Chapter 121: The Daimyo's Suspicion and a New Path
After spending a night in Shikkotsu Forest, an exhausted Dana finally returned to the Hidden Cloud.
Most of the night had been spent teaching Katsuyu mathematics. Without a certain mathematical foundation, it was difficult to understand the coordinate system.
Dana was tired. Katsuyu was frustrated.
But when he described the future of the Communication Snail to her, she was willing to learn. She said she would split off a special clone, one that would carry her consciousness, to go with him. But she wanted the snail shell to be a custom sapphire blue, and the inside to be lined with small, warm pebbles.
Dana, of course, had no objections.
Because the rate of natural energy absorption in the outside world was slower, he couldn't be sure that his golden spine was completely fine. So, he took some time to train in Shikkotsu Forest. The absorption rate did not decrease, and he felt no discomfort, so he was a little more at ease.
In the morning, he had breakfast with his mother. Satomi had been on edge lately. Her husband and eldest son were both... up in the air. The psychological pressure was immense. So, whenever he had time, he would try to spend it with her.
Maki had also arrived from the Land of Hot Water and had resumed her position as his... attendant. But the Raikage's tower was full of secrets, especially the Raikage's office. She was not a ninja of the village, so it was not appropriate to take her there. So, she was in charge of his daily life in the Yotsuki compound, while the thirty-something male secretary was in charge of his affairs in the Raikage's tower.
He had thought today would be a bit more relaxed, but the moment he stepped into the office, he was met with a problem.
A letter from the Thunder Daimyo.
He opened it. It was a long letter, and it spoke of two things.
The first made him a little nervous. The Daimyo, in his capacity as "in-law," wanted to discuss the marriage of his second son to his ninth daughter with the Third Raikage.
The ninth daughter was, of course, Natsu.
The news of the Third Raikage's disappearance was still a secret. The Daimyo was likely not very well-informed about the internal affairs of the village. So, the letter, which was addressed to the Raikage, had to be handled by the Acting Raikage. And the Acting Raikage was the subject of the letter. This was a roundabout way of controlling his own marriage.
Stripped of its flowery language, the letter essentially said: By my calculations, Yotsuki Dana is now of a marriageable age (15). My daughter is a year older (16). The time is right. I am writing to you to confirm the wedding arrangements.
Dana felt a headache coming on. Though his soul was over forty years old, he had never been married in either of his lives. He didn't dislike Raihara Natsu, but when it came down to it, his old habit of procrastination kicked in. He just wanted to put it off.
In a way, he was grateful for the engagement. The clan elders, out of respect for the Daimyo, had not tried to push any other women on him. Taking concubines after marriage was a common practice among the nobility, but to do so before, while engaged, was a sign of disrespect.
Though he was the Acting Raikage, he would still have to consult with the clan on this matter, even if the real Raikage were here. So, he decided to just wait for his father to come back.
The second matter was even more troublesome.
The Daimyo said that he had recently received information that an unknown power in the Land of Lightning had consolidated many of the country's steel and weapon industries. He was concerned and wanted to commission the Cloud to investigate.
He had placed this part at the very end of the letter, as if it were just a casual mention.
The United Iron & Steel Company was a top secret within the Cloud, and they had created several intelligence decoys. He didn't know where the leak had come from.
He immediately ordered a secret internal investigation of all of United Iron & Steel's institutions in the Land of Lightning.
As a massive commercial conglomerate, it was difficult to remain hidden forever. Besides the Cloud's own forces, a large number of ordinary people worked for the company. They had families, and the network was vast.
But it was not yet time to be exposed.
He stood in the Raikage's office, looking down at the prosperous village below.
After the Third Raikage's restructuring, United Iron & Steel was now completely tied to the Cloud's war machine. Almost every clan had a stake in it. It provided a huge amount of financial support to the village, and it was thanks to the ample research funding that the Cloud was able to make continuous technological advancements in various fields.
And after the reforms, the village had a new source of revenue: the "buy-in" from the clans.
Taxes.
This revenue was still small, the categories few, and the amount far less than what the clans were getting from United Iron & Steel. But it was a good start.
The old "mission-daimyo" financial system was gradually shifting to a "mission-self-sufficient" system. The Daimyo's support was still a considerable income, but it was in the hands of another. The United Iron & Steel Company, which was in their own hands, was much more comfortable.
It was foreseeable that the Daimyo's importance to the Cloud would continue to decline. When they opened more offices in other countries, his support would become optional.
The purpose of the reforms was to promote development. But the old "village-daimyo" system was now becoming an obstacle to the Cloud's continued growth.
Abandoning development was not an option. The Cloud could not go back to the cage of a "backward system."
So, in the end, they would have to forge a new path, a new relationship between the village and the Daimyo.