"An inside man?" Kamisato Ayato hesitated for a moment after hearing Ember's words, then immediately nodded.
"Alright, but are you really sure you only need me to be an inside man?" Kamisato Ayato, seeing that Ember had no other requests, reminded him with some apprehension.
Being an inside man was already part of Kamisato Ayato's plan. All the relevant preparations had been made, so now, for Kamisato Ayato, it was merely a change in the recipient of his aid.
"Yes, you don't need to worry about the rest. You just need to hide the people on the agreed-upon day."
Ember nodded, emphasizing this to Kamisato Ayato again.
"That's no problem, but there are a few things I need to confirm. How many people do you need me to hide, and where are they from? You must tell me these details clearly."
"Not many people, just about a hundred. As for where they're from... do you know Higi Village on Yashiori Island?"
Ember didn't hesitate much before telling Kamisato Ayato the general information. Since he agreed so readily, Ember couldn't betray Kamisato Ayato's trust.
"Higi Village?" Kamisato Ayato stroked his chin in thought for a while, and soon he found an impression of Higi Village in his mind.
"Isn't that a small village on Yashiori Island? It seems only the village chief is a registered warrior; the other villagers are just ordinary farmers, right?"
"Don't joke with me about such an important matter."
Kamisato Ayato frowned slightly. In his impression, Higi Village was just an unremarkable one among Inazuma's many settlements.
If he hadn't read so many documents, he probably wouldn't even have an impression of this village.
"I'm not joking with you. I ask you, why did you say you wanted to assist the resistance before?"
Ember asked Kamisato Ayato seriously. He was not one to joke around when it came to important matters.
"Why? Because we need to persuade the Raiden Shogun to revoke the Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree. And the resistance represents the will of Inazuma's people to resist."
"That's good. Now there are more suitable candidates. The villagers of Higi Village can better represent the rebellious will of the Inazuman people."
"They have endured the deepest suffering, and the anger accumulated in their hearts is the greatest."
Kamisato Ayato was startled by the words, but he quickly recovered. Kamisato Ayato paced back and forth in front of the desk a few times, then shook his head and said:
"I understand that. Not only that, I also understand that besides the villagers of Higi Village, the miners who fled from Kannazuka are more qualified than the resistance to represent the rebellious will of Inazuma's people."
"But being qualified is one thing; to stand on the stage, one also needs capability."
As if recalling the submissive nature of Inazuma's people, Kamisato Ayato sighed.
"Whether it's the villagers of Higi Village or the miners who fled from Kannazuka, it's true they have a will to resist, but it's buried deep in their hearts. Do you have a way to ignite their rebellious thoughts?"
"I've ignited those in Higi Village; they're probably roaring right now, wanting to show the Shogunate what they're capable of!"
Ember's words made Kamisato Ayato's lips twitch. He nodded helplessly, then continued:
"Good! Even if you've ignited them, what then? The strength of ordinary people cannot compare to the Shogunate at all."
"I won't even mention the gap between ordinary Sergeants and ordinary people. The Shogunate Army also has many individuals with Visions. How do you bridge the gap they create?"
Kamisato Ayato listed a whole host of reasons in a flash. It seemed his choice of the resistance as the group to bring before the Raiden Shogun was not made on a whim, but after careful consideration.
"So that's why you chose the resistance?"
Ember raised an eyebrow at the words. Kamisato Ayato had considered quite a lot.
"Otherwise? Do you want to painstakingly find an opportunity to send people up, only to be cut down outside the hall by the Okuzume before even meeting the Raiden Shogun?"
Kamisato Ayato retorted to Ember.
"Very good, as expected of the only competent official I've met since coming to Inazuma."
"You flatter me, it's merely my duty."
"But it seems Higi Village meets all the conditions you mentioned."
Ember's single sentence left Kamisato Ayato speechless.
He looked at Ember in silence for a while, then incredulously dug his ear and exclaimed in surprise: "What did you say?!"
"I said, the villagers of Higi Village meet all the conditions you requested!" Fearing that Kamisato Ayato would ask again, Ember spoke louder this time.
"Impossible, Higi Village is full of ordinary people; they're no match for the Shogunate, let alone the Okuzume!"
Kamisato Ayato quickly shook his head, but then he slapped his forehead, muttering thoughtfully.
"Wait! It's not impossible! If the will of those villagers was noticed by a deity, it wouldn't be impossible for many Visions to suddenly appear..."
Kamisato Ayato was pondering, thinking it was very possible that when Ember was inspiring the villagers' will to resist, many people's will was noticed by one of the Seven Archons.
In that case, it wouldn't be impossible for many Visions to appear all at once.
"I'm afraid, Ayato, you're overthinking. The will of Higi Village's villagers isn't strong enough to attract the attention of a deity."
Ember's single sentence shattered Kamisato Ayato's beautiful fantasy.
"Then why are you so confident?" Kamisato Ayato turned around, feeling a bit numb.
"Is gaining a Vision the only way to become stronger?" Ember crossed his arms, puffing out his chest in front of Kamisato Ayato.
"I don't have a Vision."
"You're different from ordinary people; you can't be counted among them." Kamisato Ayato waved his hand at Ember without even looking at him.
To be able to withstand a strike from the Raiden Shogun, Kamisato Ayato hadn't seen many, even among those with Visions.
Whether one had a Vision or not, in the face of such terrifying power, it made no difference.
"However, I agree with what you just said, that there's more than one way to increase strength. Did you make them stronger?"
"Hmm... you could say that, although my main intention wasn't to make them stronger."
"Alright, how much stronger have they become?"
Shaking his head to cast aside the thoughts about whether or not one had a Vision, Kamisato Ayato then asked Ember about Higi Village's current strength.
"This..." Ember recalled the performance of Higi Village's villagers on the night the resistance attacked Higi Village.
"Roughly, they should have the strength of a Delusion-wielding Fatui?" Ember scratched his head, speaking with some uncertainty.
He also didn't know the strength of the resistance after they were equipped with Delusions. The main reason was that the Fatui's quality control was not strict, and the Delusions that flowed into the resistance varied in quality, as did their impact on combat power.
"They should become even stronger after a while!" Ember turned his head to look in a certain direction, as if he could already see the scene of Higi Village's villagers being frantically trained by the Crucible Knight.
"How can their strength increase so quickly? You didn't use some life-shortening method, did you?" Kamisato Ayato was startled. To raise the strength of ordinary villagers to that of Fatui elites, such a leap in strength was already very exaggerated.
"Who do you take me for? That's something the Fatui would do." Ember heard this and, while denying it, also singled out the Fatui.
"If you don't believe me, you can come and see for yourself." Seeing the suspicious look in Kamisato Ayato's eyes, Ember generously waved his hand, inviting him to see.
He had always had a clear conscience, alright?
"I was just waiting for you to say that! I'm really curious what you've done!" Kamisato Ayato immediately nodded. Whether it was to familiarize himself with his partner or to confirm their strength, he needed to make a trip to Higi Village.
"Now?" Ember pointed to the door of the secret room.
"No! Wait a moment, there are other matters." Kamisato Ayato shook his head. Some things needed to be prepared in advance.
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