The moment he landed, Muramasa instinctively surveyed his surroundings. There weren't many obstacles; the field of vision was wide open. Before he had much time to think, he sensed a hostile wind from the distance. Looking up, he saw several arrows had already landed in front of him.
A warning shot…
Muramasa frowned, noticing one Geo-infused arrow flying off in a different direction like a stray goose. It would have been easy to miss. Based on his experience, that was likely a signal to a central command. After sending such a signal, as long as he didn't make any suspicious moves, they usually wouldn't attack immediately.
"These guys, they don't seem like a disorganized mob…"
Muramasa stood still, his gaze continuing to discreetly scan Watatsumi Island. What caught his attention the most were, naturally, the bubbles rising high into the air in the distance. They emitted a strange glow that didn't seem to come from any light source.
"Hmm…"
He was just admiring the bubbles when his super-long-range vision keenly caught a tiny bubble rising rapidly from below. When this small bubble collided with a larger one, the color of the larger one changed slightly.
As he was pondering this, a seemingly ordinary soldier emerged from below a cliff and approached him with a strange expression. "Her Excellency, the Divine Priestess, requests your presence."
…
He followed the small path downwards, passing through a forest-like area of giant corals, and arrived before a palace with a style completely different from the Grand Narukami Shrine. Compared to the towering shrine on the mainland, this place was clearly at a lower elevation; in fact, it was almost a mirror image of the Grand Narukami Shrine in terms of its position relative to sea level.
At the palace gate, a young lady stood quietly in wait. She had long, pink-to-purple gradient hair and straight bangs that framed a slightly chubby, youthful face. She wore a mermaid-like, short-sleeved shrine maiden outfit with two light ribbons trailing behind her. She slowly walked towards the visiting smith.
"Welcome, Mr. Senji Muramasa. I, the Divine Priestess, Sangonomiya Kokomi, have been waiting for you for a long time."
The speaker was none other than the current supreme ruler of Sangonomiya, Kokomi.
"Oh? You can actually recognize me?" Thinking that she knew who he was without even seeing him, he asked casually. Or have they already mastered a means of transmitting a large amount of information?
"You jest." A serene and gentle smile was on her face as she slowly explained her deduction. "It is just that I had anticipated your arrival, so the night watch and patrol were always handled by Gorou."
That dog general? No wonder he could tell it was me… The Geo-infused arrow was probably their special signal. Muramasa had a moment of realization and voiced another doubt. "Why did you know I was coming? This was only decided a few days ago."
From his visit to the Kamisato Estate, to his exchange with the Tenryou Commission, and his simple search in the non-combat areas, no one else should have known.
"We can discuss these things in detail," Kokomi said with a smile, not in a hurry to answer. "And, since you are here, why not come in and sit for a while?"
"That won't be necessary." Muramasa temporarily declined her offer. "I have urgent business to attend to here."
To this, Kokomi showed a hint of surprise, then understood. "My apologies. I had thought you were here on behalf of the Yashiro Commission."
As expected… This young lady's first move upon meeting him was to invite him in for a detailed talk. She had probably mistaken him for an intermediary between the Yashiro Commission and Watatsumi Island. The two sides likely had intentions of private contact for some time, but the usual routes had become battlefields, and the common people held a long-standing grudge against the Raiden Shogun's followers.
So, he, an outsider who had forged swords for them, 'voluntarily' reduced the price, was vouched for by a familiar, could travel freely, and was powerful, had probably become the most suitable candidate. Of course, that 'familiar's vouching' was likely a matter of necessity at the time, and was added on the principle of making the best use of everything.
"I wonder how that blue-haired fellow planned to get me over here if it weren't for the Fatui…" Muramasa muttered to himself, then said to the young lady, "In short, I'm here to patrol a few rounds and find a strange fellow who wants my head. Have you seen any strange people coming in or out recently?" Since he was already here, he might as well ask the locals.
"Since the war began, besides you, no other personnel have entered or exited." Seeing him ask, Kokomi thought for a moment. Though she had been indoors recently, she was basically aware of all the affairs on the island.
Then this is troublesome… Muramasa thought to himself. He had already done a simple search on Yashiori Island. If there was nothing here either, did he really have to search in the areas that were still in the midst of war? The danger was secondary; the main problem was that if there were any strange buildings in a combat zone, they should have been discovered long ago. Or did these people just not need a base of operations and roamed freely?
Just as he was worrying, Kokomi remembered something. "However, before the war started, a doushin from the Tenryou Commission did come here. But we couldn't tell if he was a refugee or had other motives, so we had him 'temporarily stay' in the village."
'Temporarily stay' was, in reality, house arrest.
"If he was just trying to escape the Vision Hunt Decree, then there's no point in asking him, is there?" Muramasa didn't think he could get anything from a refugee doushin.
"Actually, in the first few days he was here, he did say that he had come to investigate someone." Kokomi shook her head, correcting some details. "But at that time, the war was imminent. I felt that no matter if his information was true or false, it would not benefit the current situation, so I never asked him in detail."
Investigate? The timing doesn't match… Muramasa thought. But considering it might be related to that organization itself, it wouldn't be surprising if they had a long-term base. But according to their public identities, they should also have a base in Inazuma City. So if it really was them, then the reason was worth looking into.
"Take me to see him."
-------
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