A little over two hours quickly passed. All the residents of Narukami Island, along with foreign merchants, travelers, and others, had gathered at the center of Inazuma City.
By now, the plaza was already a sea of people, buzzing with noise and packed full of onlookers eager to see the spectacle. Had the Shogunate soldiers on site not been maintaining order, the area would have undoubtedly descended into chaos.
"Have you heard? Her Excellency the Shogun has already captured those invaders!"
"Of course I know—why else would we be here? It's to see who actually did it!"
"If you ask me, it's those ungrateful wretches from Watatsumi Island!"
"Not necessarily. There might still be a twist!"
As the crowd waited for their Shogun to take the stage and reveal the truth, they engaged in heated discussions. A large portion still held to their original view, believing Watatsumi Island was to blame.
A smaller faction felt the matter was not so simple. As for the foreign merchants and travelers, their only concern was their own safety; knowing the attackers were captured meant their security in Inazuma had just improved by a fair measure.
Amid the clamor, a squad of soldiers soon appeared to clear a path. The onlookers parted ways, watching as the guards escorted over a dozen cloaked figures to the center.
Seeing the mysterious garments, the people quickly surmised that these were the perpetrators. A careful count revealed fifteen individuals, sparking a flash of fear and alarm among the populace. So many Vision-bearers lurking in the shadows and launching sneak attacks—it was truly impossible to guard against.
No wonder the patrols who encountered them had met with near annihilation. Furrowing their brows, the crowd glared, pointing and shouting at the captives.
After the prisoners were lined up neatly in a row, Kujou Sara entered slowly alongside Yae Miko, Raiden Ei, and Yuki, coming to stand before the crowd.
The moment the people saw Raiden Ei, all the citizens of Inazuma fell to their knees, reverently paying homage to their ruler and deity.
"We pay our respects to Her Excellency, the Shogun!"
The resounding chorus made all of Inazuma City tremble, their voices echoing through city. Such reverent cries of worship toward a deity were common in nearly every land across Teyvat, though with certain exceptions.
Inazuma, however, was definitely not an exception. Without a doubt, the name of the Raiden Shogun commanded the loudest acclaim. Her appearance pushed the atmosphere to a fever pitch.
Ei surveyed the crowd, her expression cool and dignified. Giving a slight nod, she spoke slowly, "Everyone, rise."
Only upon her word did the citizens rise. As they looked toward Ei's group, their eyes immediately fell upon an unfamiliar man—Yuki.
Instantly, the gazes of many women present were drawn to him. Handsome! Even more flawless than the most exquisitely carved sculptures, every inch of his features seemed to follow an impeccable golden ratio, perhaps even surpassing it.
A man of such breathtaking beauty was a once-in-a-lifetime sight. In no time, hushed discussions about Yuki became a main topic of conversation. The crowd was intensely curious about his identity. How could he stand alongside their deity, and why had they never seen him before?
Meanwhile, not far from the plaza, on the second floor of a tea house, a graceful silhouette stood beside a half-open wooden window. Through the gap, one could see the owner of that silhouette: a young woman with long, silver hair as luminous as moonlight, shimmering with a soft radiance in the sunlight.
Beneath her silver locks, a pair of sapphire-blue eyes, like the ocean itself, were fixed intently upon the scene below. Reflected in those bright eyes was the figure of the stunning man standing beside the Shogun, and for a long while, she simply couldn't look away.
Even when the retainers beside her called out, she could not regain her focus.
"My lady? My lady!"
"What's the matter with my lady? Thoma, do you know?"
"How would I know? Perhaps she's pondering something. Let's not disturb her."
The hushed voices of conversation drifted around her, entirely ignored.
Down below in the central plaza, Raiden Ei stepped forward and addressed the crowd. "I believe that over the past while, you have all heard the rumors concerning Watatsumi Island, have you not?"
Her expression was stern, her tone calm. Hearing the words of their deity, the crowd subconsciously nodded in unison.
Seeing this, Ei continued. "Coincidentally, today multiple attacks occurred across Narukami Island—acts of the most vile nature. Not only were the people of Inazuma harmed, but so too were travelers and merchants from other nations. Such things are absolutely unforgivable. And the perpetrators behind all of this... are these people standing before me!"
Ei's words took a sharp turn, directing the full weight of her statement at the captured prisoners.
"Their faces, as you can see for yourselves. I believe many of you here have seen or even recognize them. That's right—they are indeed all members of the Fatui! The earlier attacks, the rumors, and everything else—all of it was the work of that Fatui Harbinger. It was they who secretly instigated discord between Narukami and Watatsumi, stirring up hostility between the two islands!"
The moment these words left Ei's mouth, the crowd erupted into an uproar.
Many had still been firmly convinced that Watatsumi Island was to blame, believing their guilt was beyond pardon. Some had even severed ties and turned against friends from Watatsumi. Yet now, they were being told that the Fatui had been pulling the strings all along.
It left a bitter taste in their mouths. Had these words come from anyone else, they might have protested. But this was their very own deity—even if it was difficult to accept, they had no choice but to face reality.
"Your Excellency the Shogun, may I ask—is this truly the doing of that Fatui Harbinger, Mr. Varnava?"
Just as Ei finished speaking, another person, escorted by a group of soldiers, stepped out from the crowd and voiced his doubts. Everyone followed the voice, only to find that the one questioning was none other than the head of the Tenryou Commission—the Kujou Clan patriarch.
Seeing her adoptive father express skepticism even when the culprits had been caught red-handed, Kujou Sara's face filled with bewilderment.
She could not understand why he would question the Shogun. He ought to know that the Shogun was a deity; she would never jest about such a serious matter.
"Patriarch Kujou, do you mean to suggest that I would deceive the people of Inazuma?" Faced with his doubt, Ei furrowed her brow slightly and turned the question back on him.
Confronted by the deity's counter-question, the Kujou patriarch remained perfectly composed. He chuckled lightly and shook his head.
"No, not at all. As your subjects, how could we ever doubt the wisdom of our deity? It is simply that the matter is so utterly bizarre that I must be cautious and raise a reasonable doubt. After all, I have met this Mr. Varnava several times myself. He never struck me as the sort to harbor malicious intent."
His words, on the surface, seemed quite reasonable. But at their core, they were still expressing blatant doubt about the truth Ei had just declared.