Chapter 266: Analyzing the Pros and Cons

The facts prove it.

Luo De's feeling is not wrong.

Even though his attitude was extremely firm, Shenli Lingren still did not give up on finding him to go to Inazuma.

In the following days.

Wherever Luo De went, he could see his figure.

Even if Luo De said that Ying alone was enough to help Inazuma solve the problems of the Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree, Shenli Lingren would always agree readily and then tirelessly continue to send out invitations.

This made Luo De extremely annoyed.

He was very clear about it in his heart.

What Shenli Lingren valued was not only Luo De's ability to converse with the gods, but also that Luo De himself was an extremely powerful strongman.

Wanting to persuade the Thunderbolt General to change his mind.

Everything else is just empty talk.

Only strength is the hard truth.

In Inazuma.

The way to reason is simple: it's with fists.

As the founder of this pattern.

Wanting to reason with the Thunderbolt General, having fists hard enough is naturally the key.

Shenli Lingren knows his own strength well.

Therefore, no matter how much he worried about Inazuma's situation, he really did not dare to provoke the Thunderbolt General's brow, thereby inviting deadly disaster.

He is not afraid of death.

He fears that after his death, his sister alone cannot support the family.

That is truly what makes him fearful in his heart.

But he cannot show it.

So he can only do as he does now, using a way of harassing and pestering that is very unbecoming of the head of the Shenli family, in order to get Luo De to Inazuma no matter what.

For this purpose.

He spared no effort in reasoning, playing the victim, and sincerely inviting; almost every possible means he could use were used.

"You seem to have quite an opinion about that Sakoku Decree and Vision Hunt Decree?"

It was a rare occasion when Ying treated guests; before Shenli Lingren could get involved, they hadn't even chatted a few sentences when Ying brought up this matter in front of Luo De.

She had accepted Shenli Lingren's invitation.

This is not only because she is about to go to Inazuma to seek an opportunity to meet the Thunderbolt General.

Also, it's because Shenli Lingren showed him ordinary Inazuma people who had fallen into dire straits due to the Sakoku Decree and Vision Hunt Decree.

Ying could not bear to see such a miserable state, and wanted to try, as Shenli Lingren said, to persuade that Electro Archon whom Luo De called stubborn-minded.

But she could not understand some of it.

Luo De can strive for the desert people of Sumeru who are similarly living in dire straits, so how did he become so heartless toward the Inazuma people? This is no exaggeration.

Luo De truly felt no sympathy at all for the Inazuma people's lives as described by Shenli Lingren; even if Shenli Lingren showed images, he felt not the slightest bit moved.

Ying was very puzzled as to what the reason for this actually was.

"Do you know how many Visions the Vision Hunt Decree requires in total?"

"If you answer correctly, Ying, Luo De would not be so cold toward Shenli Lingren; in response to Ying's question, he also began with a counter-question."

"One hundred."

"Ying had heard this from Shenli Lingren before and answered quickly."

"Then that's settled."

"Do you know how many people there are in all of Inazuma?"

"At least a million."

"In a country with millions of people, to go and oppose a god who could at any moment draw his blade and kill you, just over something that affects only a few dozen people— isn't that stupid?"

Luo De curled his lip, his expression extremely disdainful.

That's simply how it is.

In Inazuma, let alone the Vision Hunt Decree taking away the wishes of just a hundred people; even if it made a thousand or ten thousand people lose their ideals, how could those people affect the entire Inazuma's livelihood?

It is quite obvious.

This is absolutely impossible.

Therefore, anything that uses the Vision Hunt Decree to invite people to Inazuma to confront the Thunderbolt General for justice, Luo De's evaluation is pure villainy.

Including Sea Deity Island, which has already risen in rebellion.

Using the Vision Hunt Decree as an excuse to rebel is utterly absurd! Clearly, it's just because their own land is barren, they covet the fertile lands of neighboring islands, and those who possess Visions, after training, have strength far beyond ordinary soldiers, so they rise up in arms under the banner of opposing the Vision Hunt Decree, in order to win over those Vision possessors fleeing the shogunate's pursuit, thereby strengthening their own power.

Ying stared dumbfounded as Luo De finished his sharp critique of the so-called reasons for rebelling against the Vision Hunt Decree.

And her response to this was:

Just a long 'ah——' full of disbelief.

Even Paimon, who usually doesn't understand these things, looked dejected and muttered to herself: "How could this be?"

"You definitely still want to ask me about the Sakoku Decree."

