide the truth.
If it were soone else, it might have been necessary to keep things under wraps. But since Kamisato Ayaka, representing the Yashiro Commission, was also opposed to the decree, there was no harm in being straightforward.
"I see."
It wasn't surprising for the Resistance to seek out soone as capable as the Travelers for help. Kamisato Ayaka expressed her understanding.
After a brief mont of thought, she explained:
"Although the Yashiro Commission also wishes to see the Vision Hunt Decree abolished, we differ from the Resistance in that we do not resort to warfare.
"My brother, the head of the Yashiro Commission, has uncovered evidence that the Kujou Clan is colluding with the Fatui, and that's how they convinced the Shogun to implent the decree.
"However, due to the tight security around the Kujou Clan, even our ninja organization, the Shuumatsuban, has been unable to obtain decisive proof.
"This is why I would like to ask you to infiltrate the Kujou Clan and retrieve evidence of Kujou Takayuki's collusion with the Fatui. Once we have that proof, we can report it to the Shogun.
"I believe that when she learns she's been deceived by the Kujou Clan and the Fatui, she will punish the Kujou Clan, and there will be a high chance the Vision Hunt Decree will be abolished."
Kamisato Ayaka carefully laid out her request to Nolan and the others.
In summary, they had already determined that the Kujou Clan was working with the Fatui, but they lacked the strength to secure concrete evidence. For that, they needed the assistance of the more capable Travelers.
"Oh, so that's what it is. Got it! For sneaky operations like this, this guy is an expert. You can leave it to him!" Paimon nodded confidently, pointing at Nolan.
If it was just about finding evidence in the Kujou Clan's estate, there was really no reason to refuse. As long as they weren't asked to fight the Raiden Shogun, there wasn't much in Inazuma that could trouble him.
Nolan smiled faintly and said, "This task doesn't seem too difficult. We can help, though I can't guarantee we'll find the evidence. After all, I have no idea where Kujou Takayuki might be hiding it."
He didn't want to make any promises he couldn't keep; it would be awkward if they ca up empty-handed.
Actually, if necessary, he could have "La Signora" fabricate so evidence, but that ca with the risk of exposing her. After so thought, he decided against it—her value within the Fatui was far greater.
"That's completely understandable," Kamisato Ayaka replied with a calm smile. She trusted in Nolan's abilities and understood that his cautious words were simply a reflection of his humble nature.
"By the way, I heard yesterday that you'll be eting with the Shogun in two days. In that case, using an introduction to the Shogun as paynt would be inappropriate.
"So, dear Travelers, is there any other reward you would like?"
Naturally, Kamisato Ayaka wouldn't ask for their help for free. After all, if she didn't show her gratitude, they might be less willing to lend a hand next ti.
"Reward… Is there anything you two especially need?" Paimon asked, turning to Nolan and Lumine.
This question actually stumped them a little. The things they needed most were probably items to enhance their strength.
But both Lumine and Nolan were already quite powerful, so regular weapons and artifacts wouldn't be of much use.
Unless they were fully maxed-out, even four-star weapons and artifacts wouldn't make much of a difference to them. And maxing them out cost an incredible amount of Mora.
Since this mission was just about gathering evidence and didn't involve combat, it felt a bit shaless to ask for maxed-out artifacts or weapons.
It seed more practical to simply ask for Mora—it was more versatile.
After thinking for a mont, Nolan said, "In that case, let's treat this as a commission from the Yashiro Commission. After all, we are adventurers. Miss Kamisato, you can just offer us so commission paynt."
"Commission paynt? Of course," Kamisato Ayaka agreed with a radiant smile.
As a mber of one of Inazuma's most prestigious families, the Kamisato Clan had no shortage of Mora. She could certainly offer the Travelers a reward they'd find satisfactory.
Rather than taking this opportunity to demand sothing troubleso, like golden five-star artifacts that even the Kamisato family would struggle to provide, Nolan simply asked for Mora. In a way, the Kamisato family was getting a small bargain.
