"Third-party forces?"
Sangonomiya Kokomi had never considered such a possibility.
After all, in her eyes, the only enemies of Watatsumi Island were the soldiers under the Shogun.
As for anyone else,
she had never even thought about it.
Su Han let out a sigh upon hearing this. He copied a set of the compiled information and handed it to her.
"What is this?"
"Intelligence gathered recently. I'll have my subordinates come over shortly."
At this point, Su Han looked at Sangonomiya Kokomi and gave a friendly reminder, "I hope you can stay calm after reading it."
After saying that,
Su Han picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup.
For some reason, it felt unusually hot today.
Sangonomiya Kokomi frowned and opened the document.
The contents inside were extremely detailed.
The Yashiori Island incident.
A summary of the war over the past week.
A list of traitors.
Within this document, Sangonomiya Kokomi saw many chilling revelations, such as the death of the former captain of the Third Squad of the Saltfish Unit.
The original investigation concluded that he had accidentally fallen off a cliff.
But the result given here was: he was murdered by the current captain.
Sangonomiya Kokomi could not believe it at all, yet the evidence inside far exceeded her expectations.
This captain had been taken in by the Fatui during childhood, later brainwashed, and then returned to Watatsumi Island.
Publicly, it was said that he had been picked up by a merchant.
In reality, he had become a spy, continuously providing intelligence to the Fatui.
"How could this be? Isn't Kinoshita a very kind person? This is slander, I don't believe it!"
Sangonomiya Kokomi's reaction was exactly what Su Han had expected.
"Don't rush. Keep reading."
Looking at the unusually calm man, the shrine maiden lowered her head and continued.
The contents were shocking.
Personnel transfers.
Details of the war.
Even contact codes were included.
Most terrifying of all, the document even contained letters proving his betrayal.
If Sangonomiya Kokomi could not believe it before, now she was beginning to feel fear.
Because the information in those letters contained her decisions from just the past few days.
"Why is it like this!"
Sangonomiya Kokomi felt as if her heart was collapsing.
The decisions she believed in,
the things she had insisted on,
were nothing more than part of the Fatui's game.
No wonder Su Han said the war was like child's play. This was what he meant.
"Why would they do this?"
"The Fatui need crystallized marrow to manufacture Delusions. But that kind of material can only be produced from the remains of a god."
"I see."
Sangonomiya Kokomi finally understood the entire situation.
Then she thought of even more.
Originally, Watatsumi Island and the Shogunate had not been in such intense conflict.
But suddenly, one day,
war broke out.
Within the island, voices calling for war were everywhere. Although Sangonomiya Kokomi felt something was wrong, faced with so many voices,
she could only go along with the majority.
Thus, the war escalated even further.
Every time she wanted to negotiate peace, something unexpected would happen.
Either on Watatsumi Island's side or the Shogunate's side.
So everything had been manipulated from the shadows.
"When the fog clears, the monsters hiding within can no longer conceal themselves. Do you understand now? The war Watatsumi Island insists on is nothing but a joke."
"Then what should I do? Withdrawing troops will only invite them to push further."
The documents showed that the Kujou Clan knew they were being used, yet still chose to wage war.
Because they needed military achievements to maintain their family's prestige.
So even if Watatsumi Island stopped, this absurd war would not end.
Su Han had already thought of an answer. He smiled and said, "Actually, you can try cleaning things up from within. If you are ruthless, it won't take long to eliminate all the traitors. By then, even if war breaks out, the casualties won't be so severe. The premise is that everyone around you must obey you completely."
"That won't be a problem. With Gorou here, there will definitely be no issues. Tonight, I'll send people to investigate."
Sangonomiya Kokomi would not allow Watatsumi Island to fall into chaos any further.
If she wanted peace,
the first step was to eliminate the discord within the island.
Even if it meant bloodshed, she could not stop.
She had not finished reading the documents yet.
So Sangonomiya Kokomi continued reading.
Meanwhile, for some reason, Su Han kept sweating. A burning sensation was gathering in his lower abdomen.