"Forget it, I'll just tell you both at once."

Before Ying could continue asking herself, Luo De jumped in and launched another sharp critique of the even more condemned Sakoku Decree.

First.

Luo De had to admit one point: "The Sakoku Decree indeed greatly affects the lives of Inazuma people, after all overseas trade relations have ceased; many who make a living this way will lose their source of income, and along with losing job opportunities, plus the loss of foreign trade, the annual gains of Inazuma people will also be greatly reduced."

That

It was with great difficulty that Luo De had found something that matched his own view; Ying, who had just been thunderstruck by the Vision Hunt Decree, instantly changed expression, quickly perked up her ears, and listened intently as Luo De continued speaking.

However.

As soon as Luo De spoke his next words, Ying's expression froze again.

"Even though the Sakoku Decree has myriad harms, the root cause of the current situation is not the Sakoku Decree itself, but rather the three great families of the Inazuma Shogunate, represented by the Kamisato clan."

Ying was stunned once again.

She simply couldn't understand.

"A policy that Luo De called a disaster for the nation and its people—how did the responsibility end up falling on Inazuma's own people?"

"You must be thinking that you can't understand right now."

"Once you arrive in Inazuma and see with your own eyes how the Shogunate's people are exploiting the populace, you'll know."

Luo De dipped his finger in some tea, drew a map of Inazuma on the table, then circled the rebellious Watatsumi Island and the already haunted Tatarasuna Island.

"Not counting these islands that can't grow anything."

"Aside from Tataragami Island occupied by pirates and monsters, Inazuma's main islands—Narukami Island, Yashiori Island, and Kannazuka—are all major grain producers; even without mentioning anything else, at least food self-sufficiency is achievable."

"Besides, don't think that the Electro Archon set up a heavens-covering thunder barrier for the Sakoku Decree, completely cutting off Inazuma from the outside world."

"But Inazuma is itself an island nation."

"The greatest advantage of an island nation is its abundant marine resources."

"In other words."

"As long as no one is exploiting them from within, even if Inazuma is under sakoku, they at least won't have trouble filling their stomachs."

"Then why does Kamisato Ayato let you see so many Inazumans who can't even afford a meal?"

"Have you ever thought about that?"

Combining geography with his knowledge of Inazuma, Luo De once again left Ying speechless.

Indeed.

Why? "The answer is already obvious."

"Someone is exploiting the lower-class populace."

"No."

"Not only are they exploiting the lower classes, but they are exploiting layer after layer; as the three great families that dominate Inazuma, they have their fill, while the common folk at the very bottom can only survive by eating tree bark and wild vegetables."

Luo De crossed his arms, laid this cruel fact before Ying's eyes, and finally summed it up in one sentence: "Compared to the previous Sumeru, this Inazuma is no better off."

"No wonder you're so cold toward Kamisato Ayato."

Ying let out a sigh.

Now she finally understood.

"Why, whenever Kamisato Ayato brings up the lives of the people under the Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree to play the victim, Luo De scoffs contemptuously from the side."

Originally, I thought he was cold-blooded and heartless.

But looking at it now, it's entirely a case of cause and effect.

"Moreover."

"Don't think that Kamisato Ayato's efforts to persuade people to convince the Raiden Shogun to change her mind are truly because he pities these Inazuma commoners."

"Oh, you shouldn't speak in absolutes."

"There's also a possibility that he truly is thinking of the Inazuma commoners, unable to bear seeing them so exploited due to systemic issues."

"However, I personally lean more toward the idea that he's doing this for his own family's benefit."

Luo De always tends to assume the worst possible intent, and this time is no exception.

In his view.

Currently, among the three great families of the Inazuma Shogunate, the Kamisato clan is the weakest; even with Kamisato Ayato and Kamisato Ayaka, they are still weaker than the other two.

The Hiiragi and Kujou clans, meanwhile, are constantly thinking of destroying the Kamisato clan and absorbing all of its power into their own hands.

Moreover, this plan almost succeeded.

If it weren't for the need of a triangular balance in Inazuma's power structure, with mutual checks, the priestess who usually avoids worldly affairs would not have suddenly stepped forward to protect the Kamisato clan.

Under such circumstances.

The Kamisato clan inevitably needs to find a way to break the deadlock.

Otherwise, once Kamisato Ayato passes away and the clan lacks an heir, there remains the risk of being devoured alive by these two political rivals.

The Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree are a perfect opportunity.