[Kamisato Ayaka Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 240 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.3 (200/300)]
"Hehe, it's settled then!"
Paimon said excitedly.
After finalizing the details of the commission with Kamisato Ayaka, she even prepared a feast to host Nolan and the others at lunchti.
As for when the operation would begin, it was tentatively decided to take place that very night—after all, there was no ti to waste.
In the afternoon, Nolan decided to make a quick trip back to Mondstadt, as the "spiritual energy" of the "Spiritual Core" was now fully collected. It was ti to visit little Klee for so luck.
anwhile, Lumine and Paimon stayed behind to work with Kamisato Ayaka on studying the layout of the Tenryou Commission's estate.
The main goal was to speculate where Kujou Takayuki might be hiding evidence of his collusion with the Fatui. This way, when they infiltrated at night, they wouldn't waste ti searching aimlessly and risk getting caught.
After confirming that he was free for the mont, Nolan contacted Acting Grand Master Jean, intending to teleport to her location. However, his request was declined.
Jean was currently holding a eting with the captains of the Knights of Favonius to discuss plans for exploring the Abyss.
Albedo had recently confird the success of his "Abyss camouflage suit" experint. Upon learning that Fischl could share Oz's vision, he had borrowed Oz the day before.
Oz had hidden inside a specially tailored suit designed for his size and, following the golden sword intent markers left by Nolan, successfully infiltrated the Abyss by flying into it.
However, due to its appearance, the suit was mistaken by the Abyssal Beasts as an intruding creature and was nearly swallowed whole by a shadow bear. Thankfully, Fischl summoned Oz back in ti.
After the experint's success, Albedo personally donned the suit and ventured into the Abyss himself.
The results were promising.
Because the suit was made from authentic shadow bear materials, Albedo wasn't attacked by the Abyssal Beasts.
He reported this significant breakthrough to Jean, who decided to formally initiate an "anti-invasion plan" for the Abyss. As a result, a high-level eting with many of the Knights of Favonius' key mbers—such as Kaeya, Albedo, and Lisa—was convened to discuss the exploration strategy.
Since this was only a preliminary discussion ant to inform the other captains, and Nolan was already familiar with the matter, there was no need for him to attend.
Given the situation, Nolan decided not to interrupt them. After all, the eting included not only familiar faces but also other Knights he didn't know well. Suddenly teleporting in would attract too much attention.
Instead, he asked Lisa to find an excuse to step out of the eting room. Once she did, he teleported to her location so she could return to the discussion.
Nolan appeared on the second floor of the Knights' headquarters, where the eting room was located. Due to the number of attendees, the Acting Grand Master's office wasn't large enough, so the eting had been moved upstairs.
Uninterested in such large gatherings, Nolan explained his intentions to Lisa. After learning that little Klee was in the confinent room downstairs, he made his way to the main hall on the first floor.
Descending the staircase quickly, he approached the confinent room door.
Just as he reached it, the door suddenly creaked open. A small head with a fiery red hat peeked out, sneaking a glance left and right.
After ensuring no one was watching, the little figure turned back and whispered to soone inside:
"Noelle, Jean isn't here! Let's sneak out quickly. I want to go blow up fish at Starfell Lake!"
"No, no, I can't. Acting Grand Master Jean told to keep an eye on you. I can't let you run around," Noelle replied softly.
"Don't worry! Klee's going to blow up fish, not run around!" Klee corrected her, pouting.
"But…"
Hearing Noelle hesitate as if she were about to give in, Nolan approached the door, feeling slightly exasperated.
Noelle's gentle nature made it hard for her to refuse anyone, which made watching over Klee a daunting task.
Perhaps Jean had assigned this duty to help Noelle build her resolve.
As Nolan mused over this, he was about to knock when the door suddenly swung open with a loud "bang!"
"Run!"
Klee burst out, completely ignoring Nolan standing outside, and grabbed Noelle's hand as she bolted away.
---
(End of Chapter)
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