Sangonomiya Kokomi, who was focused on the documents, was completely unaware. When she felt thirsty, she casually took a few sips from the teapot as well.
Time passed bit by bit.
Su Han began to feel dizzy. He stood up and said, "I'll go rest for a bit. I feel a little tired."
"Alright."
Sangonomiya Kokomi replied without even lifting her head.
Ten minutes later,
a bead of fragrant sweat slid down her neck.
But the shrine maiden paid it no attention, continuing to think about what to do next.
After a while, she finally finished reading the documents.
Just as Sangonomiya Kokomi tried to stand up, her legs felt weak, and only then did she realize that her body was already drenched in sweat.
"Hmm? Something's wrong, I drank the Watatsumi Divine Tea."
Realizing the problem, the shrine maiden's expression changed drastically.
Originally, she had planned to drug Su Han with it to force him to help Watatsumi Island.
But at that time, Sangonomiya Kokomi had no idea the situation was this complicated.
Now, it was too late for regrets.
Sangonomiya Kokomi's consciousness gradually blurred. Her nose twitched slightly, and her flushed face turned toward the bed, where a certain scent seemed to be drawing her in.
On the bed, Su Han's entire body was burning hot, his skin flushed red.
The potency of the drug was obvious.
Watatsumi Divine Tea.
This secret formula came from ancient times. It was originally developed to help the Watatsumi envoys reproduce.
Its effect could maximally stimulate desire while also greatly enhancing reproductive capability.
Back then, although the Watatsumi envoys were powerful, their unique nature caused them to have very faint emotions. Thus, the followers of Orobashi developed this substance.
Originally, Sangonomiya Kokomi had intended to sacrifice a shrine maiden to coerce Su Han.
Although such a method was disgraceful, she had already been pushed to the brink.
The war continued endlessly.
If it went on like this, Watatsumi Island would have no future.
But she had not expected that she herself would become absorbed in the documents and end up drinking it as well.
Very quickly,
the shrine maiden arrived at the bedside.
She was drawn by the scent emanating from the man. Her previously dazed eyes gained a trace of desire.
Outside the room,
two shrine maidens in blue skirts were whispering.
"Why hasn't the signal from Lady Kokomi come yet?"
"Could the negotiations have broken down?"
"Not sure. We just need to wait. Lady Kokomi said the guest inside is an immortal envoy from overseas. With his help, Watatsumi Island will surely prosper."
"I see, but why has there been no sound for so long?"
"How about we take a look?"
The two exchanged glances.
They gently opened a crack in the door.
Unexpectedly, the moment the door opened, they heard strange sounds.
The eyes of both shrine maidens widened.
Lady Kokomi… did she personally…?
Heavens.
What is going on?
In addition,
they heard sounds like battle, rhythmic like war drums.
Very soon,
the door was closed again.
The two shrine maidens blushed deeply.
After a long while, the older shrine maiden whispered, "What happened today must not be spoken of!"
"Yes… absolutely not."
That night was long.
Sangonomiya Kokomi's mind turned into a blur. Her voice became completely hoarse, until she eventually lost consciousness.
In her dream,
she saw herself with several children, and Watatsumi Island flourishing.
Gradually,
a smile appeared on her lips.
In the end, she lost consciousness in the darkness.
The next day.
Eight in the morning.
The door slowly opened.
Sangonomiya Kokomi lowered her head and slowly walked out.
Seeing her disheveled state,
the two shrine maidens felt great concern.
"Lady Kokomi."
"Take me next door to bathe."
Sangonomiya Kokomi said hoarsely.
She could barely stand, and her mind was blank.
If not for the many matters that needed handling,
she would have wanted to sleep for another twenty hours.
With the support of the shrine maidens,
she bathed and changed clothes.
What would normally take half an hour ended up taking three full hours.
Near noon,
Gorou was urgently summoned back.
Strangely, Sangonomiya Kokomi did not meet him in person, instead communicating through letters.
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