Kujou Sara didn't know what she should do.
For the moment, she decided to stay on Departure Island and deal with things later.
Although the Kanjou Commission was incompetent, it was still part of Inazuma's authority.
She was worried.
Earlier, when Beidou had left, she instructed the Kanjou Commission to prepare tenfold compensation.
If they couldn't deliver, they might declare war.
She needed to keep an eye on things.
Especially with Liyue's army potentially approaching.
Sitting quietly in the military tent, Kujou Sara watched the Shogunate troops busily running outside.
Though their expressions were serious and military discipline was intact,
she could already see that these troops were beginning to question their own actions.
They came from the people of Inazuma, and now, the people of Inazuma were suffering.
The source of this suffering seemed to stem from them.
The morale of the troops was unstable…
Kujou Sara clenched her fists and recalled what Kamisato Ayato had said that day:
"General Kujou, you don't want to see the hearts of Inazuma's people scattered, do you?"
"General Kujou, is Inazuma truly the Shogun's, or the people's?"
"General Kujou, does 'eternity' mean that all the people of Inazuma are eternally trapped in hell?"
"General Kujou, your loyalty only subjects the people of Inazuma to endless suffering!"
"What the Shogun needs is honest counsel, not puppets devoid of self-awareness or emotion!"
Kujou Sara leaned back in her chair, staring up at the tent ceiling with a sense of loss.
"Am I… wrong?"
"Shogun… what is all of this really for?"
Kamisato Ayato hadn't demanded anything of her.
He only asked that…
while they carried out their plan, she should not interfere with her troops.
Kujou Sara understood that Kamisato Ayato was absolutely loyal to the Raiden Shogun, loyal to Inazuma.
Most likely, his plan was just to sway the Shogun's mind.
But she, as a general under the Raiden Shogun…
Even pretending not to notice would count as betrayal.
And Kujou Sara could not do that.
Her life was her loyalty; betraying the Raiden Shogun would be even harder to bear than death.
Yet the living conditions of the people of Inazuma could not continue to deteriorate.
They were real people. Liyue and Mondstadt citizens could live good lives—why couldn't the people of Inazuma?
During her communication with Kamisato Ayato, Kujou Sara had intended to report everything to the Shogun.
But when she reached the door, she hesitated.
In the end, with the Shogun completely secluded and seeing no one, she never said a word.
"Shogun…"
Kujou Sara held her head in pain.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside.
Her heart tightened. Just as she was about to get up and move toward the tent entrance, a panting Shogunate soldier rushed in,
pointing outside with a fearful expression.
"General Kujou… there… there's a problem!"
"Outside… it's all dragons!"
"The Liyue army is approaching!"
Kujou Sara was struck with terror.
"What?!"
There was no time to think. She quickly left the tent.
When she looked up, she froze in place.
Above her, from all directions, hundreds of massive dragons circled, surrounding the entire Inazuma Shogunate military base.
To be precise, Departure Island had already been completely sealed off.
On the back of each dragon sat a fully armed member of the Liyue Qianyan army.
Kujou Sara's heart sank. She stepped forward, steeling herself, and shouted into the imposing presence of the dragons:
"This is Kujou Sara, General of the Inazuma Shogunate! Can the leaders of the Qianyan Army come forward for a word?"
The dragon formation remained silent. After a moment, three dragons broke from the crowd.
On one sat Xiao, his expression calm. On the other two were Lumine and Paimon.
Kujou Sara tensed.
She worried that Lumine had come to exact revenge.
After all, she had heard of the matter with Ei pursuing Lumine.
"Hmph hmph!"
Paimon proudly lifted her head.
"King Paimon is back! And the Raiden Shogun who chased us? Bring her out!"
Lumine felt slightly embarrassed, glaring at Paimon and whispering:
"Xiao, it's your turn."
Xiao nodded slightly and lowered his gaze toward Kujou Sara.
"Liyue's Immortals, Yaksha Golden Winged, Demon Conqueror Xiao, have come at orders to bring justice for the Liyue merchants oppressed in Inazuma!"
"The Inazuma Kanjou Commission exploited Liyue merchants. The Geo Archon is enraged, and the Celestial Star of Authority demands tenfold compensation."
"General Kujou Sara of the Inazuma Shogunate, can you take responsibility for this matter?"
Kujou Sara's anxiety deepened.
Now, it wasn't just the army approaching.
Even the Liyue immortals had come!
Looking at the dragons in the sky, she wondered where Liyue had gotten so many massive, powerful dragons.
But now was clearly not the time to think about that.
Pressing her lips together, Kujou Sara said quietly:
"The Kanjou Commission misinterpreted the Shogun's orders and committed wrongdoing.
But the Kanjou Commission is still one of the three administrative branches of Inazuma.
Their actions are naturally inseparable from the country's governance.
This matter—I am willing to discuss it with you!"
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