Because these two decrees were conjured up by the Hiiragi and Kujou clans together with the Snezhnayan people, in order to give their own families an advantage.

So, if someone could persuade the Raiden Shogun to change her mind,

then the first to suffer would be the Hiiragi and Kujou clans, as the masterminds who also colluded with foreign enemies to betray national interests.

Kamisato Ayato does not actually ask the Raiden Shogun to, in a fit of rage, order the slaughter of those two clans.

What he needs is

simply for those two clans to be reprimanded by the Raiden Shogun.

That would be enough.

As long as those two families take the blame for their wrongdoing, the Kamisato clan would not only have its crisis completely resolved, but would even have the chance to expand its power, preserving the present while eliminating future hidden dangers for posterity—a perfect win-win.

But to achieve all of this,

the prerequisite is that someone truly can persuade the Raiden Shogun to change her mind.

"."

"Therefore."

You mean Ying was taken by Ayato to be used as a spear?

Paimon is indeed Ying's mouthpiece.

Luo De had just finished analyzing Kamisato Ayato's actions in detail, and she immediately spoke the sentence that both Luo De and Ying wanted to say but hadn't.

Moreover, she looked even more furious than Ying.

Damn it, we obviously trusted him so much, he, how could he do this!? Ying, Ying, we've been tricked!!! We, we aren't going to Inazuma anymore, let him find someone else more capable!!!

Amid her complaining.

The fighting spirit quietly jumped onto Luo De again: 'And Luo De, you're also a big bad guy, you know Ayato is deceiving us, why didn't you stop Ying back then, causing her to be tricked into going to Inazuma and risking her life, wuwuwu, bad person! Bad person!'

You can't say that either.

Then weren't you also not promising to definitely help him? When you later promised, Luo De wasn't there either.

Dixiya, who had been quietly listening to Luo De's words, seeing Paimon expand the range of the fighting spirit's flames, immediately couldn't sit still and began to defend Luo De.

That was very useful.

That directly left the complaining Paimon speechless.

Ying also covered Paimon's mouth with an embarrassed face: 'You know Paimon's personality, don't take her seriously.'

It's not that bad.

Luo De indeed didn't care about what Paimon said, spread his hands and lightly brushed the matter aside.

And Paimon, realizing she had just misspoken.

After Ying let go, she pitifully apologized to Luo De, admitting her mistake while also asking if he had a way to help them avoid the risk of being attacked by the Electro Archon once they reached Inazuma.

'Go find a person named Yae Miko.'

When saying that, Luo De deliberately glanced at Paimon's expression.

He was now absolutely certain.

This little thing's cluelessness is almost certainly an act.

Just from her performance earlier.

First she angrily criticized Kamisato Ayato's actions, distancing herself and Ying from the Kamisato family, then she deliberately shifted the topic to Luo De, who had nothing to do with this, and finally, under the guise of apologizing, she asked Luo De for a solution.

Otherwise.

Directly asking Luo De about these things is really not easy to bring up.

If this series of actions were merely coincidental, it would be too smoothly coincidental.

'Using cluelessness as a disguise, are you actually always helping the truly clueless Ying in your own way?'

Muttering these thoughts in his heart, Luo De continued his previous words: 'Yae Miko is the shrine priestess of the Narukami Shrine in Inazuma, also a retainer of the Electro Archon, and additionally the person closest to the relationship between Inazuma and the Electro Archon; if you want to escape safely from the Electro Archon's grasp, her help is indispensable.'

'Yae Miko.'

'The shrine priestess of the Narukami Shrine.'

Ying repeated it once, nodding to indicate she had remembered the name.

After that, there wasn't much else to say.

Luo De couldn't possibly go to Inazuma, and Ying was also a bit absent-minded, constantly thinking about what Luo De had just said—that Kamisato Ayato's search for helpers everywhere was actually for his own family's affairs.

Just like that.

What was originally a lively gathering of friends ended in a rather dull atmosphere.

After leaving the tavern.

Luo De originally planned to, before returning to Sumeru with a few days to spare, go with Dixiya to stroll through Liyue's hundred-li market to see if they could pick out something they liked.

But as soon as they stepped out the door...

He received an invitation from Nadixa.

To be precise.

It was an invitation from Zhongli.

The floating temple was reborn, Xiao took over as the Geo Archon, all dust settled, and Zhongli decided to host a banquet, inviting the gods and adepts to a celebratory feast.

(End of chapter)