"Pirate leader?"
"Smuggling kingpin?"
"Junk factory manager?"
"You three just *have* to repeat what I say, don't you?"
Ember shot a sidelong glance at the three Harbingers opposite him. Why were these three so jumpy? They had no composure!
"Heh, pirates? What use are these villains who only rise to power in times of chaos?" Balladeer scoffed when he heard Ember's solution was to find a pirate for help.
It wasn't that he... well, Balladeer had always looked down on people, and this time was no exception.
Pirates? Didn't these guys only know how to loot, steal, and do other things that required no brains or strength, only guts? What great use could they be?
"Kid, are your eyes on top of your head or something?" Ember saw Balladeer's disdainful expression again and figured he must have been looked down upon a lot in the past, which was why he immediately became the 'evil dragon' he once was after gaining strength.
"If you ask me, Gui Long, as bad as he is, is still better than all of you!" Ember pointed at the three people opposite him, stating with certainty.
Then he saw Sangonomiya Kokomi and the others nearby, and with a turn of his arm, he pointed at them too.
"Oh, I almost forgot about you of the resistance. You also can't compare to Gui Long and those few pirates."
Gui Long, at most, would ambush passing Sergeants. Compared to the rotten things the resistance and the Fatui did, he was infinitely better.
Kokomi's expression froze when Ember pointed at her. Soon, she forced a smile, "Haha, Ember, you're quite the joker."
"Our resistance has strict military discipline. No matter what, we can't be worse than pirates."
"See for yourself."
Ember indicated he didn't want to say more to her and directly tossed the notebook in his hand over.
Seeing Ember's confident demeanor, Kokomi didn't dally. She immediately opened the notebook and began to read.
"Hmm... uncleaned battlefields? This is indeed a bit difficult for us. The resistance is mostly at a disadvantage against the Shogunate Army. In such a situation..."
At first, when Kokomi saw the minor issues in the notebook, she could still offer a few defenses. But as her fingers turned the pages, her defensive voice grew softer and softer.
By the end, the Araumi Priestess, who had always maintained a calm expression, had anger coloring her face.
However, due to her position, she was still trying her best to conceal her emotions. The silent anger beneath her calm exterior was far more terrifying than anger directly shown on her face.
"Nathan? I remember that's one of your squad leaders, Saito, isn't it?" Kokomi closed the notebook and gently pushed it back to Ember's side.
Hearing Kokomi's voice, which contained hidden anger, a burly man in red armor behind her immediately stepped forward, bowing and cautiously saying:
"Ara... Araumi Priestess, that is correct."
"Since that's the case..." Kokomi pondered for a moment, then sternly rebuked: "Saito Utsufusa, your command of the Third Squad's military seal is hereby temporarily revoked for poor troop management. Do you have any objections?"
"My... my Lady." Saito Utsufusa immediately straightened up in fear upon hearing Kokomi's rebuke, quickly retreating a few steps.
"Buzz—"
Just as Saito Utsufusa's face was contorted in indecision, a colleague, also a resistance general, had somehow moved beside him. While drawing his saber, he shook his head at him.
After several changes in expression, Saito Utsufusa finally lowered his head, slowly and deliberately placing his military seal and saber beside Kokomi.
"Good, since you are so cooperative. I naturally won't wrong you."
Kokomi nodded, seeing Saito Utsufusa obediently hand over the military seal.
"Apprehend Nathan of the Third Squad and his subordinate Chub Mackerel Squad. If he truly incited the destruction of the tatarigami and is also a Fatui spy, act according to the law."
"If not..., then use this as an opportunity to thoroughly investigate spies within the army and other possible oversights."
"How does that sound, Ember, and General Saito?"
Having given all her instructions, Kokomi then asked Ember and Saito Utsufusa.
"So decisive? Alright, I won't interfere with your internal affairs. However, I have a list of Fatui spies right here. You can deal with them however you like."
"We will obey the orders of the Araumi Priestess."
Ember scratched his head. He hadn't expected Sangonomiya Kokomi, who seemed so delicate, to act with such swiftness and resolve.
So, right in front of the Harbingers, he tossed over the list he had found in the Evil Eye Factory.
Glancing at the Harbingers beside him, and seeing all three looking up at the sky, Kokomi calmly took the list Ember had thrown over.
"If the individuals have not committed any grave evils, our Watatsumi Island will not make things overly difficult for them."
Although the Harbingers seemed indifferent, Kokomi still emphasized this point.
Spies were common, with various factions planting them in each other's ranks. Unless they caused serious harm, they were usually overlooked.
The Harbingers, hearing this, finally lowered their gaze and nodded at Kokomi.
Aside from the Harbingers showing some reaction, Childe and Balladeer maintained their sky-gazing postures.
Childe, of course, was merely making up the numbers. None of the Inazuma Fatui teams were under his command.
And Balladeer was even more so; he didn't even care how many subordinates he had. He'd just yell when he needed them, and someone would always show up.
Among the three, only the Harbingers seemed like a proper Harbinger.
"Any other questions? If not, have we settled this?" Ember asked, looking around after a long silence.
"No questions. The next step is the specific details." Kokomi nodded at Ember.
The broad direction was set; now it was time for the details.
"Details? Xiao Lu, you're up!" As soon as he heard the word "details," Ember immediately pushed Shikanoin Heizou forward.
He couldn't help it; he could only rely on Xiao Lu now. He had to do it, whether he liked it or not!
"Me again?"
Shikanoin Heizou pointed to his face. Why was he, a detective, always doing things unrelated to detective work?
"More practice won't hurt." Ember waved his hand, signaling Shikanoin Heizou to calm down.
"If that's the case, then I'll stay for the Fatui side." The Harbingers heard Kokomi and Ember's conversation and, with a roll of her eyes, decided to stay.
Seeing Ember about to say something, the Harbingers quickly interjected: "You don't think that Fatui operations across such a large area of Watatsumi Island don't need coordination and handover, do you?"
"By staying here, I can both discuss specific details with Watatsumi Island and have the other Fatui on the island change their mission objectives."
The Harbingers' rapid-fire speech successfully convinced Ember. Seeing that Ember had taken her words to heart, the Harbingers pressed on, continuing:
"Not just Watatsumi Island, you'll need someone to coordinate with the pirates, and someone for Kannazuka as well."
"Three people, just right."
No sooner had the Harbingers finished speaking than she felt two intense gazes. Without turning around, she knew they were from Childe and Balladeer.
Childe's was especially strong; his gratitude was practically overflowing from his eyes.
No matter what the task, as long as it meant being separated from Ember, it was a good assignment!
"That actually sounds pretty reasonable." Ember and Shikanoin Heizou exchanged glances, agreeing that the Harbingers made a lot of sense.
If they did this, he wouldn't have to be busy with anything, which was simply perfect!
Seeing the excited expressions of the Harbingers, Childe, and Balladeer, Ember felt the need to give them a warning.
"Let me remind you three, you Fatui are atoning for your sins."
"If you don't want to atone, no problem!"
"Bang!"
Ember slammed a straight sword onto the table.
"Then let's see whose head is harder, yours or my straight sword! Understand?!"
"Mm-hmm! Mm-hmm! Mm-hmm!"
The three opposite immediately nodded like pecking chickens.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"