Sangonomiya Shrine is not only Watatsumi Island's largest shrine but also the center of its political affairs.
The Araumi Priestess, the spiritual and temporal leader of Watatsumi Island, typically resides in Sangonomiya Shrine.
Today, this palace, nestled among giant coral shells, was even busier than usual.
"What?! You said you're not doing it?!"
A surprised shout echoed from within the solemn palace.
"Bang!"
Ember slammed his palm on the conference table, his gaze fixed intently on the three Fatui members opposite him.
Led by the two Sergeants from before, Ember and his group were naturally granted an audience with Watatsumi Island's representatives—it would have been absurd not to, as Ember's accompanying forces could have simply forced their way in.
After some explanations, Sangonomiya Shrine immediately initiated the negotiation process.
At the long conference table, Ember and Shikanoin Heizou sat on one side, while the Fatui Harbinger, Childe, and Balladeer sat on the other.
The main seat, facing the entrance, was naturally occupied by Sangonomiya Kokomi, the Araumi Priestess of Watatsumi Island, along with a host of influential civil and military officials behind her.
Among them was the beast-eared General Ember had seen before, and judging by his position, he was likely one of Sangonomiya Kokomi's trusted lieutenants.
Unfortunately, the meeting had barely begun before it reached a stalemate, primarily due to the Harbinger's evasiveness.
As soon as Ember and Sangonomiya Kokomi started discussing the Fatui's grain transportation, the Harbinger interjected with excuses like, "The Fatui have specific tasks in Inazuma; if we fail, we cannot report back to Snezhnaya."
To Ember, these excuses were practically equivalent to saying, "Sorry, we can't do it."
So, he immediately slammed the table and glared at the three people across from him.
"Don't look at me; she said it, it's not my business." Childe immediately backed away a few steps, creating distance from the Harbinger, upon feeling Ember's gaze.
Childe's indifferent, 'not my problem' attitude made Balladeer glance at him curiously.
He never noticed this guy was such a coward before.
Ember ignored Childe's actions, casually digging at his ear. "Your Fatui tasks aren't those rotten deeds, are they?"
"If they are, you'd better start thinking about how you're going to explain yourselves to me first!"
"Crack, crack, crack!" Ember's hand tightened, and cracks began to appear on the conference table.
"Uh..." The Harbinger swallowed, feeling an unnamed pressure emanating from Ember.
Ember was indeed right; Snezhnaya's tasks for the Fatui were all about prolonging the war in Inazuma. Calling them 'rotten deeds' was no exaggeration.
"Xiao Lu, how many copies did you make?" Seeing the Harbinger's hesitation, Ember nodded to Shikanoin Heizou beside him. It seemed another push was needed!
"Bang!"
"Several copies, enough for one each for the Tri-Commission, Grand Narukami Shrine, Sangonomiya Shrine, and Tenshukaku!"
The conference table trembled slightly, and Shikanoin Heizou's head emerged from a stack of documents.
"Whoosh!"
Ember flipped through the papers on the table, pointedly asking Shikanoin Heizou, "Xiao Lu, what do you think would happen if these things ended up in the hands of the Tri-Commission, Grand Narukami Shrine, Sangonomiya Shrine, and Tenshukaku?"
"Sangonomiya Shrine is right here." Gorou looked at the three Harbingers' gloomy faces opposite him, suddenly curious about the contents of the documents.
What could possibly make the Harbingers feel so troubled?
"Don't interrupt!" Ember shot Gorou a glance. How could this guy not see the situation clearly? This was interrogation time for the Fatui.
Sangonomiya Shrine? After the Fatui were dealt with, it would be Sangonomiya Shrine's turn!
"Hehehe, I think heads might roll. As for whether they're the heads of the Tri-Commission or other factions, I wouldn't know." Shikanoin Heizou let out a villainous cackle.
He was actually trying to scare the Harbinger and her companions, as Inazuma's current laws didn't include the death penalty.
But this was intimidation, and there was no harm in scaring them a bit more.
"Damn it!" The Harbinger's fingertips dug into her palms. Although the Fatui didn't do good deeds, they were clean and left almost no evidence.
Even if others suspected the Fatui, they couldn't produce any proof.
But Ember and Shikanoin Heizou were different. Ember was powerful, and Shikanoin Heizou was a professional detective.
Together, these two were a force to be reckoned with, capable of directly crushing the Fatui and even burying them to prevent their escape.
Seeing this, the Harbinger could only swallow her anger. She didn't want the Fatui in Inazuma to be killed or captured.
Inazuma bordered the Dark Sea, and there were many places within its territory that interested the Fatui. Even without the Gnosis, these places might bring unexpected gains to the Fatui.
Moreover, judging by Ember's demeanor, if they didn't comply, the Fatui in Inazuma might be executed on the spot.
This risk could not be taken for now!
The Harbinger clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and sat back down.
"Haha, it seems you all have reached an agreement?" Kokomi, who had been observing, chuckled, breaking the awkward atmosphere.
She touched the crack that extended to her seat, wondering if she was behind the times.
Were negotiations outside conducted like this now?
"It was always an agreement; we just reinforced the original intention," Ember said dismissively, waving his hand.
"Then I thank Mr. Ember... and Sir Shikanoin Heizou, in advance."
Hearing this, Kokomi expressed her gratitude to Ember and Shikanoin Heizou.
She knew, of course, that the Fatui were doing these things unwillingly. All of it, she suspected, was thanks to the "Great Adventurer" in iron armor before her.
As for Shikanoin Heizou, Kokomi had checked; he was just a Tenryou Commission patrolman, useful but probably not a major player.
"Hey! Why are you two looking at me like that?!" Just as Kokomi was about to discuss the specifics, Childe's surprised voice rang out again.
"Hum hum hum~"
Seeing everyone's eyes turn to her, the Harbinger immediately hummed an unknown tune.
Anyway, her part in the plan was over; now it was up to her two colleagues.
She had only been watching Childe because she was afraid he might forget the plan they had devised on the way.
Given the current situation, they definitely couldn't escape by force. Fortunately, past experiences showed that Ember was a reasonable person.
If force wouldn't work, then they'd try persuasion! Could three people not out-reason one?
The Harbinger's task was to use the unique nature of the Fatui organization to make Ember abandon his absurd idea of a "Fatui Post-War Reconstruction Team."
Clearly, she had failed. So now it was Childe and Balladeer's turn to step up as teammates.
Specifically for Childe, it was something he excelled at: accounting!
As the Northland Bank's chief debt collector, constantly on the road, Childe must be very good at accounting!
At least, that's what the Harbinger and Balladeer believed, and so this task naturally fell upon Childe's shoulders, leaving him no room for argument.
The intertwining gazes of doubt from the crowd and encouragement from his colleagues suddenly made Childe feel immense pressure.
"Sigh—don't blame me, I tried my best." Childe scratched his hair, and his hand turned brown—a result of his hair loss from making fake accounts last night.
Clapping his hands, Childe pulled a wad of white paper from his waist pocket.
"This is our Fatui financial situation. We are very poor; we have no money to transport grain."
Childe forced a smile. He didn't know if the Fatui actually had money, but he'd done some chaotic calculations, and even if they did, it would appear as if they had none.
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